Q&A with Author Russ Colchamiro
With a new year comes a new sci-fi thriller from Crazy 8 Press inmate Russ Colchamiro, featuring his intergalactic hardboiled private eye Angela Hardwicke. Part Blade Runner, part Fringe, Hardwicke is back again in Trigger Point.
As Hardwicke gears up for another genre blending thriller, we sat down with Russ to discuss this noirish sci-fi tale and his long-range plans for the character:
Crazy 8 Press: What genre are the Angela Hardwicke stories?
Russ: These are all sci-fi thrillers, mixing noir, action, suspense, and touches of horror. Some are more cyberpunk than others.
C8: Angela Hardwicke is hard boiled private eye, but in a Blade Runner-style world. What kinds of cases does she take?
Russ: Hardwicke takes the kinds of cases you would think a private eye would take. Arson, kidnapping, missing persons, extortion, murder, and corporate espionage. But she also takes on cases dealing with galactic lunatics, cosmic repairmen, androids, soul stealers, off-world conspiracies, and a miles-long helixes of the Universe’s DNA, just to list a few.
C8: Are the Hardwicke novels serialized or can new readers dive in anywhere?
Russ: Each novel is a stand-alone sci-fi mystery/thriller, where I reintroduce the characters and worldbuilding so you can jump in anywhere. You can read these novels in any order. If Trigger Point is your first introduction to Hardwicke, you’ll know exactly where you are.
C8: What’s the set-up for Trigger Point?
Russ: Hardwicke has just been released from prison for reasons you’ll have to discover for yourself! As her first solo case back on the street, she is hired by a paranoid pimp whose best earner has been murdered under suspicious circumstances. Meanwhile, Hardwicke’s protégé Eric Whistler is missing, forcing her to partner with a sketchy police detective and a reclusive old friend as the fabric of spacetime begins to unravel.
Hardwicke is on a road of redemption, which leads her through a harrowing journey of ancient theories, terrified sex workers, nightmares, ghosts, the Dreamscape… and demons from her past she can no longer ignore.
C8: Hold on. How do you go from street-level investigation about a murdered sex worker to the disintegrating fabric of the Universe?
Russ: Ha ha! Well, that’s the fun, isn’t it? If you’ve read any of the previous novels in the series, I think you’ll find that Hardwicke has a knack for uncovering these kinds of cases. In Trigger Point, I wanted a case that pulled together various threads from the novels that came before it, and recurring characters who needed some closure, including her son, Owen, and her partner, Whistler. Living in Hardwicke’s world can take a toll; either you rise to the challenge… or you don’t. It’s a staple of the series, linking street-level investigations to larger conspiracies that often threaten a whole lotta people.
C8: You say Trigger Point deals with nightmares and the Dreamscape? Anything you can tell us about that?
Russ: In every Hardwicke book, I combine recurring landmarks and worldbuilding but want to give readers new territory to explore. I’ve wanted to delve into the Dreamscape since I first started writing Hardwicke. Her nightmares are pretty damn terrifying!
C8: Trigger Point also deals with pimps and sex workers. Are there any trigger warnings here (no pun intended)?
Russ: Sex work can be a taboo subject. And noir is often grimy. Trigger Point is one of those books, at least in part. There are many sex workers who willingly choose that life. Trigger Point deals with some who feel trapped. There are no sex scenes in Trigger Point, but what these women endure is often pleasant. I tried to handle the content respectfully. Your mileage may vary.
C8: Let’s talk about that cover. Wow!
Russ: Thanks! I knew from the beginning I wanted the main image of Hardwicke being electrocuted. It’s specific to the plot. And then the dog, well… it was a happy accident that also ties in directly with the dangers she faces.
C8: This is your fifth Hardwicke novel. What’s next for her?
Russ: Trigger Point wraps up what I consider to be Series 1. I have another five novels in the Hardwicke universe ready to go… if the fans want them (hint-hint). I also have some other Hardwicke projects I’ll be able to talk about next year.
Trigger Point is on sale now!