Former Orlando Police Detective Mike Garrity has a tumor in his head. Its name is Bob.
That's the premise for Thomas Cavanagh's debut thriller novel, HEAD GAMES (January 2007, St. Martin's Press). Cavanagh has been compared to Carl Hiaasen and his writing called "outrageously funny" (Charlotte Hughes) with "humor so sharp it will make you bleed" (Brian Freeman).
So just how does an author go about making terminal brain cancer funny?
According to Cavanagh, although he worked for several years writing comedy for children's television, he didn't originally plan to write a comedic novel. "The main character has cancer, after all," he says. "But I soon realized that the cancer was precisely why I needed to lighten it up a bit."
But a tumor named Bob? Does he get any lines? "No. He exists entirely in Mike’s head, both literally and figuratively. He never “speaks” and Mike never tells anyone else about him. But, as a presence in Mike’s life, Bob is ubiquitous. Mike assigns Bob a petulant personality and claims him as the most significant relationship in his life."
Now, that's a little sad. A dying cop's only significant relationship is with his terminal cancer. I'm starting to see why we might need a little humor here. Especially as HEAD GAMES deals with more than cancer. In it, Mike Garrity must face not only his own mortality but that of his daughter as well, all while searching for a missing member of a popular Orlando boy band.
Does Cavanagh think his work is similar to Carl Hiaasen's? "It’s probably a little less wacky and more grounded in reality. But I'll gladly take the comparison."
One of the ways Cavanagh grounds HEAD GAMES in reality is by using his father's fight with cancer as a touchstone. "Thankfully, my father is still with us today. But his fight with cancer was a tough one and he has the scars to prove it."
Other experiences Cavanagh drew upon in writing HEAD GAMES harken back to his days working in children's television. There he did everything from writing award-winning programs for national cable networks to chauffeuring Mouseketeers. "In HEAD GAMES there is a scene where, in the background, a staffer for the boy band sits at a conference table and autographs a stack of 8x10 group photos of the band, forging each member’s signature with a different color pen. I witnessed that exact event once while working on a television program featuring The New Kids on the Block."
HEAD GAMES is Cavanagh's second published novel. His first, MURDERLAND, was released in 2005. Cavanagh's advice about breaking into publishing: "Never. Give. Up.
"It’s a cliché, but it’s true. Be professional. Write a killer query. Write an even better book. And then be a pit bull in sending it out. Like all writers, I’ve got a stack of rejections for both of my books. But it’s important to keep at it. If it’s good, it will eventually find a home."
When not writing crime fiction, Cavanagh has been busy completing a PhD in Texts & Technology, while working as the Director of Online Course Design and Production for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. "There’s a big difference between writing a dissertation and writing a novel. They’re each challenging and enjoyable in their own ways. I’m in the process of writing my next novel, what I hope will be a sequel to HEAD GAMES."
A sequel to a book about a terminally ill main character? How does that work?
"Ahh…," Cavanagh says, "the answer to that question is part of why I hope readers will be interested. And I promise that there’s no cheap “miracle cure” resolution of Mike’s illness."
Okay, you heard it here first! But, inquiring minds want to know…if Mike is cured, will Bob return as well? Guess we're going to have to wait and read it. We're not the only ones hoping that this is the start to a series. Claire Matturro says of HEAD GAMES, "The action and the mystery will keep you reading, but the characters will make you want a whole other book. Please tell us this is a series, with more to come. Cavanagh is another rich, strong voice from Florida, and there's certainly room for more Florida crime fiction when it is as dynamic as HEAD GAMES."
To learn more about Mike Garrity, Bob, and their creator, Thomas Cavanagh, go to http://www.thomasbcavanagh.com.
HEAD GAMES will be released by St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books in January 2007
ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER
Award winning author CJ Lyons is a physician trained in
Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Winner of the Golden Gateway and
a Golden Heart Finalist in Romantic Suspense, CJ is a member
of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers,
Romance Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime. Her writing
has appeared in Romantic Times BookReviews, CrimeSpree and
Kiss of Death.
Look for her debut medical suspense novel coming from Berkley in 2008. Her website is http://www.cjlyons.net and her blog Unsung Heroes can be found at http://www.cjlyons.wordpress.com
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