Latest / Off the Page / Episode 001-Austin S. Camacho-K. R. Raye-Justice Has a New Weapon
Transcript
- K. R. Raye: Salutations, readers. Welcome to the Off the Page Podcast with KR Raye, "Your Authorpreneur." This is the place where stories leap off the page. Every episode, we explore the characters and stories that stay with us and resonate long after we finish reading the book or watching the show. I'm the host KR Raye, Your Authorpreneur. and Authorpreneurs, just like entrepreneurs, wear multiple hats. In my case, I'm an award-winning author, screenwriter, podcaster, speaker, and publisher. In my role as publisher, today's inaugural podcast episode holds a special place in my heart. I published my first novel, The The Colors of Friendship, through my publishing company, JPad Publishing, way back on August 13, 2013. So launching Off the Page podcast today, 13 years later, feels like a full circle moment. Which is why I am so excited that my first guest is Austin S. Camacho. He attended my book launch and was pretty much there from the very beginning. Austin is one of the OG Authorpreneurs. He's the author of eight novels about Washington, DC-based private eye Hannibal Jones. He's got five books of the Stark and O'Brien International Thriller Series. He has Detective Novel Beyond Blue And the Urban Thrillers True Target and Mirror Target. His short stories have been featured in several anthologies, and he's featured in the Edgar nominated African-American Mystery Writers. Austin is the past president of the Maryland Writers Association, past vice president of the Virginia Writers Club, and one of my favorites. He's the creator of a literary conference that I absolutely love: Creatures, Crime and Creativity. But today, We're focusing on just one hat and that's his role as author. So without further ado, Austin S. Camacho, welcome to Off the Page. It's wonderful to have you here. Austin S. Camacho: Thank you so much for having me. K. R. Raye: Definitely. Austin S. Camacho: Thank you to the studio audience. K. R. Raye: Excellent. So let's jump right in. As authors and creatives, we understand the importance of characters and stories to our audience. So we'll dive into our first segment, The Character We Won't Forget. With your latest thriller series, tell me about the protagonist, Skye. Discuss what makes audiences emotionally attached to her or certain characters. Austin S. Camacho: Here's the thing, Skye is a challenge that I gave myself. Skye is a professional assassin female in Washington DC. And of course, your goal with any piece of fiction is to get the audience, the readers, to get on board and love your protagonist. So, I gave myself a challenge and I did this in a number of ways. a lot of it we'll talk about in the third piece, but the thing about Skye that I think will hook people most is that she is very self-aware. One of the things that I have missed reading similar books about assassins and professional, you know, spies and all that stuff, they kill people and move on. And the thing is, for most of us humans, that's that's an impossible thing. So K. R. Raye: Right. Austin S. Camacho: I'm introducing a character who is aware of the fact that on some level something's broken in here. K. R. Raye: Yes. Austin S. Camacho: That I can go around killing people and and move to the next case and I'm happy about it and blah blah blah. That I think is what will draw people in. K. R. Raye: Definitely. Austin S. Camacho: my my Hannibal Jones series. My Stark and O'Brien, all the series I've written, the focal character, the series is about the rising and advancing of that character's spirit. So you're watching Skye, you come to root for her because you know she can be a good person. Now I will tell you, she works by a certain set of rules. Actually I I they're twenty three now. And then I I have to write them down. But rule number one is the target has to deserve it. This is how she keeps from seeing herself as evil. I'm doing a good thing. I'm the voice of justice and blah blah blah. As the books progress, I have a lot of fun with defining that. How do I know this person deserves? K. R. Raye: Deserve that. Austin S. Camacho: Okay, you're a drug dealer, yeah, you should go. What about the guy who created that drug? does he deserve to die? You know, what about somebody who who did something bad but they thought they had a good reason? So I get to explore all that and I think that will make my character unforgettable, wholly aside from the fact that she's a total smart ass, and that she is very how shall I say? Skye is very urban. K. R. Raye: Yes. Austin S. Camacho: Okay. You know from the dialogue that this is not some white girl in the suburbs. So all of that K. R. Raye: Right. Yeah. She Austin S. Camacho: I think will will will draw you in. I think. K. R. Raye: Definitely, definitely. And and that actually it is one of those things that really makes her real and emotionally attaches the audience to her because you're down in the ditches and you're trying to navigate this nebulous world of do they really deserve it? Was there something else that this person did that caused them to make this bad decision, right? love that. Love that. And that'll get you definitely in a lot of tricky situations as you're going through your trying to navigate. Austin S. Camacho: Hope so. Well, you know, it the as if if you read the book, you would know. Skye is in analysis. She doesn't believe, you know, she will tell you I'm not crazy. I just pay somebody because I need to talk about my stuff. And in the process, her analyst Gets kind of the the Jiminy Cricket role. Maybe I can steer her to good things because Skye is not in her own mind, she is not a hero. And I didn't say it until the third book, which I just finished writing that isn't out yet. But no, Skye is not in the save you business. Skye is in the revenge business. K. R. Raye: Exactly. Two Austin S. Camacho: Very different thing. K. R. Raye: totally different things. Austin S. Camacho: Yes, yes. K. R. Raye: So that leads me into the next segment, the scene that stayed with you. Discuss a scene or story, film, book moment that emotionally impacted you and why. And it could definitely be about Skye as she's getting into all of these revenge stories, or it could be about something else. What's the scene that stayed with you? Austin S. Camacho: Well, my mind wandered a bit when when you said that because I read a lot of books and I watch a lot of movies and I thought about all the things I've seen that scenes didn't move me. But here's one that really did affect me. in Lord of the Rings, Sam Gamgee. Okay. At the end of the second book, or the end of the second movie, The Two Towers, right? Okay. There is that pivotal moment where Frodo has nearly given in to the ring. He's about to go over the edge, right? And Sam, who is not the star, and that's part of what makes a great moment, is that it's not the star. Sam says to him something like. There's good in this world and it's worth fighting for. And when I was watching the movies, I was like, wow, that defines hero. that defines heroism to me. Because K. R. Raye: Exactly. Austin S. Camacho: and I I don't want to get political on your show, okay? K. R. Raye: Well, it's still clear for right now, but yeah. Austin S. Camacho: So the point here is in when all the superhero shows are about super strong and and bit, but our true defense against the darkness, our true defense against evil is not power. As this movie shows, it's not magic, it's really empathy. Our real defense is. Caring about other people and making that choice, as Sam did in the movie, making that choice to have hope. Even when it seems like all is lost, you choose hope K. R. Raye: Everything's lost. Hope. Austin S. Camacho: and you continue to have that empathy and care about others and focus on the good that's out there that is worth trying. fighting for now. I d I don't know if everybody else reacted to that scene that way, but to me that was a pivotal moment. Because he could have made a speech about we need to save the Shire or blah blah blah. No. This K. R. Raye: Right. No. Austin S. Camacho: really got to it for me. And I K. R. Raye: Yeah. Austin S. Camacho: So anyway, there's that's that was my scene. K. R. Raye: And that is a fantastic scene. And it it's so funny you mentioned that because I actually did the Awesome Con the big sci-fi fantasy comic-con convention in DC last Austin S. Camacho: Mm-hmm. Right. K. R. Raye: year, and they had the Lord of the Rings cast on there. And he mentioned that being one of the things for him. And so that's just like, even again, full circle, full circle, because Austin S. Camacho: Yes. Yes. K. R. Raye: just having that last bit of hope when everything seems lost and looking out for the greater good is is such a heroic moment. And beautiful, beautiful. Austin S. Camacho: It's it's the thing. K. R. Raye: I I'll I'll even pull it back to you. Now that you mentioned that, does it make writing Skye even more challenging or even more fun? Because now you have to have something maybe in the back of your mind where she's really trying to fight for maybe the greater good when her whole purpose is all about revenge, right? Does that make that even more challenging or fun to write? Austin S. Camacho: There is a it's it's both more challenging and more fun to write because Skye is frequently dishonest with herself and some part of her knows I want to do the good thing, but that's not her self-image. So she comes up with an excuse to do the good thing. K. R. Raye: Mm-hmm. Austin S. Camacho: There there's a moment in one of the books where she knows she needs to go after the bad guy, the really bad guy, K. R. Raye: Yeah. Austin S. Camacho: but that's not my job. And so she actually goes to one of the other characters and says, Give me twenty dollars. Okay. Now you have paid me, you are a client. What do you want me to do? He said, kill that guy. So okay. K. R. Raye: Okay. Austin S. Camacho: And there K. R. Raye: Yeah. Austin S. Camacho: are a lot of these moments where she feels like she has to have an excuse to do what we can plainly see as the right thing. So yeah. K. R. Raye: Right thing. love that. Love that. So tying that all together now, we're going to go to our third and final interview segment, the emotional core that makes it real. And you've hit on that right there, discussing that central emotional tension inside your work or creative process. Like how do you pull all this together and Austin S. Camacho: You might have to cut me off here. Because that K. R. Raye: Go for it. Austin S. Camacho: that really got me thinking about what I do. When I'm in the creative bubble, I'm thinking about the plot and the characters. And then you go back in retrospect and reread your stuff and find out that you did things that you didn't know you were doing. Okay? So To answer your question more directly, Skye's struggle, Skye's emotional tension here is her struggle to reconcile the person she is with the person she hopes to be. Okay, that is the thread that I hope runs through. All of these that's why I'd mention she has rich created this this moral code so she K. R. Raye: Yes. Austin S. Camacho: can kill without seeing herself as a villain, K. R. Raye: Yes. Austin S. Camacho: and it comes out she won't con take a contract against innocent people, she won't go after somebody just because they're your business rival. They really have to deserve death, okay? So, example. And I almost talked about this earlier, but this book opens with Skye killing a child molester. Okay. She was hired to do that by a group of church ladies who are, at least for me, very recognizable people. I know these women. Okay. So K. R. Raye: yes. We we know the church ladies. Austin S. Camacho: she goes back to report, the job is done, and they thank her and they praise her. And they try to give you know how these women are. They give you the big hug. K. R. Raye: Of course. Yes. Austin S. Camacho: And Skye says, Don't don't do that. I don't deserve it. I'm not the kind of girl you want to know. To me that was a very important piece of dialogue because it shows the self-doubt in this character who appears to be so confident. So the thread for her, for this person. Can Skye, who, you know, she has built her entire life around delivering death? That's what I do. K. R. Raye: Yes. Yes. Yes. Austin S. Camacho: In the name of justice, but you know. And by the K. R. Raye: Right. Austin S. Camacho: way, that's the that's the tagline I like to use. Justice has a new weapon and her name is Skye. But K. R. Raye: Skye Austin S. Camacho: can this woman still be somebody who is worthy of love, who is worthy of trust? K. R. Raye: Right. Yeah. Austin S. Camacho: Who is worthy of the legacy of her adoptive father who taught her all these skills and talents. That's that's the core for me. And you know what I write. It's thriller, it's assassinations, it's espionage, it's action K. R. Raye: Yes. Yes. Yes. Austin S. Camacho: scenes, and I hope they are compelling scenes, but to make them matter. K. R. Raye: You have to hit that emotional part. Austin S. Camacho: There has to be this internal struggle to give it h emotional weight. I want K. R. Raye: Yes. Austin S. Camacho: those fights to have emotional weight. You know, K. R. Raye: Yes. Austin S. Camacho: When Rocky gets in the ring with Apollo Creed, that has emotional weight. It's a lot more than just people punching each other. K. R. Raye: Right. No. Austin S. Camacho: And that's that's what I want to do. I want to have that that emotional weight in in each mission that Skye goes on, she's gotta ask herself not just can I finish the job, but can I be the person I want to be? Can I be the person I ought to be? So K. R. Raye: To be Austin S. Camacho: For safety, she has kind of emotionally isolated herself. Because, you know, you gotta be off the grid. You're a killer. K. R. Raye: Exactly. Austin S. Camacho: But she needs connection. And so K. R. Raye: Yes. Austin S. Camacho: there's also the the fight to me between needing this connection and needing to push it away. So she doesn't have any friends, quote unquote, although the woman who she's in counseling with kind of fills that purpose. The guy who drives her around, because you know, you can't have a registered car if you're living off the grid. Mo K. R. Raye: No. Gotta be off the grid. Austin S. Camacho: is almost like, you know, her uncle or something. But she has not told him what she does. K. R. Raye: No no. Austin S. Camacho: Okay? Pick me up, drop me off, no questions. But there's a connection there. He comes to care about her. And she comes to care about him in a way. And in the fourth book, which I'm in the middle of writing, he gets hurt in a car accident and you see her emotional reaction. But you know, the whole thing about not letting the clients get emotionally close, like I said before, that it's it's all part of that, and I continue to put her in situations where real relationships kind of threaten that wall she has built. Let's put it that way. Yeah. Not easy. K. R. Raye: That's the best way to do it. And that's exactly what makes our characters unforgettable and hooks you and pulls that emotional core all the way throughout the story. love it, love it. Excellent job, Austin. Austin S. Camacho: Thank you. Thank you. K. R. Raye: So we've wrapped up the interview portion, and now we're gonna get to our marketing minute. So we all know. How important marketing is for authors and creatives. But in reality, everyone has to market themselves nowadays, whether it's for work, school, and relationships. So Austin, I'm going to put 60 seconds on my timer. And I would love for you to share your best marketing advice or tip. So are you ready? Austin S. Camacho: Think so. K. R. Raye: All right, here we go. Go ahead. Austin S. Camacho: Okay, the one thing that I would recommend that a lot of authors and other people don't do, I think, give your potential customer something to take away with them. Now you've mentioned I have a number of books in print. Actually 14, which I've been doing this for way too long. But what I have is a brochure, you know, it's the newest book is on the front. But in my brochure, there is a small write-up and a picture of the cover of each of my novels. Now, when I'm sitting in a bookstore and people come by and I say hello, and many of them don't want to make eye contact, they don't want to talk to you, they just I got something to do. I say, let me give you some information about my novels. You might see something of interest. It is very rare that nobody comes back. Someone will loop back around and say, you know, I was looking at this and this looks interesting to me. So anyway, that's that's my tip. K. R. Raye: That is a fantastic tip because there's so many times when you are just out and about, right? Whether it's Austin S. Camacho: Mm-hmm. K. R. Raye: book events, whether it's on an airplane, whether it's going through the grocery store. And somehow conversations will come up about your books and being able to leave something with the person, a takeaway for them is key. fantastic. Well, thank you so very much. Austin, before we wrap up, I'll make sure to include all your links in the notes, but where can listeners connect with you online? Austin S. Camacho: wow. My standard response is just Google me. I'm on I'm on Facebook. K. R. Raye: 'Cause you're you're everywhere. Austin S. Camacho: I'm on Instagram. Instagram is at As Camacho135. Facebook, you can just look for my name. I'm on LinkedIn. I'm I'm and of course Their the Creatures Crimes and Creativity Con has its own Facebook page and if you are a writer or love writers, you should check that one out too. So I'm I'm K. R. Raye: For me. Austin S. Camacho: easy to find. K. R. Raye: Awesome. Well, a big thank you to the listeners for joining our conversation, celebrating the characters and stories that stay with us, and the incredible people like Austin who bring them to life. So if you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. You can also continue the conversation by joining our Off-the-Page community at www.patreon.com/ krraye. That's www.p-a-t-r-e-o-n dot c o m slash k-r-r-a-y-e. So Austin, thank you so much for spending time with us today and sharing your vast amount of wisdom. To our lovely audience. Thanks for joining us for the first edition of Off the Page Podcast, wishing you peace, love, and happiness. Until next time. Thanks everybody. Bye. Austin S. Camacho: Thank you. Bye-bye.