Henry Kisor is an interesting fellow. Besides being the author of the recently released and well received mystery novel Season's Revenge, he is the book editor and literary columnist of the Chicago Sun-Times. Deaf since the age of three, Kisor has written an award winning book about his experience entitled What's That Pig Outdoors: A Memoir of Deafness. In 2001 he was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame. Kisor lives in Evanston, Ill., with his wife Deborah Abbott and their dog Hogan.

Given his new book and his fascinating background, I though it might be interesting to pick his brain a bit. Mr. Kisor graciously agreed to answer some questions and the result is what follows below. (The interview was conducted by email, questions in bold answers in plain text)

- What makes a journalist and non-fiction author decide to write a mystery novel?

I had done a great deal of research for a nonfiction book about the Upper Peninsula. I'd had in mind telling the broad story of the UP in the form of a true-crime book centering on a serial killer, but the only serial killer I could find murdered just two people. Not much of a serial killer there. After five years of work I was left with a filing cabinet full of apparently useless material. Then I realized that any of the the various small stories of treachery and betrayal I had encountered, as well as the truly interesting history of the UP, could form the thews and sinews of a mystery novel. The UP is full of bears, and one day the idea that a black bear could be turned into a murder weapon occurred to me, and I was off.

- What are some of the unique challenges of fiction writing and mystery writing in particular?

Thirty years as a nonfiction writer and journalist makes it easy to do research, but I have found as a fiction writer that it is not easy to shape that research into fictional characters and events. A lifetime of stifling imagination and focusing on facts made the breakout difficult. So far as mystery writing is concerned, there seems to be a necessity to please readers, to persuade them that not only is the plot plausible but so also are the characters and the furniture of setting. You have got to get everything right; mystery readers won't suspend disbelief if you stumble over facts. The little things are important, such as how many cartridges a Winchester Model 70 carries in its magazine.

- How did you find time to write a novel with such a demanding day job?