Seventeen years ago, J. Lee penned the first draft of his pharmaceutical-inspired thriller, “The Deadly Deal.” But when his agent tragically passed away, the manuscript was shelved, and Lee went on to other literary pursuits.
On Sept. 12, that draft—massively rewritten with a new feel—will be available, and what a ride it is!
In the book, David Centrelli, an average junior businessman, is thrust into a world of deception and accusation when his best friend’s tragic death is exposed as a cold-blooded murder. But can an ordinary guy really escape death from experts trained to administer it, and prevent a colossal calamity already set in motion by the highest levels of government?
In this interview, Lee shares how his career in the pharmaceutical industry inspired much of the book, David Centrelli as a character, and the multiple perspectives through which we see the story.
Let’s begin with the real-life aspect of the book. How much of this is based on your time in the pharmaceutical industry?
“The Deadly Deal” was actually written (first draft) seventeen years ago, when I worked in an industry tangential to the FDA. I’d obtained a literary agent and was two weeks away from submitting to publishers when my agent was diagnosed with cancer and soon after passed away. When that happened, I shoved the manuscript in the proverbial drawer. But all these years later, after publishing my first two books, I decided to reread it and got excited by the idea all over again. The FDA approval process has of course changed since, but the premise of the book felt fresh and compelling to me. So the plan at the time was to “dust it off, make a few minor edits,” and pursue publication. What happened instead was a massive rewrite of the entire thing, including the title. So while I wouldn’t say a great deal of the story is based on my time in the industry, I would say the book wouldn’t have happened without it.
Does the story follow any real-life cases or stories about the pharmaceutical industry?
No. The premise is strictly fictional and this is purely a work of fiction, even though it references a lot of facts with regards to drug development timelines, financials, and the FDA processes.
What led you to pursuing writing after years in the pharmaceutical industry?
Business has always been my day job; writing has always been my passion. In a lot of ways, my books have served as a creative outlet to balance a workday filled with numbers and customers and presentations, and I do truly enjoy both. Time is limiting, however; and my goal is to be in a situation where my wife and I can consider the possibility of me writing for a living. I’m not there yet, but I will be.
I liked the fast-paced feeling of the book. Did you go through different versions before settling on this?
Thanks for sharing! A quick pace was certainly the goal. Readers of this genre seek and deserve a story that keeps their interest and makes them wanting more. If the mystery or underlying question of the book is wrapped in layers of boring context, they can and should stop reading it. There are simply too many great books out there.
As for your question about different versions…absolutely there were multiple drafts. As a general rule, I rewrite every book at least once or twice anyway, and that’s even before the editing phase. But this one was even more extreme because the first draft was written so long ago. Now at the end of a long process, I must say that it’s been pretty cool to reflect. I look at it today and remember writing some of it nearly twenty years ago, and a lot of life happened in between.
Was this written “by the seat of your pants” or did you plan this out?
There are some writers who have the uncanny ability to freewrite from the beginning and produce an integral, impressive and intriguing story that keeps the educated reader guessing and wanting more until the very end. The truth is, I’m just not one of them. I can only envy them.
Because I outline every novel I write, I certainly know the major plot twists and storylines from the start. But part of the fun for me is leaving enough wiggle room in the outline to make a few changes as I go.
All that said, an outline definitely has its benefits. In fact, I rely on it to make sure I keep sight of the overall story, introduce the right twists at the right time, effectively utilize red herrings, avoid predictable characters, introduce hints without blowing it, and try to do it all in a suspenseful manner. So as much as I might envy those who can do it all off the top of their head, I’m very thankful for my outlines.
Who is David Centrelli and how does he handle being thrust into this conspiracy?
I wanted David’s character to be an everyday businessman who suddenly got thrust into extraordinary situations he knew he wasn’t equipped to handle. In my previous two books, the protagonist, Ben Siebert, was a former Marine specially trained to handle such situations. Part of the appeal for me while writing “The Deadly Deal” was acknowledging that David wasn’t. I think that’s a more relatable scenario for most of us. To round him out I added some character backstory and, without question, some character flaws. We all have them, and above all I wanted him to be relatable.
As for how does David handle the conspiracy, not particularly well at the beginning for sure. That’s where Anne comes in. She gets him to see that in life we really do need others to help us from time to time, even if we’ve been burned before and have developed a hard shell. The contrast between the characters was fun to write because it felt so real, and very relatable, to everyday folks like you and me. David changes over the course of the book. In the midst of running for his life and trying to figure a complex situation out, he learns a lot about himself, more so than any other character I’ve written.
What would you say is the biggest challenge he faces?
The times where he has to escape death from people trained to administer it. Ironically enough, making David an everyday businessman turned out to be one of the most enjoyable and challenging aspects of writing the book at the same time. I didn’t have the crutch to lean on that he could just evoke years of Special Forces training to outmaneuver his assailants. Instead, I had to create realistic and believable ways someone without such training could. That’s harder to do than you’d think.
Certainly, there’s the aspect of personal growth and self-reflection he experiences too, as he learns to trust again and realizes he wasn’t living the life he wanted before, but I think if he were sitting here now, he’d say simply staying alive was the hardest part. Then he’d give me grief for not arming him with military training.
The book follows different perspectives. Why go with this approach?
Short answer: because it’s fun to write and for me, it’s fun to read.
Long answer: There’s something simplistically intriguing about a story that lets the viewer try to figure something out before its conclusion. Call it a mystery, thriller, suspense novel or even in the movies, when the audience gets to play along with the protagonist to help solve the riddle, there’s a connection to and investment in the story that isn’t there otherwise. Having multiple perspectives and putting the reader in the head of different characters helps me as the author to facilitate that connection.
I’ll balance that with the fact that I’ve been told my plots are complicated and it can be hard to follow all the characters I use. I find truth in that feedback, and I have been trying to apply it to my writing. I won’t write simple plots that don’t have moving parts, but if it’s not clear enough for people to follow, it needs to be addressed. Finding that delicate balance is both the challenge and the fun for me.
This book is a standalone from your Ben Siebert series. Will there be a sequel or possible crossover?
All of that is on the table. Considering the way “The Silent Cardinal” ends, there are a few different paths Ben’s storyline could go down, and I am exploring some of them. He never wanted to be in the mess he found himself in as the premise for both books, so I am thinking through the right way he could be called back into action that is consistent with his character.
And as for a sequel to “The Deadly Deal,” David’s everyday aspect would be a fun character to somehow intermix with Ben, but I would have to make sure it was done in an interesting and realistic manner. Thanks for the idea!
I read that your wife helps edit the book. Did this lead to any major changes to this title?
Tons. She’s a voracious reader who seeks strong character-driven stories and, in many ways, is an even better writer than I am. Her ability to take a paragraph of my draft and get the same points across in a sentence or two is mind-blowing to me.
Plus, if plotting is my favorite part of the writing process, editing is its necessary evil. I know it makes the book better, and I know it’s something I should look forward to. But by the time I’m into the thick of the editing phase, I’ve already rewritten the story five times and am ready to move on to the next idea.
So, I can’t even begin to tell you how much it helps that my wife edits every single page. She’s my biggest supporter and critic at the same time, and I’m so thankful…
Even if it means she rips it to shreds.
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