Interview with Ted Galdi, bestselling author of crime thrillers

Ted Galdi, an Amazon #1 bestselling author, writes suspenseful, smart crime thrillers. His goal is to get your blood and brain pumping when you read his novels and short stories.

He's been featured by Kirkus magazine, ABC, FOX, iHeartRadio, and many other media outlets. He’s a winner of a Reader Views Reviewers Choice Award and a Silver Medal in the Readers' Favorite Book Awards. Ted is a graduate of Duke University. 

In a chat with Mru's Books and Review the author tells us about his journey as an author from a very young age, his passion for thrillers and so much more. In all the interactions with Mru's Books and Reviews, Ted comes across as a perfectionist and a person with a professional and patient attitude. 

You’ve written seven novels, so far. Tell us a bit about them. 

All of my books are thrillers. They feature a determined main character going up against challenging opponents. However, there’s a lot of variety between the stories. The central conflicts are different. With each story, I tried to say something unique about the world.

My latest release, Black Quiet, is about an ex-Special Forces commando who sets out for revenge after a gang beats his brother into a coma.

At what point did you decide you want to be an author? And from that point how long till you published your first book? What was the path?

I got into storytelling from a very young age. When I was a kid, I was really into movies. I started to write my first screenplay years before my first novel.

The screenplay and novel formats are pretty different. However, at their heart, movies and books have the same goal - to tell a story that resonates with an audience.

When I reached my twenties, I still loved movies, but started getting really into reading too. The storytelling concepts I picked up writing scripts could naturally be applied to books. In my late twenties, I started my first novel.

After I finished the book, Elixir, I wanted to just get it out there as soon as possible. So I didn’t send it off to any publishers. It was an independent release.    

Why crime thrillers? How did you decide on this specific genre?

I think it’s a good idea for authors to write in a genre they like reading. If you read a genre often, you’ll have an intuitive sense of what makes a good story in it. You can apply this same sense to your own project as it comes along.

The crime thriller genre appeals to me because of its range. The stories can entertain readers in a visceral way, while covering thought-provoking topics.

For instance, a good crime thriller can make a very interesting statement about trauma, economics, or the legal system.

What is your writing process like? What structure/plan do you follow?

First, I have a phase where I’m just trying to get a feel for the story I’m going to tell. I’ll think about the theme and premise a lot.

I’ll then get to an outline stage. First, I’ll see how the major characters and plot events come together through the beginning, middle, and end. I’ll then get down to the scene level.

Once I have an outline with an idea of all the scenes in sequence, I’ll start writing the actual chapters. On a first draft, I aim for 2,000 words a day, five days a week.

What is your most favourite and least favourite thing about writing?

My favorite thing is when readers connect with a story I wrote. I get quite a few emails from people. It’s great when someone will tell me that a story had an impact.

I don’t have a least favorite thing. I find it all fun.

- Connect with the Author -

Are you a full-time author? What do you enjoy other than writing?

Though I write quite a bit, I’m involved in other stuff too. For instance, I run an online-education platform for writers called Write Gripping Stories.

What are your ambitions as an author?

I plan on doing what I’ve been doing, just writing stories that feel right to me. Hopefully readers out there will keep enjoying them.  

What are some books or authors that you would recommend to our readers?

Pretty recently, I got into the Joe Pickett thriller series by C.J. Box. The books are well-written. Good characters, good dialogue.   

Joe Pickett thriller series by C.J. Box

Anything you want to share with our readers?

I’m currently giving out a free thriller book if you order my latest release, Black Quiet. You can grab the two-for-deal from my website: https://www.tedgaldi.com/black-quiet.html.

What’s next?

Black Quiet is the first in a series featuring ex-Special Forces commando Cole Maddox. The second novel, Razor Moon, is up on Amazon for pre-order, to be released August 22.

In Razor Moon, Cole goes on a dangerous search for a missing fifteen-year-old girl.

Thank you to Ted Galdi for this wonderful opportunity to  interview. And Best Wishes for your future writing from all the readers at Mru's Books and Reviews. 

To learn more about him and download a free bestselling crime thriller, visit his website at tedgaldi.com.

Happy Reading!!