Out of the Mouths of Characters: Rick Sibelius from Richard Hacker's 'Chain Reaction'

Today is character interview day!  We have Rick Sibelius of CHAIN REACTION with us today to talk about terrorism and other fun stuff.  Enjoy!

Interview: Rick Sibelius, Chain Reaction

You’ve been in the news lately, especially after stopping a major terrorist attack on Austin.

I don’t know if I’d call it a terrorist attack. Izzy Zydeco’s a bit to self-involved to be politically motivated.

But didn’t the Governor’s illegitimate son have a nuclear device?

Yeah. I suppose I get your point.

How does an ex-Houston cop end up in Pflugerville, Texas fighting terrorists?

I’ve always liked Central Texas. The Hill Country, the lakes, live music in Austin—it’s a great place.  When I left the police force, I wanted to stay in the business, so I set up a private investigation firm.

Losing your partner in a shoot-out with major Houston drug dealer didn’t have anything to do with it?

I wonder how long it will take you to recover your little recorder?

I don’t understand.

If by some freak of nature it gets shoved down your throat.

Let’s move on. You’ve been in the news for breaking up a major illegal toxic waste disposal scheme which involved a couple dead suspects and a missing Homeland Security agent in East Texas. Does a wake of destruction follow behind all of your cases?

My goal has always been to have a peaceful life with a woman I love, a nice trailer in the country to call home, and a steady stream of low stress investigation work. Theresa, my partner says I attract the crazies. Maybe so. I don’t know if I’d call it a wake of destruction, but yes, I’ve had my share of unfortunate confrontations.

You mentioned Theresa Soliz. I understand she’s your business partner, but word on the street has you two in a romantic relationship.  Your life and work seem to be inherently dangerous. How do you two cope with living in constant danger?

I’m not sure we do. Theresa’s a lovely woman—beautiful. And she has skills developed during several tours in Iraq. Besides crazy people, I seem to attract very independent women who don’t seem to understand my desire to keep them safe. Is it really so bad to want to protect her by sharing information on a need-to-know basis? She says I’m keeping critical information from her, that I don’t treat her as an equal, that I don’t tell her what I’m thinking or feeling, that I’m still in love with a Homeland Security agent. Yes, MaryLou was incredible, but I’ve moved on…you need to delete the last bit there. Especially about Mar—I mean the Homeland Security agent. 

Absolutely. I’ll delete the whole section on Theresa. One final question. The Austin American Statesman reported a scuffle you had with a fisherman during a striped bass contest at Lake Mansfield Park. I know you can’t tell me about specific cases, but why do you think you get into so many physical confrontations?

When you deal with egomaniacal psychopaths, terrorist and politicians, things sometimes get out of control. But in the end, I always get the job done. Which reminds me. Are we done now? 

About the Author

Richard Hacker is the author of CHAIN REACTION, the third installment in the Nick Sibelius crime series. Champagne Books released DIRTY WATER, the next novel in the Nick Sibelius series after TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, in June, 2013. His first novel, TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, released August, 2012 by Champagne Books was a 2011 Writer’s League of Texas (WLT) finalist, where in addition, SHAPER EMERGENCE won best novel in the Science Fiction category.  He is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association.

After living many years in Austin, Texas where he worked as a leadership coach, public speaker and management trainer, he moved with his high school sweetheart to Seattle.  While he misses the big skies of Texas, Richard has grown fond of the Pacific Northwest.  His writing partner, a springer spaniel named Jazz, helps with proofreading and ball fetching.

You can visit Richard’s website at www.richardhacker.com.