tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54085271445937543572024-02-19T09:15:10.943-08:00Dan Pollock's Thrillerblog <br><br><br><br><br><p><p><i><b><center><big>DAN POLLOCK'S THRILLERBLOG<br></big></center></b></i><i><center><small><b>"A world of intrigue and adventure..."</b></small></center></i></p></p>Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-7150160937864746052023-09-19T18:37:00.000-07:002023-09-19T18:37:01.116-07:00‘The Thriller Genre Is Dead’<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Guest article published on LibertyNation.com -- <a href="https://www.libertynation.com/the-thriller-genre-is-dead/" target="_blank">"The Thriller Genre Is Dead"</a> -- <i>"</i><span style="text-align: center;"><i>What’s a thriller writer to do when his favorite topic gets deep-sixed by his publisher?"</i> (S</span><span class="outer_span" style="float: none; margin-right: 5px; text-align: center;"><time class="updated" datetime="2023-09-17T07:14:56-04:00">eptember 17, 2023)</time></span></span></p>Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-56670222560889527642015-10-26T10:05:00.004-07:002015-11-14T13:21:00.613-08:00THE GOOD SHEPHERD IN FILMS AND BOOKS<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXBxhgXYtb6vK8a41UTo4cDUOkRAGunOYjxZrTq9SEzHo7_ynBpcRk4E61Q1yyZ6ix_VTMH4l7iuYhxxqhwGTOPkm7OA3EzIhu-hKlFRsLhNW0xkNxkyvo-EtdQ5HI6Gg4smxo3bzyTgA/s1600/Quad-AW-In-IMAX-29434-Everest.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXBxhgXYtb6vK8a41UTo4cDUOkRAGunOYjxZrTq9SEzHo7_ynBpcRk4E61Q1yyZ6ix_VTMH4l7iuYhxxqhwGTOPkm7OA3EzIhu-hKlFRsLhNW0xkNxkyvo-EtdQ5HI6Gg4smxo3bzyTgA/s200/Quad-AW-In-IMAX-29434-Everest.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I
thoroughly enjoyed, and highly recommend, the </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">recent Imax high-adventure film, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2719848/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Everest</a></i></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, a cinematic
dramatization based on the actual events of a 1996 Mount Everest expedition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">I’m being
sort of careful here not to give away the film’s climactic events, though this expedition
has been extensively documented, most famously in Jon Krakauer’s <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Into-Thin-Air-Jon-Krakauer-ebook/dp/B000FC1ITK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1445805988&sr=1-1&keywords=into+thin+air" target="_blank">Into Thin Air</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">My
own fascination with Everest dates back to Sir John Hunt’s documentary film and
book, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Conquest-Everest-John-Hunt/dp/052508486X" target="_blank">Conquest of Everest</a></i>, about the 1953
British expedition that put the first climbers on the summit of the world’s
highest peak. Those two men, a New Zealand beekeeper named Edmund Hillary
(later Sir Edmund) and the Nepalese Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, trailed clouds of
glory for the rest of their lives (Hillary died in 2008, Tenzing in 1986).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">If this
latter-day <i>Everest </i>is similarly a
movie about heroes—and I say it is—then the chief hero is Rob Hall, another New
Zealander (played by an Australian, Jason Clarke). Hall, a world-class climber,
went on to make his reputation and living by guiding amateur mountaineers to
the top of Everest for a substantial fee… and bringing them safely down
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">I’m
not here to discuss the pros and cons of such commercial summiting; you can
read Krakauer for that (though I am somewhat troubled by parents of minor
children who put their lives at high risk if not done in the line of duty).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">What makes
this spectacular “event” film so compelling is watching Hall’s attempt to shepherd his wayward
flock to and from the summit of Everest, without losing anyone in the process. It
was not simply a matter of professionalism; according to a distinguished fellow
climber (David Brashears), Hall “conveyed an absolute sense of care and
guidance.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">Whatever
Hall’s contractual obligations to his climbing clients, the actual steps he
took to keep them safe in the “thin air” death zone of Everest were more than
heroic. The unwritten terms of the deal, apparently, were that this high-altitude shepherd was
willing to sacrifice his own life to save those he guided.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">Remind
anyone of a certain Scripture?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd
lays down His life for the sheep.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">— John 10:11 (NASB)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">So,
yes, in that light it’s a Christlike story; and, in fact, it’s hard not to view
it in that light. The expanded parable appears in Luke’s Gospel:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">“What man among you, if he has a hundred
sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open
pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found
it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls
together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I
have found my sheep which was lost!’”</span></i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif";">—Luke 15:4-6 (NASB)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">It’s
certainly been an oft-used parable by Hollywood, perhaps second only to The Prodigal Son. (<i>Godfather</i> anyone?) Can you think of any other
Good Shepherd books or movies?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QZ8YUwJd5CaXWiGUJO3l0Hh3cYfRkGAQLg42lX37THfcBTjYdh3mr0AX4mHA5wHF9qg3cwoEAJHB8KiPzxGYooLAi2kFpebGVBoVK2ntBzlDlLcGI6gJkRs79ema9nxN2BIMkoW_jxK3/s1600/220px-GoodShepherd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QZ8YUwJd5CaXWiGUJO3l0Hh3cYfRkGAQLg42lX37THfcBTjYdh3mr0AX4mHA5wHF9qg3cwoEAJHB8KiPzxGYooLAi2kFpebGVBoVK2ntBzlDlLcGI6gJkRs79ema9nxN2BIMkoW_jxK3/s320/220px-GoodShepherd.jpg" width="207" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">A
couple come to my mind. The first is easy. <i>The
Good Shepherd</i> was actually the title of a 1955 novel by the legendary C. S. Forester
(creator of the Horatio Hornblower series and <i>The African Queen</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">For
just over 300 pages, Forester describes, in masterful detail, the heroic
efforts of a U.S. destroyer captain to protect his Atlantic merchant convoy (it’s
WWII) from predatory packs of U-boats. I don’t think the poor bastard leaves
the bridge or sleeps a wink from first sentence to last.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">No, I
take that back, because here’s the final sentence: “He could be called happy
now, lying spread-eagled and face downward on his bunk, utterly unconscious.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">Kind
of like Rob Hall, or Christ Crucified.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsYE5OkEd0l-_ZOBCJ6iLIM1ViNI0yrCcAqW8ue8JmyNVBD10ApZulZK-81kL1eJUfLcKXaz6BYxW_nhQaXRhRBDDscsY9AhoZzqUEcpdm0__i2we48CMWFnxD2LxNCIADsOGYKgkMaLT/s1600/SchindlrWatr8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsYE5OkEd0l-_ZOBCJ6iLIM1ViNI0yrCcAqW8ue8JmyNVBD10ApZulZK-81kL1eJUfLcKXaz6BYxW_nhQaXRhRBDDscsY9AhoZzqUEcpdm0__i2we48CMWFnxD2LxNCIADsOGYKgkMaLT/s200/SchindlrWatr8.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">Which
brings me to <i>Schindler’s List</i> (or <i>Schindler’s Ark</i> as Tom Keneally’s novel
is known in England). Keneally’s book and Spielberg’s movie, masterpieces both,
cast a blinding light on the Good
Shepherd parable. The initially self-serving Oskar Schindler ultimately risks
everything to save his <i>Schindlerjuden</i>
(Schindler Jews) from the Nazi Holocaust, even getting them some of them
released from an Auschwitz-bound boxcar on a railroad siding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">The
industrialist can’t rescue all six million, alas, but he moved heaven and earth
to rescue his precious few—eleven- or twelve-hundred by varying estimates. According
to a Talmudic quotation engraved on a ring presented to their savior by the surviving
Schindler Jews, <i>“Whoever saves one life
saves the world entire.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large;">Postscript:
There were other “Schindlers,” too, most notably <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/10064216/The-unsung-British-hero-with-his-own-Schindlers-List.html" target="_blank">Sir Nicholas Winton</a> and <a href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/wallenberg.html" target="_blank">Raoul Wallenberg</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*</span></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-32063974058355852762014-12-31T09:28:00.001-08:002014-12-31T11:25:14.690-08:00AUTHOR INTERVIEW: CHRISTOPHER BARTLEY <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9v3-FwxhCo8W4XltKiq4LPyk6EBqXJaw1DZxOFfR_fWgsODCfIR3ohoWyxMBeXHJ_vvFfJjV3cGvYjU34zNcycbKvTLyRpCIwjGZ1ntNWl5Lg4uAio448AcuHbPKM-hCCqz6KHF23Iud/s1600/2014+Frueh+Chris-2014+Frueh+Chris-0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9v3-FwxhCo8W4XltKiq4LPyk6EBqXJaw1DZxOFfR_fWgsODCfIR3ohoWyxMBeXHJ_vvFfJjV3cGvYjU34zNcycbKvTLyRpCIwjGZ1ntNWl5Lg4uAio448AcuHbPKM-hCCqz6KHF23Iud/s1600/2014+Frueh+Chris-2014+Frueh+Chris-0003.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Christopher Bartley</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Of the
accomplished writers I’ve met online, none is more remarkable than Christopher
Bartley (a pen name). On his “day job” Chris is a clinical psychologist and a psychology
professor (at the U of Hawaii on Hilo) and also manages to direct research at
the Menninger Clinic in Houston while consulting at the Baylor College of
Medicine. Chris has written and published extensively in these disciplines,
but, as implied above, he also has a secret literary life.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i> </i>
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Incredibly,
in his spare time, Chris has now written a stunning series of </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">noir
crime novels set in 1930s Chicago. His recurring hero, Ross Duncan, is a
handsome Dillinger-lookalike bank robber, a dead shot with either hand, who not
only carries a Bible around but studies chapter and verse. With Duncan, Bartley
has taken on what I deem an impossible challenge—to create a compelling action
hero with a tortured soul, like C. S. Forester’s Hornblower, a man seeking
redemption while he shoots his way out of heists gone wrong and brutal mob
violence. But, just like his hero when the odds are stacked against him,
Bartley not only pulls off the challenge, but makes it look easy. So let’s ask
him some questions…</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">*</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What are your novels about?</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrZRqO5940Uz5_Vv5-IrEiqLmAYe4UmHElbs5gpHgvnUWsQSY0o7ckLfcrWUVEiS5HS5Vr65ZiJbHvxK8b9J7YNsJotLYhb9LDLQkdr2rl1nx0gIZB6amzfxjxeH-MrHwz-2nieqVPmyo/s1600/6.+A+Bullet+to+Dream+Of+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrZRqO5940Uz5_Vv5-IrEiqLmAYe4UmHElbs5gpHgvnUWsQSY0o7ckLfcrWUVEiS5HS5Vr65ZiJbHvxK8b9J7YNsJotLYhb9LDLQkdr2rl1nx0gIZB6amzfxjxeH-MrHwz-2nieqVPmyo/s1600/6.+A+Bullet+to+Dream+Of+cover.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Christopher
Bartley:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> They are hard-boiled crime
novels about a bank robber set within the historical context of America in
1934, but more then that, they are stories about the people who lived in
America during that period – including how and why they came to America. Some
of the stories I tell are from my own family – including that of my
great-grandfather who served in the Spanish American War and lived long enough
to tell me about it firsthand.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Why did you choose 1934?</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Christopher Bartley:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> I find it to be
an interesting year. America was in the fifth year of a Great Depression, unemployment
is running above 25% and many people have lost their savings and their homes to
bank foreclosures. Prohibition was just repealed and organized crime is
flourishing. The jazz music, the clothing, and automobiles of the period were
all marvelous, and J. Edgar Hoover’s Division of Investigation (later to become
the FBI) was building its reputation for law enforcement by glamorizing,
demonizing, and hunting down the independent bank robbers who emerged in the
wake of the depression. In 1934 Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, Pretty Boy
Floyd, Homer Van Meter, and Baby Face Nelson were each gunned down by law enforcement
officers. It was essentially the last year of the celebrity bank robber. Fred
Barker and Alvin Karpis continued on just a little bit longer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Tell us about your protagonist, “Ross
Duncan”? Who is he and what drives him?</span></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73z0dZ9XkOF9tJAipAni6e_vlvKFIMHKCcKPocu1LNasrbM6si4ps7RH7xmfrWDG7ex90XeWAA7FsokUKP65H449kfZZQ13st9jfpWFhW2wsSTZEzKaK7Bmg7MG8PJarsZ2BRGR1EzM7b/s1600/1.+They+Die+Alone+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73z0dZ9XkOF9tJAipAni6e_vlvKFIMHKCcKPocu1LNasrbM6si4ps7RH7xmfrWDG7ex90XeWAA7FsokUKP65H449kfZZQ13st9jfpWFhW2wsSTZEzKaK7Bmg7MG8PJarsZ2BRGR1EzM7b/s1600/1.+They+Die+Alone+Cover.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Christopher Bartley:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Before I
started writing my first novel <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">They Die Alone</i></b>, I didn’t commit a
word on paper until I had my protagonist, Ross Duncan, firmly in my mind. First,
he is a criminal, a bank robber, one of the so-called “Public Enemies.” He is
laconic, fearless, world-weary, flawed in many ways, and filled with awareness
and regret – but also loyal, guided by a moral code, and seeking something
deeper. More challenging, I had to know how he spoke, what he did, what his
history was (i.e., juvenile delinquency, stints in prison, early crimes) and
why, who his friends and enemies were, where his values fall, and how he
related to females (and vice versa) and society at large. Somewhere in the
first novel, Duncan observes: “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
heartless, blinding light of the early morning sun catapulted over the tall
city buildings, mocking me for a fool as I reached the street with my hands
trembling in my pockets</i>.” He is humbled and alone in the big concrete city,
overcast by the planetary conditions of an indifferent god, still searching.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Why wasn’t Ross Duncan a private eye? </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Christopher Bartley:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Because that
was too obvious and it’s been done so much already. Also, a professional
criminal presented different challenges and opportunities. Could Dashiell
Hammett’s Sam Spade ever rob a bank, make deals with gangsters, or shoot a man
in cold blood? I don’t think so, but Ross Duncan certainly can – and does.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What can you
tell us about the role of scene and character in your novels?</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Christopher Bartley:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Scene and
character are essential characteristics of my writing. Both are set within the
immoral landscape that the narrator – usually a private detective – walks. For
me, the setting could not be modern day. It had to be a mythic past, a time
when smart phones, video games, and reality TV series were not yet changing
American society. I went back to the last Great Depression, urban Chicago
openly ruled by mobsters, and the other great cities of that era: New York,
Kansas City, San Francisco. It was a time when men still had the power to forge
their own destiny outside the controlling hands of the rapidly growing federal
government, at least for a short while yet.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This
is not modern suburbia or polite society as represented to the world in the
Hollywood of happy endings. This is a landscape of treachery, low morals,
greed, lust, racism – but also real people, with real strengths and flaws and
dreams. In part, I’m trying to tell their stories as viewed through Duncan’s
eyes – and often as they tell it themselves to Duncan in their own words. I try
to write seriously about the moral failings of the human condition, while
maintaining readability, and a sense of purpose and hope.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Who are your
literary heroes and why?</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Christopher Bartley:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> First, the
classic American hard-boiled crime novelists – Dashiell Hammett, Raymond
Chandler, Ross Macdonald, Mickey Spillane, Jim Thompson – because they ruled
the form with literary eloquence, and remain relevant today, more than seventy
years after their emergence. Second, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway
because they wrote powerful, meaningful stories that were direct and concise –
never an excess word.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Why are you fond of hard-boiled American
crime novels, sometimes referred to as “noir” or “pulp fiction”?</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUDJ-BsKty5Ne0LWk3fCEUO1AYvG7isTQ6AYsdTX1HKD8jp_GdvShyphenhyphen-r7DZtW84GmQ-jd90eKtz3NtxzhJUITNg1IRtn6duHMUrsmgimnWclHj-obpXEZnRYBWcMqKzd7hzCR7P060WHI/s1600/astor-bogart-falcon-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUDJ-BsKty5Ne0LWk3fCEUO1AYvG7isTQ6AYsdTX1HKD8jp_GdvShyphenhyphen-r7DZtW84GmQ-jd90eKtz3NtxzhJUITNg1IRtn6duHMUrsmgimnWclHj-obpXEZnRYBWcMqKzd7hzCR7P060WHI/s1600/astor-bogart-falcon-2.png" height="151" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Christopher Bartley:</b> I think there
is something uniquely American about the form. Dashiell Hammett’s iconic Sam
Spade, played for the ages by Humphrey Bogart in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Maltese Falcon</i></b>, lived
in the shadows of 1930’s San Francisco. He saw the world around him as it was,
not as it was idealized to be. He was clear-eyed about the corruption, large
and small, around him and he saw through the darkness of men’s hearts, observed
their wickedness without stepping onto higher ground. He was there raking about
in the gutter himself, where the action was, where the little soft nuggets
worth finding were to be had. He harbored no illusions about his partner, Miles
Archer, knew his greed and lust. Still he felt duty-bound to seek out and
punish his murderer after Archer was dead. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When
a man’s partner is killed he’s supposed to do something about it. It doesn’t
make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you’re
supposed to do something about it</i>,” he explains.</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">By
reputation this hero is no saint himself. He drinks too much and he’s perceived
by others to be corruptible. Only it turns out his avarice is no match for his
desire to be able to look himself in the mirror at the end of the day. He’s
stubborn, softhearted, even, at the fringes. He wants to save the girl, Brigid
O’Shaughnessy; knowing she’s flawed, he wants to believe she’s worth saving,
and that redemption can be found for them both.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">He’s
all that and still, he’ll only be played so far. He won’t play the patsy, and
he won’t play it perhaps for no other reason than because the woman is counting
on him to. He’ll wait for her to get out of jail, but he won’t take the fall
for her or let her walk away from her crime. It hurts him, wearies him. If they
hang her, he’ll always remember her. He also notes, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a lot more money would have been one more item on your side</i>” (of
the ledger), rendering his final risk calculus as something less than full morality.
Then again, he’s a hard man, hard-boiled all the way through – and we, the
readers, have no way of knowing what he might have done for more money. One has
the sense, that, while it was a theoretical possibility, practically speaking
there would not ever be enough money to corrupt him.</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">How do you
conduct the historical research for your novels?</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIBdrtwXSZRNkTMeM3BWMgc2XLa1ashrE0d2gTXFs0znRC0oyntxJM-T8ibibMgo_9dM61tW7fRQa59W0rSZ61wrMZkUryih14V3f3HZlMZISb9TLNerhrC-ka2Z6-L_0k9k9yoSnohKO/s1600/6430344_1_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIBdrtwXSZRNkTMeM3BWMgc2XLa1ashrE0d2gTXFs0znRC0oyntxJM-T8ibibMgo_9dM61tW7fRQa59W0rSZ61wrMZkUryih14V3f3HZlMZISb9TLNerhrC-ka2Z6-L_0k9k9yoSnohKO/s1600/6430344_1_l.jpg" height="200" width="136" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Christopher
Bartley:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> I read a lot. One of the
first books I ever remember reading – I was probably nine or ten years old -
was the autobiography of Alvin Karpis, one of the last of the celebrity bank
robbers and one of the few to survive past 1935. A contemporary of John
Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd, he spent thirty years in Alcatraz prison and
lived to write about it afterward. In my office at the university and at home,
I have stacks of books about the 1930s and the criminals, musicians,
politicians, and athletes who lived in America at the time. I also have over fifty
books about the cities and the settings that I use. These include histories,
but also books of old photographs and maps of the cities over time.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Your action sequences are especially well done – the violence
seems cinematic, unfolding with indelible high-def images, even occasional
freeze-framing and slow-mo. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you labor
over these artful descriptions, or do they just flow?</span></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzOwTcQYv4GziCyWSpa6u43wmK1anDH1KiLJAWR9XKbBH1BvEPPi4IYI7zhjr1Gj4gIFFxjO8SqhAkvhx0XxI28Kc6pca_CLWcZ_s56ZVPjarPsOvoZCyUriBNjE1C-Uzvj2sexBwZ6MI/s1600/7.+Every+Secret+Thing+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzOwTcQYv4GziCyWSpa6u43wmK1anDH1KiLJAWR9XKbBH1BvEPPi4IYI7zhjr1Gj4gIFFxjO8SqhAkvhx0XxI28Kc6pca_CLWcZ_s56ZVPjarPsOvoZCyUriBNjE1C-Uzvj2sexBwZ6MI/s1600/7.+Every+Secret+Thing+cover.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Christopher
Bartley:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I don’t
labor action scenes at all. For some reason they just flow. I probably write
them twice as fast as I write any other section of a book. As a reader, you
tend to read action scenes faster – and for some reason I also write them
faster. Maybe it’s even the same reason. Interesting. Never thought about it
before.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">You seem to
know a lot about robbing banks. Have you ever robbed one yourself?</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Christopher
Bartley:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Never! <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What are you
working on right now?</span></b></span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Christopher
Bartley:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Naked Shall I Return</i></b>.
Ross Duncan is in San Francisco – Chinatown – taking care of old and new
business. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">How has your
literary agent helped you?</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Christopher
Bartley:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> My agent is Sonia Land of
Sheil Land Associates, one of the major literary agencies in London. Sonia
helped me enormously since I signed with her six years ago. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s given me encouragement, constructive
feedback, and guidance at every turn – as well as all the technical aspects of
representation. Lately, we’ve been having a conversation about whether I should
start writing some other type of fiction – more contemporary fiction. Sonia has
been giving me a gentle nudge to consider that. I will continue to write Ross
Duncan novels, but will also try to write another type of novel in the next
year. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Most of your
books are dedicated to “Karen.” Who is she?</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Christopher
Bartley:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Karen is my lovely,
talented, and wonderful wife who has put up with me for the past 27 years.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">One last
question: As a clinical psychologist, what are some of the experiences you’ve
had that have influenced your writing?</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Christopher
Bartley:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> I spent fifteen years
working in the Veterans Affairs system treating and studying combat veterans
with posttraumatic stress disorder. Most of these men and women knew what it
meant to live with a gun in their hands – they had fears and regrets, as well
as an acute understanding of how fragile human life is. I’ve also consulted to
the Department of Defense and other government agencies on a variety of issues,
been inside a maximum security prison, testified in a murder trial, and held
private conversations with several national and state-level politicians in
Washington DC and Texas over the years.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Titles in the Ross Duncan Series:</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">1: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/They-Die-Alone-Duncan-Novels-ebook/dp/B00CAWO2V4/ref=asap_B00ACAR4K2?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">They Die Alone</i></b></a> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">2: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Not-My-Child-Duncan-ebook/dp/B00CF1E2A6/ref=asap_B00ACAR4K2?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sleep Not, My Child</i></b></a> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">3: <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sin-Offering-Duncan-Novel-Novels-ebook/dp/B00CM8W1GY/ref=asap_B00ACAR4K2?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">For a Sin Offering</a></b></i> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">4: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Catch-Not-Hold-Duncan-Novels-ebook/dp/B00D3MSHH0/ref=asap_B00ACAR4K2?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To Catch Is Not to Hold</i></b></a> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">5: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unto-Daughters-Men-Duncan-Novels-ebook/dp/B00D3MTEIG/ref=asap_B00ACAR4K2?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unto the Daughters of Men</i></b></a> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">6: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bullet-Dream-Ross-Duncan-Novels-ebook/dp/B00K2YL4L8/ref=asap_B00ACAR4K2?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Bullet to Dream of</i></b></a> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">7: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Every-Secret-Thing-Duncan-Novels-ebook/dp/B00Q5A7GVK/ref=asap_B00ACAR4K2?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Every Secret Thing</i></b></a> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">About
Chris: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In addition to writing crime fiction, Christopher Bartley (under his real name) is a behavioral scientist and professor of clinical psychology at the
University of Hawaii in Hilo, Hawaii, and also McNair Scholar and Director of
Clinical Research at The Menninger Clinic in Houston, Texas. He conducts clinical
trials, epidemiology, mental health services studies, neuroscience, and
historical research, primarily with psychiatric inpatients, prisoners, and
combat veterans. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">He has authored more than 250 scientific
publications, including a recent graduate textbook on psychopathology and
papers on posttraumatic stress disorder, military suicides, alcoholism, and
psychiatric illnesses among Union Forces during the U.S. Civil War. During his
career he has consulted to US Congressmen, various elements of the Department
of Defense, Veterans Affairs, the National Board of Medical Examiners,
healthcare systems and universities, criminal and civil trial lawyers, and
private philanthropists in Houston and Washington, D.C. He has also authored
commentaries published in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">National
Review, Psychology Today, Huffington Post, New York Times, </i>and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Time Magazine</i>. For his scientific work
he has been quoted in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wall Street
Journal, Washington Post, Scientific American, USA Today, </i>and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Los Angeles Times</i>, among others.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Chris
Bartley’s Online Info:</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Email: <a href="mailto:rossduncan32@gmail.com" target="_blank">rossduncan32@gmail.com</a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Facebook: <a href="https://www .facebook.com/christobartley" target="_blank">https://www .facebook.com/christobartley</a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Twitter: @christobartley</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christopher-Bartley/e/B00ACAR4K2/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1419726080&sr=1-2-ent" target="_blank">Amazon Author Page</a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 2.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-11382279846598501102014-11-16T11:05:00.002-08:002015-09-12T10:24:14.919-07:00ORIGINS OF 'THE RUNNING BOY'<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaN_4HrsetTqBX-UDHuZcHe5x2MPUFWrKFdoYwzdcShS0ye5ZJVcnmZP0Acn5cksc_jGrGKOu6PH_3FzEDiCkMixptP26QDdCUokjvCaTBjJM0hHAGjpVexZ0NqaS0Ayo6Mxv0M6rsYNOt/s1600/running+boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaN_4HrsetTqBX-UDHuZcHe5x2MPUFWrKFdoYwzdcShS0ye5ZJVcnmZP0Acn5cksc_jGrGKOu6PH_3FzEDiCkMixptP26QDdCUokjvCaTBjJM0hHAGjpVexZ0NqaS0Ayo6Mxv0M6rsYNOt/s1600/running+boy.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Back
in 1963 there was a movie called <i>The
Running Man</i>, starring Lawrence Harvey (just one year after he played <i>The Manchurian Candidate</i>). I never saw
it, or the 1987 flick of the same name (this one with Arnold Schwarzenegger and
based on a 1982 Stephen King book). But I salted away the title, as I did the
premise of John Gilstrap’s terrific 1997 thriller, <i>Nathan’s Run,</i> about a 12-year-old boy fleeing just everybody.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQTdbVdeA4lf8WhiG8eh65uPOaJBCEo4hpr1nF4SLvMPVgwVuRMQgCCVgnQz5_gCsnFj0tjGYvVN588JEcxc8Pr8rOWenmN2T5uwv9XuYUHJ9AZ7cf-4NWquCIJDjh2M_ygS-1sNSXLSU/s1600/Kidnapped+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQTdbVdeA4lf8WhiG8eh65uPOaJBCEo4hpr1nF4SLvMPVgwVuRMQgCCVgnQz5_gCsnFj0tjGYvVN588JEcxc8Pr8rOWenmN2T5uwv9XuYUHJ9AZ7cf-4NWquCIJDjh2M_ygS-1sNSXLSU/s1600/Kidnapped+Cover.jpg" width="141" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Years
later that old movie title came to mind when I set out to write my own chase thriller.
I had completely forgotten Gilstrap’s plot by then, but the idea of a
boy-on-the-run story had been germinating since my early teens when I’d first
read Stevenson’s <i>Kidnapped</i>. I can still
recall the tummy-churning excitement of 17-year-old Davie Balfour’s prolonged
flight across the Scottish Highlands alongside his brave companion, Alan Breck Stewart,
as both were relentlessly pursued by the soldiery of the Clan Campbell.</span></span></div>
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</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLywOY3XAW_YdSt7ManS698eo8MRM9-1iuhZV1NfP2kmS-favcefV1YMu47_IWy2BA1E75nmkjxQyihKk8FDjZ5iTdkXPmL4EJIBaA6YPendSY5CtKRTBklEM5lI3Y81_yjfPFc3katmeU/s1600/side+by+side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLywOY3XAW_YdSt7ManS698eo8MRM9-1iuhZV1NfP2kmS-favcefV1YMu47_IWy2BA1E75nmkjxQyihKk8FDjZ5iTdkXPmL4EJIBaA6YPendSY5CtKRTBklEM5lI3Y81_yjfPFc3katmeU/s1600/side+by+side.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Over
the decades since, other “hunted man” adventures fueled my creative urges. Among
them I recollect John Buchan’s 1915 classic, <i>The Thirty-Nine Steps</i> (filmed in 1925 by Hitchcock with Robert
Donat and Madeleine Carroll) and Geoffrey Household’s 1939 cult thriller, <i>Rogue Male </i>(retitled <i>Man Hunt </i>in a 1941 Hollywood version).</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKNYPnwfxYRILQVdIMSciCqkTpbYv9vZchA9rWQyuUWxIxDuoj4hdz6L3PFT9CrNWTbWlbswSXu3qllWfWWFpnyBI8T2cfFFdDorOIN7FBsoRFhRRuQdB_vMiEJ5gcOin971KmCkPbcAG/s1600/fugitiveusmarshals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKNYPnwfxYRILQVdIMSciCqkTpbYv9vZchA9rWQyuUWxIxDuoj4hdz6L3PFT9CrNWTbWlbswSXu3qllWfWWFpnyBI8T2cfFFdDorOIN7FBsoRFhRRuQdB_vMiEJ5gcOin971KmCkPbcAG/s1600/fugitiveusmarshals.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">But
for nonstop, full-throttle cinematic excitement, my favorite chase thriller is <i>The Fugitive</i>, Andrew Davis’ terrific 1993
remake of the old TV series, with Harrison Ford and Tommie Lee Jones on a moral
collision course <i>à la </i>Jean<i> </i>Valjean and Inspector Javert.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvYIPr5TgyGHYvgOvJuahZfoBTFrr2Ep6A5RKxQikKzDl3mxTWSV5pHv245Ns5hi6VqtIa-F9T_8u-7Q7HS6GJJ3F_0NLAn89JdF2_QbJVftZr6A3ZUguOszLm6CpNSI9wkDAzsKhvTXd/s1600/around-the-world-balloon-0c2ufyb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvYIPr5TgyGHYvgOvJuahZfoBTFrr2Ep6A5RKxQikKzDl3mxTWSV5pHv245Ns5hi6VqtIa-F9T_8u-7Q7HS6GJJ3F_0NLAn89JdF2_QbJVftZr6A3ZUguOszLm6CpNSI9wkDAzsKhvTXd/s1600/around-the-world-balloon-0c2ufyb.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
additional idea of prolonging and permuting a chase/race with multiple means of
conveyance, a hallmark of <i>The Running Boy</i>,
clearly traces to Jules Verne’s <i>Around
the World in Eighty Days</i> (unless you count all those Tom and Jerry cartoons
I absorbed as a kid). And I suspect that Jerry Zucker’s hilarious <i>Rat Race </i>(2001) and John Hughes’ <i>Planes, Trains and Automobiles </i>(1987) also
helped me contrive wacky ways for my fictional heroes to elude their lethal
pursuers.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Dp6IxmC7xLwWPhXOe330H6v5mtUyugyoNRe4VblITAqQ0fd7LroGTqDAamhZvlDdw3fvc3ZZuqUG8mLQdhuT7rvWutXdBfMLBLmDzIyWrRuGMsNBKtEmdVvdDyd4EJAvzolqmL4tqvWD/s1600/planestrains_web_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Dp6IxmC7xLwWPhXOe330H6v5mtUyugyoNRe4VblITAqQ0fd7LroGTqDAamhZvlDdw3fvc3ZZuqUG8mLQdhuT7rvWutXdBfMLBLmDzIyWrRuGMsNBKtEmdVvdDyd4EJAvzolqmL4tqvWD/s1600/planestrains_web_l.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
further resolve in regard to <i>The Running
Boy</i> was to keep the chapters short—I mean James Patterson short—and to end
each with a certifiable cliffhanger. It was the same template used by Lucas and
Spielberg with <i>Raiders of the Lost Ark</i> and its sequels, their homage to those old Saturday-afternoon
movie serials of my own boyhood.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I tried
to make<i> The Running Boy</i> reflect all
these nifty influences and adhere faithfully to these tried-and-true genre
formulas. The end result is, I daresay, a terrific read. Happily my opinion has
been validated by almost all the book’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Running-Boy-Dan-Pollock-ebook/product-reviews/B00BPK0V9O/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending" target="_blank">Amazon reviewers</a> (69 and counting). </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So,
without having told you a darned thing about the actual plot or the characters,
let me encourage you to read <a href="http://www.danpollockthrillers.com/the-running-boy---chapter-one.html" target="_blank">Chapter One</a> of <b><i>The Running Boy</i></b>.</span></span></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-41119792461101991592014-10-19T16:17:00.002-07:002014-10-19T16:26:09.346-07:00BEST-SELLERS OF YESTERYEAR—EDISON MARSHALL<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPhKPYwMmdlAtoogc4S654LrD5Vi7c5ombs7FcUlfbBSlGiJUruKUvvKDgA4VeTc7mDhwq4B6Ak0CLgXAIUalzcRv5A5VEFysipEEb5nml17QGlKjFDkU0NGCPA-EbSI1G-dtj-cE_Fyo/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPhKPYwMmdlAtoogc4S654LrD5Vi7c5ombs7FcUlfbBSlGiJUruKUvvKDgA4VeTc7mDhwq4B6Ak0CLgXAIUalzcRv5A5VEFysipEEb5nml17QGlKjFDkU0NGCPA-EbSI1G-dtj-cE_Fyo/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></a><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">When it comes
to my taste in books and music and art, I am, I confess, a contrarian. If I’m
reading a best-selling novel, it’s far more likely to be from the 1950s than
the current “hot” title by Donna Tartt or Ian McEwan or [insert name of
currently incandescent author here].
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Perhaps you,
too, might have the makings of a curmuedgeon or anti-trendarian. Try this
experiment. Google up a <a href="http://www.hawes.com/pastlist.htm" target="_blank">best-selling fiction list from the ‘50s</a> or earlier decades and sample an offering or two. Check them out at your
library or “Look Inside,” if the titles in question are available on Amazon,
and see how long it takes for you to be seduced by the narrative charm of an
earlier generation of storytellers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">*</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOMuCcV3XE-6YGVZSmJk8i7_J71gbptDn5cMmkToH1bMn3oo29XF0vVycdqCybuhdo8mmOPeDIi_dAUPfqZzGXWkERVTNykqWMNTKmyG6BqvSNMYoASOAmEYHqmdbEcwQdRZ1l4Up-huM/s1600/mx1WRQfKUGEXjD2fDlBZGCA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOMuCcV3XE-6YGVZSmJk8i7_J71gbptDn5cMmkToH1bMn3oo29XF0vVycdqCybuhdo8mmOPeDIi_dAUPfqZzGXWkERVTNykqWMNTKmyG6BqvSNMYoASOAmEYHqmdbEcwQdRZ1l4Up-huM/s1600/mx1WRQfKUGEXjD2fDlBZGCA.jpg" /></a>Today’s
example, Edison Marshall, was a perennial on U.S. best-seller lists from the '20s
through the '50s. Forty years is a pretty good run at the top of the literary
heap for any writer, and Marshall, who specialized in adventure and historical
fiction, worked hard to get there and stay there.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">But let him
tell it:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>“Living in Augusta, Georgia, not only out of the world but out of my
times, avoiding New York, Hollywood, and all contacts and pressures that could
breach my dreams (a social delinquent if one ever was), reading poetry and
biography but no novels but my own, fishing or shooting three days a week with
a soft-voiced, dark-skinned attendant-companion, I hope to write vigorously for
two more decades. If so, I will have made something like a record—more than
fifty years of good living from my pen alone, and a long lifetime spent at
absolutely no other (except a year's soldiering) gainful occupation.”</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3wLNZ3tfF0nbIDHsm6rbV_x4Z8ipHnfOKR5Hn6vABtQEkkO1SOyN8IdoUxoyG7g7lRY8RGDsuZrt1N5rSk1wG7bi3TJMVaBWHsJPboBs3j2PPuH77kkAzLDMtJSlH05y935-fcD9LY3N/s1600/8731949578_8c5576d03b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3wLNZ3tfF0nbIDHsm6rbV_x4Z8ipHnfOKR5Hn6vABtQEkkO1SOyN8IdoUxoyG7g7lRY8RGDsuZrt1N5rSk1wG7bi3TJMVaBWHsJPboBs3j2PPuH77kkAzLDMtJSlH05y935-fcD9LY3N/s1600/8731949578_8c5576d03b.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Despite
avoiding Hollywood, Marshall enjoyed some major book-to-movie sales. <i>Benjamin Blake</i>, a historical romance set
in 18th century England, was twice made into films—in 1941 by Fox as “Son of
Fury” starring Tyrone Power; and in 1952 with Cornel Wilde as “Treasure of the
Golden Condor.” Jeff Chandler starred in 1954’s “Yankee Pasha” about America’s
war with the Barbary Pirates, and “The Vikings” was a 1958 box-office smash
pairing Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWo9GflV5D5h6Z4rw7Gu4jMGY4XdVYATEC4TFw_cEorSXuZ8Iz4XcupJ8wq6EpDIuNP0qemYh-lrSiqFBBLxzSyJmz6bi6T_kUlIba4GraiVULOSJ-3cp3-gL4X-YKfO7eAr-ZGckUXv6H/s1600/MV5BODU3ODIyNDgyNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDIyOTQyMQ@@._V1_SX148_CR0,0,148,200_AL_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWo9GflV5D5h6Z4rw7Gu4jMGY4XdVYATEC4TFw_cEorSXuZ8Iz4XcupJ8wq6EpDIuNP0qemYh-lrSiqFBBLxzSyJmz6bi6T_kUlIba4GraiVULOSJ-3cp3-gL4X-YKfO7eAr-ZGckUXv6H/s1600/MV5BODU3ODIyNDgyNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDIyOTQyMQ@@._V1_SX148_CR0,0,148,200_AL_.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Clearly
Marshall liked his heroes larger than life. Other swaggering, swashbuckling
epics dealt with Alexander the Great (<i>The
Conqueror</i>), Sir Richard Francis Burton (<i>Gypsy
Sixpence</i>), Marco Polo (<i>Caravan to Xanadu</i>)
and even Hercules (<i>Earth Giant</i>)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">There’s an
interesting parallel between the solid financial success achieved by Marshall over
his long career and that of Dickens. As boys, both endured episodes of grinding
poverty due to their fathers’ financial reverses, and both vowed, like
Scarlett, never to be hungry, or poor, again when they came of age. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1DpL8O8dDBzdTKYJV1oJh-dWin-6m9Rwh3h37mptfl8aGnSZCgcv7PuRwiaMPTV-_eHJi68bmFyGEAC5-VXio8LEYaz3p1ewbnxPU50K3UEnUOqVQBLS_zirdqiUh9GowBz9mY9pm9s0/s1600/1283-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1DpL8O8dDBzdTKYJV1oJh-dWin-6m9Rwh3h37mptfl8aGnSZCgcv7PuRwiaMPTV-_eHJi68bmFyGEAC5-VXio8LEYaz3p1ewbnxPU50K3UEnUOqVQBLS_zirdqiUh9GowBz9mY9pm9s0/s1600/1283-1.jpg" height="200" width="116" /></a>Again, to
quote Marshall, <i>“…the cold wind of poverty rattled the windows and gave us the
scare of our lives. I resolved that whatever I did in life, first and foremost
it must make us a bountiful living… I went after the two big prizes, fame and
fortune, and I got them both.”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Edison Tesla
Marshall (named after the two feuding giants of electricity)—well worth
rekindling.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-550096380407865232014-08-13T13:38:00.003-07:002014-08-13T14:05:55.540-07:00GREAT STORYTELLERS AND HOW THEY HATCH THEIR PLOTS<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpW8lpnsmwDhSFRQtO4kpvf50qDxL_EhvXcQAl8phpWa564kFN3Wdec-iFlnPgVOaF-b5AR4diyyAerTgHGhKJGSmUqnp6STP-8caFy5UmHPZ_Bt-I4CiX-uK_FxHRNG-EYmHY-AH9Qe_s/s1600/%5B1c%5D+Homer+Invoking+the+Muse.+pg.+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpW8lpnsmwDhSFRQtO4kpvf50qDxL_EhvXcQAl8phpWa564kFN3Wdec-iFlnPgVOaF-b5AR4diyyAerTgHGhKJGSmUqnp6STP-8caFy5UmHPZ_Bt-I4CiX-uK_FxHRNG-EYmHY-AH9Qe_s/s1600/%5B1c%5D+Homer+Invoking+the+Muse.+pg.+2.jpg" height="143" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Homer Invoking the Muse</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In an
earlier post (“<a href="http://danpollock.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-way-we-were.html" target="_blank">The Way We Were</a>” -- April 7, 2013), I mentioned two historical novelists of an earlier era, Joan Grant and Taylor
Caldwell, both of whom seriously asserted that they got their ideas from their
own past lives. Barbara Cartland, one of the all-time best-selling authors (a
billion books, according to <i>Guinness</i>),
used to recline on a chaise lounge in her darkened study and dictate by the
hour to a </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: large;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFC75M40IUtEzhVimAyAIwMQ5MFqhm6UHzEqz0Z44B6fvz5SXcjo3pwUF4iWRqd_FD6FmR6Wi2Z5tmoG696-zkKnELtaG1NCFpJjlyD3Mah08cs24vDt-5dp6iNzgrg35UeXY3DeXnkIPq/s1600/barb+and+george.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFC75M40IUtEzhVimAyAIwMQ5MFqhm6UHzEqz0Z44B6fvz5SXcjo3pwUF4iWRqd_FD6FmR6Wi2Z5tmoG696-zkKnELtaG1NCFpJjlyD3Mah08cs24vDt-5dp6iNzgrg35UeXY3DeXnkIPq/s1600/barb+and+george.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Barbara & Georgette</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
silent amanuensis. From these productive séances, swoon-and-swashbuckling
novels issued forth at the rate of one every fortnight. (Ms. Cartland, however,
was at one point accused by novelist Georgett Heyer of plagiarizing her own
historical romances, including actual character names and traits).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiC0nTL9hLe5cUztlYpPGkWCDF1KY3D2ZKCz6GJ-DZzKsztZplo1XfMrw7HSHHskXeffAstBDPljGgCxLCckxlUZ8ZD8IPbhkLLZkEUH5q6nxrNaZL3dSwqf0HK0QssoZjzB20FMmk1L3/s1600/Rsl1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiC0nTL9hLe5cUztlYpPGkWCDF1KY3D2ZKCz6GJ-DZzKsztZplo1XfMrw7HSHHskXeffAstBDPljGgCxLCckxlUZ8ZD8IPbhkLLZkEUH5q6nxrNaZL3dSwqf0HK0QssoZjzB20FMmk1L3/s1600/Rsl1.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>R.L.S</b></span>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Seances
and past lives aside, we’re all novelists in our dreams, weaving disparate
elements together in fantastical ways. Writers are well advised to keep a
bedside pad and pencil for use in retrieving their fast-fading subconscious memories
upon first awakening. Such scribblings often prove worthless, true; but many
thorny plot problems have been solved thus; indeed whole sagas have been
sketched out. Robert Louis Stevenson famously awoke with <i>Jekyll and Hyde</i> complete in his mind and proceeded to transcribe it
as swiftly as he could.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">John D.
MacDonald’s son recalled a family member once asked his Dad if, having written
so many books and so many stories, he would have enough material to keep going.
MacDonald replied that when he lay down at night “the stuff just spilled out of
his ears.” (From <i>JDM Bibliophile</i>,
Issue 54, p.2)</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9Fq6-9GqeRNsQ8QJEQ2gyWpDI8kKB6OWETn6O_VbKonywkHeWZaXndRFLdNEpYGQerF87hceYnvnFyHV27Xv8_EtA2KUX1PCQ4uZszDz1qdQXz2qzSj11fZEnN-O0CRWlbNf3Vriu8my/s1600/per_macdonald_050513_10710009_8col.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9Fq6-9GqeRNsQ8QJEQ2gyWpDI8kKB6OWETn6O_VbKonywkHeWZaXndRFLdNEpYGQerF87hceYnvnFyHV27Xv8_EtA2KUX1PCQ4uZszDz1qdQXz2qzSj11fZEnN-O0CRWlbNf3Vriu8my/s1600/per_macdonald_050513_10710009_8col.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">J.D.MacDonald</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
another interview, MacDonald explained his story-formation process: “You’ve got
a big cauldron in the back of your head, like a big bubbling stew, and
everything that’s ever happened to you is in there, everything you’ve read,
seen, touched or believed—everything is in that cauldron. When two things can be
related, then they sort of, let’s say, agglutinate and float up to the top of
the stew where you can skim them off, and wow, there’s an idea.” (Interview in <i>Family Weekly</i>, May 5, 1985, about a year
and a half before he died.)</span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGqXinCoXQOFmkzgBxqxd64wezx_Osjficv-ezOar6Of4KjPJTotBVpxuGzVZNDDtzUZtHBvvx8Yb-9tiFobxbTonKyzBUrtW0qB9tLRRkwrBE_Oo4WaT5BQO5_74SvBeGtJAgpPbcjMX/s1600/CS-Forester-010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGqXinCoXQOFmkzgBxqxd64wezx_Osjficv-ezOar6Of4KjPJTotBVpxuGzVZNDDtzUZtHBvvx8Yb-9tiFobxbTonKyzBUrtW0qB9tLRRkwrBE_Oo4WaT5BQO5_74SvBeGtJAgpPbcjMX/s1600/CS-Forester-010.jpg" height="120" width="200" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">C.S. Forester</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Twenty
years earlier novelist and screenwriter C.S. Forester described his own story gestation
process in almost identical terms. This lengthy quote is taken from <i>The Hornblower Companion</i>, which is one of
the best extended essays on the writing and the creative process I’ve ever come
across:</span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“There
are jellyfish that drift about in the ocean. They do nothing to seek out their
daily food; chance carries them hither and thither, and chance brings them
nourishment. Small living things come into contact with their tentacles, and
are seized, devoured, and digested. Think of me as the jellyfish, and the captured
victims become the plots, the stories, the outlines, the motifs—use whatever
term you may consider best to describe the framework of a novel. In the ocean
there are much higher forms of life than the jellyfish, and every human being
in the ocean of humanity has much the same experience as every other human
being, but some human beings are jellyfish and some are sharks. The tiny little
food particles, the minute suggestive experiences, are recognized and seized by
the jellyfish writer and are employed by him for his own specialized use.</span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“We can
go on with the analogy; once the captured victim is inside the jellyfish’s
stomach the digestive juices start pouring out and the material ins transformed
into a different protoplasm, without the jellyfish consciously doing anything
about it until his existence ends with an abrupt change of analogy.</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“In my
own case it happens that, generally speaking, the initial stimulus is
recognized for what it is. The casual phrase dropped by a friend in
conversation, the paragraph in a book, the incident observed by the roadside,
has some special quality, and is accorded a special welcome. But having been
welcomed, it is forgotten, or at least ignored. It sinks into the horrid depths
of my subconscious like a waterlogged timber into the slime at the bottom of
the harbor, where it lies alongside others which have preceded it.</span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> "Then,
periodically—but by no means systematically—it is hauled up for examination along
with its fellows, and, sooner or later, some timber is found with barnacles
growing on it. Some morning when I am shaving, some evening when I am wondering
whether my dinner calls for white wine or red, the original immature idea
reappears in my mind, and it has grown. Nearly always it has something to do
with what eventually will be the mid-point of a novel or a short story, and sometimes
the growth is towards the end and sometimes toward the beginning. The casualty
rate is high—some timbers grown no barnacles at all—but enough of them have
progressed to keep my actively employed for more than forty years.</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Examination
completed, the timber is dropped back again into the slime, to be fished out
every now and then until the barnacles are found to be quite numerous. That is
when the plot is really beginning to take shape; that is when the ideas relating
to it recur to me more and more often, so that they demand a greater and
greater proportion of my attention as the days go by, until, in the end, the story
might almost be described as an obsession, coloring my thoughts and influencing
my actions and my behavior. Generally some real work is called for at this
stage, to clear up some mechanical difficulty. At some point in the plot it may
be essential for the <i>Lydia</i> and the <i>Natividad </i>to be at the same place at the
same time—what forces (other than pure coincidence) can bring this about? What
has happened earlier that makes it quite inevitable? A different kind of
inventiveness has to be employed here.</span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dL74WVAmIfTT29PuYhzY7TevoQ3Ov6jNBW34OUu8o4CYbs1C__C-p71x4SW_eY3moRNKNtASbhJinScoR8cHVCN_lf-faH_TsX5phN0GYKK2cYOZe9g7MI0_qFYqxfmDEoiJzpNMxQg7/s1600/peck+and+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dL74WVAmIfTT29PuYhzY7TevoQ3Ov6jNBW34OUu8o4CYbs1C__C-p71x4SW_eY3moRNKNtASbhJinScoR8cHVCN_lf-faH_TsX5phN0GYKK2cYOZe9g7MI0_qFYqxfmDEoiJzpNMxQg7/s1600/peck+and+cover.jpg" height="128" width="200" /></a>“This
sort of difficulty is sometimes cleared up in a peculiar and often gratifying
fashion—I have known it to happen half a dozen times. I have been developing
two different plots, both of them vaguely unsatisfactory, and then suddenly
they have dovetailed together, like two separate halves of a jigsaw puzzle—the
difficulties have vanished, the story is complete, and I am experiencing a
special, intense pleasure, a glow of satisfaction—entirely undeserved—which is
perhaps the greatest reward known to my profession." (<i>Hornblower Companion</i>, pp. 95-96)</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some
years ago, in preparing to teach a 10-week course on Thriller Writing at UCLA
Extension, I exhumed these two treasured quotes on story formation to share
with my students. Then, casting about for supporting ideas, I came upon this uncannily similar one
from horror maestro Stephen King:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“I don’t
feel like a novelist or a creative writer as much as I feel like an
archaeologist who is digging things up and brushing them off and looking at the
carvings on them. Sometimes you get a little pot out of the ground, and that’s
a short story. Sometimes you get a bigger pot, which is a novella. Sometimes
you get a building, which is like a novel. When I feel like I’m ‘creating,’ I’m
usually doing bad work.” (<i>Writer’s Digest</i>,
March, 1992, p. 24)</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMT4aJxZMcdAgKe159tAh3EA8ragfXmVaIPun8jUifbVnIZtHh_5g17Ki7nCUt6p9yys9hXSs36-eRnqPJsHDOlvQ7Yjfc7B5mNWSGz8Ao7QYAEF4Qe9JfshZG84T9aZ-rVY6beC7RTDx0/s1600/tom-clancy-640x360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMT4aJxZMcdAgKe159tAh3EA8ragfXmVaIPun8jUifbVnIZtHh_5g17Ki7nCUt6p9yys9hXSs36-eRnqPJsHDOlvQ7Yjfc7B5mNWSGz8Ao7QYAEF4Qe9JfshZG84T9aZ-rVY6beC7RTDx0/s1600/tom-clancy-640x360.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tom
Clancy, the creator of the techno-thriller, frames the same creative process in
explosive terms: “It just happens. Sometimes I’m walking to the mailbox, taking
a shower, driving my car—and <i>kaboom!</i>
I get an idea." (<i>Washingtonian</i>,
January 1989)</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwpmZ35CU3FS0xtpX45iLJh-F9sAtEFzD80CYSk4m1BabfgBycbzTJjU6aRbKwJQsVEqRHjrOGkg9NwLjb8CUK5aA6BALtgqMpLbiHG6CLb2BGMGozmFLVdpw2C9mQmehyJCj0Bjntztx/s1600/mvL14KCZ0rQver3njPVV9og.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwpmZ35CU3FS0xtpX45iLJh-F9sAtEFzD80CYSk4m1BabfgBycbzTJjU6aRbKwJQsVEqRHjrOGkg9NwLjb8CUK5aA6BALtgqMpLbiHG6CLb2BGMGozmFLVdpw2C9mQmehyJCj0Bjntztx/s1600/mvL14KCZ0rQver3njPVV9og.jpg" height="152" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Another
plotmeister, Frederick Faust (who cranked out westerns under the pen name Max
Brand), passed along one of the little tricks he used to hatch a “new” plot: “When
you read a story, pause when you are halfway through; finish the story in
detail out of your imagination; write it down in brief notes. Then read the
story through to the end. Often you find that you have a totally new final half
of a story. Fit in a new beginning and there you are." (Robert Easton’s
biography, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Max-Brand-The-Big-Westerner/dp/0806108703" target="_blank"><i>Max Brand: The Big Westerner</i></a>,
p. 219-20)</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And elsewhere
in Easton’s biography (p. 219): “[Faust] recalled that when he started doing stories
each seemed the last he could find. But then by degrees his story-finding
faculty had increased. ‘You spot stories in the air, flying out of
conversations, out of books.’ Stories also arise, he said, out of the
inversions of things as you find them. ‘You sit at the rich man’s table; well,
what if he were broke and this were the last time he could entertain? Or
suppose the beggar suddenly inherits wealth? Or what is it that the Texan finds
most non-Texan?’”</span></span></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-20929600073740713962014-06-10T11:58:00.002-07:002014-06-10T21:39:17.310-07:00AUTHOR INTERVIEW: T.S. O’NEIL<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"><i>On
his <a href="http://www.tsoneil.com/" target="_blank">website</a>, T.S. O’Neil reprints a review that describes his “action-packed crime novels” <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tampa-Star-Blackfox-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B00A6DSN5A/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=012BYPHWDWBQNV7EGVAM" target="_blank"><b>Tampa Star</b></a>
and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Starfish-Prime-Blackfox-Chronicles-ONeil-ebook/dp/B00IQXL2LO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1402424433&sr=1-1&keywords=starfish+prime" target="_blank"><b>Starfish Prime</b></a>
as artful blends of “Fifties detective noir with modern-day high-tech
suspense.” I agree, but when I speed-read the opening chapters of </i><b>Tampa Star</b><i>, I
was reminded as well of Elmore Leonard—that is, I was hearing the unique
voices, not of a writer, but of unforgettable characters. I was thus pleased to
discover, as you will see, that O’Neil lists Leonard as one of the writers who
have most influenced him.</i></span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaUMxDxoLX-YxRMoaconlZlq0xqsnOLy_j_MVFsBUuzQGNwzZ9EMFNNLuBpGsicQZsAgNqiyQ5oAkz7IYx9nh_KIjIyGlTgbijrT69wmsKFC5I7X1JmWEx7-cqq_2HvQxuSM6hsJWQHh3/s1600/TSONEIL_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaUMxDxoLX-YxRMoaconlZlq0xqsnOLy_j_MVFsBUuzQGNwzZ9EMFNNLuBpGsicQZsAgNqiyQ5oAkz7IYx9nh_KIjIyGlTgbijrT69wmsKFC5I7X1JmWEx7-cqq_2HvQxuSM6hsJWQHh3/s1600/TSONEIL_Small.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Author T.S. O'Neil</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> So what do I call
you? T.S.?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Please call me Tim. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Okay, Tim, let me
start with a compliment. I was carried away by the unique narrative power in <i>Tampa Star</i>—the first book of the
Blackfox Chroncles. It didn’t feel like reading so much as leaning back in a patio
chair with a Corona or a Dos Equis in hand while listening to hilarious war
stories told. In appropriate social circumstances, are you a natural raconteur?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> First of all, I
don’t know what that means. Just kidding—and I sincerely appreciate the
compliment. I’m an introvert with extroverted tendencies that are normally
fueled by alcohol. They had guys in Ranger School they called “Spotlight Rangers”
who were candidates who only performed while in the spotlight; otherwise they
hung back and marshaled their resources. I guess you could call me a spotlight
raconteur. In social situations, I try a few trial balloons to see if anyone
gets my humor and take it from there. As for the humor in both books, I think
that the military is full of frustrated comedians. If you think about it, they
are often deployed to austere locations among a group of like-minded
individuals and are often stymied by circumstances. Their frustrations are
caused or fueled by the stupidity of the officers or NCOs above them, and
because they are thrust into a truly shitty situation. Relief comes either from
laughter or craziness. I have to say, though, that of all the services, I think
the Marines are the funniest and usually the most politically incorrect as the
ratio of men to women is the highest of all the services. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> To capture that
conversational style, have you ever thought of just talking your story into a
microphone, then transcribing and editing later?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">: No, but I may give
it a try. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Do you keep a file
of choice and colorful anecdotes from your years in the military?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> No, I wish I had, but
there are lots of stories out there. The anecdotes about snipers and Explosive
Ordinance Disposal are the funniest as they are darkest. Sayings like: “Never
start a fight with a man who can end it from another ZIP code,” referring to a
sniper with a 50-caliber sniper rifle. Or, referring to an EOD technician
failing to defuse a bomb: “If you see me running, try to keep up.” are just a
couple of offhand </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large;">So all of these amateur comedians in uniform have a lot of material
to work with, based mostly on the stupefying ridiculousness of the huge
bureaucracy that is the U.S. military. They are given lots of material, but
little freedom to use it; hence the frustration. I try and imagine what would
accurately be said in humor to mask the occurrence of a bad event. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large;">Someone once said that war is interminable boredom punctuated by
moments of terror. An active imagination is what keeps you in good spirits and
helps you fill the void or salve your fear. I bet <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0002515/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">King Leonidas</span></a> was an
especially funny guy to be able to crack wise when confronted by hundreds of thousands
of Persian soldiers. His “Come and get them!” [in reply to the Persian
ultimatum to lay down his weapons] is, if not the first badass line in history,
maybe the best known. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">: Your impressive
military and law enforcement background obviously makes you a natural for the techno-thriller
genre. Who are your favorite thriller writers?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">: I really can’t
agree on the impressiveness of my military background. As a careerist, I was an
abject failure as I was always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Meaning
wherever I happened to be, peace was breaking out like mad. I was supposed to
jump into Omar Torrijos Airport with the Rangers during Operation Just Cause,
but instead I went on to the MP Officer Advance Course. The invasion took place
in December of ’89; as I drove home to Connecticut for Christmas break, members
of my former unit parachuted into glory. Later, as I sat in Panama enjoying the
new era of peace and prosperity, Operation Desert Storm took place. My luck
finally caught up with me and I spent part of a tour in Iraq. Other than a
couple of nights of rocket fire, the period in Iraq was relatively peaceful.
Additionally, I’m a freedom-loving individual and although servicemen defend
freedom, they have very little of it inside their ranks. And as you probably
noticed by know, I pretty much say what’s on my mind, which is not particularly
career-enhancing. The bottom-line is that I was just a guy wanting to see the
world on the cheap, but… what was your question again? Oh, yes, favorite
thriller writers. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Well, you’re certainly a favorite author as of late. I loved <i>The Running Boy</i> and thought <i>Duel of Assassins</i> was particularly well
done. But having said that, I have some pretty esoteric tastes when it comes to
thrillers. Laurence Shames is a favorite, because he has quirky characters and
writes in the Florida Glare genre. I can forgive him for being a bit of a
liberal because I like his writing. Elmore Leonard, may he rest in peace, is a
personal favorite. His writing and success taught me to believe that you can
and should try to write<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsdcwNL9TGVCLJbjPJumR-uTqXE8CCVpesZVqvpTFzd4S72GP-_dZMGJISZJU-V-0A0c5PIoFwYBgGVRhFFGhPZkToX-nXLvg_Y5oMLjvvYKHoL0yJT2JXMCGYdoLZH1NNM50nCd6DGPn/s1600/shames+2+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsdcwNL9TGVCLJbjPJumR-uTqXE8CCVpesZVqvpTFzd4S72GP-_dZMGJISZJU-V-0A0c5PIoFwYBgGVRhFFGhPZkToX-nXLvg_Y5oMLjvvYKHoL0yJT2JXMCGYdoLZH1NNM50nCd6DGPn/s1600/shames+2+shot.jpg" height="151" width="200" /></a> the way people speak. People are funny and they say
lots of humorous things, even in tense situations. He famously said, “Try to
write what people want to read and leave the rest out.” Leonard labored in relative
obscurity for most of his career and finally found some level of acclaim after
Hollywood discovered him by basing movies on <i>Get Shorty, 3:10 to Yuma </i>and <i>Jackie
Brown</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_McqEt9xYFpdY_OVXDJIV_rzW2kFfDrxFydtCPROM20YgmcXfZvwI4dtaXAEPKbLGC-sw5jeHv7kb8SwW0cMlRAccOzsesYHxCybWI4Cp-5sCTubWOX9CPsNGM3_E_jG7lsVM4SLzaRyq/s1600/two+shot+leonard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_McqEt9xYFpdY_OVXDJIV_rzW2kFfDrxFydtCPROM20YgmcXfZvwI4dtaXAEPKbLGC-sw5jeHv7kb8SwW0cMlRAccOzsesYHxCybWI4Cp-5sCTubWOX9CPsNGM3_E_jG7lsVM4SLzaRyq/s1600/two+shot+leonard.jpg" height="155" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Another great author I admire is Norman Mailer, but for different
reasons. He managed to write a really twisted thriller called <i>Tough Guys Don’t Dance</i> and also wrote
the script for the movie of the same name. The protagonist, played by Ryan
O’Neal, is watching his world crumble all around him—his wife leaves him, he
can’t stop drinking and lastly, there are two heads in a bag in the basement
and he is left trying to figure out how they got there. I used to watch the
movie when my life was at a low point and it would allow me to think, <i>well, at least I don’t have it as bad as
that guy.</i> I believe the movie bombed, but the script closely followed the
book and I liked that. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyHO04HrJhQGeRUXAZADm05E_G4_B6bLAxm-IMa2zk1_n5MvPtvFQYk3IgRvP8RnBiYVxkj5BHsqa7XXoRu25BsFfxgE5jYmulscNDVBez-z4bPiy3LvcCNXSXFHfqnwUnKF04kzZw27v/s1600/mailer+two+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyHO04HrJhQGeRUXAZADm05E_G4_B6bLAxm-IMa2zk1_n5MvPtvFQYk3IgRvP8RnBiYVxkj5BHsqa7XXoRu25BsFfxgE5jYmulscNDVBez-z4bPiy3LvcCNXSXFHfqnwUnKF04kzZw27v/s1600/mailer+two+shot.jpg" height="145" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> You’re quoted as
saying you “write about heroes with a few chinks in their armor.” In fact, your
father-and-son duo, ex-Green Beret Char Blackfox and his Recon Marine son,
Michael Blackfox, seem to function best just a half-step ahead of the law. Can
you tell us a little about how you fleshed them out?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large;"><b>O’Neil:</b> Inspiration for the character of Char Blackfox, the main
protagonist in <i>Tampa Star</i> and <i>Starfish Prime</i>, came from various
places. I was looking for someone memorable and at the time I attended a
Battlefield Walk on the Loxahatchee River in South Florida. In 1838, the
Seminoles fought two pitched battles against the U.S. Army. By all accounts,
the first battle was a rout of the federal troops, as the indigenous people
occupied the high ground—including having talented sharpshooters among the
branches of ancient cypress trees. The Seminole were also experienced warriors
with access to comparable weaponry as their foes, who were the usual mix of
conscripts and seasoned veterans. More importantly, the federal troops were
exhausted after having spent months on the trail in a forced march from
Georgia. So, after hearing about the fierce Seminole warriors, I decided to
make them the inspiration for Char Blackfox. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large;">However,
the incident that caused Char’s leg injury was based on a real event that
happened to an old buddy of mine, a Korean American platoon sergeant I served
with while assigned to a Military Police Company in the Republic of Korea. In
Tampa Star, Char was wounded by a dead enemy soldier in Vietnam. This actually
happened to the platoon sergeant in almost exactly the same fashion while he
was serving in the 101st Airborne deployed to Vietnam. The platoon sergeant
nearly lost a leg because he shot and killed the enemy soldier, who was trying
to infiltrate the company’s defensive perimeter. My buddy then pulled the rifle
away from the dead man while his lifeless but still flexed finger still enveloped the
trigger. The platoon sergeant was shot in the leg and had to be reclassified as
an MP because he was no longer fit enough to serve in the infantry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large;">So—Char
Blackfox is a composite character based on a lot of old soldiers and Marines I
knew when I was first finding my footing in the military. His son Michael was introduced as a way to bring the novel into present
time. I wanted them to play off each other—the old guy versus the young buck. I
thought the unique father-son Semper Fi bond was a rich area to mine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Among your many
5-star Amazon reviews there’s one 3-star that faults your heroes for stereotypical
macho behavior and attitudes toward women. So—are you planning to send the
Blackfox boys to politically correct reeducation camps and neuter them into Low-T
metrosexuals?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large;"><b>O'Neil</b>: I think General
James N. Mattis, former Commandant of the Marine Corps, said it best: “When you
men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his
hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large;">If that particular reviewer wants to live in that politically
correct world, she should go find that war protestor, as I heard he’s looking
for a girlfriend. To quote someone else, “Life is hard and it’s harder if
you’re stupid.” I believe that’s from <i>The
Friends of Eddie Coyle</i>, but I digress. The most important thing to me is
that I write realistically—if that makes some people, especially those on the
left of the political spectrum queasy, that’s a bonus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Glad to hear it! One
of the things that makes your books so much fun is that they’re almost P.C.-free.
In fact, Char and Michael Blackfox take me back to the door-busting pulp heroes
of my youth—hard-drinking, skirt-chasing private eyes like Mickey Spillane’s
Mike Hammer or Richard Prather’s Shell Scott, and Donald Hamilton’s randy
superspy, Matt Helm. Nowadays, no doubt, Ian Fleming’s “M” would be pressured
to send 007 to the first available sexual harassment workshop.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Yeah, all of those
authors and characters have been an inspiration to me, whether I knew it or
not. I’m so sick of the new metrosexual action heroes and apparently so are a
lot of other folks, as evidenced by the success of certain characters in film
and literature. I mean Adrien Brody as the star of the last <i>Predator </i>film? John Wayne must be
turning over in his grave.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OlxVNtExV4ApgKsvq2c_DN3YrbwCZ7VmFg0Tx_WM_XHERIF7n8NihLI_gyOHV2ZMmLk27NFLQI396KTNe6K66tKNjs7aSaRRai-rocbNsDKj8i-iWRaLnvH0dhJjBcLzml91ZazWYGlN/s1600/adrien+john.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OlxVNtExV4ApgKsvq2c_DN3YrbwCZ7VmFg0Tx_WM_XHERIF7n8NihLI_gyOHV2ZMmLk27NFLQI396KTNe6K66tKNjs7aSaRRai-rocbNsDKj8i-iWRaLnvH0dhJjBcLzml91ZazWYGlN/s1600/adrien+john.jpg" height="163" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large;">The first James Bond played by Sean Connery was a case study in political
incorrectness, and the character went downhill after he left, until Daniel
Craig managed to redeem him somewhat. Another character that probably would not
be such a success today is John McLane, the hero played by Bruce Willis in the
Diehard series. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large;">Michael Blackfox does get a serious love interest in <i>Mudd’s Luck</i>, but he’ll stay largely the
same as in past books. Char can’t change as he’s a dinosaur and necessary at
certain junctures to shake up the narrative. I’m in the process of bringing
back other characters because after I finish <i>ML</i>, Michael and Char deserve a little respite. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I like to ask techno-thriller
writers how they stay current on military hardware and geopolitics. Do you have
any favorite online sources you can share (without betraying too many trade
secrets)?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> My final deployment
allowed me to become current on lots of new weaponry and other hardware, and I
included some of it in both books. I’ve also rubbed shoulders with lots of
special ops types and actually served in a unit within that command for a
while, although I’ve never claimed to be a true “snake eater.” During my time
in the Marines and in Special Operations, I learned enough about how certain
special ops units like the SEALs, Force Recon, Army Rangers and Special Forces
operate and researched a lot more to write accurately and realistically about
that particular subgroup. You can pretty much Google anything. As far as
approaching special ops types, you really have to be careful. If they are still
on active duty, you might as well forget talking to them, and the guys who have
been out for a while may not be as in the loop as they claim. I look to
websites and boards from time to time. There are lots of unofficial special ops
bulletin boards that you can find through various search engines, such as Level
Zero Heroes, which is about a Marine Special Operations Team.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> What about experts
you call on? Tom Clancy cultivated a grapevine that linked him to what he
called the “Great Chain,” a network of military types, government employees and
intelligence officers who fed him information. Do you have a similar brain
trust of ex-military you check with?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> I have no grapevine at
the moment, but then Clancy didn’t have the benefit of serving on active duty
for a decade and another thirteen years in the reserves. I think that as my
books gain in popularity, I’ll have service members contact me to tell me if I
got something right, but more importantly, if I got something wrong. My next
book will have very little military content, so it should not be a problem. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> One of the pitfalls
of writing a timely or even futuristic thriller is that the plot can be
overtaken or invalidated by tomorrow’s headlines. Which means that, as far as
world events, you need to stay not only current, but ahead of the curve. Is
that something you think about?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> I used to. I was
writing a book about a plan to blow up the Panama Canal, and I finished it, but
it was never published. I’m sure it’s kicking around here someplace. I felt
part of the problem was that it was overtaken by the handover of the canal to
the Republic of Panama. Now, I just write a book and hope for the best. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Do you write from a
plot outline or do you prefer to let your characters lead you?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> I have a rough idea
in my head and constantly develop it as I write. For instance, <i>Starfish</i> was all
about building a plot around the ability to hack into an insulin meter to
control a pump. I built out from there. The McGuffin had to be important enough
for them to want to parachute into the jungle to get it. I selected Venezuela
because it’s currently operating under a despotic dictator, I’ve been there
several times before and wanted legitimate bad guys to play off the good guys—in
this case, the Colombians and Americans. I selected Colombians because I was
impressed by their armed forces and police and thought I would pay them homage.
Short war story: In a past life I worked as a trademark investigator and I was working
with their federal police, roughly the equivalent of our FBI, set to bust
several counterfeit apparel factories. A truck bomb went off at one of their
offices in another city while we were planning the raid and scores of their officers
were killed. I offered a few words of condolences in Spanish, and their
commander basically thanked me, but suggested that we get back to work as they
had a job to do. I thought that was a superlative example of their
professionalism. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Do you have a set
time to write each day? And an office?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large;"><b>O’Neil:</b> I have an office in a loft outside my bedroom; it’s a home
office that I use for business purposes during the day and writing on the
weekend. I have three or four computers; two laptops, a PC and a tablet
scattered about and all my military memorabilia on the walls. I have not been
writing every day, but I am looking for that to change, if and when we decide
whether we are moving. We currently live in a three-level townhouse in a
complex and life should be bliss, if not for the condo commandos that run the condo
board. The kindest thing I can say about them is that any one of them could
have served as a model for the Jack Clumpis character on <i>Seinfeld</i>, Marty Seinfeld’s rival on their condo board. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Do you give yourself
deadlines? Do you meet them?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> I give myself a rough
deadline. Right now, because I have a civilian job, so I like to keep it to one
book a year. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> How much time do you
allot to marketing? What are your favorite tools?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> I don’t devote
enough. Normally, I spend a few hours here and there doing marketing. I think
the book giveaways on Goodreads are a great tool for getting reviews, however,
since it’s owned by Amazon, they are book-ending authors by incentivizing them
to hold giveaways and then selling them the books. I also participated in a
review circle, where you review four books and others review your work. It’s
not frowned upon as you are not doing reciprocal reviews, but I probably won’t
do it again as other authors are not legitimate fans and can be very negative
for silly reasons, i.e. the women who didn’t like that Starfish didn’t have
strong female characters was from a review circle. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large;">I’m also a paid member on Authors Marketing Club, but the jury is
still out on whether I would renew. You and I both use Twitter and tweet about
our books, but I’m not really sure how effective that is. I’ve used Fiverr to
do audio and video shorts. I think the value with that site is that it’s so
darned cheap for the quality of what they offer. I’ve used Kindle Direct /
Amazon for countdown pricing and free giveaways and I think they have been very
effective in promoting new authors. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Do you write on more
than one (fiction) project at a time? Can you juggle?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Not at the moment.
If I ever take up writing full time, I can probably handle that. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Do you jump around
in your narrative or write straight through?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> I normally write
straight through, then my wife and I revise at night and I move on. I’m a very
linear writer. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> You’ve done two
volumes in the Blackfox Chronicles. How many more up your sleeve? And what’s the
next one?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyPHmp8xn_jKi1PsrCuEJqMT5R247_JZAYul5tKd6gbij_Kz-WvdCc-t4lyyF12lo8hrRvMavJRzpu6ESYIzpcZeV8Hw8w55Ozk-OrVKa0qQS41wiKrakEJ-0gfDX3hP2woJ_-LGR7oMI/s1600/mudd-plaque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyPHmp8xn_jKi1PsrCuEJqMT5R247_JZAYul5tKd6gbij_Kz-WvdCc-t4lyyF12lo8hrRvMavJRzpu6ESYIzpcZeV8Hw8w55Ozk-OrVKa0qQS41wiKrakEJ-0gfDX3hP2woJ_-LGR7oMI/s1600/mudd-plaque.jpg" height="100" width="200" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> The book I just
started writing is book three, the final volume of the Blackfox Chronicles.
It’s called <i>Mudd’s Luck</i> and it finds
Char and Michael sailing to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas on their way
back to Tampa Bay. The title refers to the doctor who was a co-conspirator of John
Wilkes Booth. Dr. Mudd was imprisoned at the fort after being sentenced to a
lift term. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Are there other
genres you’d like to explore?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> I was thinking of an
apocalyptic novel along the lines of <i>The
Road</i> but with a military protagonist, but we’ll see what happens. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pollock:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Thanks so much, Tim,
for stopping by.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">O’Neil:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> My pleasure, Dan.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">* </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfXwR1cFaBEwMRKAPdX9kfUGE4YyIJpzaOTtwJ2N2nU4qgNZ2w2aKiEa3a0hzMWaOv0W6YqWAOINiXQUp7cqopKp9rAVIBxSOwLk3S245Khkf90wHLa3mNaq99rj3AQW-Uisnw628Hjdu/s1600/9c9d83_d1d8c9c8e7fce15e6bb57d7ded9d64e3.jpg_srz_p_228_352_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfXwR1cFaBEwMRKAPdX9kfUGE4YyIJpzaOTtwJ2N2nU4qgNZ2w2aKiEa3a0hzMWaOv0W6YqWAOINiXQUp7cqopKp9rAVIBxSOwLk3S245Khkf90wHLa3mNaq99rj3AQW-Uisnw628Hjdu/s1600/9c9d83_d1d8c9c8e7fce15e6bb57d7ded9d64e3.jpg_srz_p_228_352_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">TAMPA
STAR: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I974,
Char Blackfox heads to Florida in to rebuild a life shattered by the war in
Viet Nam. He’s a Seminole Indian and former Green Beret who leaves the army and
moves to Tampa Bay with the vain hope of a new beginning. He gets a job, meets
a beautiful woman and life seems to finally be going his way; until reality
smacks him in the face. He throws in
with the wrong crowd; a small time Irish-American hoodlum, a corrupt cop and an
exiled Mafia Capo and his life spirals out of control. In 2004, a combat
hardened Force Recon Marine is released from active duty and returns to Florida
to find his estranged father; a guy no one can find but everyone is looking
for.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tampa-Star-Blackfox-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00A6DSN5A" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Amazon</span></i></b></a></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">*</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCa2aKp7Ka1e7pvv2Zt2iJw4MnBrXDoyp3gK0sqMkMXnJ5UgCVPPV-2ele7xFvmnlb-P7T4fQlvKlCrDmsxGM8BUSG8A9LQs774LAbCJp_s5XyEQgjzBmCZ_rEVmHA5ArOBs0kHpQQUWm/s1600/9c9d83_ee2dba10a1eaa447f8e1eab3dc9a6759.jpg_srz_p_228_348_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCa2aKp7Ka1e7pvv2Zt2iJw4MnBrXDoyp3gK0sqMkMXnJ5UgCVPPV-2ele7xFvmnlb-P7T4fQlvKlCrDmsxGM8BUSG8A9LQs774LAbCJp_s5XyEQgjzBmCZ_rEVmHA5ArOBs0kHpQQUWm/s1600/9c9d83_ee2dba10a1eaa447f8e1eab3dc9a6759.jpg_srz_p_228_348_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">STARFISH
PRIME:</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Book 2 of the
Blackfox Chronicles. Marine Corps Special Operations needed Michael
Blackfox for one more mission. Do it and the government will go easy on
his old man for a horrendous crime he committed a long time ago. Fail and
he would allow an apocalyptic disaster to befall the United States. The
risk is high, but the payoff is huge. Now available on Amazon.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Starfish-Prime-Blackfox-Chronicles-ONeil-ebook/dp/B00IQXL2LO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1402424853&sr=1-1&keywords=starfish+prime" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Amazon</span></i></b></a></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Website: <a href="http://www.tsoneil.com/">http://www.tsoneil.com</a></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Facebook: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/timbones.oneil">https://www.facebook.com/timbones.oneil</a></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Twitter: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">@tselliot3</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">About T.S.</span> O’Neil</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">: T.S. O'Neil
graduated with Honors from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts
with a Degree in Criminal Justice and graduated with High Honors from the
University of Phoenix with a Master's in Business Administration in Technology
Management. He served as a Rifleman with the Marine Corps Reserve, an Officer
in the Military Police Corps of the United States Army, and retired from the
Army of the United States (AUS) as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2012. He is a
veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. T.S. is currently employed as an IT
Architect and lives in Seminole, FL with his beautiful fiancée Suzanne.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">*</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"></span></b></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-15902064985083614492014-06-04T10:06:00.001-07:002014-06-04T12:30:42.643-07:00COUNTDOWN TO CASABLANCA—A List of Great WW2 Thrillers & My Attempt to Join the Club<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWG_HEysfv1KiqbEDAEWz1o-YzJnj-ys73JFGW4WmhNYVmEvuUi2wXYiT4SzH35HIm8ir6W_MUCv5HQk4F0tHKoD3FMCz6SKGkoPNit3zwHKkr5XsHwQRqKWlJkq53Z7f6KnR_XkaIFoPV/s1600/kasserine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWG_HEysfv1KiqbEDAEWz1o-YzJnj-ys73JFGW4WmhNYVmEvuUi2wXYiT4SzH35HIm8ir6W_MUCv5HQk4F0tHKoD3FMCz6SKGkoPNit3zwHKkr5XsHwQRqKWlJkq53Z7f6KnR_XkaIFoPV/s1600/kasserine.jpg" height="187" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the movie <i>Patton</i>,
George C. Scott (as George S.) confesses, as he visits the battlefield carnage in
the aftermath of the Allied debacle at the Kasserine Pass, “God help me, I do
love it so!”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">On the eve of the 70<sup>th</sup> anniversary of D-Day, let
me make my own declaration: I love World War II thrillers. Not so much those big
ballyhooed doorstop novels, like James Jones’ <i>From Here to Eternity</i> or Norman Mailer’s <i>Naked and the Dead</i>, or even Herman Wouk’s monumental <i>Winds of War</i> and <i>War and Remembrance</i>.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiam7h8pUMuqezIMPXDxFEWrjuHu19miJblLcKpL1HJ8utG2UgJekl1deGvfai3bdV983OIeJsHeFtm0VRgKy40G9BEagSQ2lpPkpN6Yp9nFC5CIL042uUTEqRwQcHAZkuQ_AqqnZpBxkK4/s1600/rogue+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiam7h8pUMuqezIMPXDxFEWrjuHu19miJblLcKpL1HJ8utG2UgJekl1deGvfai3bdV983OIeJsHeFtm0VRgKy40G9BEagSQ2lpPkpN6Yp9nFC5CIL042uUTEqRwQcHAZkuQ_AqqnZpBxkK4/s1600/rogue+2.jpg" height="158" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m talking strictly thrillers here. Espionage and special
ops, lone wolf or “Dirty Dozen”-type missions. Like Alistair MacLean’s <i>Guns of
Navarone</i> or Geoffrey Household’s <i>Rogue
Male</i> (about a lone hunter stalking Hitler, which was adapted into the film <i>Man Hunt</i>). And, yes, E.M. Nathanson’s
<i>Dirty Dozen</i>.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ScZ4IeK2chcHGM69zl3zY3597abS0qNfqzQBX3iMh5HFPfukEDFt9E7mWnKvsoDlpdrhxGWIZyQ1kog8fiwwjl1pjFztE7svaU8TQD7NkGnu3IiXoXntyiaRib_cSDyZ_4IuuQ9tbYWl/s1600/great+horse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ScZ4IeK2chcHGM69zl3zY3597abS0qNfqzQBX3iMh5HFPfukEDFt9E7mWnKvsoDlpdrhxGWIZyQ1kog8fiwwjl1pjFztE7svaU8TQD7NkGnu3IiXoXntyiaRib_cSDyZ_4IuuQ9tbYWl/s1600/great+horse.jpg" height="114" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">I also relish the POW escape books (and movies thereof), like
Paul Brickhill’s <i>The Great Escape, </i>Eric
Williams’<i> The Wooden Horse</i> and P.H.
Reid’s <i>Escape From Colditz</i>.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In recent decades, WW2 special ops and behind-the-lines espionage
tales have been in fine and abundant supply. There’s a gripping handful from Jack
Higgins (or Harry Patterson), including <i>The
Eagle Has Landed</i> (kidnapping Churchill), <i>To Catch a King</i> and <i>The
Valhalla Exchange. </i>And several standouts from<i> </i>Ken Follett, preeminently <i>Eye
of the Needle</i> and <i>Key to Rebecca</i>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAa4c5VKog-wkRs0rjhyphenhyphen_XfY2h7lgzV_w9h3R3TXAqwNlQhcA2yM9tLOcEN8SBkjFqm7_Pu70kL5icVX6Xbz9xcZGDyYUkwQn_PC6kBzqms_hFNPT8Tbwag3ftfxs98JDpIvGFjL52X-p/s1600/ken+jack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAa4c5VKog-wkRs0rjhyphenhyphen_XfY2h7lgzV_w9h3R3TXAqwNlQhcA2yM9tLOcEN8SBkjFqm7_Pu70kL5icVX6Xbz9xcZGDyYUkwQn_PC6kBzqms_hFNPT8Tbwag3ftfxs98JDpIvGFjL52X-p/s1600/ken+jack.jpg" height="153" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Before turning his considerable talents to the adventures of
Israeli art-restorer and assassin, Gabriel Allon, Daniel Silva produced <i>The Unlikely Spy</i>. Greg Iles’ <i>Black Cross</i> and <i>Spandau Phoenix</i> are both well worth reading.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Many of these titles have apocalyptic “thank God,
it didn’t happen” scenarios, without going the alternative history route of
Robert Harri’s <i>Fatherland</i> (the the
Nazis win!).</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhus2crSSYiBBHds-guB9-Qzmkm_CyVDD5UBr8NAbnIvwc3eTf3ayAgsM5HuXEEuwgyz1vJ7M7uAxOInEmgNiEctZrZfsVjc67hcUqcRgALzqCZga3PmEQzCaDcWQbwfCtKKunFLEUv4GB4/s1600/18001081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhus2crSSYiBBHds-guB9-Qzmkm_CyVDD5UBr8NAbnIvwc3eTf3ayAgsM5HuXEEuwgyz1vJ7M7uAxOInEmgNiEctZrZfsVjc67hcUqcRgALzqCZga3PmEQzCaDcWQbwfCtKKunFLEUv4GB4/s1600/18001081.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Among recent Kindle offerings I’ve particularly enjoyed Jack
Hayes’ adrenaline-charged <i>Blood Red Se</i>a
and <i>Saving Hitler; </i>and, because this
is only an off-the-top-of-my-head list, I welcome readers’ recommendations of other
recent (or not so recent) WW2 thrillers.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You'd be correct in inferring from the foregoing that I’ve
badly wanted to try my hand at this historic thriller genre. But—how to pick a theater
and concoct a plot?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">As it turns out, my father Louis Pollock, a screenwriter, had
worked up something suitable, fact-based and fictionally expanded. It involved
German prisoners of war in America. The movie was never made, but I may yet
develop his screenplay into a novel.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the meantime, even before casting characters or weaving a
plot, I settled on a place and time—North Africa, right after the Allied
landings when Patton was military governor of Morocco.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00TG7QUkNRVvdYsE10idOUuyZykA1BhLnJtJmIpyix2VFPJmcMDVDhIa4EQAcPszzP9sckLfoBBebnabOd_eLvnln2XyiBlHxxaNsZGMTCfj6um2iJ5oCsC8WDoCSGwOmqH4KkIC3mGk1/s1600/$T2eC16R,!yEE9s5jFRLHBRb5!J1CWQ~~_35.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00TG7QUkNRVvdYsE10idOUuyZykA1BhLnJtJmIpyix2VFPJmcMDVDhIa4EQAcPszzP9sckLfoBBebnabOd_eLvnln2XyiBlHxxaNsZGMTCfj6um2iJ5oCsC8WDoCSGwOmqH4KkIC3mGk1/s1600/$T2eC16R,!yEE9s5jFRLHBRb5!J1CWQ~~_35.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
was a brief interlude—two and a half months from the Operation Torch landings in November, 1942, to the Casablanca
Conference in January of </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">’</span></span>43—in which “Old Blood </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">’</span></span>n’ Guts,” in Ladislas Farago's
phrase, took “time-out of the war to play the role of an American pasha.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">From
all accounts, Patton both gloried in, and agonized over, this delay in
fulfilling his "warrior destiny." From a succession of Moroccan
headquarters, each more sumptuous than the last, Patton reigned briefly as the
modern equivalent of a Roman proconsul. He waded, fearlessly and often
foolishly, into treacherous diplomatic waters, while being feted by the Sultan
and his Grand Vizier and various regional pashas. (The boar hunt with the Pasha
of Marrakesh, which opens <i>Countdown</i>,
actually took place.) More to the critical point, Patton seems to have been
politically seduced by the local Vichy power elite, some of them Nazi sympathizers,
others outright spies.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFe3otaUe3G2K6I7gFPfMBj5f0PgbXS3Ogo51GvI86N8bufcRn8oR1k2U_UAe4DqVHykxpBpkrbRKYsz1DmXODam-WPReZiWZ1hKdJKRLHwMh2l-nkl0pQL2Fq5XtOlWsxpOHbwSqkvBq9/s1600/casablanca-conference.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFe3otaUe3G2K6I7gFPfMBj5f0PgbXS3Ogo51GvI86N8bufcRn8oR1k2U_UAe4DqVHykxpBpkrbRKYsz1DmXODam-WPReZiWZ1hKdJKRLHwMh2l-nkl0pQL2Fq5XtOlWsxpOHbwSqkvBq9/s1600/casablanca-conference.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">His
proconsulship climaxed with the assignment to organize a top-secret Allied
summit conference. In the course of ten days in Casablanca, Patton played host
to FDR, Churchill, DeGaulle, Marshall, Eisenhower, Clark, Bradley, Mountbatten,
Montgomery, Alexander, Brooke and others. Characteristically, Patton pulled the
show off with panache—and departed, shortly thereafter, into the Tunisian
desert to commence killing Germans.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUNowui3hYeXeZIbxztthsUd0ZZP3_mnJ4kA8gCe8Z5aY4LS-qlTxPFmuzKPaWkhwP1-x0soUffEtQWjAoEKogewGD1GvqWRO5-dXpkbY0SI6uww0L5aFffOCzpp6r86Qv_M35Nn-aBza/s1600/bousbirporte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUNowui3hYeXeZIbxztthsUd0ZZP3_mnJ4kA8gCe8Z5aY4LS-qlTxPFmuzKPaWkhwP1-x0soUffEtQWjAoEKogewGD1GvqWRO5-dXpkbY0SI6uww0L5aFffOCzpp6r86Qv_M35Nn-aBza/s1600/bousbirporte.jpg" height="200" width="137" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
the legendary general and his exploits hardly require fictionalizing. I only
wanted to appropriate the exotic <i>mise en
scène</i>, with the general appearing as an occasional cometary presence in my
story. With the background in place, I went looking for a protagonist and a suitably
cataclysmic plot.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
found both ingredients, much to my taste. And now, after a delightful research
trip and a couple of decades of writing and rewriting, editing and re-edting, I’m
even more delighted that the damned thing is done at last.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
don’t know where, or if at all, <i>Countdown to
Casablanca</i> might fit into the long list of WW2 thrillers. But, in all
modesty, it seems to me that there’s always room for one more.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-N_83XdNYmDcAdBoIO1EigfEfJnsRqmzrJozZCqB6scDOrWpJc83-b6xWIx2pMuQLxZCTAOdIQ_Bm6q9Pd8uZIhwhUd3zDjqJD2xwiTXaX-lbz1NW_LCyzPD_aI4FdwvG0rFSk-hy_m7Z/s1600/casablanca-revised.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-N_83XdNYmDcAdBoIO1EigfEfJnsRqmzrJozZCqB6scDOrWpJc83-b6xWIx2pMuQLxZCTAOdIQ_Bm6q9Pd8uZIhwhUd3zDjqJD2xwiTXaX-lbz1NW_LCyzPD_aI4FdwvG0rFSk-hy_m7Z/s1600/casablanca-revised.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">[<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Countdown-Casablanca-Dan-Pollock-ebook/dp/B00KQE2BEI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401899569&sr=8-1&keywords=countdown+to+casablanca" target="_blank"><i>Countdown to Casablanca /</i></a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i> </i>Published June 3, 2014 /</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Available on Kindle] </span> </span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-5334706935523127902014-05-23T10:49:00.002-07:002014-05-24T08:50:56.110-07:00AUTHOR INTERVIEW—CRAIG HURREN<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(I can’t imagine my life absent
the inspiring magic of good stories and good storytellers. In fact, this blog
is largely devoted to making an appropriate fuss over the yarn-spinners of
yore. Through periodic author interviews, I also celebrate contemporary
practitioners of this most magical of arts.--Dan Pollock)</span></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxS4RNpGREFMD9kasUfVjJJLl_Wlh9qk5GTyfjJFOnF79WeETAJXnHEAizv6nAwOcTITdyJbeG9GX3D7IXDRbk8L28fBtxYxrsQIeV5FtMXU6luKVEDKFn2lA1AGpbDJtavj9LqBUbC2cI/s1600/The+Killing+Code+Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxS4RNpGREFMD9kasUfVjJJLl_Wlh9qk5GTyfjJFOnF79WeETAJXnHEAizv6nAwOcTITdyJbeG9GX3D7IXDRbk8L28fBtxYxrsQIeV5FtMXU6luKVEDKFn2lA1AGpbDJtavj9LqBUbC2cI/s1600/The+Killing+Code+Final.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What
would make a successful pharmaceutical executive suddenly try his hand at
writing a techno-thriller? Well, as you’ll discover in the lively Q&A
exchange below, storytelling was Craig Hurren’s first love, but one that had to
take a back seat—for several decades—to the exigencies of earning a living.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But
when he finally got around to it, his imaginative gifts, work ethic and
wide-ranging expertise in technical areas resulted in a smashing debut
thriller, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Code-Alan-Beach-Riley-ebook/dp/B00BG3YJZW" target="_blank"><i>THE KILLING CODE</i></a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the year since its release, Hurren's
book has appeared on many Amazon Kindle best-seller lists. And I'm not surprised. It’s a read I
wholeheartedly recommend. From the first chapter <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Code-Alan-Beach-Riley-ebook/dp/B00BG3YJZW" target="_blank"><i>THE KILLING CODE</i></a> accelerates like the latest-generation roller-coasters, and the whipsaw turns just keep coming!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">How
exactly did a pharmaceutical executive manage to launch a successful second-stage career as a thriller
writer, and what lessons has he learned in the process? For the answers to
these and other questions, let’s cut to the chase—my interview with Craig
Hurren:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>D.P.: There are shocks and surprises
at the end of almost every chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Code-Alan-Beach-Riley-ebook/dp/B00BG3YJZW" target="_blank">THE KILLING CODE</a>. Did you plot the story carefully
in advance?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>C.H</b>.:<i> </i>I wish I was a planner, but I’m afraid
it’s just not in my nature. I write spontaneously, then, if necessary, go back
and fix anything that doesn’t fall into place properly. I know most authors
will think my methodology impractical or worse, but that’s just what works for
me. The great thrillers I grew up reading always had a hook at the end of each
chapter, so that’s the style I like to use in my writing. Sometimes it’s not
easy, but I firmly believe authors must give readers a compelling reason to
move on to the next chapter. As a reader, I don’t like the modern approach of
extremely brief chapters that end with no hook.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>D.P.: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Code-Alan-Beach-Riley-ebook/dp/B00BG3YJZW" target="_blank">THE KILLING CODE</a> is apparently
your debut thriller, but, frankly, it’s hard to believe it’s a first attempt at
long-form fiction. When did you first get the urge to tell stories?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>C.H.:<i> </i></b>Coming from such an accomplished editor and author
as you, I consider that a real compliment – thank you, Dan! I guess I’ve always
been a storyteller. When I was young, people used to love hearing me tell jokes
– I was very good at mimicking accents and voices, so I’d draw the stories out to
make a show of it. I enjoy entertaining people. I knew I wanted to write a book
when I first read the late, great, Campbell Armstrong’s JIG. That was a real
inspiration to me, and it was that experience, thinking back, that really got
me started enjoying books. Of course, life is what happened while I was busy
making other plans, so it wasn’t until about thirty-five years later that I
finally put fingers to keyboard. It was a very interesting process, and thoroughly
fulfilling to have accomplished something I’d dreamt of so many years earlier.
If that writing bug is in you, I recommend you let it loose!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>D.P.
To get specific, you’re not simply a thriller writer, but a techno-thriller
writer, and one who demonstrates an impressive command of weaponry, law
enforcement, martial arts, etc. Without giving away trade secrets, how do you keep
current in all these areas?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>C.H.:<i> </i></b>I’m very fortunate to have a good number of close
friends who have served in elite military units, and others who’ve worked in
the more concealed services. When I can’t find enough information on the Internet,
or through other means, they are happy to help with technical advice on
application, usage, suitability, etc. of weaponry. For the martial arts
components, I’ve studied several different forms since I was quite young, so I
can improvise fairly well from my own knowledge and experience. Also, as a longtime
executive in the healthcare industry, I have broad and intimate knowledge of
most things medical and many things technical.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>D.P.: Who are your favorite thriller
(and techno-thriller) writers?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>C.H.:<i> </i></b>As I said, Campbell Armstrong was very influential
for me, and my other favorites are Clive Cussler, Tom Clancy, Vince Flynn,
Robert Ludlum, and Robert Crais. There are many more I enjoy, but those are my
go-to guys. Unfortunately, we’ve now lost several of these greats; looks like
I’ll have to find some new ones.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>D.P.: What books are you reading
now?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>C.H.:<i> </i></b>I’m sorry<span style="color: red;"> </span>to say that
other matters have been taking most of my time lately, so I’ve done precious
little reading. I started a feisty and fun little number called, LAIR OF THE
FOX, and was enjoying it very much, until the demands of life took me away from
it temporarily. I’ll get back to it soon.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>D.P.: As LAIR’s author, I have to
insist you keep your word on that, or I’ll have to stop touting it as a
“can’t-put-it-down” book. Next question: Do you have a set time to write each
day? </i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>C.H.:<i> </i></b>Until such time as I become independently wealthy,
that is completely impractical for me. When I write, it usually happens in spontaneous,
sporadic frenzies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>D.P.: How much time do you allot to
marketing?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>C.H.:<i> </i></b>I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that I spend
far too much time on marketing. It seems most efforts are minimally effective
at best, and some are just plain futile. As the majority of independently
published authors are well aware, book marketing is an extremely frustrating
game. I’ve been fortunate enough to have sold over 13,000 copies of <i>THE KILLING CODE</i> so far, but let’s face it – that will not pay the bills. I should take the
advice of wonderfully successful authors like Russell Blake and Jake Needham,
who have both told me on more than one occasion to </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">just keep trying and “write more books.” As
most writers know, that’s easier said than done for most of us, but it is very
sound advice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>D.P.: As of this writing, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Code-Alan-Beach-Riley-ebook/dp/B00BG3YJZW" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">THE KILLING CODE</span></a> has 74 reviews on Amazon,
most of them 5 stars. Aside from obviously writing a crackerjack thriller, do
you have any tips for indie writers on getting reviewed?</i></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>C.H.:<i> </i></b>Ugh, the dreaded review-getting question. Obviously
my first few reviews were from friends and family, but no one has enough of
those to make an impact. I still remember my first review from a total stranger
like it was yesterday. It was only about two weeks after I launched, and it
came like a bolt out of the blue. What a thrill – someone I’d never met had
read my work, and liked it so much they gave it a 5-star rating and glowing
review. I was over the moon! </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Anyway, back to the question: I’m afraid I have no
real answer for you. I’ve heard of authors paying PR companies for stacked
reviews, and other forms of skullduggery. Some will trade reviews with other
authors, but I know of no legitimate or effective way to induce unknown readers
to rate and/or review a book. As I said, I’ve sold more than 13,000 copies of
THE KILLING CODE, yet I only have 74 reviews on Amazon USA, 9 reviews on Amazon
UK, and 49 ratings with 20 reviews on Goodreads. Those numbers make no sense to
me at all, but there you have it. We all love hearing from our readers, but if
you think about it, writing a review is an unnatural act for the vast majority
of readers. They don’t buy a book thinking they’ll have to publicly express
their opinion on the work. Before ebooks, the general public bought books from
bookstores, and if they had a specific opinion about any title, they would have
a conversation with friends or family about it – not splatter their inner
thoughts all over the Internet. Some folks enjoy doing that, and we appreciate
it, but in my humble opinion, most readers prefer to remain just that.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>D.P.: Do you write in public
(Starbucks, say) or strictly in private?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>C.H.:<i> </i></b>I finally got rid of my massive and extremely
powerful desktop computer in favor of a laptop – partly for that very purpose.
Strangely enough, the laptop hasn’t left my desktop since I got it over eight
months ago. So the answer is no, apparently I’m not a public writer. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>D.P.: Do you jump around in your
narrative or write straight through?</i></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>C.H.:<i> </i></b>I generally try to write straight through, but
sometimes a bit of exposition is necessary. Backstory can be annoying, but
since writing in a present timeline excludes previous events, readers need
knowledge of certain events and history to understand character traits,
motivations, etc.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>D.P.: An obvious final question: Is
there a sequel in the works?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>C.H.:<i> </i></b>Yes! I’m currently on chapter 9 of <i>THE KILLING
CHASE</i> and very happy with it so far. I’ve learned a great deal from my first
book and all the wonderful people I’ve met through the experience. I believe my
style and dialogue have improved – I just wish I could do something about the
speed! ;-) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thank you kindly for interviewing me and your
interest in my work, Dan.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>D.P.: Thank you, Craig!
I can’t wait for </i><i>THE KILLING CHASE</i><i> to begin…</i></b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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*</div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Code-Alan-Beach-Riley-ebook/dp/B00BG3YJZW" target="_blank"><i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THE KILLING CODE</b></i></a>
(from the Amazon book description):</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Detective Alan Beach discovers a tenuous connection between
the apparent suicide of a prominent scientist and the assassination of a US
Congressman. The suspense builds as he struggles to uncover the truth. When a
team of mercenaries tries to permanently silence him, a mysterious figure
intervenes. Beach and his deadly new protector discover a dangerous conspiracy running
far deeper than they imagined. In this must-read thriller, the race is on to
stop one of the most powerful business moguls in America from assuming the role
of puppet-master over the entire nation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Code-Alan-Beach-Riley-ebook/dp/B00BG3YJZW" target="_blank"><i>THE KILLING CODE </i></a>has a great premise, deft plotting, and a
rock-<i>'</i>em-sock-‘em ending with a twist in the tail. Heck, what's not to like?”—<b>Jake
Needham</b> (best-selling crime-fiction novelist)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">About Craig Hurren: </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Craig Hurren has amassed many years of experience as an
executive in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. A long-held passion
for thrillers has driven him to aspire to the ranks of his favorite authors,
such as: Campbell Armstrong, Clive Cussler, Vince Flynn, Michael Crichton, John
Grisham, and others. His clear and concise style, brisk pace, clever plot
twists, gritty imagery and crisp action sequences reflect his interest in these
masters, and his knowledge of medical technology makes his stories relevant and
the science highly realistic.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
*</div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-49303779723705312612014-04-29T12:30:00.001-07:002014-04-29T22:37:56.672-07:00MY ‘COLLISION COURSE’ NOVEL<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_Px4LRzMQo3M9sCJnIwWsr026s58uGJMwM5g1cuWotgDqduJ2H-vVyVb8OqwPVAORHe_Rls5KkxECJNy8twAarek6pkTGY2nlcc1rLNspweO6r7VpgwtK2t2DQQzpz3Aqj9am7bP2wAG/s1600/collision.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_Px4LRzMQo3M9sCJnIwWsr026s58uGJMwM5g1cuWotgDqduJ2H-vVyVb8OqwPVAORHe_Rls5KkxECJNy8twAarek6pkTGY2nlcc1rLNspweO6r7VpgwtK2t2DQQzpz3Aqj9am7bP2wAG/s1600/collision.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">I
remember as a boy reading a gripping account of the 1956 collision of two
passenger ships off the coast of Nantucket, the <i>Andrea Doria</i> and the <i>Stockholm</i>.
The book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Collision-Course-Classic-Andrea-Stockholm/dp/1592282873" target="_blank"><i>Collision Course</i></a>, was a best-seller, and deservedly so.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
author, Alvin Moscow, told his tale in a straight-ahead journalistic style (he
was a former <i>New York Times</i> and AP reporter), shifting from ship to ship,
bridge to bridge, explaining the fateful decisions, or nondecisions, that led up
to the disaster.*</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">(* In
doing so, Moscow was likely following the blueprint of Walter Lord’s
best-selling <i>Night to Remember</i>, which
details a more famous maritime collision, between the <i>RMS Titanic</i> and a Newfoundland
iceberg. <i>Night </i>was published just a
year before the <i>Andrea Doria-Stockholm</i> tragedy.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ever
after, the phrase “Collision Course” was mated in my mind with Alvin Moscow’s riveting
tale.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbjkVMHVQb4w3RaWULWrUpBDcQ_jEozp28CS6pmtY7Hw-bqO1rTwvHfXkF9bfGOmmkY7sbssLcg8uQQOmTr51PUMP-KZEKRkvDfYf8ASjehpTss2bcthMQ0vs7hFl0H1Sr4L4Znm_sde_/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbjkVMHVQb4w3RaWULWrUpBDcQ_jEozp28CS6pmtY7Hw-bqO1rTwvHfXkF9bfGOmmkY7sbssLcg8uQQOmTr51PUMP-KZEKRkvDfYf8ASjehpTss2bcthMQ0vs7hFl0H1Sr4L4Znm_sde_/s1600/index.jpg" /></a>Flash
forward many years. I was wandering the bookstalls of London’s Heathrow Airport
looking for a paperback to help pass the 11 airborne hours from London to Los
Angeles. I settled on a Jack Higgins thriller titled <i>Solo </i>about a concert pianist who moonlighted as a contract
assassin. Seriously.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
choice was good. The pages turned in tandem with the great globe below, and Higgins’
climactic finale arrived just as we dropped into the LAX glide path.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">What
made <i>Solo</i> such sure-fire fun for me was
the fact (obvious from chapter two) that Higgins had crafted a classic collision
course story. Chapter one introduced the lethal virtuoso. Chapter two brought
on a special forces bloke charged with hunting him down. Hero and antihero,
both top-drawer assassins. And, as simple as that, the “game was afoot,” as
Holmes would say. In reading terms, the hook was set and I was happily being
played by an old pro.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJ7DlmMQYkBXanTbXp1LdSSctFnV_cPSlN9ze2GtZf_OGobuDzMgBz7O2r0zzG43xSb4NqqRHaRxlSydBKeZuYGgWF6E1wS4yuXqDnMPK8pmi3LzwMhAGwnSQh-0JeyfOvrCuIGWFMbol/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJ7DlmMQYkBXanTbXp1LdSSctFnV_cPSlN9ze2GtZf_OGobuDzMgBz7O2r0zzG43xSb4NqqRHaRxlSydBKeZuYGgWF6E1wS4yuXqDnMPK8pmi3LzwMhAGwnSQh-0JeyfOvrCuIGWFMbol/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" height="172" width="200" /></a>Of
course I’d read, and watched, the collision course formula applied a thousand
times before, on TV, in movies and stories. Holmes vs. Moriarty, Superman vs.
Lex Luthor, Captain Marvel vs. Dr. Sivana, Batman vs. the Joker, North vs.
South, Cavalry vs. Indians. And in a thousand action movies—boxing, samurai,
spy vs. spy, even understudy vs. leading lady. Always the formula worked, but it
never coalesced in my mind as a story structure until Higgins’ <i>Solo. W</i>hen it did, it turned on a
lightbulb thought: “I want to write one of these!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Reading
<i>The Virginian</i> several years later sharpened
that resolve.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Owen
Wister, an Easterner and Harvard classmate of Teddy Roosevelt, is generally credited
with creating the western novel—and the iconic western hero. His “Virginian” (played
by Gary Cooper in the 1929 film) was the fully fleshed prototype of all those rangy,
rough-hewn paragons later enshrined in the works of genre masters like Zane
Grey, Max Brand, Luke Short, Ernest Haycox and Louis L’Amour.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">More
to my point, Wister’s 1902 novel also contained a series of recurring and
escalating duels between hero and antagonist—the Virginian and Trampas—each
time with higher stakes until the final showdown, which marshaled all the signature elements of <i>High Noon</i>.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">A
collision course story, <i>The Virginian</i>,
if ever there was one.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXnS15e3mGNuhrqzELjENV2rnoSV00osesj0lXMBU2O52mSd0dCkjjubOAK8_7K-fpjbsUcfGp2vOHmbkauES1iWZfx8lnXgMjOg_1r9-zgAWqus6bHi3B_6h52tj3MA9IdAgi3Vw1eJp/s1600/jeff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXnS15e3mGNuhrqzELjENV2rnoSV00osesj0lXMBU2O52mSd0dCkjjubOAK8_7K-fpjbsUcfGp2vOHmbkauES1iWZfx8lnXgMjOg_1r9-zgAWqus6bHi3B_6h52tj3MA9IdAgi3Vw1eJp/s1600/jeff.jpg" height="283" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">My
turn at bat came years later, after a surprising run of good reviews for my
first novel, <i>Lair of the Fox</i>. Publishers were suddenly interested in me. What was my next book? they wondered.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">I didn’t
have one. So I thought of Higgins and Wister. Why not update that plot, two guys
on a Cold War collision course? White hat vs. black hat. Better yet, have them
switch hats, defect to each other’s country. Cossack vs. Cowboy. Pitted against
one another in a series of escalating showdowns, each time with different
weaponry, all laid out in easy-to-follow symmetry, chapter by chapter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">A
plot came together swiftly in my mind, set against a high-stakes political
backdrop. I wrote a 10-page synopsis, followed by a 10-page sample chapter, and
shot it off to my impatient agent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">That
brief proposal, which would eventually culminate in DUEL OF ASSASSINS, was (and
still is) the single most lucrative piece of writing I have ever produced. Those
20 pages landed me a two-book contract that exceeded even my fantasies. (Reverses
of fortune in my writing career were lurking not far down the road, but that’s
another story.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had
the idea, I had the contract. I only had to write the book. Not a small matter.
So I set to work. Well, not really. I quit my job and set off on a research
trip.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBY06TkvY50mgbLDjOu2jzgcb-2KI8oS5kwobt1Nb2sJGHeZF0wnsE6DS1Yxe9ZadZbybRbsHq4RN1D6wRlKA7McAT7b8tJ4S7XSSupAAy7nHiBOCy7FE3sdeH8PTV14snPXIQYRcfSNp/s1600/duel-revised4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBY06TkvY50mgbLDjOu2jzgcb-2KI8oS5kwobt1Nb2sJGHeZF0wnsE6DS1Yxe9ZadZbybRbsHq4RN1D6wRlKA7McAT7b8tJ4S7XSSupAAy7nHiBOCy7FE3sdeH8PTV14snPXIQYRcfSNp/s1600/duel-revised4.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>But
eventually it got written. More than a year later, I was able to hand an
advance reading copy to a colleague, best-selling mystery writer T. Jefferson
Parker (see my blog post, “<a href="http://danpollock.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-good-writer-who-keeps-getting-better.html" target="_blank">A Good Writer Who Keeps Getting Better</a>”) and ask him if he’d be willing to read it and maybe give me a quote.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Tell
me one thing,” Jeff said, staring at my title, <i>Duel of Assassins</i>, “does it contain an actual duel?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Yes,”
I was able to answer, “with fencing masks and sabers, and described play-by-play
from <i>en garde</i> to <i>touché</i>.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jeff’s
generous quote appears on the cover of the current ebook edition, just out on Kindle.
To read it, and all the many words that follow inside, I invite you to click on this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Duel-Assassins-Dan-Pollock-ebook/dp/B00JLPS6T2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1397184761&sr=1-1&keywords=duel+of+assassins" target="_blank"><i>Duel of Assassins</i></a>
link and give it a download.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-7741228091160480202014-04-04T13:55:00.001-07:002014-04-04T16:07:19.024-07:00THE KING AND I: HOW MY FIRST BOOK GOT SOLD<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ppZapxGO3tTCbz9yevndREXNhxs0ovj8FZ6VF1su_vdAHUbR0fj9a-mhPpSTLU4x4JksnO_onYZ6mKzrJmJbHLb2712NAFQW-JIjU4SOokUZ3F1G_zf-hkTAuudfMeJZMrW3pih51FBf/s1600/two+shot+sk+dp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ppZapxGO3tTCbz9yevndREXNhxs0ovj8FZ6VF1su_vdAHUbR0fj9a-mhPpSTLU4x4JksnO_onYZ6mKzrJmJbHLb2712NAFQW-JIjU4SOokUZ3F1G_zf-hkTAuudfMeJZMrW3pih51FBf/s1600/two+shot+sk+dp.jpg" height="109" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Side by side--in my dreams!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We’ve
all heard stories about how celebrated best-sellers were repeatedly rejected
before achieving their ultimate success and bringing untold pleasure to
millions of readers.</span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
list of distinguished authors who struggled past initial rejections is
surprisingly long. It contains legendary names like John Grisham, John D.
MacDonald, Vince Flynn, Louis L’Amour, Tony Hillerman, Zane Grey, even J.K.
Rowling—and a whole lot more.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3auZ25MysKKR-x1YfknEZTJgR4qUzc8W7W5m_j7ZN0b0LUZ1Y4w2Z7oG-Dv2wxc-SHkbB_iSdZhxRT1NkRghodfPO093rUe6Mwt3FVo_a9my3Fmvcyea9-Sf0-kWUtG6BPW9c2aJI2BI/s1600/CarrieCover12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3auZ25MysKKR-x1YfknEZTJgR4qUzc8W7W5m_j7ZN0b0LUZ1Y4w2Z7oG-Dv2wxc-SHkbB_iSdZhxRT1NkRghodfPO093rUe6Mwt3FVo_a9my3Fmvcyea9-Sf0-kWUtG6BPW9c2aJI2BI/s1600/CarrieCover12.jpg" height="200" width="122" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
textbook case is that of Stephen King. His first novel, CARRIE, about a tormented
girl with telekinetic powers, racked up 30 rejections; whereupon its disheartened
creator tossed it in the trashbin. Only to have his wife fish it out and
prevail on him to send it around again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Shows
you the value of a “Yes, dear” marriage.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">These
turnaround tales offer frustrated writers more than consolation; they are
endlessly inspiring. They tempt us to construct a syllogism along these lines:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Many
best-selling books were repeatedly rejected. </span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> book has been
repeatedly rejected. Ergo, my book will be a best seller.</i></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Alas,
99.99% of repeatedly rejected manuscripts do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> become best-sellers. (But maybe if they’d been submitted just
one more time…)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Like
CARRIE, my first book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lair-of-the-Fox-ebook/dp/B00BZMP5I4" target="_blank">LAIR OF THE FOX</a>, was repeatedly rejected, yet ultimately—after
I‘d abandoned all hope—was published. Alas, its sales trajectory and my
writing career did not continue to parallel CARRIE’s and Mr. King’s. Not
hardly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
yet there <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are</i> some additional and interesting
parallels in the publication stories of LAIR and CARRIE.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
started my writing career with at least one advantage over the schoolteacher
from Maine. When I began plotting and writing LAIR, I was working on the
copydesk of the L.A. Times Syndicate, under a managing editor who had worked
for some years as a successful book editor with a mainstream New York
publishing house.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">With
some hesitancy, my boss agreed to look over my synopsis and three
chapters—the accepted formula at the time for any book submission. It took several weeks, and a few followup nudges from me, to get her actually to open
up the manila envelope I’d given her and read through my proposal, but in the
end she was enthusiastic and agreed to send it, along with a cover letter, to a
prominent New York agent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6LaHKyFf5miPokOctOorlhaT0NRSjeptaWe0KyrxSoOnnqdAA-YxY53-q9TTizLi49ZFGVTHAy3bKx6SWmNSgelu1njc5J3uNISaAmuIMIklmMU7x1oW0aqEYNcAtZnJ9g_fNtcCUvTM/s1600/they-like-me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6LaHKyFf5miPokOctOorlhaT0NRSjeptaWe0KyrxSoOnnqdAA-YxY53-q9TTizLi49ZFGVTHAy3bKx6SWmNSgelu1njc5J3uNISaAmuIMIklmMU7x1oW0aqEYNcAtZnJ9g_fNtcCUvTM/s1600/they-like-me.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
woman, head of her own agency, sent me an encouraging note several weeks later.
I felt like Sally Field at the Oscars. Two savvy women in the book biz liked my
novel—they really did! The New York agent even invited me to meet her for
breakfast on her next West Coast swing at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">At
that meeting, she gave me some good suggestions; I nodded my head vigorously at
each one. “I can sell this,” she said, “but three chapters won’t do it. How
soon can you give me 100 pages?” A month? Two months? I can’t recall what
number I came up with. But, writing furiously before and after work and on
weekends, I met the deadline.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then I
waited for the magic phone call.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">What
I got instead—every few days, it seemed—were No. 10 envelopes from my New York
agent, each containing one or more Xeroxed rejection letters from big-time
editors at big-time publishing houses. Not form rejection letters, mind you,
but friendly notes to my agent, politely dismissing my book—for a puzzling variety of
reasons.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">How
many major publishing houses were left? I wondered.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then—hallelujah!—I
got a Xeroxed letter from a publisher with an enthusiastic cover note from my
agent. An executive editor at New American Library—a highly respected guy, she
wrote—was willing to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">consider</i>
buying LAIR <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">if</i> the author would make
a certain story change—a pretty major change, with drastic ramifications
affecting the rest of the downstream plot.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
telephoned her back and said yes. What the hell else could I say?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then
I set to work. Reconstructing my intricate plot proved even trickier than I’d
imagined. The new structure kept collapsing. But, of course, it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">had</i> to work. After several agonizing weeks
I managed to cobble together a new synopsis and send it off to my agent, who
forwarded it to the interested editor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">For
days and days I didn’t hear a thing. Finally I called to check. “You took too long,”
my agent admonished me. “He’s no longer at NAL, and his replacement isn’t
interested.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
the power of coherent speech returned to me, I asked her if she was going to
continue to send it out to other publishers. Sure, she said, but added that there
weren’t that many left on her list.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A few
weeks and several rejection slips later my New York agent phoned to say that she
was truly sorry, but she’d given it her best shot and there was nowhere else
she could send LAIR.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Write
me something else,” she said.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
just like Stephen King, weary of seeing his beloved CARRIE turn up in his
mailbox yet again, I set LAIR OF THE FOX aside. Stuffed into a filebox, not the
trashbin, but it amounted to the same thing—a quick burial without ceremony. Despair
congealed around me like a straitjacket, but within a week I began plotting a
new story. “Something completely different,” as Monty Python used to say.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Clearly
I needed a new approach, a new voice, maybe a new niche. But my wife, like Stephen
King’s, hadn’t given up on my firstborn. And she had an idea.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEz_zt8ftHl7YEwctw-qbqNpvga-rgUGpXRusCbvDVLHdf_SHW8LPaI34QphGWuXxX1nRPrOL5_alVqVSZ8codnPqL_T6pyj2aQHNyADPXax1jwzv-jyOr9rKLU7ZBCicZXIMwMSQ0kra/s1600/mG_0JLISSCiix0amDQ-oRAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEz_zt8ftHl7YEwctw-qbqNpvga-rgUGpXRusCbvDVLHdf_SHW8LPaI34QphGWuXxX1nRPrOL5_alVqVSZ8codnPqL_T6pyj2aQHNyADPXax1jwzv-jyOr9rKLU7ZBCicZXIMwMSQ0kra/s1600/mG_0JLISSCiix0amDQ-oRAA.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">An
interesting thing happened in book publishing just about then. The first in a
brand-new genre, the “techno-thriller,” Tom Clancy’s THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, suddenly
shot to the top of the best-seller lists. The book bore an unlikely imprimatur—the
Naval Institute Press in Annapolis, Md. HUNT, it turned out, had been roundly
rejected by all the mainstream New York houses before finding its modest home.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why
not, my wife asked, send LAIR OF THE ROX to the Naval Institute Press? And if
that doesn’t work, what about other second- and third-tier publishers,
university presses, and so on? What have you got to lose?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Of
course, she was right. When isn’t she? So I wrote my New York agent and politely
inquired—since she’d run out of places to submit LAIR—if she’d mind if I tried
to agent it myself. Starting with the Naval Institute Press.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Two
weeks passed without response. Okay, I thought, so I’m chopped liver, I’ll
just go ahead on my own. Finally she called me—to tell me she’d just sold the book.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“It's not
a major publisher,” she cautioned, “and not a big advance.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
didn’t care to whom or for how much, I’d finally sold a book! Well, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">she</i> had, but it was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my</i> dream that had just come true at last! Thanks to my wife’s
advice, which had apparently prodded my agent into flipping beyond her favorite
section of her Rolodex.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">At that
point I was scribbling the details—a small independent New York publisher,
Walker & Co., was offering $2,500 for LAIR. Would I take it? Yes, I would.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Walker
was giving me six months to finish it—remember, I’d written only 100 pages. No
problem, I told the agent. The rest would be easy. After several days of
celebrating and telling the good news to everyone I could think of, I set to
work.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m a
slow writer. Sometimes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> slow—a
fact that had already cost me the NAL sale. Knowing that, my wife began measuring
my daily output against my six-month deadline. “You’ll never make it,” she concluded.
“Not even close. You need to ask for a leave of absence.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
showed me the math, and I saw she was right (what else is new?). I went to my
editorial bosses and begged; they understood what a big deal it was, bless
them, and a three-month leave was arranged. Even then, working full time—and double
time the last few weeks—I barely made it, rushing down to Fed-Ex on the final
afternoon.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
editor was enthusiastic. He loved my writing, he said. There was only one slight
problem. The manuscript was too long. It turned out that Walker & Co., after
careful calculations of their manufacturing costs against pricing structure, was
forced to limit all their books to no more than 80,000 words.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">LAIR
OF THE FOX weighed in at 120,000. So 40,000 of those words had to be removed.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I was
stunned, but my editor was treating this as no big deal. “If you like,” he said
in a helpful vein, “I can take care of it. I think I can find a couple chapters
you could do without.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“No, please,
don’t do that!” I protested. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I’ll</i> do
it. Just give me a week or two.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUUsV93KjA0kZzAqqtmiLOu8TzJwcjihEQ38myXF3cr1_UUeFLLvWBA2guScaiqhNnGht8gCR_05IhBuXzozC2Q0YT9rb_dNUK3hLvU4d6sTK3kmE95FLoEm3U-Dnf3U-acqUCnznaqD3/s1600/draughting+pencils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUUsV93KjA0kZzAqqtmiLOu8TzJwcjihEQ38myXF3cr1_UUeFLLvWBA2guScaiqhNnGht8gCR_05IhBuXzozC2Q0YT9rb_dNUK3hLvU4d6sTK3kmE95FLoEm3U-Dnf3U-acqUCnznaqD3/s1600/draughting+pencils.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So I
went through my precious, polished, perfect manuscript again—line by line and
word by word—with a predatory eye and a No. 2 draughting pencil. (For hints
about how best to do this, check out my blog post on Kipling’s “<a href="http://danpollock.blogspot.com/2013/06/higher-editing.html" target="_blank">Higher Editing</a>.”) The first pass
didn’t come close; radical surgery was needed. The second time through I became
reckless. Sentences vanished, then entire paragraphs; long scenes turned into vignettes.
I stopped just short of excising whole chapters, as my editor had so blithely
proposed.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
I got to the magic number of 80,000 words, I Fed-Exed LAIR OF THE FOX-lite off
to my editor. “I couldn’t have done it better!” he generously conceded.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">More
importantly, he thought the book was the better for the reductive process. He
was right. Rereading LAIR today, I don’t miss any of those well-chosen words
that aren’t there anymore.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now
it was time to start marketing efforts, because my little publisher didn’t have
any budget for this, it turned out. Walker & Co. sold mostly to public
libraries. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So I
crafted letters to various thriller writers I admired, hoping to charm at least
one of them into reading, and favorably commenting on, an advance reading copy
or galley proof, when they became available.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">These
were purely shot-in-the-dark letters, addressed to famous names in care of
their publishers. But two of these celebrity authors—Clive Cussler and the late
Ross Thomas—eventually wrote back and said they’d be happy to look at a galley.
Cussler gave me his address in Colorado, Thomas in Malibu.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Weeks
later, after I’d sent them copies of the first galleys, both these generous gentlemen
responded with timely endorsements which I use to this day.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH59EDVSGHWfhnEaG3sZ0kF0hXWdecleKN_zHEy0Jef4n9wDlBEP4_7OyiJGEL9a00yPTFh-N4Df_Poe5oVzxbFYIFjmLzD_yOYNDFiudCgFo8zdPCmAfSRyYW8LYwT7ZJ6kLzyDsyeR7y/s1600/Lair+Paper+England+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH59EDVSGHWfhnEaG3sZ0kF0hXWdecleKN_zHEy0Jef4n9wDlBEP4_7OyiJGEL9a00yPTFh-N4Df_Poe5oVzxbFYIFjmLzD_yOYNDFiudCgFo8zdPCmAfSRyYW8LYwT7ZJ6kLzyDsyeR7y/s1600/Lair+Paper+England+detail.jpg" height="136" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Z2CTUoSwRelAv-1lqcLdDDFWLLhPpvrC87qjQ3imNdzhycdPjdOfWCn-bx7LGn-Wkw_fVOPhgW4beONE52axF6ws6U4qdTJw4X074q38_4-F7ldN7vTWc-VONd3dHNb7HlYNixSZUiXD/s1600/ross+thomas+quote+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Z2CTUoSwRelAv-1lqcLdDDFWLLhPpvrC87qjQ3imNdzhycdPjdOfWCn-bx7LGn-Wkw_fVOPhgW4beONE52axF6ws6U4qdTJw4X074q38_4-F7ldN7vTWc-VONd3dHNb7HlYNixSZUiXD/s1600/ross+thomas+quote+001.jpg" height="126" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
editor was impressed with this, but told me that reviews were far more
important than author blurbs. “Keep your fingers crossed,” he said after the
review copies went out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’d
be lucky if LAIR OF THE FOX got reviewed at all, I thought. Why would <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Publishers Weekly</i>, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times</i>, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">L.A. Times</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al</i>., bother
with a title from little Walker & Co.?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
they did. Not only that, they actually <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">liked</i>
it—that Sally Field thing again. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Publishers
Weekly</i> gave LAIR a starred review and pronounced it a “classic
can't-put-it-down thriller.” The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">N.Y.
Times</i> and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">L.A. Times</i> provided
similar superlatives. Only <i>Kirku</i>s was snotty—“they always are,” I was told.
“Nobody pays attention.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">LAIR
OF THE FOX was starting to look like a contender.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlb8Ief2_LDngoaF5pOs45unfdb2n7OY2pNm4y5WgcJDAv_j36qixg7_OtIQksz1w8gn-zLNZdAIRgaPe4F_YIC4e1JaWzJpnXcg0Lq4iVwmFaYlcEIUj5QyvVP9RZ6E7tMjYn9kwxHRKN/s1600/lair1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlb8Ief2_LDngoaF5pOs45unfdb2n7OY2pNm4y5WgcJDAv_j36qixg7_OtIQksz1w8gn-zLNZdAIRgaPe4F_YIC4e1JaWzJpnXcg0Lq4iVwmFaYlcEIUj5QyvVP9RZ6E7tMjYn9kwxHRKN/s1600/lair1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Good
news continued. Not long after the hard cover was published (if you could find
it), reprint rights were sold to HarperCollins for its brand-new paperback
line. It wasn’t a financial bonanza, but several times what Walker had paid for
the hard cover, and I was now under the aegis of a prestige publisher.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As an
“added bonus,” in the tautology of the infomercial, the editor who bought my
book at Harper <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was the same guy who had
turned it down</i> when he was editor-in-chief at another publishing house. I
had a copy of his earlier rejection letter and the original of his new
congratulatory letter to prove it!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“But
wait, there’s more” (another infomercial refrain). A month or so later the
agent sold my second “book”—this time only a 10-page synopsis and a brief
opening chapter—to another major publisher, Pocket Books, a division of Simon
& Schuster.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
sale <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was</i> a bonanza, at least in my
world. “Are you sitting down?” the agent said over the phone, preparing me for
her bombshell news. When I said I was, I heard those magic words I’d dreamed of
for so many years:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“You
can quit your job!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dizzy-making
details followed, all about the hard-soft contract and schedule of payouts. And
there was one final coincidence—the Pocket Books’ editor I’d be working with on
the new book was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the same guy</i> who
demanded I change the LAIR OF THE FOX plot back when he’d been at New American
Library.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">There
aren’t many days like that, no matter what your profession. Considerable
detours and reverses were lurking farther down my writing career path—remember,
this is my story, not Stephen King’s or any of those other famous names’—but
I’ll leave the dreary negative stuff for another post. The good news is that I
did quit my job, and not long afterward my wife and I set off for a research
trip to Europe and even splurged a bit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Moral?
One, for sure, is: Marry well—and listen to your spouse.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Postscript:
Thanks to the digital publishing revolution, LAIR OF THE FOX and my other titles
are now enjoying a second launching and are starting to build the kind of
readership that I always hoped for. The last chapter has not been written.</span><br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-4473187136665601252014-03-27T12:01:00.000-07:002014-03-27T12:29:16.548-07:00THE THIRTY-SIX DRAMATIC SITUATIONS<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Mz4g2CTmjRK0EkIAXBRbghKpeEt0t8CPT26DI73NEke1X8USAkC766Ci7gZnej1k7WxaxDA4Jz1RuaaFye9K0NQzLkD1ljs7_tAK9YcpE7L_3eybKQmU3lDn7DmNjEKaFKGa4b7yOtkg/s1600/552662580_tp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Mz4g2CTmjRK0EkIAXBRbghKpeEt0t8CPT26DI73NEke1X8USAkC766Ci7gZnej1k7WxaxDA4Jz1RuaaFye9K0NQzLkD1ljs7_tAK9YcpE7L_3eybKQmU3lDn7DmNjEKaFKGa4b7yOtkg/s1600/552662580_tp.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For
your writer’s bookshelf, I recommend you pick up (or download) a copy of
Georges Polti’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thirty-Six Dramatic
Situations</i>. The work of a French academic and classicist, the slim volume (my
well-thumbed copy runs to 180 pages) was first issued in Paris in 1895, translated
into English in 1916, and has been reprinted continuously ever since.</span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I’ve
never read it, mind you. I don’t think it’s meant to be read straight through.
It’s more suited to skimming and sampling. Sometimes in a lazy search for ideas I find
myself going back over Polti’s time-tested list,* which attempts to categorize
every dramatic situation that might usefully occur in a story or drama.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(*Wikipedia
offers Polti’s list <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirty-Six_Dramatic_Situations" target="_blank">here</a>. And if you want the complete English text, the Internet Archive obliges <a href="http://archive.org/stream/thirtysixdramati00poltuoft/thirtysixdramati00poltuoft_djvu.txt" target="_blank">here</a>.) </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In
our days, of course, “list” titles are a glut on the market, from songs (Paul
Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”) to Cosmo headlines (“69 Shocking Things
Chicks Do in Bed”) and quickie self-help tomes (“10 Power Secrets of Ruthless
Leaders”). But, with the notable exception of Moses on Mt. Sinai, I’m thinking
Polti might have been the trendsetter on catchy list titles.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">He’s
certainly had no shortage of copycats when it comes to how to plot. Google any
number + “plot” and you’ll get oodles of competing lists—"7 Basic Plots," "17
Stockplots," "20 Master Plots" to name a few.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I
was reminded of Polti’s old warhorse last year when I watched <i>Saving Mr. Banks</i>,
the film about Walt Disney’s decades-long quest to bring Mary Poppins to the
screen.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I
realized, at some point, that the heart and soul of this touching tale was
based on what Polti regarded as the most neglected of all the dramatic
situations. Indeed, the Frenchman gave it pride of place in his list of three
dozen:</span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">No.
1 — Supplication</span></i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i>
</i></b></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A Persecutor; a Suppliant; a Power in
authority, whose decision is doubtful.</span></i></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Modern
writers, Polti laments, have evidently “found the First Situation too bare and
simple a subject for this epoch.”</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xh1Iooz6JFUEI42i-5xFBDpicJVJn0eObzAO4LpWu-aLwHl3v3TfL2ed4AEGqtu3tH9tHXisKgsT_n7UfBubTDFjw5YCplPgzwAauC5RFwL0qcymyUWX4_CD7xie7HSFY8q6WCZweTk5/s1600/kneeling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xh1Iooz6JFUEI42i-5xFBDpicJVJn0eObzAO4LpWu-aLwHl3v3TfL2ed4AEGqtu3tH9tHXisKgsT_n7UfBubTDFjw5YCplPgzwAauC5RFwL0qcymyUWX4_CD7xie7HSFY8q6WCZweTk5/s1600/kneeling.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In
the climactic scene of <i>Mr. Banks</i>, Tom Hanks, in a brilliant evocation of
Walt</span> Disney, gets down on his knees before author P.L. Travers (wonderfully
played by Emma Thompson) and begs her to allow him to bring her characters to a wider world. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Coincidentally, in
another of last year’s films, <i>Captain Phillips</i>, Tom Hanks entreats Somali
pirates to spare the life of his crew, so he’s clearly mastered the art of dramatic “Supplication.”
But it’s still novel to see a hero, or a male protagonist, on his knees.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The
other way around, genderwise, is stereotypically quite common. Polti mentions the
heroine of Sophocles’ <i>Antigone</i>, begging her Uncle Creon to be permitted to bury her
slain brother, Polynices.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8TYVsKDA9Vs43sEupEqnXxF2rSxWcx_TGcLpY8uQS48Er_q0P_MyfcCfpLLr2Kbo8ot15RasFJ98n6qmXN35HMSDubF9IFXQgcvdzryDCn93vnIsRGpiFyzkD_cTnaeSZsbjVqNe17_M/s1600/Echo-Burning1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8TYVsKDA9Vs43sEupEqnXxF2rSxWcx_TGcLpY8uQS48Er_q0P_MyfcCfpLLr2Kbo8ot15RasFJ98n6qmXN35HMSDubF9IFXQgcvdzryDCn93vnIsRGpiFyzkD_cTnaeSZsbjVqNe17_M/s1600/Echo-Burning1.png" height="140" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">And
in my considerable span as a reader, just about every tough guy hero—from Mickey
Spillane’s Mike Hammer to Lee Child’s Jack Reacher—can’t seem to get out of
chapter one without closely encountering a damsel in distress. In Child’s <i>Echo
Burning</i>, the seductive supplications go on for several chapters. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I
do not complain, mind you. Nor would Polti, I’m thinking.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-27212422421248924782013-10-11T11:22:00.000-07:002013-10-11T11:26:24.351-07:00TO PLOT OR NOT<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUEM1h8Q24pNoXqAV4Czxt6-B0VmSX9u_ETXjpOErTrJ7KiiEzYmGQR0vSM8sHZ0aPljaP-2GDkWTS_hNhPUwMFGVo_v8Nqr5TQqGFrr8sY8Kw0O43vCHtxfD0WzXCKnzSzgSVjISBMde0/s1600/4643852951_48dddb940b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUEM1h8Q24pNoXqAV4Czxt6-B0VmSX9u_ETXjpOErTrJ7KiiEzYmGQR0vSM8sHZ0aPljaP-2GDkWTS_hNhPUwMFGVo_v8Nqr5TQqGFrr8sY8Kw0O43vCHtxfD0WzXCKnzSzgSVjISBMde0/s640/4643852951_48dddb940b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Plot Outline Map from Hollywood Story Structure Guru Robert McKee </b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When it comes to plotting a novel, there
are two basic approaches and, thus, two kinds of writers. There are the
naturals, the seat-of-your-pants folks who “just do it.” Their stories
“just grow’d,” like Topsy in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Uncle Tom’s
Cabin</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Then there are the rest of us, writers
who, like me, need to build an elaborate track and know exactly where they’re
going, or they end up nowhere. Or stranded, at some accidental and inconclusive
terminus.</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">That’s
happened to me—especially during the long, frustrating years of my apprenticeship—more
times than I want to count. In my garage are stacks of cardboard boxes full of
false starts and miscarriages, some of them hundreds of pages long. There’s even
some good writing in those fragmentary projects, but so what? It’s all overdue
for the recycling bin.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3w6SlxGtx_gqXcDsme_mMV8jJPtMxBY0stoBdrcI8HmATgQD_68i9esfuLtqU1nkyffMCT82orK_INTG9tgngROF1oOdh7xZHapA0rasE9pix-9GNRC3lk4wcYsR2l4XvWYhyRykMHlP/s1600/elmore-leonard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3w6SlxGtx_gqXcDsme_mMV8jJPtMxBY0stoBdrcI8HmATgQD_68i9esfuLtqU1nkyffMCT82orK_INTG9tgngROF1oOdh7xZHapA0rasE9pix-9GNRC3lk4wcYsR2l4XvWYhyRykMHlP/s200/elmore-leonard.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Elmore Leonard</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>But what about the “naturals”? How
does yarn-spinning work for them?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>The world recently lost one of these
naturally gifted storytellers, Elmore Leonard, a writer who never outlined or
plotted in advance. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s how he once
explained his process:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Most thrillers are based on a situation, or on a plot, which is the
most important element in the book. I don't see it that way. I see my
characters as being most important, how they bounce off one another, how they
talk to each other, and the plot just sort of comes along.” </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In fact, “Mr. Leonard is so comfortable
allowing his characters to control the pace and action of his stories that he didn't
know how <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bandits</i> would end until three
days before he finished it.” (Elmore Leonard quoted by Michael Ruhlman, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times Book Review</i>, Jan. 4, 1987)</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLpzCBa9WCdl5aBFD_tY9rWnG8jF4B3HGNgCxAuGMbjOFCbEP-sPzgfODP21j8SXmVvu7qMTBaj5KQJbQpQJLPDSYUJUvg5ZhaAFt7kyWsw1kjXWBXeJy9ewDk6y1mZVvcmTxMepqa0Rh/s1600/6a00d8341c630a53ef00e55214c8178834-800wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLpzCBa9WCdl5aBFD_tY9rWnG8jF4B3HGNgCxAuGMbjOFCbEP-sPzgfODP21j8SXmVvu7qMTBaj5KQJbQpQJLPDSYUJUvg5ZhaAFt7kyWsw1kjXWBXeJy9ewDk6y1mZVvcmTxMepqa0Rh/s200/6a00d8341c630a53ef00e55214c8178834-800wi.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe Wambaugh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This approach is usually described
as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">character-driven</i></b>,
as opposed to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">plot-driven</b>. Another
best-selling crime writer, Joe Wambaugh, places himself emphatically in the character-first
camp beside Leonard:</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“I sort of
relegate plot a little bit down on the list of importance in my mind. I don't
really have an outline when I start a book. If I did, it wouldn't be any good.
I create characters and, if you're really cooking, they take over. They direct
you. You follow them.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Joe Wambaugh interviewed in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">San Diego Reader</i>, Nov. 4, 1993)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLNmzCJ6L9SvVFoXRUYleRFHX31P6GlIkaHZPm3qR7Vn4R68eZHZ-OarwC0XBhvVLdGYoOlMiJ47JGjAYPN1rHqd9o2oKGKPBqifB9MCvHd3dqYQjpsH3y7_Z3p8eE95BOAehe7IxlL44/s1600/Conan+double.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLNmzCJ6L9SvVFoXRUYleRFHX31P6GlIkaHZPm3qR7Vn4R68eZHZ-OarwC0XBhvVLdGYoOlMiJ47JGjAYPN1rHqd9o2oKGKPBqifB9MCvHd3dqYQjpsH3y7_Z3p8eE95BOAehe7IxlL44/s200/Conan+double.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Howard & Frazetta's Conan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I
remember reading about Robert E. Howard, a pulp-magazine writer back in the ‘30s
who famously created Conan the Barbarian. Howard had scant success with his adventure
yarns until one day, as he recalled, he had this overpowering vision of a big,
musclebound, wild-eyed barbarian dude. The visitation drove Howard to his
typewriter; and, from then on, the stories just flowed—and sold.</span></span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnfeY94gLPGBCwlvrFsrN7sas5eqwHInvyEyYOl65cOWuEJS2EYyKzINHGrZnFCMMCd59wRViHYVLG9kP9K9PynAvfFUovgDTScUASCfnSB8b3JrmH-jWd5_jhrZA9sxatjehsulHo8w1/s1600/king.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnfeY94gLPGBCwlvrFsrN7sas5eqwHInvyEyYOl65cOWuEJS2EYyKzINHGrZnFCMMCd59wRViHYVLG9kP9K9PynAvfFUovgDTScUASCfnSB8b3JrmH-jWd5_jhrZA9sxatjehsulHo8w1/s200/king.jpg" width="154" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stephen King</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>I love these examples, and I love
the mystic process of being possessed by characters. But it rarely works that
way for me. I'm more like Stephen King, at least in this one regard:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"For
me, it's the idea [that comes first]. The characters are a perfect blank.
Everything about the character is a blank... the first thing that comes is the
situation, and the next thing that comes are characters that will fulfill that
situation."</i> (Stephen King, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writer's
Digest</i>,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>March 1992, p. 24 & 25)</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5Dhcpu7xRJWMmABEyut-ra84zdrPkavuEGXJZYogHSTjEFabMRO6H9saU9cAPmA0DM_LVLeAyk3doV8kIyITfGBujuOmOZdNJZsXG-cS8wmFKh6EyGRf2TZmq75UbyKcBD3i5mGZflNH/s1600/dickensstanding_2130441i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5Dhcpu7xRJWMmABEyut-ra84zdrPkavuEGXJZYogHSTjEFabMRO6H9saU9cAPmA0DM_LVLeAyk3doV8kIyITfGBujuOmOZdNJZsXG-cS8wmFKh6EyGRf2TZmq75UbyKcBD3i5mGZflNH/s200/dickensstanding_2130441i.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dickens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Of course, most writers, including
me, have experienced to some extent both kinds of writing—switching back and
forth, as it were, from left brain (plot-analytical) to right (character-synthetic).
The great novels of Charles Dickens are indelibly character-driven. His unforgettable
players come alive on the stage of the reader’s mind and drive the story
forward, installment after installment. And yet, before launching on each new
book and letting his conjured creatures consume him, Dickens would scribble
cryptic notes—names and places, touchstones and benchmarks—for the great narrative
journey that stretched ahead.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I suspect that even sly old Elmore Leonard
had an inkling of where he was letting himself be led. John D. MacDonald, whom
I have quoted so often in past posts, once described a novel-writing process
that sounds to me like a hybrid between plot-and-character driven:</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHuRRHIu1luC0BD_nc-n34asDrf6XgOq3edYDdninvBsY-_abO0429ZlFHgz_OFwDXD-15UEEqLLphC2_t92GsKq9AapJoeh63e3s316bT_U1TMkx-BA_9KbfjadjiDjt2v5HqTBh3XfW/s1600/30509.gif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHuRRHIu1luC0BD_nc-n34asDrf6XgOq3edYDdninvBsY-_abO0429ZlFHgz_OFwDXD-15UEEqLLphC2_t92GsKq9AapJoeh63e3s316bT_U1TMkx-BA_9KbfjadjiDjt2v5HqTBh3XfW/s1600/30509.gif.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">JDM</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">"He explained
that he never plotted in advance, but let the story form itself as he wrote.
Story elements, he said, were in a kind of hopper tapering down to a point
where they came out. If you tried to grab them all at once they'd jam, but if
you picked them out one by one they'd come in proper sequence." </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(MacDonald paraphrased
by Walter Sheldon, "Plotting the Novel," <i>1973 Writer's Yearbook</i>)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So—to plot or not to plot, that is
the question. It would seem there are two equally valid answers. But for me, alas,
there is only one.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>*</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Up top I described myself as one of those
“who need to build a track and know exactly where they’re going, or they end up
nowhere.” A writer friend of mine put it this way: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Learning to write is track-laying. Writing is running on the track.
What people are always trying to do is run without a track.”</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In subsequent
posts, I’ll talk about how I eventually learned to lay that story track. The
learning process, for me, was methodical and laborious, but utterly essential,
lacking as I did (and still do) that unerring narrative gift or instinct with
which some writers are so wonderfully endowed. And, as I say, careful plotting
is still essential for me, all these years and novels later. Novel construction
has not gotten noticeably easier. Each new project I undertake, like the
building of a house, requires careful blueprinting and frequent piece-by-piece inspections
to assure solid story structure with satisfying character trajectories, plot
tendencies, resolutions, declining action and so forth.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIWLVfzppz5koMjt13Qo2BBmxL7A2KfTQH_0SdnF-9QDifr4LYoar865nZ5DeAys4gQOrSwXHWTRo9ONAFT4m1QDeE5uKyyKWjJK3nrszd7CE3_j6zajgSfbM5oyn5g5ItLaRTW7t3_QL/s1600/550px-Plot-a-Story-Step-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIWLVfzppz5koMjt13Qo2BBmxL7A2KfTQH_0SdnF-9QDifr4LYoar865nZ5DeAys4gQOrSwXHWTRo9ONAFT4m1QDeE5uKyyKWjJK3nrszd7CE3_j6zajgSfbM5oyn5g5ItLaRTW7t3_QL/s320/550px-Plot-a-Story-Step-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">And I suspect I’m not alone in my
predicament. So, if you are like me, stay tuned to this space as I pass along
some hard-won tips on plotting, from short stories to long-form novels.</span></span></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-72308557642552683692013-10-08T12:01:00.002-07:002013-10-08T12:02:59.914-07:00THE RUNNING BOY FEATURED ON KINDLE BOOKS AND TIPS BLOG<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHVn7BiTRURqe0Qjybg1DEIuQ-rQmUTv0fTxC9-Zxe5l3ZwJwU0IOos8Qibl5PzA0kcfLenyENad53vFGtQ63oAytPbcoYs-9sD7pgTHhInLQtWp5f3iXFpGpMvieVECcuKtbloe4OaCP/s1600/RunningBoy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHVn7BiTRURqe0Qjybg1DEIuQ-rQmUTv0fTxC9-Zxe5l3ZwJwU0IOos8Qibl5PzA0kcfLenyENad53vFGtQ63oAytPbcoYs-9sD7pgTHhInLQtWp5f3iXFpGpMvieVECcuKtbloe4OaCP/s200/RunningBoy2.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><u>Self-Promo Dept Update</u>: <a href="http://smarturl.it/268" target="_blank"><i><b>THE RUNNING BOY</b></i></a> is a featured title
on today's <a href="http://www.fkbooksandtips.com/2013/10/08/free-discounted-kindle-book-offers-19/" target="_blank">Kindle Books and Tips</a> blog
; once there, please just scroll down to the first book cover (after the boxed
set).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Kindle Books and Tips blog has been ranked the #1 blog
in terms of paid subscriptions in the Amazon Kindle store since 2010, and is
consistently ranked in the Top 100 for all Kindle titles week in and week out.
If you would like to have the blog’s posts sent to your email, you can
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Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-2800569751668900812013-09-23T10:26:00.002-07:002013-11-04T13:42:10.700-08:00LAIR OF THE FOX FEATURED ON KINDLE BOOKS AND TIPS BLOG<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SPaImF4Su58k-5Ek4e1Al0lQy44c68a9hd2H5gf3vay1klYscKtyA1IkYxj0NNlwlzzJUiGFm_mI5H2jQe3v9b3ahJp-9uB5TP-2uQfG3o3qPtE3F3DPQS35BC9g3PyOvXsZ543bl5LR/s1600/Lair_1+(1)-page-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SPaImF4Su58k-5Ek4e1Al0lQy44c68a9hd2H5gf3vay1klYscKtyA1IkYxj0NNlwlzzJUiGFm_mI5H2jQe3v9b3ahJp-9uB5TP-2uQfG3o3qPtE3F3DPQS35BC9g3PyOvXsZ543bl5LR/s320/Lair_1+(1)-page-001.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><u><b>Self-Promo Dept Update</b></u>: <i>LAIR OF THE FOX</i> is a featured title on today's <b><i><a href="http://wp.me/p2b82w-4Zp" target="_blank">Kindle Books and Tips blog</a></i></b>; once there, please just scroll down to the second book cover (unless, that is, you desperately need to buy the first title, <i>HOW TO FIND A JOB</i>).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The<b><i> <a href="http://wp.me/p2b82w-4Zp" target="_blank">Kindle Books and Tips</a></i></b><a href="http://wp.me/p2b82w-4Zp" target="_blank"> <b><i>blog</i></b></a> has been ranked
the #1 blog in terms of paid subscriptions in the Amazon Kindle store
since 2010, and is consistently ranked in the Top 100 for all Kindle
titles week in and week out. If you would like to have the blog’s posts sent
to your email, you can subscribe <a href="http://www.fkbooksandtips.com/subscribe" target="_blank">here</a>, or via e-Ink direct to you Kindle, you can <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002VWLMDO/gagler-20">click here</a></span><br />
<a href="http://wp.me/p2b82w-4Zp" target="_blank"><br /></a>Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-91901410389031702652013-07-25T13:54:00.003-07:002013-07-25T13:57:21.415-07:00DESCRIBING STUFF<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Your characters
are obviously more important than their settings, but there is a critical and creative synergy between character and setting--a synergy that takes place in the reader’s brain.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The late, great John D. MacDonald codified it this way: <i><b>"When the environment is
less real, the people you put into that environment become less believable, and
less interesting."</b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">He
illustrated his point with two descriptive passages. Here is the first:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVO8rsqwRKsEhJm2nDByRUdFshyphenhyphen0DASSpxuX6BeFZUatkgglXiizkp9chwSeCKm4Wd04TbGX_i1Ts5tBKuYhTN7DvlOO7sY-keLWx6ao6blfoTapUl3BJh2ubLni7azaOdhCYjAGvtJQ4y/s1600/478px-JohnDMacDonald.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVO8rsqwRKsEhJm2nDByRUdFshyphenhyphen0DASSpxuX6BeFZUatkgglXiizkp9chwSeCKm4Wd04TbGX_i1Ts5tBKuYhTN7DvlOO7sY-keLWx6ao6blfoTapUl3BJh2ubLni7azaOdhCYjAGvtJQ4y/s200/478px-JohnDMacDonald.jpg" width="159" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>“The
air conditioning unit in the motel room window was old and somewhat noisy.”</i> MacDonald
called this an image cut out of gray paper. It triggers no vivid visual image.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">By
contrast, see what happens in the imagination while reading this passage:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>"The
air conditioning unit in the motel room had a final fraction of its name left,
an 'aire' in silver plastic, so loose that when it resonated to the coughing
thud of the compressor, it would blur. A rusty water stain on the green wall
under the unit was shaped like the bottom half of Texas. From the stained grid,
the air conditioner exhaled its stale and icy breath into the room, redolent of
chemicals and of someone burning garbage far, far away."</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From
these close-up clues, MacDonald said, you the reader can construct the rest of
the room--bed, carpeting, shower, with vivid pictures from your own experience.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The
trick is how much to describe--the telling detail--and what to leave out. Too
much detail and you turn the reader into a spectator, no longer part of the
creative partnership whereby the reader fills in the rest of the scene out of
experience and imagination.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“No
two readers will see exactly the same motel room,” he added. But “the pictures
you have composed in your head are more vivid than the ones I would try to
describe.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Note
that MacDonald did not label the air conditioner as old or noisy or battered or
cheap. Those are all subjective words, evaluations that the reader should make.
“Do not say a man looks seedy. That is a judgment, not a description. All over
the world, millions of men look seedy, each one in his own fashion. Describe a
cracked lens on his glasses, a bow fixed with stained tape, an odor of old
laundry.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Note
also that MacDonald is using sensory cues in his quick sketch of the air
conditioner. You not only <u>see</u> the bottom half of Texas, you <u>smell</u> the burning
garbage, you <u>hear</u> the coughing thud.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There
are many masters of detailed description. One that comes to mind is the late
Joseph Hansen, author of the David Brandstetter mysteries. Here is an example,
picked almost at random from his 1973 novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AYTKAX4/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb" target="_blank"><i>Death Claims</i></a>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>“…The
front wall was glass for the view of the bay. It was salt-misted, but it let
him see the room. Neglected. Dust blurred the spooled maple of furniture that
was old but used to better care. The faded chintz slipcovers needed straightening.
Threads of cobwebs spanned lapshades. And on a coffee table stood plates soiled
from a meal eaten days ago—canned roast-beef hash, ketchup—dregs of coffee in a
cup, half a glass of dead, varnish liquid…”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It’s
clearly of a piece with MacDonald’s example. But Hansen, a poet as well as novelist,
seems to describe <i>everything</i>, every setting, every character, with such laser-like attention to detail, while
MacDonald picks his spots. For me as a reader, exhaustive detail is exhausting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAd5_nBYxcN6UKwG9xj2i1t0D_jG4_ekMYgn6bLbyCZpSSyAgrZx4OGiEeCnOMOfG9Q03pKF4S0Nn_rWUZMbIixr2nDTNlHSfuk-pqr3PCIuIWZivu3GqW5V0t77cVmAmXD5GrblPK_fLs/s1600/bovary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAd5_nBYxcN6UKwG9xj2i1t0D_jG4_ekMYgn6bLbyCZpSSyAgrZx4OGiEeCnOMOfG9Q03pKF4S0Nn_rWUZMbIixr2nDTNlHSfuk-pqr3PCIuIWZivu3GqW5V0t77cVmAmXD5GrblPK_fLs/s200/bovary.jpg" width="124" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There
are celebrated passages, of course, where an author <i>intends</i> to glut the reader
with overflowing detail. A famous example occurs in Gustave Flaubert’s
descriptions of Madame Bovary’s wedding, in which every costume and every menu
course is lavished with loving prose:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">“Upon [the table] there stood four
sirloins, six dishes of hashed chicken, stewed veal, three legs of mutton and,
in the centre, a comely roast sucking-pig flanked with four hogs-puddings
garnished with sorrel. At each corner was a decanter filled with spirits. Sweet
cider in bottles was fizzling out round the corks, and every glass had already
been charged with wine to the brim. Yellow custard in great dishes, which would
undulate at the slightest jog of the table, displayed on its smooth surface the
initials of the wedded pair in arabesques of candied peel…”</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXL0G3TYcIsMZb_NqV8xbFgJbEJXcrtwBOXensT5lTTBDlgfUHT_1x6GxCUGdgsYHwT4nQSzc_oU1uGeQ91ylE_pXpdSxqeTknvSTj65p_p0o9456aCEhXiCg-8NIOm-eorgAD-zs3OBHF/s1600/twoshot+salinger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXL0G3TYcIsMZb_NqV8xbFgJbEJXcrtwBOXensT5lTTBDlgfUHT_1x6GxCUGdgsYHwT4nQSzc_oU1uGeQ91ylE_pXpdSxqeTknvSTj65p_p0o9456aCEhXiCg-8NIOm-eorgAD-zs3OBHF/s200/twoshot+salinger.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">MacDonald
cites another exception to the less-is-more dictum: “In one of the Franny and
Zooey stories, [J.D.] Salinger describes the contents of a medicine cabinet
shelf by shelf in such infinite detail that finally a curious monumentality is
achieved…”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";">*</span></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-34328796799061474832013-07-09T22:23:00.001-07:002014-04-23T08:45:42.988-07:00ORINOCO NOW PUBLISHED ON KINDLE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmUZDF7jTU15enkTUAVOO3HflaL6_WTPjhEzcRiue5QXsbMKhpssiUVTogrFhL-Kvld3g1XMfztn2BRlB_xaeLB1U_P6i5k-VeQea2_18oxlC3TKqMpIqUYKDLf91alJp1K0MlnYmq3Xz/s1600/orinico-front-Lulu+size.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmUZDF7jTU15enkTUAVOO3HflaL6_WTPjhEzcRiue5QXsbMKhpssiUVTogrFhL-Kvld3g1XMfztn2BRlB_xaeLB1U_P6i5k-VeQea2_18oxlC3TKqMpIqUYKDLf91alJp1K0MlnYmq3Xz/s1600/orinico-front-Lulu+size.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">As a happy postscript to the previous, <i>Orinoco</i> is now available on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DUJ19QC" target="_blank">Kindle</a> and in <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/dan-pollock/orinoco/paperback/product-21105121.html" target="_blank">paperback</a> through Lulu.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Even better news, <i>Orinoco</i> will be FREE for download this coming Saturday and Sunday, July 13 and 14.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I quoted Tom Keneally's blurb on the previous post. Here are a few more I was tickled to get for this adventurous thriller:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"I never give quotes for fiction books, but Dan Pollock is a writer of talent and drive. His Orinoco is a riveting read."</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b>--Len Deighton</b></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>"Vivid and unforgettable..."</i> --<b>Liz Smith</b>, syndicated columnist</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <i>"The mining of iron ore in thejungles of Venezuela is hampered by archaeological finds, and we have the ingredients of a good old-fashioned action-adventure story. Dan Pollock brings the reader right into the exotic locale and peoples his story with interesting characters. A well-written and obviously well-researched novel; classical escape reading."</i>--<b>Nelson DeMille</b></span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-77860400183389060532013-07-04T14:00:00.001-07:002014-04-23T08:44:50.543-07:00A RIGHTFUL TITLE RESTORED<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzgKHJIczuYAIYGeGPOiyTDxPnNjU8q2Y5NHSsVzLK45IaeziX4AFbgJYPQIDBV1OsKRGhSknemQez7EC5Tae0yRTpfy5jOp_cEEtpcwK1wDUdUfjm7YCv2cIlGfYf0YfxQwF-933mT0p/s1600/orinico-front-Lulu+size.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzgKHJIczuYAIYGeGPOiyTDxPnNjU8q2Y5NHSsVzLK45IaeziX4AFbgJYPQIDBV1OsKRGhSknemQez7EC5Tae0yRTpfy5jOp_cEEtpcwK1wDUdUfjm7YCv2cIlGfYf0YfxQwF-933mT0p/s1600/orinico-front-Lulu+size.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">My
South American-sited action-adventure thriller <i>Orinoco</i> suffered a strange fate
at the hands of its original publisher, Pocket Books. Despite rave endorsements from
three best-selling writers—Len Deighton, Thomas Keneally </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">(author of <i>Schindler’s List</i>) </span>and Nelson DeMille—the publisher decided to change my title to one that I found vague and actually meaningless.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was
informed, but not consulted. I felt like a parent watching helplessly through the hospital nursery window
as the nametag is switched on the bassinet bearing his child. <i>Orinoco</i> was thus born into the book world as <i>Pursuit Into Darkness</i>. With this eminently forgettable dust jacket over its face, the novel was barely promoted, scarcely noticed and soon forgotten.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7j4AZJdTHETqsjKTGHnn3CX4hxvb8deYqXcBZcVi3QRHa5gy5OvtZVRG61H-CPpkKDAH4krubV1IBZWoRq5zwOzwGSgAkdYFm05FPWXej8E4ygBqxptaRIp2GkmnEVzIBc83wuujkICNH/s212/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7j4AZJdTHETqsjKTGHnn3CX4hxvb8deYqXcBZcVi3QRHa5gy5OvtZVRG61H-CPpkKDAH4krubV1IBZWoRq5zwOzwGSgAkdYFm05FPWXej8E4ygBqxptaRIp2GkmnEVzIBc83wuujkICNH/s212/books.jpg" /></a>The
brilliant Australian novelist Thomas Keneally captured my feelings perfectly
when he called me from “Oz” just about that time with his solicited endorsement. He had read an early proof o<i>f Orinoco</i> and was properly disdainful when I told him of the last-minute name change. He
dictated his blurb thus:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">“What a
ripping read. </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Orinoco</span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">--or by whatever meaningless name it is now being called--is a
rapidly moving, thoroughly satisfying opus, good for a winter’s night or a
summer’s day.”</span></i></b></div>
</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flash
forward a bunch of years to the present era of self- and independent
publishing. In my case (and in the case of many another published writer), it affords the glorious opportunity to republish out-of-print titles—and do it right
this second time around.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">This time no committee, no finger-to-the-wind marketing manager, gets to rename
my opus. This is why I am particularly excited about the imminent independent publication
of <s style="text-line-through: double;">PURSUIT INTO DARKNESS</s> ORINOCO. In a couple weeks, it
will be available under its rightful and original name, and be judged by its proper
merits.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvSSzDT0kkSf2G7dU_NyJ-y5XzJWMYbnyH_zIe3O12-sCZz9vE0qDoWtUs30ySJQ4quhZIhVXYa7tC_Gu0bs0k58-2maUZRvf4PReHuGAxrDvxV1qWfCcPWnHuDITBjBMXTqbXdFO9wwK/s200/lost+world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvSSzDT0kkSf2G7dU_NyJ-y5XzJWMYbnyH_zIe3O12-sCZz9vE0qDoWtUs30ySJQ4quhZIhVXYa7tC_Gu0bs0k58-2maUZRvf4PReHuGAxrDvxV1qWfCcPWnHuDITBjBMXTqbXdFO9wwK/s200/lost+world.jpg" /></a>You see, the title <i>was</i> the book at its inception. I began not with an idea, but just that rhythmically
resonant name. Other tributaries of the story flowed into that riverine trunk.
As I mentioned in a <a href="http://danpollock.blogspot.com/2013/03/i-cry-for-venezuela.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, among my early inspirations was Conan Doyle’s <i>The Lost World</i>, though I
skipped the dinosaurs that Doyle’s imagination deposited atop Auyán-Tepui, the giant sandstone mesa from whose prow Angel Falls plunges endlessly
down into the surrounding Venezuelan jungle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwGQn5wwHTqPGiku2nOaYPp2sG_Xt-CJF_cGn5KfQx2irulDjIX7z5-30jfO34t-07WJc_6SOVgVUNtBMksJ_DC6yhkKBi4ueK1f5mwhiuBSPO6b_xc_-9kaFG0kyHoryazMRY5i92jYy/s288/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwGQn5wwHTqPGiku2nOaYPp2sG_Xt-CJF_cGn5KfQx2irulDjIX7z5-30jfO34t-07WJc_6SOVgVUNtBMksJ_DC6yhkKBi4ueK1f5mwhiuBSPO6b_xc_-9kaFG0kyHoryazMRY5i92jYy/s200/photo.jpg" height="200" width="138" /></a>Now I've just reread my manuscript for this South American thriller and discover that it's good! In fact, I have to agree with Nelson DeMille's generous plaudit: <i>"A well-written and obviously well-researched novel; classical escape reading." </i>(Thank you again, Mr. DeMille!)<i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can hardly wait until <i>Orinoco</i> is reborn and rechristened on Kindle (and in Lulu print-on-demand). In fact, I'm going to be giving copies away, in lieu of cigars, as soon as they emerge from their digital womb.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stay tuned for the official birth announcement! </span></div>
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Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-21644943319258035552013-06-27T10:13:00.001-07:002013-06-27T10:13:19.047-07:00SPECTATOR TIME TRAVEL: POSTSCRIPT<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEKssrQgalyeSvFB9cmK5DjRlUQtVYMfxTUjbw_f1puFkBfgcxfmoTxDiS12TEpwIiVdJabcKUiBjgSTebqm6CqDAs-dqR1EwjQaOOfum7ziqirYqxebG7U_rx0RIuIb5EvXpCQlJo6ki/s759/photo2caption.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEKssrQgalyeSvFB9cmK5DjRlUQtVYMfxTUjbw_f1puFkBfgcxfmoTxDiS12TEpwIiVdJabcKUiBjgSTebqm6CqDAs-dqR1EwjQaOOfum7ziqirYqxebG7U_rx0RIuIb5EvXpCQlJo6ki/s640/photo2caption.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Three months back, in a post called “<a href="http://danpollock.blogspot.com/2013/03/spectator-time-travel.html" target="_blank">SPECTATOR TIME TRAVEL</a>,” I posed the hypothetical, “If you could be whisked backward in time,
by some Dickensian spirit or H. G. Wellsian device, where and when would you
go?”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I offered a grab bag of suggestions off the top of my head—attending
one of Charles Dickens’ legendary readings; sneaking into Sergei Rachmaninoff’s
Beverly Hills home back in the '30s and '40s to listen to the composer and his
dear friend, Vladimir Horowitz, play through the “Rach 3” on dovetailed concert
grands; or,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>maybe even more exciting,
one of the legendary “cutting contests” matching stride piano players such as
Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, Count Basie, and Earl "Fatha" Hines.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It’s not that I wouldn’t want to be among the select few for the Sermon
on the Mount or at the foot of Sinai when Moses came on down with the Ten Commandments;
but Hollywood has already been there and done those, and the Gettysburg Address, tool.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxjmx81uU12JdmazIzAYcy1Ym6yWErDmieHtK8lon2DsoQrrVHYexZC672ormpT-Qg6Eo_DERnbeOs9A4aF_IAGFd9pbEe_udneS72V-20DAMAj6oWN7J0N-crT8IvyLCLFTW65UrDvZ6/s269/4+funny+folks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxjmx81uU12JdmazIzAYcy1Ym6yWErDmieHtK8lon2DsoQrrVHYexZC672ormpT-Qg6Eo_DERnbeOs9A4aF_IAGFd9pbEe_udneS72V-20DAMAj6oWN7J0N-crT8IvyLCLFTW65UrDvZ6/s269/4+funny+folks.jpg" /></a>Another notion recently popped into my brain. How about being a fly on the wall in the Writers’ Room at Sid Caesar’s old “Your Show of Shows,” which,
as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Show_of_Shows" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> states, was “a live 90-minute variety show that was broadcast weekly in the
United States on NBC (Saturdays, 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time/6:00-7:30 p.m.
Pacific Time), from February 25, 1950, until June 5, 1954...”</div>
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<br /></div>
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The main comedy quartet--Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and Howard
Morris--was brilliant in skit ensembles. But behind them was marshaled perhaps an even
more awesomely talented team of comedy writers.</div>
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<br /></div>
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At various times (and, actually, on various Caesar shows), the all-star
lineup of jokemeisters included Mel Tolkin, Sir Caesar, Carl Reiner, Larry
Gelbart, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Neil Simon, Danny Simon, Sheldon Keller, Mel
Tolkin, Gary Belkin and Aaron Ruben.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
To our great good fortune all these decades later, some Spectator Time Travel <i>is</i> possible<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in this case. You can purchase
a (somewhat pricey) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006LOLQ5W/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=caesswrit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B006LOLQ5W" target="_blank">DVD of “Caesar’s Writers” on Amazon</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
The photo of “<a href="http://caesarswriters.com/about/" target="_blank">A Reunion of the Greatest Comedy Writers</a>" is at the top of this post. <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIX6ShyphenhyphenVu4haH2gHkjEjBEH4_FfwEje75LE_dcku9HGNGELbmGod-5i4vLD1ZZN5lQJavA4sktsmn54d6d93-IV5YB3Gm67da8wxXYfe8F_XLdFJuUj2uf99A_uoYaoOgoOGa3kT4nCJTW/s300/$(KGrHqF,!p8E-61iFZtyBPyPGq1qp!~~60_35.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIX6ShyphenhyphenVu4haH2gHkjEjBEH4_FfwEje75LE_dcku9HGNGELbmGod-5i4vLD1ZZN5lQJavA4sktsmn54d6d93-IV5YB3Gm67da8wxXYfe8F_XLdFJuUj2uf99A_uoYaoOgoOGa3kT4nCJTW/s200/$(KGrHqF,!p8E-61iFZtyBPyPGq1qp!~~60_35.JPG" width="126" /></a> </div>
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Here’s the caption:</div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"On January 24, 1996 at the Writers Guild Theater in Los Angeles, CA,
legendary comic Sid Caesar was reunited with nine of his writers from Your Show
of Shows and Caesar’s Hour. The event was taped, and later broadcast on PBS in
the United States, and the BBC in the UK as a 1 hour special, with only select
portions of the full two-hour event. The full event was previously available
only as a VHS, offered as a pledge premium by local PBS stations. Now, the full
two-hour special CAESAR’S WRITERS is available on DVD for the first time! Be
prepared to laugh non-stop as the panel, made up of head writer Mel Tolkin,
Caesar, Carl Reiner, Aaron Ruben, Larry Gelbart, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Danny
Simon, Sheldon Keller, and Gary Belkin share stories about their time working
on Caesar’s shows and offer their insights about writing comedy..." </span></div>
</blockquote>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-10023912640185842412013-06-06T12:02:00.002-07:002013-06-06T22:27:45.551-07:00HIGHER EDITING<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJr2CoPriK_gGnvMyA74BxXyAbu1eCV_jLYonjVFzX3od_6Ci50dcOLQEi6IJ8J9qEFFqqdrk1LrXPXUQO7Mq2qBtiKC8T8SJsxM0aEb82TLEr-OHRC6mLhu5ywb-Syn8VEj1mp5qCiJ8/s1600/naughty+boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJr2CoPriK_gGnvMyA74BxXyAbu1eCV_jLYonjVFzX3od_6Ci50dcOLQEi6IJ8J9qEFFqqdrk1LrXPXUQO7Mq2qBtiKC8T8SJsxM0aEb82TLEr-OHRC6mLhu5ywb-Syn8VEj1mp5qCiJ8/s320/naughty+boy.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
title of this post is drawn from the autobiography of Rudyard Kipling, Nobel laureate, the second most quoted name
in English literature (according to Bartlett’s) after Shakespeare. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Do
you like Kipling?” goes the old joke.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Answer:
“I don’t know, you naughty boy, I’ve never kippled.”</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
I’ll get back to Rudyard in a moment. First a plug from our sponsor, namely me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>My
chase thriller, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Running-Boy-ebook/dp/B00BPK0V9O" target="_blank"><i>The Running Boy</i></a>, can be downloaded in Kindle format free for
the next three days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday</b>. I’m hoping to drum up some
interest, obviously, for what I consider an exciting read. So spread the word,
if you will.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You
can read an online interview with the author about the writing of <i>The Running Boy</i> <a href="http://pubsmartauthor.com/dan-pollock-author-interview/" target="_blank">here</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxVnh2cVZmIpAKAKI_WkVVmkpIiIRP5y0TFfOmj2kCui357ExWKsJjYTBYh4JhyphenhyphenDKCnyi_pyxTlxeJRwg5jEZtuvOs9iX4kCW0bvBjso4ib2zYMPa5qeph8c-JesKks-udEJOXaTVzucO/s1600/TRB+Remake+w+Tagline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxVnh2cVZmIpAKAKI_WkVVmkpIiIRP5y0TFfOmj2kCui357ExWKsJjYTBYh4JhyphenhyphenDKCnyi_pyxTlxeJRwg5jEZtuvOs9iX4kCW0bvBjso4ib2zYMPa5qeph8c-JesKks-udEJOXaTVzucO/s200/TRB+Remake+w+Tagline.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>By
the way, on Monday and Tuesday Amazon will be giving away my most popular
thriller, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lair-of-the-Fox-ebook/dp/B00BZMP5I4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1370544245&sr=1-1&keywords=lair+of+the+fox" target="_blank"><i>Lair of the Fox</i></a>. After that, both return to their regular Kindle
price of $2.99</b>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
now back to our regularly scheduled post and Rudyard Kipling’s “Higher Editing”…</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">*</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkdXk0DUPAOgZGqqhTj3ySJJkGIhGks8gqr7u2Fjgdvn1QLi1dUtSDoWiv8ki9f-tsgewwwknfA2-N8EerWu1WJ9jplNl3YPykZOLkG1kk2SgFTpNNPjLzHQf18LyFKOFKUKnvUB-olGK/s1600/PlainTales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkdXk0DUPAOgZGqqhTj3ySJJkGIhGks8gqr7u2Fjgdvn1QLi1dUtSDoWiv8ki9f-tsgewwwknfA2-N8EerWu1WJ9jplNl3YPykZOLkG1kk2SgFTpNNPjLzHQf18LyFKOFKUKnvUB-olGK/s200/PlainTales.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kipling
flashed across the London literary firmament like a comet at age 23 with the
delicious short story collection, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plain
Tales From the Hills</i>, followed a year later by <i>Barrack-Room Ballads</i>, which showed
him a master versifier.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">His
sensational debut at such a young age was comparable to that of Charles
Dickens. "The star of the hour," said Henry James when Rudyard was
only 25. <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,818864,00.html" target="_blank">"Too clever to live," said Robert Louis Stevenson</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
the shooting star did not flame out. While he continued to produce stories and
poems at a prodigious rate, he never joined his own rabid fan club. He was certainly
aware of his genius, but his approach to the craft of writing remained ever that
of a conscientious workman. He edited himself ruthlessly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Higher
Editing” he called it, and I’ll get to the specifics of his technique in a few
moments.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
please note: It is possible to <i>expand</i> a story or novel through good editing. To
diagnose what is lacking and suggest the addition of needed material.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">That is emphatically <i>not</i> the kind of self-editing I’m talking about here. I’m talking “less
is more,” a strictly reductive process.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The most famous editor I recall hearing about was the legendary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell_Perkins" target="_blank">Maxwell Perkins</a>,
editor and hand-holder of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe. Not <i>our</i> Tom
Wolfe, but the great undisciplined contemporary of Hemingway and Fitzgerald <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell_Perkins" target="_blank">“whosetalent was matched only by his lack of artistic self-discipline.”</a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHzx9czxPQbbd0o_3Y3M7qfjxZw352yJRSzvIZFlWPtpkJSc9r0kSIP6RuBwwF6taS6hiv3T_r2PPKD-I9Qp1uqgBJFHTwJM5RglMHgr_BKMe0XArrnubnIlbgGt6GZJKtZsCbGvICsJ7/s1600/Thomases_Wolf_510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHzx9czxPQbbd0o_3Y3M7qfjxZw352yJRSzvIZFlWPtpkJSc9r0kSIP6RuBwwF6taS6hiv3T_r2PPKD-I9Qp1uqgBJFHTwJM5RglMHgr_BKMe0XArrnubnIlbgGt6GZJKtZsCbGvICsJ7/s320/Thomases_Wolf_510.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Wolfe's great big doorstop novels—<i>Look Homeward, Angel</i>, <i>You Can’t Go Home Again</i>, <i>Of
Time and the River</i>—all landed on Perkins’ desk as cartonloads of verbal
tonnage, all requiring major surgery. For instance, from the brilliant but bloated manuscript of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Angel</i>, Perkins managed to remove 90,000
words.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlc0Fv8ck2m4BthGRgQ-DjlpP37N1s_NXm69jrlYWJSwvxOyXkPzVMPQ0q1HJqZCWw8NOKBUsPob1efzsWw1rfAwMI26wUIBYsOyavubYK2rIk_3mChKV57GC2iUhRBtypQ2DoKCmizyf/s1600/LAIR+Cover+Remake+May+13+KINDLE+size.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlc0Fv8ck2m4BthGRgQ-DjlpP37N1s_NXm69jrlYWJSwvxOyXkPzVMPQ0q1HJqZCWw8NOKBUsPob1efzsWw1rfAwMI26wUIBYsOyavubYK2rIk_3mChKV57GC2iUhRBtypQ2DoKCmizyf/s200/LAIR+Cover+Remake+May+13+KINDLE+size.jpg" width="127" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have a similar tale, with far punier statistics. My first thriller, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lair-of-the-Fox-ebook/dp/B00BZMP5I4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1370544245&sr=1-1&keywords=lair+of+the+fox" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lair of the Fox</i></a>, was sold on the basis
of an outline and the first 100 pages to a small publisher. The completed
manuscript weighed in at 120,000 words – every one them perfect, I'll have you know.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So
I was shocked to learn from my editor that this small publishing house (Walker
& Co.), in order to reduce their printing and binding costs, never
published trade books over 80,000 words. Therefor<i>e--</i>would I please cut 40,000
words from my manuscript.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
did it. And I relied on Kipling’s “Higher Editing” method to do it. And the book is much the
better for it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It
wasn’t easy. As a legendary teacher of fiction writing once explained, “This is why surgeons never operate on members of their own family and
dislike to work even on close friends.” (William Foster-Harris, <i>The Basic
Patterns of Plot</i>, p. 112)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
famous American editor has his own take: “Play ‘digester’ to your manuscript;
imagine that you are an editorial assistant on a digest magazine performing a
first squeeze on the article to be digested. Can you squeeze out an unnecessary
hundreds words from each thousand in your draft?” (Gorham Munson, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Written Word</i>, p. 170)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">John
D. MacDonald used the reductive process as an intrinsic part of his creative plan. A magazine profile
of the mystery master described him “tapping out the 1,000-page drafts that he
whittles down to 300-page manuscripts in four months.” (<i>Newsweek</i>, March 22,
1971, p. 103)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">For
this reductive process to work, however, you have to put your heart
and soul into that first draft, like Tom Wolfe or John MacDonald. Don’t edit
or second guess yourself the first time through; let yourself be driven forward by the
compelling emotion of your story; to switch metaphors, trowel on the raw pigment, which you
can shape later at leisure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">To
quote Gorham Munson again, “Write as a writer, rewrite as a reader.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(<i>The Written Word</i>, p. 167)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1UQ6hM_S_yZ2Aci83NlEehSTqjwD0_Wz2skxh1EnXBkG1cMV-3kWTSJJdE2yxlXwpsVGUESKfEZUeYN3l9s5lROh8wdhCU96adiIWfiD8XezCnxC5Nr5BSvNFpDlkcWxgm_cu5VsZm08/s1600/ElmoreLeonard_JoeKidd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1UQ6hM_S_yZ2Aci83NlEehSTqjwD0_Wz2skxh1EnXBkG1cMV-3kWTSJJdE2yxlXwpsVGUESKfEZUeYN3l9s5lROh8wdhCU96adiIWfiD8XezCnxC5Nr5BSvNFpDlkcWxgm_cu5VsZm08/s200/ElmoreLeonard_JoeKidd.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Another
master of mystery, Elmore Leonard, went from a journeyman paperback writer (westerns
and detectives) to best-sellerdom and Hollywood fame by taking an opposite tack. He began to
edit himself in advance — on his first draft. As he famously put it (his rule
No. 10 of good writing): “Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
you can do that, bravo! Others, some very great writers among them, have had to go
back over their work and painfully cut out the deadwood.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here
is the method used by Georges Simneon, whom I profiled in an <a href="http://danpollock.blogspot.com/2013/02/art-as-job.html" target="_blank">earlier post</a>.. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“In
response to the imperious instruction given him by Colette, "Suppress all
literature," he embarked on developing the pared-down style which he made
so notably his own." (“About Simenon,” <i>The European</i>, Nov. 2, 1990)</span></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">INTERVIEWER:
"What do you mean by 'too literary'? What do you cut out, certain kinds of
words?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">SIMENON:
"Adjectives, adverbs, and every word which is there just to make an
effect. Every sentence which is there just for the sentence. You know, you have
a beautiful sentence—cut it. Every time I find such a thing in one of my novels
it is to be cut." (Simenon quoted in <i>Writers At Work, The Paris Review
Interviews</i>, p. 146)</span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">To quote Leonard again, “If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIgPR0Ih2Y5iyB93V63ZerW3_HoGrPn6qvdWdwBrL73FQytfYh-hB5pAvNVbDV3MHhMQrOTAeA-i5eYsy8PWYJgMDRUv0YYYe8beZ5Dvsj1bhXPG_ZPgJtRgLvH9GcbPmVEyRDOvHJECC/s1600/What-Jane-Austen-Ate-and-Charles-Dickens-Knew-Pool-Daniel-9780671882365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIgPR0Ih2Y5iyB93V63ZerW3_HoGrPn6qvdWdwBrL73FQytfYh-hB5pAvNVbDV3MHhMQrOTAeA-i5eYsy8PWYJgMDRUv0YYYe8beZ5Dvsj1bhXPG_ZPgJtRgLvH9GcbPmVEyRDOvHJECC/s200/What-Jane-Austen-Ate-and-Charles-Dickens-Knew-Pool-Daniel-9780671882365.jpg" width="130" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Granted,
that rule does not apply to the beloved storytellers of an earlier era—to Jane
Austen or Dickens, to Tolstoy or Conrad. Nor even to my favorite of current
thriller writer, Frederick</span> Forsyth. Narrative charm is a special skill of selected yarn-spinners,
an honor to be conferred by adoring readers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
at last, we come to Kipling’s “Higher Editng.” Here he describes how he used it
on his debut story collection, <i>Plain Tales From the Hills</i>:</span></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“They
[Anglo-Indian tales] were originally much longer than when they appeared, but
the shortening of them, first to my own fancy, after rapturous re-readings, and
the next to the space available, taught me that a tale from which pieces have
been raked out is like a fire that has been poked. One does not know that the
operation has been performed, but everyone feels the effect...</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>This
leads me to the Higher Editing. Take of well-ground Indian Ink as much as suffices and a camel-hair brush proportionate to the interspaces
of your lines. In an auspicious hour, read your final draft and consider
faithfully every paragraph, sentence and word, blacking out where requisite.
Let it lie by to drain as long as possible. At the end of that time, re-read
and you should find that it will bear a second shortening. Finally, read it
aloud alone and at leisure. Maybe a shade more brushwork will then indicate or
impose itself. If not, praise Allah and let it go, and "when thou hast
done, repent not."... The magic lies in the Brush and the Ink.” </b>(Rudyard
Kipling, <i>Something of Myself</i>, p. 224-225)</span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-58584061977407817512013-05-25T12:38:00.001-07:002013-05-25T20:52:21.577-07:00THE ULTIMATE BUCKET LIST<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Bucket
List” seems to have entered the popular consciousness with the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0825232/" target="_blank">2007 Rob Reiner movie</a>. It starred Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two terminally ill men on
a road trip, pursuing a wish list of things they wanted to do before kicking
the bucket.</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
the Ultimate Bucket List, in my view, was created on a rainy afternoon back in 1939
by a 15-year-old boy daydreaming of great deeds and faraway lands. Young John
Goddard worked on his “Life List” (you can peruse it <a href="http://www.johngoddard.info/life_list.htm" target="_blank">here</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>) until he’d drawn up “127 goals he wished to experience or achieve in his
lifetime.”</span></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">He
wanted to explore the waters of the Amazon, the Congo, the Colorado and the
Nile rivers. He hoped to climb an impressive list of mountains, including Mt.
Ararat in Turkey, Mt. Cook in New Zealand, Mt. Popocatepetl in Mexico and Tanzania’s
Mt. Kilimanjaro. He wanted to visit the Great Wall of China, the Panama Canal
and Suez Canals, Easter Island, the Galapagos Islands and the Taj Mahal.</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s
from his obituary in the <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2013/may/21/local/la-me-john-goddard-20130521" target="_blank">May 22 <i>Los Angeles Times</i></a>. John died May 17 at the age
of 88 of </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_D2p2wnueY1Gznbg-lL1E13aA4jexfMg8UqsB7O8DZQdrmFpjdmf3NW_aBbfFheZbKhmxJEkSwHZaCZ1UgA-9IepJ5vYCrN25ygI8sehb1K6_NGxAfd2XcCTbPx4pjeClwkv_YGt5ihg/s1600/IMG_0950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_D2p2wnueY1Gznbg-lL1E13aA4jexfMg8UqsB7O8DZQdrmFpjdmf3NW_aBbfFheZbKhmxJEkSwHZaCZ1UgA-9IepJ5vYCrN25ygI8sehb1K6_NGxAfd2XcCTbPx4pjeClwkv_YGt5ihg/s200/IMG_0950.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
a rare form of cancer. But he exited having completed more than 100 of
those 127 life goals.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Many,
by the way, were far more audacious or difficult than those cited by the <i>Times</i>
obit. A few examples:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">climb
the Matterhorn</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">land
and take off from an aircraft carrier</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">free
dive to 40 feet and hold breath two and a half minutes underwater</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">teach
a college course</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">publish
an article in <i>National Geographic</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">run
a mile in five minutes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">learn
French, Spanish and Arabic</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">milk
a poisonous snake</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">play
Debussy’s <i>Claire de Lun</i>e on the piano.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
had the privilege of knowing John Goddard. He was an elegant gentleman,
personifying for me the Victorian adventurer, as at home in drawing room as the jungle.
In this he was in a direct line of romantic and intrepid adventurer scholars—Sir
Richard Burton, Sven Hedin, Richard Halliburton, Charles Doughty, </span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fridtjof Nansen, Thor Heyerdahl, </span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Wilfred Thesiger.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37LKctBmGRrblntBpPFgcgJ4s-1ZhvdW_5AokBcGkd4ntbGCU_uEgo7U5PWdQvRG23F1kdbvq1msHdullCabQgXLBGkWsGbGStWd_PtWes5cnEUKs8U3Qbd5hbyUieAOEkikjQe_keJCx/s1600/John+Goddard3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37LKctBmGRrblntBpPFgcgJ4s-1ZhvdW_5AokBcGkd4ntbGCU_uEgo7U5PWdQvRG23F1kdbvq1msHdullCabQgXLBGkWsGbGStWd_PtWes5cnEUKs8U3Qbd5hbyUieAOEkikjQe_keJCx/s200/John+Goddard3.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Predictably,
Goddard has been called a “modern Indiana Jones,” a title he shared with contemporary
explorer-adventurer, <a href="http://www.wheelerexpeditions.com/id6.html" target="_blank">Dr. Jack Wheeler</a>, another grownup Eagle Scout (like
Goddard) who has climbed the Matterhorn, among many other exploits.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
confess to having made my own life lists, usually after a flute or two of New
Year’s champagne. Looking them over in later years, I find very, very few checkmarks
in my ballot boxes. On John’s list, on the other hand, unchecked boxes are rare.
True, he never appeared in a Tarzan movie (No. 93) or visited the moon (No.
125), but let’s give him a pass on those, shall we?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">To
quote the <i>L.A. Times</i> obit again:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“When
he was growing up, he heard older people say with regret that they hadn’t done
the things they wanted to do,” his son said this week. “He decided he was going
to live a life of adventure so he wouldn’t have any regrets.”</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></span>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCW7byykowm9fltITQWPkp5lbjYO94SC-fucz1jjYBDYNHFyY4K8ToJerohuRCeMww57w0nqGnxdwqH4-wqdBw3FmabctquDG4zbYjPaM_npVU1f_jtRk3b1WLU03Q9h6N6y_vsWPFTPl/s1600/tn-vsl-0523-real-life-indiana-jones-adventurer-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCW7byykowm9fltITQWPkp5lbjYO94SC-fucz1jjYBDYNHFyY4K8ToJerohuRCeMww57w0nqGnxdwqH4-wqdBw3FmabctquDG4zbYjPaM_npVU1f_jtRk3b1WLU03Q9h6N6y_vsWPFTPl/s200/tn-vsl-0523-real-life-indiana-jones-adventurer-001.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
only real consolation for growing up (someone once told me) was the opportunity
to fulfill one’s childhood dreams. To me, John Goddard embodied that quest, and
I suspect he had very few regrets when he finally closed his eyes on his lifelong dream.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
I know, if I'll only be true</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>
</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">To
this glorious Quest,</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>
</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">That
my heart will lie peaceful and calm</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>
</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
I'm laid to my rest.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">(Joe
Darion’s lyrics from "The Impossible Dream" from <i>Man of La Mancha</i>)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">PS.
For the interested, I see there has sprung up a social
network <a href="http://bucketlist.org/" target="_blank">website</a> </span>where you can keep track of your personal bucket list, add videos and images,
and read about others’ adventures.</div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-76411312453551086692013-05-17T18:28:00.002-07:002013-05-17T18:38:00.931-07:00SERMONETTE: FANATICISM VS. DILETTANTISM<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzODsLSGHcMHFCYp8WG0Mwj61S9e6uF5ZljIlveYkXFdOUPBPbQMIECAwNma62Sv15jzWK2R7N5Hf1ofmkj5mk2nY8LN72R3AyyT1GksjGLf7XHyH89c58GPtaSO0YcnttRka3M33NKVLb/s1600/beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzODsLSGHcMHFCYp8WG0Mwj61S9e6uF5ZljIlveYkXFdOUPBPbQMIECAwNma62Sv15jzWK2R7N5Hf1ofmkj5mk2nY8LN72R3AyyT1GksjGLf7XHyH89c58GPtaSO0YcnttRka3M33NKVLb/s320/beach.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">One
of the most powerful motivational speeches blasted out of my car speakers the
other day. I was driving my teenage son to school, and, as usual, he’d plugged
his iPhone into the dashboard.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
thought he’d selected the wrong track from his wall-to-wall hip-hop playlist. A
deeply resonant black voice launched into a story about a young man seeking out a
“guru” to learn how to make a lot of money.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
glanced sideways. My son was actually listening, so I listened also. Oh, well. Whatever
this guy was getting worked up about, it couldn’t be as distasteful as the nasty
hip-hop lyrics I’m forced to endure. (My son swears he hears only to the
background music.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
secular sermon <u>was</u> a bit belabored, with a lot of repetitive phrasing
and cadences, slow to reach its predictable crescendo. But when the guy finally
got there, I found myself unexpectedly galvanized by the simplicity and force
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNF90A8pPNA3BJzOiQxpIbgztPdc65ZJSnNtdbw9vi7ZN-xwZbJxj11gzIB8-_B7Jqnm3UA1CYRnzV7QxP79LakiH-esgB6_7wW3v8atHj5Ap93nNMyZf9YD45_EVBf5ehEyXPYU9i673/s1600/ET_Hip_Hop.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNF90A8pPNA3BJzOiQxpIbgztPdc65ZJSnNtdbw9vi7ZN-xwZbJxj11gzIB8-_B7Jqnm3UA1CYRnzV7QxP79LakiH-esgB6_7wW3v8atHj5Ap93nNMyZf9YD45_EVBf5ehEyXPYU9i673/s200/ET_Hip_Hop.png" width="171" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Spoiler
Alert: Before I write any more, you might prefer to give it a listen. The
motivational speaker is Eric Thomas (about whom I know nothing), and you can find
his “rant” with a web search of “How Bad Do You Want It?” Or use this <a href="http://lybio.net/eric-thomas-how-bad-do-you-want-it-basketball-hd/motivational/" target="_blank">link</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="http://lybio.net/eric-thomas-how-bad-do-you-want-it-basketball-hd/motivational/"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now
that you’re warned, I’ll cut to the chase. The young man meets the guru at the
beach and is walked out into the water till their heads are barely above the waves.
Suddenly the guru pushes the young man’s head under water and holds it there for…
well, for <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a heckuva long time in the
story:</span>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“He
had him held down, just before my man was about to pass out, he raised him up.
He said: ‘I got a question for you.’ He told the guy, he said: ‘When you want
to succeed as bad as you wanna breathe, then you will be successful.’”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T_3VEQZT_IrjYejbo3FIWJVH7JjesxFAKo-3meoM1Ks6UpUSYD9WSd-II40aj4UOAGUxoJ8B8X2qReb0KlS-CCB5n6Mn5F6-w6xKo2jAQ82AfluzMY68c21v6l2UIqnuycYvY7GKqPKx/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T_3VEQZT_IrjYejbo3FIWJVH7JjesxFAKo-3meoM1Ks6UpUSYD9WSd-II40aj4UOAGUxoJ8B8X2qReb0KlS-CCB5n6Mn5F6-w6xKo2jAQ82AfluzMY68c21v6l2UIqnuycYvY7GKqPKx/s320/5.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Or
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Fat Lady gets ready to sing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Or
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
trick is to see the crisis when no one else around you does—and to respond with
extraordinary effort under seemingly ordinary circumstances.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
Eric Thomas says it better:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“You
gotta go days without – LISTEN TO ME! You gotta want to be successful so bad
that you forget to eat... I never forget, I went, 50 Cent was doing his movie,
I did a little research on 50, and 50 said that when he wasn’t doing the movie,
he was doing the soundtrack. And they said: ‘When do you sleep, 50?’ and 50
said: ‘Sleep? Sleep is for those people who are broke. I don’t sleep.’ See I
got an opportunity to make my dream become a reality. Don’t cry to quit. You
already in pain, you already hurt. Get a reward from it. Don’t go to sleep
until you succeed.”</span></i></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-3499221090740376122013-05-06T19:08:00.003-07:002014-07-30T08:18:41.041-07:00WORLD’S MOST PROLIFIC NOVELIST<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGt6xU4dI0gaPe2gQWNUchTNkKC-w6hyphenhyphenmDRB_7Oqz7gkeFxa0Eo1nGXJ9Lm7mXUwzM93shSgndGF1F8jil3X9nPyVyzmdtTxB1VTQigU0qkvEPTeE9Ewq7E3IveJ1iFYgEmKzS-y0B0yzB/s1600/Ryoki+Inoue+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGt6xU4dI0gaPe2gQWNUchTNkKC-w6hyphenhyphenmDRB_7Oqz7gkeFxa0Eo1nGXJ9Lm7mXUwzM93shSgndGF1F8jil3X9nPyVyzmdtTxB1VTQigU0qkvEPTeE9Ewq7E3IveJ1iFYgEmKzS-y0B0yzB/s320/Ryoki+Inoue+001.jpg" height="320" width="125" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
a previous <a href="http://danpollock.blogspot.com/2013/02/art-as-job.html" target="_blank">post</a> (“Art as a Job,” Thursday, February 28, 2013),
I did a quick survey of some of the world’s most prolific novelists. Shelf-fillers
Georges Simenon and John Creasey came in for honorable mentions, along with
Isaac Asimov and R. L. Stine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Somehow
I missed the <i>Guinness</i>-certified record holder for most published titles, a Brazilian
pulpmeister known as Ryoki Inoue. In fact, according to a 1986 <i>Wall Street Journal</i> <a href="http://www.ryoki.com.br/wallstreetjournal.htm" target="_blank">profile</a>,“When the <i>Guinness Book of World Records</i> recently affirmed Mr. Inoue's No. 1
ranking in titles published, the award certificate was already 15 books
out-of-date by the time it arrived from England.”</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">How
fast can Inoue write (yes, he’s still at it)? Again to quote the <i>Journal</i>, “He
has churned out complete chapters during trips to the bathroom; a whole book
while having his truck worked on in a garage; a novel and its sequel in an
afternoon on the beach.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EqKobbc9wnEJkAqhP2cz2TFxwF_loAs8mqiXWQEXHlOxsn6kGmfRfyDnNCnRl8MrSTtziUZ6CfTnxi1fNer0ss6eFdfFNoPAVhBs7rt70Owp-TvIpSLlQV3aahKRAjmLG0Ghpp5ItMUM/s1600/ryoki2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EqKobbc9wnEJkAqhP2cz2TFxwF_loAs8mqiXWQEXHlOxsn6kGmfRfyDnNCnRl8MrSTtziUZ6CfTnxi1fNer0ss6eFdfFNoPAVhBs7rt70Owp-TvIpSLlQV3aahKRAjmLG0Ghpp5ItMUM/s1600/ryoki2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Ryoki Inoue</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
the <i>WSJ</i> story was published in 1996, Inoue had published 1,039 books—under
his own name </span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">and</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> 39 pseudonyms. “Mr. Inoue writes
books faster than 10 Brazilian pulp presses combined are able to publish them. ‘Brazil
hasn't yet developed the capacity to absorb me,’ says the pipe-smoking
49-year-old author, whose father was Japanese and mother was Portuguese.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
secret of Inoue’s prodigious output? Prodigious work. The <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>same secret practiced on a daily basis by all phenomenally
successful writers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Inoue
reckons the creative process as “98% sweat, 1% talent and 1% luck." He has been known
to finish a 200-page story—bang-bang westerns are his favorites—at a single
sitting. (I assume brief breaks, unless he’s catheterized.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3gitZUqVO4-xVZqbx4M7GU2iIYWaLc3-dCYTaCT_nt07zGLYWtBsAueA3s2wzBHEeFGYDkigA_tl_7j9fZUgsbeQjYDB6FNDqJVMUuFk63SvMYjT4V8nGTMkenD2oMhPvdlak2SYSOXv/s1600/isaacasimov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3gitZUqVO4-xVZqbx4M7GU2iIYWaLc3-dCYTaCT_nt07zGLYWtBsAueA3s2wzBHEeFGYDkigA_tl_7j9fZUgsbeQjYDB6FNDqJVMUuFk63SvMYjT4V8nGTMkenD2oMhPvdlak2SYSOXv/s200/isaacasimov.jpg" height="176" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Isaac Asimov</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
mentioned in that earlier post that the late Isaac Asimov could write about as
fast as he typed, which for him was 80 words a minute. Inoue may write even faster. According
to one testimonial on his website, “Many people cannot read at the same speed
that he writes.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He is singlehandedly feeding hundreds of thousands of Brazilian readers--with a literary
diet heavily weighted toward Westerns. A favorite by-line is "Tex Taylor." On his travels, Inoue, himself, has not been much farther into the American west than the West Side of Newark, NJ.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I'm reminded of Karl May--“a [German] adventure writer from
the late nineteenth century <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYtYbqEpUXHmEPr-_9p-TtAXROOOdB3tI6V2uW85bnvgzJvWfl4_LgzcpTFFqIUyycm5agukK2bIBAtC1JoQsFtQ_gnrAoUGp52klP9zU3Z1pbC56jM5ddpZoPxTwdRUgErApzsu2Mhwd/s1600/Karl_May_edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYtYbqEpUXHmEPr-_9p-TtAXROOOdB3tI6V2uW85bnvgzJvWfl4_LgzcpTFFqIUyycm5agukK2bIBAtC1JoQsFtQ_gnrAoUGp52klP9zU3Z1pbC56jM5ddpZoPxTwdRUgErApzsu2Mhwd/s200/Karl_May_edit.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Karl May</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
whom most Americans have never heard of but whose
stories of the American West are to this day better known to Germans than the
works of Thomas Mann. His books have sold more than a hundred million copies.” ("<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/04/09/120409fa_fact_galchen" target="_blank">Why do cowboys and Indians so captivate the country?</a>" by
Rivka Galchen. <i>New Yorker</i>, April 9, 2012 </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Among
Karl May's hordes of youthful admirers were two boys destined to change the world--Adolf Hitler and
Albert Einstein.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-86868555607993171392013-04-28T10:12:00.000-07:002013-04-28T10:27:27.530-07:00A GOOD WRITER WHO KEEPS GETTING BETTER<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve
been a fan of <a href="http://www.tjeffersonparker.com/" target="_blank">T. Jefferson Parker</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">since his 1985
best-selling debut splash with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Laguna-Heat-T-Jefferson-Parker/dp/0312952058" target="_blank"><i>Laguna Heat</i></a>. A fan and an admirer at the way he has
steadily carved out his own distinctive niche in the SoCal mystery scene.</span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
I’ve had issues with Jeff, too—mainly teeth-grinding jealousy. See, I grew up
in Laguna Beach (several decades before he arrived) and always figured <i>I’d</i>
write the definitive Laguna mystery… someday. So much for fatuous daydreams.
Jeff beat me to it—and kept right on going, while I’ve suffered from chronic
novel-writing interruptus.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZF6f9fffnCogEXDF5D61nM22ypgtBYdc-6G-m0P-jeq65HYYzdJ1GsP_bp6QBZD5kQO3gWpLQxoiJFX6K2cFs8JlRv9Psk3H0gbEE5SQUsekrMWbq-75yMGyqwgc3IxIqLAvvWbnIbjJ/s1600/laguna+twin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZF6f9fffnCogEXDF5D61nM22ypgtBYdc-6G-m0P-jeq65HYYzdJ1GsP_bp6QBZD5kQO3gWpLQxoiJFX6K2cFs8JlRv9Psk3H0gbEE5SQUsekrMWbq-75yMGyqwgc3IxIqLAvvWbnIbjJ/s200/laguna+twin.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yesterday
at <a href="http://www.vromansbookstore.com/" target="_blank">Vroman’s Bookstore</a>
in Pasadena I got a chance to say hello to Jeff again and congratulate him on
his latest, his twentieth mystery novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Famous-Dead-Charlie-Hood/dp/0525953175" target="_blank"><i>The Famous and the Dead</i></a>.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As trumpeted on the book’s jacket, the novel
represents <i>“The explosive conclusion to T. Jefferson Parker’s New York Times
bestselling Charlie Hood series.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
the more considered judgment of Jeff’s editor, <i>The Famous and the Dead</i> “might just
be perfect.” This, at least, was the emailed verdict Jeff received in lieu of the
editor’s customary pages of detailed notes on ways the story might be improved.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“What
do you think?” the editor’s email ended, after apologizing for not finding any
flaws in the work.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Well,
maybe so,” Jeff emailed back after thinking it over. He’d been braced for his
usual intensive rewrite, but realized that, like the editor, he couldn’t think
of any way to make the book better. “For what it is,” he told us at Vroman’s in
his unassuming way, “I think it’s about as good as it can be.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnjy5tcuuOOWwejxAwI8N3gw_NWLlU2VaoWoxQp2ENWXFARYj-yfks84A0GzQD3HHtoqc_OQSjJb1gqPPZWyt6-dDl40cJQIjvN-csvxlRB0C_EUVo2P1-xClVj0Sy3d0ckJArBor2BQF/s1600/Hp7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnjy5tcuuOOWwejxAwI8N3gw_NWLlU2VaoWoxQp2ENWXFARYj-yfks84A0GzQD3HHtoqc_OQSjJb1gqPPZWyt6-dDl40cJQIjvN-csvxlRB0C_EUVo2P1-xClVj0Sy3d0ckJArBor2BQF/s200/Hp7.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s
never easy to write a good novel, let alone a “perfect” one. And the ending of
this one was a particular challenge, he said, since <i>The Famous and the Dead</i> was
the finale of the six-book series. There were more than a few loose ends, both
accidental and deliberate, from the five previous Hood books, Jeff said. More
significantly, like J.K. Rowling reaching closure on her magical saga with
<i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</i>, Jeff faced the daunting task of
giving each of his main characters an appropriate final scene or curtain call.
He also wanted to make sure each character got what he or she “deserved.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Endings
are always a big challenge, Jeff said. “I don’t like ambiguous endings. Like
when people say, ‘Well, what do <i>you</i> think happened?’ To me those are always
kind of a copout.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
novelist’s challenge is to satisfy all story tendencies and meet all reader
expectations, so that the coda, when it arrives, resounds with finality and inevitability. Like
that old song lyric, “That’s all there is, there ain’t no more.” Or, in the
more elegant words of Robert Frost:</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The end implicit in the beginning but not
foreknown.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Before
Jeff got around to signing copies, I asked him if he felt a sense of loss after
saying goodbye to characters who’d been with him so long. I was thinking of
Dickens who reportedly was almost inconsolable after closing the book on
<i>Copperfiel</i>d; or theatrical wrap parties where actors celebrate a long and
successful run, then go their separate ways like a family dispersed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Yes,”
Jeff said. “I do miss Charlie Hood [and the others]. I mean, they’d been my daily
companions for six books and six years of my life.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
good news is, especially for any who have not yet sampled the Charlie Hood series, T.
Jefferson Parker’s whole rowdy cast of characters is waiting to gather again for
your reading pleasure. It starts with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/L-A-Outlaws-Charlie-Hood-Novel/dp/0451226119" target="_blank"><i>L.A. Outlaws</i></a></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408527144593754357.post-56733897505935444782013-04-21T21:01:00.001-07:002013-04-21T21:05:26.813-07:00THRILLERBLOG AUTHOR INTERVIEW—G. J. BERGER<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(I
can’t imagine my life absent the inspiring magic of good stories and good
storytellers. In fact, this blog is largely devoted to making an appropriate
fuss over the yarn-spinners of yore. Through periodic author
interviews, I also celebrate contemporary practitioners of this most
magical of arts.--Dan Pollock)</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WLMZUHeHuiB_B40lZLPgjUaDkAC5P3CV5j7DWrDpuZcwIra9gj2U4GIoBlGAQ1QMnUQMovF-2YU_Iyz4U8KSHWE3PKabbV9cCOlyUADr_4HWl1eKgrDwS8S1sC5esnPKgFVYqIGhS1en/s1600/burnt+rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WLMZUHeHuiB_B40lZLPgjUaDkAC5P3CV5j7DWrDpuZcwIra9gj2U4GIoBlGAQ1QMnUQMovF-2YU_Iyz4U8KSHWE3PKabbV9cCOlyUADr_4HWl1eKgrDwS8S1sC5esnPKgFVYqIGhS1en/s200/burnt+rocks.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">On
<a href="http://g.j.berger.com/" target="_blank">his website</a> G.
J. Berger recalls when, at the age of eight, “his mom told him the story of
Hannibal crossing the Alps with elephants and a great army. He asked her what
happened to Hannibal after that. Mom didn’t know, but he was hooked, had to
find out, had to write about it.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The
result is a series of richly envisioned historical novels set in Roman times,
full of adrenalizing adventure and the fascinating texture of daily life in
another age. The first of these, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/South-Burnt-Rocks-West-ebook/dp/B009V2ZOL8" target="_blank"><i>South of Burnt Rocks – West of the Moon</i></a>, tells
the epic story of Lavena, a young Iberian-Celtic “she-warrior” who makes a stand
against an invading Roman army.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsHIwHSLBzH8VS0juFzzYfAsG_2k5IF9V60qnChYUutTMDWbV5kJ4oHkLymbZALPedApdSOpbZ6WbTC1b5Lzr15gU4wOU__errehFLs-1xz2Rq8ZdL9I1hBgpTh-mjICA05dKntwEBwHl/s1600/pulluote+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsHIwHSLBzH8VS0juFzzYfAsG_2k5IF9V60qnChYUutTMDWbV5kJ4oHkLymbZALPedApdSOpbZ6WbTC1b5Lzr15gU4wOU__errehFLs-1xz2Rq8ZdL9I1hBgpTh-mjICA05dKntwEBwHl/s320/pulluote+001.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The
tale makes for about as exciting historical fiction as I can recall, with the
kind of cinematic set-pieces I relish in the works of Rafael Sabatini and C. S.
Forester. I use the term “cinematic” advisedly—<i>Burnt Rocks</i> has major big-screen
potential; without too much tongue in cheek, I’d pitch it as <i>Gladiator</i> Meets
<i>Thelma and Louise.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">So
let’s cut to the chase—my interview with G. J. Berger.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2piltY5w3vjdMcC54MqswTSvCFCjEcIKcwK1gf8SloEoOiqjC-JZUzh20OcpsUCye09kbIiFtrmuAqWJhDFIcJtC4yVyiYIfbjPb79VLCQbgbnhiUDD8yJM9DJQoeTCY6gDuayv9owwl/s1600/biopic.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2piltY5w3vjdMcC54MqswTSvCFCjEcIKcwK1gf8SloEoOiqjC-JZUzh20OcpsUCye09kbIiFtrmuAqWJhDFIcJtC4yVyiYIfbjPb79VLCQbgbnhiUDD8yJM9DJQoeTCY6gDuayv9owwl/s1600/biopic.png" /></a></td></tr>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
What about it? Have you thought of pitching your intrepid “she-warrior” to
Hollywood? If not, why not?</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
Others have said they see it as a movie. And that’s a common line among readers
these days of almost any interesting fiction. We are much more a movie culture
than book culture. I did not think of it as a movie while writing it. But I
have heard writers say that script writing is good training for novel
writing--helps in dialogue, scene setting and keeping a good pace.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
Whom do you see as your leading lady?</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
I guess I’d need to search for Jennifer Lawrence’s younger sister..</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
What led you to make your main character a girl?</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
In 2008, I had a charming agent. After she sent my first historical off to
editors, we mused about what next. I told her of my fascination with the tribal
warriors who resisted the plundering might of Rome. She said, “Sure, but make
your MC a woman. Far more women buy books about women than the other way
around.” After a moment’s pause, I said, “I can make that work. I’ll write
about his daughter.” And the main character is indeed the daughter of the
tribal leader I had envisioned then.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><br />
<i>D.P.: You have many strong women characters – exceptionally so. Will this be
characteristic of the prequels and sequels in this saga you are telling?</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
No, at least not intentionally. The prequel has one very strong female MC, but
the hero is a boy who grows up fast. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
When you were a schoolboy, perhaps reading Caesar’s </span></i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Commentaries</span><i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">, did your
imagination take flight?</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
I did not take Latin or read Caesar’s <i>Commentaries</i>. But I’ve always been drawn
to works about powerful figures of the past—fictionalized or real. At age
eleven, I devoured <i>The Mutiny on the Bounty</i> trilogy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
What are some of your favorite source works for the Roman era?</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
Translations of historical writings from back then. The work of Polybius has
been helpful, though he was a Greek captured by Rome. There’s a wonderful
series of "Daily Life" books by various authors on ancient people and
places (India, Rome, Greece, etc.).</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAeGkV3krg8yxxuIB-0VyWMz4ZorCVfe3K33UkaQDHn_nMxBKipuNEz9bN8gVZRsj9fAVUJGC4RbVlx0GmrP13cTXzgN4VxZXR_IkFAbGrFldJbUZ2hwiy1ET-Qh3-XRMPZBtFQppK5XT/s1600/markus-book-theif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAeGkV3krg8yxxuIB-0VyWMz4ZorCVfe3K33UkaQDHn_nMxBKipuNEz9bN8gVZRsj9fAVUJGC4RbVlx0GmrP13cTXzgN4VxZXR_IkFAbGrFldJbUZ2hwiy1ET-Qh3-XRMPZBtFQppK5XT/s200/markus-book-theif.jpg" width="151" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Australian writer Markus Suzak</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
What writers have influenced your writing most?</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
My mother, Markus Suzak, Jack London, Cormac McCarthy, Nikos Kazantzakis and
others. Suzak says he tries to give the reader something special on every page.
My mom, paraphrasing Goethe, said good writing “reaches into the full human
life and grabs hold.” All men, I notice, with the notable exception of my mom.
I must pick up one of the <i>Twilight</i> books or <i>Fifty Shades of Gray</i>—but then I
wouldn’t have the foggiest what to do with it. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
Let's skate past that one. What books are you reading now?</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVh1xo_qzmriy_YxpqOW8FW0CNdZlY8PGBJ_97gd4PhNzUCVkjPdY9uf2qz5F1WDXOqAWSQkgKJCzWuLRkd9lTw6kFKxGxDAtQkEBHHfVkr-jeU0fU5pofYxsleaPMXaT8HAxIddR_oEY/s1600/Best-cover-jpeg-214x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVh1xo_qzmriy_YxpqOW8FW0CNdZlY8PGBJ_97gd4PhNzUCVkjPdY9uf2qz5F1WDXOqAWSQkgKJCzWuLRkd9lTw6kFKxGxDAtQkEBHHfVkr-jeU0fU5pofYxsleaPMXaT8HAxIddR_oEY/s200/Best-cover-jpeg-214x300.jpg" width="142" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
I recently finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Kiss-ebook/dp/B008T4TEQU" target="_blank"><i>The Kiss</i></a>, a novel by poet Adrienne Silcock, which takes the
reader on a journey of the soul as its four main characters discover who they
are--and who they can never become. Then I read your <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lair-of-the-Fox-ebook/dp/B00BZMP5I4/ref=la_B00BUTKBOA_1_8_title_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1366603485&sr=1-8" target="_blank"><i>Lair of the Fox</i></a>, which wraps
heroes and villains into an intense conflict straight out of a good James Bond film.
In between those, I finished Grisham’s <i>The Client</i>. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
Thanks for the plug—in fact, I’m definitely going to quote you. What other
kinds of things do you read for pleasure?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
<i>Sports Illustrated </i>and almost anything. Good writing transports the reader to places,
people and times without the reader’s awareness. I’m often surprised by fine
writing and good stories previously unknown to me--and disappointed by best
sellers.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
Do you write from a plot outline or do you prefer to let your characters lead
you?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
I start with my main character in a specific place, about to do or experience
something that I’ve been thinking about in all its details. I begin with the
first few words. Those words push out the next. The last sentence I’ve written pushes
out the next. The characters don’t lead me. For my historical novels the major
events do frame my story and characters, and I try to stay true to the tides of
history.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
When do you write?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
No set time. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
Do you log your daily output?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
Not in a direct sense. But I get antsy when I’m not on pace to complete the
novel in roughly two years after the very first word. I have learned one trick
to make each writing session productive. I try never to quit a writing session
unless I’ve got the next sentence, paragraph or even scene in my head and ready
to put to paper. That lets me open the computer in my next writing session and
plunge ahead without staring at a blank screen.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
Great advice! How many hours does it usually take to make your daily output?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My meter does not measure a daily output,
though one good page a day, every day, is a worthy goal. That yields a
close-to-finished novel in about one year. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
Do you research on the fly?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For tiny details, yes. If I suddenly need to
know how a farm implement works, I’ll research that as I go. For larger points—village
life in times past, religious beliefs—I might spend months reading everything I
can get my hands on before I dare write about it.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
How much time do you allot to marketing?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
No set amount of time. But my marketing senses are always on alert for
opportunities to help other writers or to participate in conferences or groups.
The best marketing for me has come from friends and other writers whom I have
encouraged or perhaps helped on their way. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
Do you write in public (Starbucks, say) or strictly in private?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve never written in any public place—nor
would I, unless I was writing a scene taking place at a Starbucks. For me, solitude
works best for writing, a terribly selfish, reclusive and unfriendly endeavor.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
Do you write on more than one (fiction) project at a time? Can you juggle?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have bounced from project to project,
but I don’t like to.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
Do you jump around in your narrative or write straight through?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
Straight through, but the very next sentence may cause a change 100 pages
earlier, and I’ll go back and make the change as I go. In my recently published
novel, the original beginning now sits about seventy pages in. I had to add
more about the heroine’s young life before my original point of beginning, but
that realization came after I was well into it. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
Have you always wanted to write?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My single mom wrote as much as she could, and
that made it easy and accepted for me to write at an early age. Later, I
discovered that writing—any creative activity—is both fun and relaxing.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
Are there other genres you’d like to explore?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">G.J.:
Though my first published novel is a historical and the next likely will be
another, my first finished novel was a psychological thriller. I expect that historicals
and thrillers will fill up all my writing time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">D.P.:
Thank you, G.J. Berger!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">*</span></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">SOUTH
OF BURNT ROCKS – WEST OF THE MOON (from <a href="http://gjberger.com/" target="_blank">G.J. Berger's website</a>):</span></b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">"After
three great wars, Rome has crushed Carthage. Now the undefended riches of
Iberia beckon: gold, tin, olives, wine, and healthy young bodies to enslave.
<i>Burnt Rocks</i> tells the story of Lavena, last child of the strongest remaining
Iberian tribal leader at a time when Rome plunders and loots her land. Based on
real characters and events, <i>Burnt Rocks</i> recreates that shadowy
history."</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/D.P./B009V2ZOL8" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Amazon(print & Kindle)</span></a></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009V2ZOL8"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/247471" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Smashwords</span></a></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/247471"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></b></div>
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</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/south-of-burnt-rocks-west-of-the-moon-g-j-berger/1113728010" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Barnes& Nole (print & Nook)</span></a></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/south-of-burnt-rocks-west-of-the-moon-g-j-berger/1113728010"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></b></div>
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</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/South-Burnt-Rocks-West-Moon/book-97WXPfEGBUiPVQw26XHezQ/page1.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kobo</span></a></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/South-Burnt-Rocks-West-Moon/book-97WXPfEGBUiPVQw26XHezQ/page1.html"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></a><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://g.j.berger.com/bio-contact/" target="_blank">About G. J. Berger</a>:</span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">G.
J. spent much of his young life on the road and at sea. often working as a crew
member on a tramp steamer. Wherever his travels took him, old walls, canals,
even storage holes deep in the ground, made him wonder about how they got
there, about the people who built them, how they lived and got along.
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When
not writing, G. J. tries to roam around the places he writes about, likes to
sit and soak up the times back then and bring them to modern life in his
stories. G. J. is convinced that for all the changes in last 2000 years, people
loved and hated, suffered and rejoiced, destroyed and built the same ways then
as they do today.</span></span></div>
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Dan Pollockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993529540179848119noreply@blogger.com2