When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
In the 7th grade I checked out Of Mice and Men from the library. I began reading it that evening and couldn’t put it down. The next morning I played hooky from school so I could finish. After I completed it, I remember saying to myself, “I want to write a book like that someday.” Lofty goals to be sure, but that was the first spark.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
First off, publishing is a brutal road, no doubt about it, but if you have that fire in your gut, it is possible. My road was a little different than many I suppose. I didn’t actually write my first sentence of prose until I was in my early thirties. I’d been working in Corporate America and was absolutely miserable, so I decided to write a novel. The desire to write had always been tucked away, deep inside me, but I’d never attempted it. Ironically, it took a job I loathed to give me the push to put pen to paper. So if nothing else, the corporate job was beneficial in that respect. Anyway, I worked on the novel every night after work and about a year later, I finished it. I then tried to go about getting it published and quickly realized that what I thought was a masterpiece was actually pretty horrible. So I decided to go back to school to get my MFA in Creative Writing. Being an older student was good for me because I treated my Masters work as my job. It was sort of do-or-die. I felt a certain sense of urgency that many of my younger peers probably didn’t feel. Long story short, I worked extremely hard, soaked up every word my professors said, and refused to give up. (That, by the way, is my number one piece of advice to aspiring writers. You can’t ever give up. And if you want it badly enough, you never will.) Part of the obligation for completion of the Masters program was to write a publishable thesis. My thesis was the early manuscript for The Hanging Woods. After I graduated, I began sending out query letters to literary agents. Not too long after I started my search, I got a call one day from Scott Miller at Trident Media who said he wanted to represent me. About eight months after that, Houghton Mifflin made an offer on the book. That’s it in a nutshell, and it sounds rather simple and easy, but I assure you it wasn’t at all. It was actually a very trying, stressful process that probably took a few years off my life. As a writer, there are so many unknowns, so many doubts that constantly haunt you. The writing profession is not for the meek, that’s for sure. But the rewards can be wonderful. And I don’t mean the financial rewards, because for most of us those are usually pretty meager. But the reward of doing what you want to do, of creating something and having others appreciate it enough to actually publish it, well, that’s pretty fulfilling.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
My next novel is entitled Gray Baby and will be published in May of 2009. I'll say right up front that it's a much different story than The Hanging Woods. It isn't as dark, though there are still some disturbing things that take place (and if you pay close attention, you might just see some references to The Hanging Woods, though I must stress that this isn't a sequel.) It opens with Clifton Carlson, who witnesses a troubling incident between his father (who is black) and two white police officers. From there, the story follows Clifton (who is bi-racial) as he struggles to cope with not only what he's witnessed, but also his own identity as he fights the difficulties of adolescence. He becomes friends with an intriguing, elderly white man, Swamper, in the most unlikely of circumstances, and it is through this relationship (and also because of a violent and troubling mystery that the two become involved with) that Clifton changes. But he isn't the only one who is developing and growing. Though Clifton learns a lot about life from Swamper, the elderly man--who has always been set in his ways--realizes that he isn't too old (or too proud) to evolve as well. The story is set in the 1980's along the banks of the New River in a rural Virginia town called Crocket's Mill. It is a mystery of sorts, but also a story of overcoming obstacles and learning about the trials and tribulations of what it takes to become a "man."
As far as convincing you to buy it, I’d say that, if nothing else, just reading the sections with Swamper would be well worth the money you spend. He cracks me up, and I hope others will love him the way that I do. He’s probably my favorite character that I’ve written to date, though Mothball from The Hanging Woods runs a close second.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
I don’t know that any one thing or person has been an inspiration, but certainly other writers that I admire have had a profound influence on me and my writing. Faulkner and Steinbeck. Cormac McCarthy blows me away. Silas House and Ron Rash are some modern writers that I greatly admire. And about a hundred others. I generally read adult fiction, but I do read y/a too. I think Kevin Brooks is excellent, as well as M.T. Anderson. And of course Robert Cormier.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My wife is a rock. She has stood by me and believed in me from the beginning. I could never have accomplished what I have without her. My son is my right hand man. He’s a teenager now, but I still read everything I write to him first. He could obviously read my work on his own, but by having me read it to him, for one, I catch mistakes, and for two, he can interject right then and there and make comments. He keeps me in line, is a great critic, and often comes up with excellent ideas that I would have otherwise never thought of. In fact, he came up with the title for The Hanging Woods. My parents are very supportive and are really enjoying it. But at first, when I told them I was quitting my job in order to become a writer, they thought I was nuts. But I’ve always kept them on their toes and been full of surprises, so they’ve gotten used to it by now. And my sister is one of my biggest fans. All in all, they’re pretty psyched.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Pizza. Good pizza. I grew up in New Jersey, so I’m a pizza snob and self-proclaimed aficionado. Best pizza in the world? Mama’s Pizza in Hackettstown, New Jersey. In Virginia, Mama Concetta’s in Christiansburg. And for a great Mediterranean pie: La Fringale in Cassis, France. The owner rolls out the pizzas right next to you in a restaurant no bigger than most people’s bedrooms, throws them in a wood-fired oven, and then sits down at your table and drinks wine or pastis while the pizzas cook. One time, he let my son make his own pizza. Very cool place.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Make coffee, sit at the computer and check the Internet, then try to write something.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?
Once you sifted through all the skeletons, I suppose the only interesting thing you’d find is the woodstove in the basement. Not too exciting, I know, but I’ve been heating with wood for about fifteen years. I generally cut my own and this year (and this is interesting) I put a chainsaw into my leg while cutting a dead maple. Drove myself to the emergency room and got some stitches put in, and now I’m good as new. Thankfully, my son is now old enough now to help me split it. I know it sounds strange, but I find great pleasure in heating my house with wood. I love everything about it. The cutting of the trees, the loading and hauling, the splitting, the burning, the smell, and of course the warmth. There is a great sense of accomplishment in having to work for your own heat. Weird? Maybe, but I like it.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
This one’s easy. Purple. But not just any purple. The light, faded purple of a lilac blossom. And if I could be any particular smell, I’d be the smell of a lilac. I love them and wish they were edible. The lilac in my yard almost always comes into full bloom on my birthday. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’ll encounter a lilac in all four of the books I’ve written thus far.
Who is your favorite cartoon character?
The red, furry monster from the old Bugs Bunny cartoons who wore the white, high-top Chuck Taylor sneakers.
Which cartoon character is most like you?
My wife would probably say Cartman from South Park. I prefer to think she’d say Johnny Bravo.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?
To the Canadian wilderness during the 1800’s. Why? So I could be a mountain man of course, living in a cabin, hunting and trapping, living off the land. I neither hunt nor trap, but for some reason the mountain man life has always appealed to me.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?
Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix. But also the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Guns N Roses. And then there’s certain Blue Grass. And Leonard Cohen. And Miles Davis. Elliott Smith. JJ Cale. And classical. And everything else. I rarely listen to music when I write. I need complete silence. But occasionally I do, and if so, only classical.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?
College football and basketball. Sportscenter. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Seinfeld. The Office. Everybody Hates Chris. CNN. Actually, I don’t really watch much t.v., but those are shows I enjoy. Movies: The Wizard of Oz. As a rule, I generally don’t care for Hollywood blockbusters. My wife is a film snob, and thankfully so, because she has turned me on to a lot of independent/underground films. The last thing I saw in the theater was a pair of short independent films by Paul Harrill. They were both excellent.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Think for yourself. Learn and question everything. Be kind and compassionate--you’ll never regret it. You’ll never be sorry for being nice to people, even if some of those people happen to be jerks. And don’t be afraid to be exactly who you are. I have a hat my wife bought me that says, “Be as you are.” I always loved that because it’s so simple and so true. And follow your dreams. That might sound cliché, but who cares? I finally followed mine, and I’ve never been happier. Even if you don’t reach them, at least you tried. There’s a famous quote that says, “It’s better to regret the things you did than those you didn’t do.” Life’s too short not to go after what makes you happy.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’ve more or less completed my third novel, entitled The Beale Treasure, which is based on a true, real-life buried treasure hidden in the mountains of Virginia. Not exactly sure if that will be y/a or adult at this point. I’m currently at work on a fourth book which will be an adult novel.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!
Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
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