Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
A1. I am a short story writer, who has published under pseudonym in Ploughshares, Manzanita and other literary journals. At age twenty-two, I ghostwrote a reminiscence of the Holocaust, which haunts me to this day. The critically acclaimed, award-winning historical fiction, Chateau Laux, was my novel, and the first book published under my own name. My second novel, The Lost Seigneur, expands on the historical themes detailed in Chateau Laux and completes the story of a family’s migration to America in the eighteenth century. I live in the Mt. Rose area of the eastern Sierra with my wife, Lynn.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “The Lost Seigneur”?
A2. The key challenge in writing The Lost Seigneur was the mental gymnastics involved in the use of multiple points-of-view. With multiple POVs you need an anchoring POV that embraces the others. You also need artful transitions, which don’t always present themselves right away. In the early drafts, you need to be able to proceed, with the confidence that you can go back and make improvements as necessary.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
A3.I ended up having to give a lot of thought to this question, as the impact of other writers’ work changes in correlation not only to my development as a writer but the particular story I am trying to tell. There are stylistic influences as well as thematic ones that have been more or less meaningful, depending on what I am trying to accomplish. As a writer, it helps to be a voracious reader, and the list of writers who have helped illuminate my own work is long and ongoing.
That said, however, I found myself going back to the point in my childhood when inspiration first struck and played a decisive role. I grew up on a farm. My grandmother was a down-to-earth pragmatic soul who was not given to excess. But she had a passion for life, and it was she who introduced me to books. She stood me in front of her treasured bookcase and made me pick out a book, with the stern admonition that I would read it and report back to her. The book was Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. The excitement of being transported by this narrative was something I had never experienced before, and it did not end when the book was finished. By the time I left elementary school, I had read nearly every fiction in the school library, as well as most in our local county library, which used to be a one-room schoolhouse and was owned by Pearl Buck.
Speaking of Pearl Buck, I was fortunate to meet her during this time when she visited the school I was enrolled in. Frankly, she intimidated the heck out of me. After meeting her, I read The Good Earth, which filled me with awe. Maybe it was meeting her and then reading her work that helped me make the connection between a human being and a book as a creative work of art. I thought if she could accomplish such a thing, then just maybe I could too, and I revere her memory to this day.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
A4. My favorite spot hands down is the northwest. Living in the desert, as I do, I once flew to Seattle just to sit in a motel room with the window open so that I could listen to the rain, soaking in the white noise as deeply as the evergreen slopes outside absorbed the nurturing moisture. It made me feel renewed and changed in a way that needs to be felt to be understood.
Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘The Lost Seigneur’?
A5. The inspiration for The Lost Seigneur came from its precursor, Chateau Laux. Chateau Laux was complete, in and of itself, but there were a few threads that I wanted to follow up on. There were some critical wounds in Chateau Laux that still needed healing, and this was my intention in The Lost Seigneur.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘The Lost Seigneur’?
A6. My writing style involves many drafts, and my final draft is often very different from the first. This can be a problem, if I send out a draft too soon, as most agents and publishers are very transactional in present time. However, the combination of patience and perseverance yields a much closer approximation of what I am trying to say. At some point, the book in progress sucks in its first breath of life, and this is a very exciting moment, indeed. You suddenly realize that something you created is alive and that much like a child leaving the home and going forth in the world, it has an existence that in some measure is independent of yours. With The Lost Seigneur, this process took four years.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
A7. Both Chateau Laux and The Lost Seigneur can be purchased through online platforms, such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others. They can also be purchased through bookstores that offer off-the-shelf and online sales opportunities.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘The Lost Seigneur’?
A8. When I first discussed the book cover with my designer, I had a very specific idea of the message that I wanted the cover to portray. I had made sketches and was prepared to set up a photo shoot to pursue the concept. However, knowing what I had in mind, my designer found a cover from available cover stock that was very good.
Coming up with the right title was a bit more challenging. For the longest time, I used a different title as a placeholder. Then, as the story evolved and the themes manifested, the current title revealed itself.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
A9. As a writer, I can easily get bogged down with repetition and excessive wordiness. I don’t worry about this in my first draft. But once I can see the story clearly, I go through an aggressive editing process. Then, when I have a finished draft at last, I ask a trusted reader or two to take a first look at the manuscript, so that I can take their criticisms into consideration. By waiting to engage readers in this manner, I minimize the risk that they will derail my writing process. Then, I will literally rewrite the book, saving what language I can, but starting all over with a more clearly defined and sharpened concept. At some point, the language comes alive, and the book starts to breathe on its own, as I indicated previously. This is a very exciting moment.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
A10. The most valuable advice I’ve been given is to keep writing. As unoriginal as this advice is, it is nevertheless profound. Finding your voice takes time. It may take rejection and will certainly require perseverance. Hammers and tongs not only make stronger steel, they make better creative expressions as well. Have faith in yourself. Keep working. Find good readers who will be honest with you, and when the time is right, find a good editor. Remember, as a writer, you are only one of the players that contribute to a meaningful final product. Honor and respect each contributor.
Sassy Reviews 