Hi Megan. Thanks so much for being here. Let's start off with this: when did you know you wanted to be a writer? When did you know you were one?
I’ve always written and even more so, I’ve always been a compulsive reader (and I love reading best), but I never had a distinct moment when I just knew. Maybe it’s yet to come!

Who or what inspired you as a kid or teenager?
Books (classics, pulp, true-crime, Southern Gothic, you name it) and old Hollywood movies (gangster movies, screwball comedies, melodramas). And my parents, both writers and both endlessly curious people.  Also: Archie comic books.

What creative work most recently inspired you?
The Maid’s Version by Daniel Woodrell and Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers.

The most underrated creative (writer, musician, artist) is …
I’ll go with Woodrell again. He’s very highly rated but should be rated a thousand times more.  Same with Jack Pendarvis, brilliant short-story writer, novelist, TV writer (Adventure Time), essayist.

In moments of self doubt, how do you push through?
Mostly, I don’t know what else to do. So I keep going. That, and the occasional cocktail.

Have you ever abandoned a creative project?
Countless. You can’t know until you’re in it. And sometimes you lose your way. I started my novel The End of Everything when I was twenty-three, abandoned it, and picked it up more than ten years later and finished it.

Which of your works comes closest to the way you heard/saw it in your head?
They always change, they really do. That’s part of the mystery and excitement of the process.

What was the best creative advice you ever received?
From the wonderful writer Wallace Stroby, quoting Harry Dean Stanton: “Whatever you do … is right.”

My favorite fictional character or hero is …
Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe.

The next book on my reading pile is …
An advance copy of Sophie Littlefield’s The Missing Place. It looks great.

The book I really should have read by now is …
So many! Let’s go with Crime and Punishment.

Does The Great American Novel exist (yet)? If so, what is it?
There’s been so many of them: Gatsby, Beloved, American Pastoral, Invisible Man. There couldn’t be just one. America is a complicated place.

What creative work might we be surprised to find on your shelf, iPod, or TiVo?
On my DVR I have many, many episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Facebook and Twitter: friend or foe to a creative?
Both.

In addition to writing, how do you express your creativity?
I’m a compulsive Instagrammer. I love taking pictures of strange and beautiful things.

The most difficult thing about the life of a creative is …
Isolation required.

For such a nice person, you seem drawn to some truly dark tales. What are some true-crime stories you find fascinating?
All of them. Many of my books are based on real-life crimes. There’s several cases that linger with me the most: Black Dahlia, Zodiac, Jeffrey MacDonald (the case immortalized in Fatal Vision). Recently, the Amanda Knox and Casey Anthony cases. But mostly it’s seeing these tales rendered in expert writerly hands, like Robert Kolker’s superior non-fiction book last year, Lost Girls.

"Above all, writing fiction involves a desire to enter the mystery of things: that human craving to know what cannot be known. In the ordinary world, for instance, we have no direct access to the thoughts of other human beings--we cannot 'hear' those thoughts--yet even in the most 'realistic' piece of fiction we listen as if through a stethoscope to the innermost musings of Anna Karenina and Lord Jim and Huck Finn. We know, in these stories, what cannot be known. It's a trick, of course. (And the tricks in these stories have been elevated into art.) In the ordinary sense, there is no Huck Finn, and yet in the extraordinary sense, which is the sense of magic, there most certainly is a Huck Finn and always will be. ... Beyond anything, I think, a writer is someone entranced by the power of language to create a magic show of the imagination, to make the dead sit up and talk, to shine light into the darkness of the great human mysteries."

from "The Magic Show" by Tim O'Brien

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON?

I am currently being swallowed whole by the initial drafts of a contemporary crime novel. The story is set where I live: Chester County, Pennsylvania. There is so much rich history here, but there is also a sense that nothing ever happens in what is essentially a quiet, tight-knit community. So I want to write about the darkness that occasionally overtakes an otherwise peaceful town.

HOW DOES YOUR WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS IN ITS GENRE?

Voice and setting. The crime genre (mystery, suspense, thriller, noir, however you want to subcategorize it) is certainly a well-beaten path littered with bodies and mayhem. I’m not as interested in the whodunit of a crime story. Instead I’m fascinated by setting — the history and character of a real place (or a place that feels real) — and the impact a crime has on the people in that place. Then, in telling that story of a place, I hope I bring to it a voice that is uniquely my own. I want my writing to be accessible, but also have some weight to it. It’s a difficult balance and a constant ambition. 

WHY DO YOU WRITE WHAT YOU DO?

Two answers: (1) it’s what I like to read and (2) it’s what I hear in my head. 

First, I admire all the greats of “literary crime” — in particular, Dennis Lehane, Ace Atkins, Tana French, George Pelecanos, William Lashner, Scott Turow, Laura Lippman, and so many others — and I devour it all. I’m a notoriously slow and deliberate reader (which is not exactly a helpful trait), but I’m making my way through the canon. I am attracted to stories of some social heft—stories you often hear categorized as “literary crime”—although a breezy whodunit is also a welcome read at the right moment. And I love Hitchcock films where an ordinary person is thrust into extraordinary circumstances. So, my writing is influenced by the writers I myself love to read and want to emulate. 

I also write what I do because quite simply these are the stories I hear in my head. Most creatives will tell you they are always talking to themselves, telling themselves stories, concocting tales in their imagination. I see characters and settings constantly, I hear their voices and their stories — it’s like a multi-theater cineplex running in my brain 24/7.  Most of the stories are based on some kind of “what if?” scenario — What if a dead body is found in an otherwise sleepy little town? What happens next? And then what? When these movies are playing out in your mind, sometimes a voice or a setting will speak to you a little more often or with a little more volume. And in that situation, you have no choice but to write it down. 

WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS LIKE?

My process is dictated by the project. But for the most part it comes down to filling the well every day with stories, characters, places, situations, and letting them play for a while in my unconscious. Then a partially formed story or character will bubble up from the plasma — I can’t let go of it, can’t stop shaping it, messing around with it, thinking it through. That’s when I know it’s time to start drafting.  

For me, the actual writing usually starts with a storyboard. I create a wall of index cards and Post-It notes with all the possible scenes in the story. Some of these will never see the light of day, but I put them on the wall until something else occurs to me. I tend to use a three-act structure (or more specifically four acts - I, IIA, IIB, and III) and place the index cards loosely within that structure. Bits of dialogue, scene descriptions, character notes will all go onto the index cards. I’m also constantly mind-mapping the story into my notebooks and keeping a running list of random thoughts in Evernote. It’s all very visual — I need to “see” the story.

Sometimes I just write from the storyboard and notes, which is kind of a loose skeleton outline (I usually transfer the boards to Scrivener writing software, which is in part a virtual corkboard, so I can carry it around with me). For the novel I’m working on now, the storyboard led to a more detailed synopsis. I’m finding I need that because I’m using several different points of view and time periods and the complications of the plot itself depend very much on structure and keeping everything straight.

My favorite part of “process” is REVISION. Early drafts are just a way to get at the real story you’re trying to tell. For my novel PHOENIXVILLE RISING, I worked from a storyboard until I had a solid first draft. Then I broke apart that draft into other outlines/storyboards and rewrote and rewrote. I read the story aloud, gave the manuscript to beta readers, hired professional editors, workshopped pieces of the book. And rewrote again. During the rewrites, new things will occur to you and you invariably will see connections or themes that weren’t visible in the early stages. One draft sparks the next. 

It’s fun but also requires patience. Because of their desire to get work out there—coupled with the fact that in this new age of publishing anyone can publish anything—too many writers unleash their work too soon. The writing is incomplete, not yet fully formed. Of course, it’s hard to know when you’re actually finished. Truth is, many of us will always see something in the final book that we would like to change. It’s never going to come out exactly the way you hear it in your head.

And that is the great frustration and the great joy of being a writer.

One of my all-time favorite writers, Laura Lippman, stopped by the blog to answer a few questions about creativity, inspiration, and (just for the hell of it) TV dads. 

I’ve loved Laura’s novels from BALTIMORE BLUES, the very first book in her top-notch Tess Monaghan mystery series, and I’ve long considered her stand-alone thriller WHAT THE DEAD KNOW to be a perfect crime novel. Laura has won every major award out there for crime and mystery writing--including the Edgar, Shamus, Agatha, Anthony, and Quill Award--and I was thrilled this New York Times bestselling author took the time to answer some questions for our readers here on robbcadigan.com.  

[Laura and I were going to play a game of 4 Questions, but we had so much fun, we’re sharing the whole Q&A with you.]

Hi Laura. Thanks for being here.  Why don’t we start off with this: When did you know you wanted to be a writer? When did you know you were one? 
Laura:  I was four when I first attempted to write a book, I was 12 when I made a run at it, but I think I knew I was going to be a writer when I took some pretty tough criticism from a workshop leader who didn't like my work. I wasn't discouraged or deflated by the experience. (It helped that her predecessor, Sandra Cisneros, had been immensely supportive.) 

Who or what inspired you as a child? … as a teenager? 
I had some really good teachers as a kid. Mrs. Schapiro for 2nd and third grade, who shared her love of modern art; Miss Klemm in 8th grade, who was kinder to my untamed imagination than my previous year's teacher; Lynn Collins in high school. She taught math, but she was my homeroom teacher and she kept me from doing the stereotypical girl panic at mathematics. 

Does the “Great American Novel” really exist (yet)? If so, what is it? 
How can there be just one? Whose America? 

In moments of self doubt, how do you push through? 
I look at the previous work-in-progress when it was at the same point as the current work-in-progress and am immensely cheered to see that it was even shittier than I remember.

Have you ever abandoned a creative project? 
Not yet. (Knocking wood wildly.)

Can you “turn off” your creative impulses and disconnect? 
Yes. 

The best fictional detective is … 
Harriet the Spy. 

Facebook: friend or foe to a creative? 
Well, it's like alcohol and I don't think I have a problem with alcohol and no one's staged an intervention, yet. I actually like Facebook. It's my water cooler.

The book I can’t wait to read again is … 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR BEANY. It's the only Lenora Mattingly Weber book I don't own, so it's been a while. 

The most underrated creative artist is … 
I do wish more people read James Hynes. Lots do. But more should.

Which of your works comes closest to the way you heard/saw it in your head? 
Closest? I think it really might be the next one, AFTER I’M GONE. I saw a series of set pieces, rituals that define lives. They all ended up in the book. 

In addition to writing, how do you express your creativity? 
You've heard about dancing like no one's looking? I hope no one's looking. I also love to cook. 

Mike Brady, Howard Cunningham, or Eric Taylor? 
None of the above. Danny Thomas! I want to be the child of a New York entertainer and live in that apartment. 

What is a “guilty pleasure” creative work we probably would be surprised to find on your shelves or your Tivo? 
I refuse to feel guilty. I like the “Real Housewives” of pretty much every city. And you know what? I never shame people about their choices in TV. Unless you're watching child pornography, animal torture or something that really exploits/demeans a person without that person's informed consent, what's the big deal? 

Who is your favorite literary character or hero? 
I'm going to go ahead and say it: Tess Monaghan. I created a character I wanted to be able to spend lots of time with, and I succeeded. She's funny and loyal. 

Do you read reviews of your work? 
Sure, but I don't seek them out. 

The book I really should have read by now is … 
written by a friend. It's hard, in a wonderful way, knowing so many talented people.

What was the best writing advice you ever received? 
"Finish."


A big thanks to Laura Lippman for visiting the blog today.  If you’re looking for a first-rate read, give yourself a treat and grab Laura’s most recent novel, AND WHEN SHE WAS GOOD, or any of the terrific Tess Monaghan series (I’m partial to IN A STRANGE CITY because of its Edgar Allan Poe connection and THE GIRL IN THE GREEN RAINCOAT). And be sure to look for Laura’s next novel, AFTER I’M GONE, coming in February 2014.  You can find out more at lauralippman.net.  But you’ll only hear about her affection for Danny Thomas right here.

Dennis, it's so great to talk with you today.  Let's start off with an easy one: When did you know you wanted to be a writer? 
When I was 20.

And when did you know you were one?
Still hoping.

Who or what inspired you as a kid or teenager?
Reading, watching movies from the '70s, hanging around a lot of bars and hearing people tell stories.

What creative work most recently inspired you?
THE SON by Phillip Meyer

The most underrated creative (writer, musician, artist) is …
Daniel Woodrell, though he's not very underrated anymore, thank goodness, and the movie QUICK CHANGE, which is a comic masterpiece that almost nobody's seen. 

In moments of self doubt, how do you push through? 
You just nut up. Tell yourself no job's easy if it's worth doing. My old man worked 35 years at Sears. I bet that job lost its luster around day 40. And he still put in another 11,000 days, give or take. I imagine telling him (he's deceased) how hard my job is, and then I imagine his arched eyebrow and accompanying look of amused contempt and I find my second wind.

Have you ever abandoned a creative project?
A few of them. It always sucks, it's always fraught with doubt and some self-loathing, but then again I've never looked back a year or two later and thought I was wrong. 

Which of your works comes closest to the way you heard/saw it in your head?
MYSTIC RIVER

What was the best creative advice you ever received?
"Finish"

My favorite fictional character or hero is …
George, the character Bob Hoskins played in MONA LISA. I'm also quite fond of Iago, for different reasons.

The last film I enjoyed was …
THE BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD    

The next book on my reading pile is …
THE DEVIL'S HIGHWAY by Luis Alberto Urrea

The book I can’t wait to read again is …
Any Elmore Leonard novel, any Andre Dubus short story, any Joseph Mitchell essay.

The book I really should have read by now is …
I don't think you should feel you should have to read any book. You should know your Shakespeare and probably your Bible and it's not a bad idea to be well-versed in the giants of the canon, but if you haven't read FINNEGANS WAKE (I haven't, though I did read PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST and ULYSSES, so there) or V., my feeling is there are only so many hours in a life. When I was in grad school, I kept passing on books that were in vogue at the moment to re-read Andre Dubus, Raymond Carver, and Denis Johnson's JESUS' SON. The work I chose endures; the work I passed on mostly hasn't. Like anything else, I guess, you pick your spots. 

Does The Great American Novel exist (yet)? If so, what is it?
There's a whole bunch of them. It's not a zero-sum game; there's no winner; there's no sound barrier to break.

What creative work might we be surprised to find on your shelf, iPod, or TiVo?
A lot of really dumb comedies. I can quote YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, THE NAKED GUN, AIRPLANE, TOP SECRET, DUMB & DUMBER, and HOT SHOTS pretty much verbatim. People who don't know me expect me to be dark and uber-serious, like Trent Reznor with an MFA or something. People who know me, on the other hand, roll their eyes at my general doofusness. 

In addition to writing, how do you express your creativity?
Wantonly. 

The most difficult thing about the life of a creative is …
Drawing blood from stone.

My three favorite Boston stories are:
COMMON GROUND by J. Anthony Lukas
THE LAST HURRAH by Edwin O'Connor
THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE by George V. Higgins

When I teach, I hope my writing students learn this ...
When in doubt, just tell the fucking story.

The tech evangelist Guy Kawasaki has a new book for self-publishers called A.P.E.: AUTHOR, PUBLISHER, ENTREPRENEUR. When I read that title, the first person that came to mind is my friend, Jim Breslin.

Jim Breslin is the author of ELEPHANT, a well-received collection of short stories and flash fiction. His fiction has been published in Metazen, Turk’s Head Review, Think Journal, and The Molotov Cocktail. His non-fiction has appeared in The World According to Twitter, WHYY's NewsWorks, and various other websites. 

With an ambitious vision and selfless desire to introduce the world to other new writers and storytellers, Jim created his own indie publishing company a few years ago and released the highly regarded anthology CHESTER COUNTY FICTION. (I was thrilled when my story "Baptism" was selected for inclusion in the collection.) Not content to promote only the written word, Jim also is the founder of the popular "West Chester StorySlam," now celebrating its fourth year, and the new "Delco StorySlam."

Jim and I met as colleagues more than 20 years ago at the TV shopping channel QVC. (He is currently working on an interlinked story collection where all the characters work at a fictional shopping channel. I know he has plenty of good material--I'm only afraid I may have personally given him some.) 

We have since become great friends, bonding over the love of story and a good pint. Jim has been an important mentor and advisor to me as I've worked on my own publication. I'm delighted he took the time for this very informative Q&A today.

Hey Jim, thanks for taking the time to be here today!  Tell us, when did you know you wanted to be a writer? When did you know you were one?
As a teenager, a high school teacher I really admired told us that THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP was his favorite book. I read the novel and was astounded. I don't know if I wanted to be a writer because I love the novel or because I wanted to be Garp (he was a writer.) My parents didn't like the idea so we agreed I'd go to school for TV/Radio with a minor in Journalism. As for when I knew I was one? Shortly after I published a few short stories and received some local press, my sons went to pick up cheesesteaks at a shop in town. They came home and said the owner asked them if "Jim Breslin the writer" was their dad. It was kind of funny. 

Who or what inspired you as a kid or teenager?
The high school English teacher I mentioned above. Mr. McGuire gave us a list he titled "Mr. McGuire's Top Ten Favorite Books of All Time" but the sheet had about fifty books listed. I had that sheet for years. He was an inspiration. Harry Humes, a professor and poet at Kutztown University, walked into our Creative Writing class the first day and read aloud Raymond Carver's short story "Why Don't You Dance?" I still get chills thinking about that.

What creative work most recently inspired you?
I read REVOLUTIONARY ROAD by Richard Yates this past summer. Totally blew me away. Every page is filled with tension, dread, and melancholy. Simply amazing, dark and beautifully tragic.  

The most underrated creative (writer, musician, artist) is …
Chaim Soutine. When I first visited the Barnes and saw Soutine's paintings, my jaw dropped. Why hadn't I known about him?

In moments of self doubt, how do you push through?
Writing does come in fits. It's easy to think something is brilliant one day and the next day it looks like crap. I believe in gestation - sometimes walking away from a project for months. Of course, I'll start something else in the meantime. I'm fortunate to be in two private critique groups with people whose opinions I trust.

Have you ever abandoned a creative project?
Yes. I have a few novels and dozens of short stories lying around that will probably not see the light of day. 

What was the best creative advice you ever received? 
I love this quote from Kerouac:  "I want to fish as deep down as possible into my own subconscious in the belief that once that far down, everyone will understand, because they are the same that far down."

My favorite fictional character or hero is …
Garp is my favorite male fictional character. Mildred Pierce is my favorite female fictional character. I fell in love with Mildred as I read the novel, and my crush was only deepened when I watched the mini-series with Kate Winslet. 

The last film I enjoyed was …
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD. I LOVE that movie. 

The next book on my reading pile is …
In the past week I read THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY and then yesterday I finished THE PARIS WIFE. I have two dozen books sitting on my stand. Not sure what I'll pick. It really is what strikes me when I go look at that pile. 

The short story I can’t wait to read again is …
"What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank" by Nathan Englander. I thought it would be a shoddy Carver imitation, but the story blew my mind. 

The book I really should have read by now is …
FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS by Hunter S. Thompson. 

Does The Great American Novel exist (yet)? If so, what is it?
I thought it was RABBIT, RUN by John Updike. I now think it is REVOLUTIONARY ROAD. 

What creative work might we be surprised to find on your shelf, iPod, or TiVo?
I'm listening to Skrillex and Public Enemy these days. 

Facebook and Twitter: friend or foe to a creative?
I see these both as being the water cooler for those who work at home. Sometimes, I play on these when I should be writing, so that is bad. But I have become friends with other writers and creative folks through FB and Twitter too, so the connections are awesome. 

In addition to writing, how do you express your creativity?
I wish I could say I'm a drummer in a punk band but I have no rhythm. I would say storytelling is my cross-training for my writing. I tell stories almost every month at West Chester Story Slam and Delco Story Slam. I've also told stories at Scranton Story Slam and on the Liberation Stage. 

The most difficult thing about the life of a creative is …
When the writing is good, getting inside your head for several hours is great, but it is often difficult to return to the real world. When the writing is good, sometimes the real world becomes a fog. 

Three beers (or bars or restaurants) people have to try when they visit Chester County. 
Only three? Side Bar has the best beer selection in West Chester. The Whip Tavern is a British style pub in the middle of nowhere and it is awesome, but you want a designated driver. Square Bar in West Chester is just a classic neighborhood bar with a good tap selection. And then there's Jake's, and there's Station Taproom, and ...

Some really great insight into the mind of an Author/Publisher/Entrepreneur! I appreciate having Jim Breslin here on the blog today (and with me in a pub anytime). And I love his storytelling too. His collection ELEPHANT is available now on amazon.com (the title story is terrific!). For a fun night out, check out the always-entertaining West Chester StorySlam or Delco StorySlam.  For more on Jim, you can find him on facebook, twitter (@jimbrez), and his website, jimbreslin.com 

Many people have a romantic idea of the writing life. It’s understandable. A writer just makes up stories out of thin air, after all, while sipping a latte and banging away on a laptop in a coffeeshop somewhere. That’s all there is to it.

Um, I wish. Unfortunately, this quote by author Gene Fowler is a little more accurate: “Writing is easy: all you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.”

It took me over ten years to write PHOENIXVILLE RISING. Over ten years of blood, sweat, and tears. Ten years.

I know, right?  

OK, not ten straight years of working only on this one story. I wrote other things in the meantime, including two other novels (and false starts on two others). But a portion of my psychic RAM was always devoted to PHOENIXVILLE RISING. And over the last 18 months, I concentrated 100% on a complete rewrite and fine-tuning of that original manuscript.

See, more than ten years ago, I wrote IT ALL COMES BACK, a novel that was the precursor to PHOENIXVILLE RISING. That story has many of the same elements of the current book. It’s a coming-of-age story, with crime elements, set in an abandoned steel mill. The novel moves back and forth in time between the beginning of the iron & steel industry (19th century) and the end of the mill (1980). That story was set in a “thinly veiled” version of Phoenixville, in a town called “Wiltondale.” There were other elements that have been stripped away over the years, but the same basic skeleton is there. And yes, I wrote most of that manuscript on a laptop, while hanging out in coffeeshops and libraries. But there was a whole lot more that went into this book than just making up stories out of thin air. 

Here's a glimpse:

RESEARCH

Every story requires research. Whether you’re writing a straight-forward police procedural or a story set in a school for young wizards, everything must be rooted in reality. Because PHOENIXVILLE RISING is set primarily in two different time periods, neither of which is present day, I needed to do a lot of research. I did not live through the Civil War, didn’t know Phoenixville when the steel mill was active, didn’t steal car radios as a teenager.

I conducted most of my research at places like the Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area, the Schuylkill River Heritage Center, the Chester County Historical Society, and the Phoenixville Public Library. I watched documentaries and read books about the Civil War and the steel industry. I took long walks around Phoenixville and studied the architecture. And I interviewed Phoenixville residents about their town.

WRITING

I don’t like to talk too much about my actual writing process. I guess I’m superstitious. But I will tell you that I try to stick to a specific word count every week. I tend to write in “bursts,” with some sections coming very easily and others coming out with great pain. And I definitely subscribe to Anne Lamott’s suggestion to write “shitty first drafts” -- the kind of writing you’d be humiliated for anyone to see if you got hit by a bus and your manuscript was discovered in your personal effects. But you just need to get it down on paper. Then you rewrite. And rewrite. And rewrite some more.

BETA READERS / WRITING GROUPS

After I “finish” a manuscript (or get it to a certain state of “doneness”), I give it to a few select readers. My wife gets the first read. She is an excellent editor and her comments are always direct and pointed. Spouses are funny that way. I also have a handful of other early readers who read the drafts and provide important feedback. I trust them to tell me what they really think -- and they do.

Over the years, I’ve also belonged to a few critique groups (groups where writers share our work back and forth for feedback). I prefer very small, select groups. The best group I belonged to included the writer Barbara Yost, writer/filmmaker Dan Hornberger, and writer Jael McHenry. (While we worked on IT ALL COMES BACK, we also worked on drafts of Jael’s debut novel THE KITCHEN DAUGHTER, which was released by Gallery Books in 2011 to great acclaim.) 

EDITING

Based on this early feedback, I write a few more drafts. For PHOENIXVILLE RISING, I also hired two professional editors. The first provided essential feedback that resulted in the initial major overhaul of the story. We concentrated on getting the voice(s) right and making sure the plot worked. The second editor, who I hired last summer when I decided to re-focus on PHOENIXVILLE RISING, helped me see the book in a new way and we worked well together to strip away the extraneous elements, tighten up the plot, and tell the story I ultimately wanted to tell. Additionally, one of my beta readers and writing group partners, Dan Hornberger, provided vital editing skills that shaped the finished novel. Dan has probably read PHOENIXVILLE RISING more times than anyone other than my wife and me.

REWRITING

Then I rewrote the story yet again. I sent the manuscript back to my beta readers who were willing to go through the manuscript one more time. I fine-tuned another draft. I lost count. The point is, I have no idea what number draft is about to be released to readers, but I promise you it is nowhere close to a “shitty first draft.”

LEARNING & NETWORKING

I have always looked at the past ten years as my graduate school. While I was writing, editing, and rewriting, I also was learning everything I could about the craft -- how to write AND how to publish and sell my work. I attended lectures by authors and teachers I admired, went to book signings & readings by other writers, participated in workshops, seminars, and conferences, bought lunches and beers for working writers to pick their brains about the craft and the business, and, most of all, I read. Classics, bestsellers, popular titles, and obscure little books. Constantly learning. 

I was an English/Creative Writing major in college, so I spent a lot of academic time on the craft. But I've continued my education long after college. I joined different writers communities, some online and some in person, including the excellent Brandywine Valley Writers Group (a fun mix of education and socializing with fellow writers). I've already blogged about my week at the Iowa Writers Workshop. One other class that deserves special mention is a nine-month class conducted by the Liars Club of Philadelphia, taught by the knowledgable and talented quartet of Jonathan Maberry, Marie Lamba, Jon McGoran, and Dennis Tafoya. In this class, I was able to work on the key rewrite of IT ALL COMES BACK. And the class ultimately connected me to several good mentors and the developmental editor I hired last year.

AND THEN ...

Finally, based on the feedback and counsel of these beta readers, editors, teachers, and advisors (and my own gut), I decided PHOENIXVILLE RISING was ready for release. I would like to explain the process that went into publishing and marketing the book, but I'll save that for a later blog. This post is already too long. My apologies. To paraphrase Pascal (and every good editor), I didn't have time to write a shorter one.

So, that's a little glimpse of what I do at work all day--what went into the writing (and rewriting) of PHOENIXVILLE RISING. And how what I hope will be an "overnight success" was really more than ten years in the making.

I'm hard at work on my next novel now. You'll find me banging away on a laptop and drinking a chai latte in a coffeeshop around the corner. I'll be the one with the drops of blood on his forehead.

Hey Kristen, thanks for being here. When did you know you wanted to be a musician? When did you know you were one?
I always thought I was a musician, even before I probably was. My sister and I were always in a band, even if we were the only ones in it, from the time I was two years old!

Who or what inspired you as a child … as a teenager?
As a really young kid, I loved listening to Casey Kasem's "Top 40 Countdown." I would have my cassette deck at the ready to bootleg record Melissa Manchester's "Don't Cry Out Loud" or Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" or Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing." By the time I was a teenager, it was all about Pat Benatar and Van Halen.

What creative work most recently inspired you?
An Australian singer/songwriter who goes by "Passenger" is my latest inspiration. He's who I listen to while I re-paint my house.

The most underrated creative (writer, musician, artist) is …
I guess I can't say "Antigone Rising" ... (Robb's note: so I'll say it for you, Kristen!)

What was the best creative advice you ever received?
Grammy-winning songwriter Julie Gold ("From a Distance") taught me her mantra: "They're Wrong." And that was the best advice I ever received. Of course, when we got our record deal, I put that mantra on hold for a little while.

The last concert I saw was ...
Pat Benatar, about two weeks ago!

The next book on my reading pile is …
Dr. Seuss's OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO... tonight at bedtime. 

The album I must have on a desert island …
The Beatles ABBEY ROAD

Does The Great American Novel exist (yet)? If so, what is it?
I don't think I'm qualified to answer this question--and the answer is probably fairly subjective. I love CATCHER IN THE RYE, but honestly, the most influential books in my life were probably all of Beverly Cleary's RAMONA books.

What creative work might we be surprised to find on your bookshelf, iPod, or TiVo?
I love anything written by Maeve Binchy. My good friend Gretchen was her publicist for a while. It always cracked her up to picture me backstage reading TARA ROAD or EVENING CLASS while we were out on tour with The Allman Brothers and The Rolling Stones. She said that was the furthest demographic they expected to reach!

The book I really should have read by now is …
THE BIBLE?

Facebook and Twitter: friend or foe to a creative?
Yes.

In addition to writing and performing, how do you express your creativity?
I play and coach soccer. My choice of socks may be a form of expression, as are the drills I come up with for the four year olds. We've found soccer and Hula-Hoops are natural mates.

The song I sing most often with my kids is ...
My kids and I write rock operas all day long. We "sing-speak" to each other. So, depending on whatever we're talking about on a particular day, that's our song. We also love The Beatles, Elton John, and ANNIE.

The most difficult thing about the life of a creative is …
I think part of being creative is working around the difficult.

If I could go back in time to our very first concert, I would tell the band ...
"Buckle Up."

Duane Swierczynski is another of my favorite writers, a master of action and noir, and--despite his means-streets-of-Philadelphia persona--a heck of a nice guy.  

Duane is the author of several crime thrillers, including the Edgar-nominated and Anthony Award-winning EXPIRATION DATE, as well the Charlie Hardie series (FUN & GAMES, HELL & GONE, POINT & SHOOT), which have been nominated for Anthony, Shamus, Macavity and Barry awards. Many of his novels are currently in development for TV. 

But kick-ass novels aren’t the only thing in this prolific writer’s bag of tricks. Duane currently writes the IDW comic-book series JUDGE DREDD and the Dark Horse series X, and has written about the Punisher, Birds of Prey, Godzilla, Cable, Bloodshot, the Immortal Iron Fist, Werewolf By Night, Black Widow and Deadpool. He also collaborated with CSI creator Anthony E. Zuiker on a series of bestselling "digi-novel" thrillers which include LEVEL 26: DARK ORIGINS, DARK PROPHECY, and DARK REVELATIONS. In a previous life, Duane worked as an editor and writer for DETAILS, MEN’S HEALTH, and PHILADELPHIA magazines, and was the editor-in-chief of the PHILADELPHIA CITY PAPER. 

As you can see, Duane’s a busy, busy writer and I was thrilled he took the time to do a drive-by Q&A for us here on the blog:

Hey Duane, when did you know you wanted to be a writer? When did you know you were one?
Sophomore year of high school, when I would write short horror stories and pass them to my friends -- who'd laugh or be grossed out, or ideally, both. I can't remember a moment where I 'knew," but I remember obsessing over the question during my high school and college years. 

Who or what inspired you as a kid?
The Splatterpunk school of horror writers -- Clive Barker, David J. Schow, Skipp and Spector -- were huge influences. For their attitude as much as the material. It was my version of punk rock.

What creative work most recently inspired you?
I learn something from everything I read or listen to; right now I'm reading BURNT OFFERINGS by Robert Marasco, and it's a great lesson in how to write a slow burn. (Seriously, no pun intended...)

The most underrated creative (writer, musician, artist) is …
Pretty much everyone I admire.

In moments of self doubt, how do you push through?
Like Mickey Spillane, I take a look at my mortgage statement.

Have you ever abandoned a creative project?
Oh yeah. I have a virtual graveyard of abandoned projects... though I don't believe any of them are completely dead. The odd one will rise from the ground now and again.

Do you read reviews of your work?
For my novels? Yes. For the comics? Not so much.

Which of your works comes closest to the way you heard/saw it in your head?
They almost always come out different -- but I think that's a good thing. Novels are supposed to evolve as you write them.

How the heck do you write so much?
I really don't. I wish I wrote more. I'm always a few months behind the "where I thought I'd be" target in my head.

Your favorite fictional character or hero?
Right now it's a tie between RoboCop and Mike Erhmantraut from BREAKING BAD.

The next book on your reading pile is ...
Daniel Woodrell's THE MAID'S VERSION.

The book you can’t wait to read again is …
I do re-read books, but they're dependent on a particular mood striking me.

Does The Great American Novel exist (yet)? If so, what is it?
No idea. I'm trying to write the Great Polish-American Novel.

What creative work might we be surprised to find on your shelf or your TiVo?
I really don't think anything on my shelves would surprise you. And if it did, it's probably because my kids put it there by mistake.

What is the book you really should have read by now?
Geez, so many, but the one that comes to mind is CRIME AND PUNISHMENT.

Facebook and Twitter: friend or foe to a creative?
Both possess the potential for Great Good and Serious Evil. I try to pull myself away on a regular basis.

In addition to writing, how do you express your creativity?
On the charcoal grill. Oh, the tales I have spun with raw meat!

The most difficult thing about the life of a creative is …
Living inside your head so much. It's necessary, but it can wreak havoc on your home life.

The next comic-book movie they really should make is …
None of them. We've had enough for a while, haven't we?

What was the best writing advice you ever received?
Joe Lansdale's" "Writing = ass + chair."

If you’re a fan of slam-bang thrillers, with loads of action and suspense, check out the work of Duane Swierczynski. His Charlie Hardie trilogy is a fun joyride of extreme action, with a big serving of Duane’s humor on the side. I also loved EXPIRATION DATE and THE BLONDE. Oh, and THE WHEELMAN, which Duane signed for me when we met at NoirCon in his beloved Philadelphia. All good stuff. Learn more about Duane at his website, www.secretdead.com, and follow him on twitter.com/swierczy.

Some writers entertain, some enlighten, and some inspire. For me and countless others, Reed Farrel Coleman does all three.

The former Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America, Reed Farrel Coleman has been called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the “Noir Poet Laureate” in the Huffington Post. The author of sixteen novels and two novellas, along with several short stories, essays, and poetry, Reed is a three-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year and is a two-time Edgar Award nominee. He has also won the Macavity, Audie, Barry, and Anthony Awards. He is an adjunct instructor of English at Hofstra University and a founding member of MWA U.  

I met Reed a few years back at NoirCon, a creative conference and celebration of all things noir. After hearing him discuss the elements of hard-boiled fiction and chatting with him at a break, I grabbed some of his books and was immediately hooked. His Moe Prager series is one of my absolute favorites. If you don't know Moe, you really should. And by getting to know Moe, you'll get to know Reed Farrel Coleman as well.

As Reed says on his website, reedcoleman.com: "There is a superficial resemblance between Moe Prager and Reed Farrel Coleman. We're both from the same neighborhood in Brooklyn (Sheepshead Bay/Coney Island) and we went to the same high school (Abraham Lincoln), but Moe is older than me and would be about my oldest brother's age. Moe is better looking than me, but I'm smarter. On a deeper level, Moe and I share the same struggle with our Judaism."

A friend to creatives, a teacher, and one of my favorite writers, Reed Farrel Coleman stopped by the blog today and I couldn't be more thrilled.

Hi Reed, please tell us: when did you know you wanted to be a writer? When did you know you were one?
If you count poetry as writing, I wanted to be a writer since I was thirteen. That was the year I began writing bad adolescent boy poetry about loving girls who didn’t love me back and death. I suspected from the day I attempted writing my first poem I knew. The charge I got out of writing, out of being able to express myself in words that were unlike the words I spoke, was a revelation. Although I never hoped or expected to have a career as a writer, I knew I would always write even if only a very few people ever saw my work.    

Who or what inspired you as a child? … as a teenager?
I was a child of the 60s. If the turmoil and music and social upheaval and Vietnam and the space program couldn’t get your juices going … But the fact is that I was guided into writing by family circumstance. My dad was diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer (which he lived with for a further 36 years) when I was four. And in my family, we communicated with screaming and anger. After a while, no matter how angry you are or how loud you scream, no one hears you. Writing and poetry gave me a way to express myself that allowed me to be heard. 

What creative work most recently inspired you?
Great question. I think the public at large believes that writers stop being influenced and inspired once they’ve established themselves in their careers. For me, at least, nothing could be further from the truth. I am constantly inspired and influenced. Most recently I’ve been rereading a lot of Robert B. Parker and I’ve been juiced by the seeming simplicity of his language and his plotting. (Robb's note: Reed's essay on Parker and his work in the collection IN PURSUIT OF SPENSER is not to be missed.) And on the exact opposite side of the spectrum, I just finished Daniel Woodrell’s THE MAID'S VERSION. Amazing. Amazing stuff. The book is like 160 pages long, but is so rich and textured that the reader never feels cheated or overburdened. His work cries out to be read and reread.

The most underrated creative (writer, musician, artist) is …
Daniel Woodrell would be top of the writing list for me. Peter Spiegelman would be a close second. These are two great writers whom everyone should know and read.

In moments of self doubt, how do you push through?
Self-doubt? A writer’s life is almost nothing else, so what choice do you have but to push through? Laymen misunderstand writers. Think of the hubris a writer has to have to believe people will spend money they could otherwise spend on food or gas or to go to the movies or a ballgame for a book. A book, which was once an idea in someone’s head that became words on a page. You think that might cause you to have doubts? I could go on about this, but I think you see the point.

Have you ever abandoned a creative project?
Yes. Not frequently, but yes. Sometimes the creative idea doesn’t support the project when you translate it from idea to reality.

Which of your works comes closest to the way you heard/saw it in your head?
GUN CHURCH

My favorite character in fiction is …
Can’t say. I can tell you who they aren’t: Gatsby or Holden Caulfield.

The next book on my reading pile is …
A MAN WITHOUT BREATH by Philip Kerr

Does The Great American Novel exist (yet)? If so, what is it?
Yes, but there are many. To think there is one great anything is silly. Think of it in terms of golf. Does anything Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson do diminish what Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, or Bobby Jones did? Of course not.

What creative work might we be surprised to find on your bookshelf or TiVo?
The DVDs of the Abbott and Costello television series.

Facebook and Twitter: friend or foe to a creative?
Facebook-friend. Twitter-foe. They are both giant time sucks.

In addition to writing, how do you express your creativity?
Cooking.

The most difficult thing about the life of a creative is …
Watching the sacrifices my family has made for me to chase my career.

The Coney Island attraction I miss the most is ...
The Cyclone. Although I can still travel into Brooklyn to ride it, I am no longer the sad kid who found solace and romance and joy in it.

What was the best writing advice you ever received?
My poetry writing professor at Brooklyn College, David Lehman, said that to be a writer you had to think of yourself as a writer. He made us take a pledge—raising our right hands and reciting—that from that moment forward we swore to think of ourselves as writers regardless of what we did to earn a living. It may seem silly to you, but that moment changed my life. Years later, after I had published several novels, I went to a reading by David and we discussed that moment. He’d totally forgotten it. Figures.


My thanks to Reed Farrel Coleman for visiting us today. Be sure to grab Reed's latest Gulliver Dowd mystery, VALENTINO PIER, or any of the terrific Moe Prager series. ONION STREET, the penultimate Moe Prager novel, was chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of its Best Summer Reads for 2013. (ONION STREET and THE JAMES DEANS are particular favorites of mine. Oh, and HURT MACHINE. Hell, they're all great.) And don't miss the final Moe Prager book, THE HOLLOW GIRL, coming in June 2014. You can find Reed on Facebook and reedcoleman.com.