With
my graduate work dominating most of the past two years, my blogging has been
nonexistent. Thankfully, all of that is behind me. I’m excited about some
upcoming projects which I will be revealing shortly. But today I’m excited
about a recent “conversation” with author John Hegenberger. John is the author
of the newly released Spyfall. I can
say that this book delivers on all fronts! The pop culture references fly fast
and furious, and the story is rich with crackling dialogue. The protagonist is
a P.I. named Stan Wade, and the setting is Los Angeles in the late 1950s. In
fact, Stan offices out of the famous Brown Derby, and just that premise alone
had me hooked! Throw in my love of all things Eisenhower Era and Kennedy Era,
Cold War intrigue, and it’s as if John wrote the perfect book for me! I have a
more detailed review coming soon, but for now I’m pleased to present John’s
thoughts on writing, the state of publishing, and advice he has for others
entering the field.
Ryan:
First of all, I have to ask, where did your inspiration for Stan Wade come from?
He’s such a great character and you manage to weave so many pop culture
references and icons into his stories. Have you always been a fan of classic
Hollywood? Is he modeled on anyone? In other words, if you had to pick an actor
from Tinsel Town’s golden era to play him, or any era, is there anyone you
picture in your mind?
John:
Okay, let’s have some fun! I came to the idea by thinking about all the
great television shows I used to watch as a kid and wondered what might happen
if the characters were to team up. In other words, what if Mike Hammer
visited 77 Sunset Strip in order to work with Sky King to help stop something
from happening to Joe Friday. When I think of Stan Wade, I picture
Anthony Perkins. Young, hip, but maybe troubled.
Ryan:
It seems as if your work is appearing regularly now, but until earlier this
year, I was unfamiliar with it. Is publishing something new for you? Have you
written for years and just recently put it out there or is writing new to you
entirely?
John:
I wrote some science fiction starting in the ‘70s. I had a couple of nonfiction
books published in the late ‘80s and lots of articles and a newspaper column.
SPYFALL is published by Black Opel Books and, as with most authors, it was
simply a case of travelling each day to the marketplace where dreams are bought
and sold, hopefully taking my place among the sellers.
Quite
a number of years back, it occurred to me that if you were a writer, you could
work anywhere. That's all I needed.
Ryan:
I have to ask about rejection, as I think every writer has faced it. Did you
face much of it? If so, how did you handle it and what advice do you have for
other writers when facing it?
John:
Rejection never goes away, especially if you set your aim high. You just have
to expect that, like a salesman knocking on doors, you have to play the numbers
game and keep going until you get a sale. Rejection is not your fault. Usually
the buyer has all sorts of problems of their own that you know nothing about.
That means it's their problem, so just keep on keeping on.
Ryan:
Digital publishing has certainly changed the game. Do you think this is a good
thing? What are your thoughts on the era of Kindles and Nooks and more freedom
as an author?
John:
I think digital publishing will continue to expand. Eventually the large houses
will incorporate it to a point where there's a clear dividing line between
self-publishing and traditional publishing. We may be there already, but it is still
possible for a small press publisher to have a big hit. And that's the beauty
of electronic digital publishing.
Ryan:
Do you have a goal of “words per day” that you try to meet? Do you keep a
regular writing schedule?
John:
No real goal, except perhaps to have four pages per day, on the days that I'm writing.
And I'm writing about four days per week. Usually in the afternoons. Reading
time is considered a part of the process and that happens every day
Ryan:
Do you work from an outline or just wing it as you go? Do you usually have the
whole story mapped out, or do you just sort of see where the characters take
you, working from a general idea?
John:
I have to outline, mostly because I want to know who done it and I want to know
where I can stick in some clever or exciting twist or setting and have it makes
sense. However, during the writing process, I probably re-re-outline three
times at least.
Nothing
pleases me more than to have an entire story figured out and then at the last
moment recognize that there's another whole aspect of the story which I haven't
spent any time on at all. It's an opportunity to jump in with a nifty new
twist.
Ryan:
Who are some of the other authors you enjoy?
John:
I like to read stories that surprise me and gave me a chuckle. Favorite authors
right now include: Craig Johnson, Dick Lochte, Mark Coggins, and Paul Kemprecos.
And, I keep coming back to most of that works by Stuart Kaminsky.
Ryan:
Do you have any advice for “wannabe” authors like myself who dream of one day
being published?
John:
Have fun! If it's not fun, it's not worth doing. If you're writing and it's not
fun, maybe you shouldn't be writing. Maybe you should be outlining.
But whatever the case, don’t let the bastards grind you down.
Also,
never throw anything away. Everything has a place; you just have to figure out
where it goes in the overall process. Beyond that, just sit down and see what
you’ve typed and how you can make it better.
Ryan:
What should we look for coming up from you? Will Stan be back often? What genres
are you currently working in?
John:
Yes, Stan will be back! His next book, STARFALL, will be out in February. I
expect to have maybe two additional novels in the series out later in 2016. I
have another series about a private eye in 1988 and the next book is called
CROSSFIRE, scheduled for publication in January. Finally, there are a few
science fiction books that will be published in 2016. One is part of a trilogy
called, interestingly enough, TRIPLEYE and it involves the first private I
agency… on Mars.
If
you want to know more about John, click here. If you want to purchase one of
his fine novels (and I highly suggest you do), click here. A big thank you to John Hegenberger
for taking the time to answer these questions!