Reading and writing has always been a bit of a passion for Rick since he learned at an early age that writing was in his blood. After a degree in English he started work as a field officer for the Internal Revenue Service and after a bit of encouragement from his wife decided to tackle his own book. Currently with two well known series to his name (The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, for young readers, and The Highly Effective Detective, for adults) and with his new series about to hit shelves we thought that it was about time we got to grips with this elusive author. So digging deep we delved into his own monsters and in particular the Oreo Cookie Monster that hits his house at midnight...Falcata Times: Writing is said to be something that people are afflicted with rather than gifted and that it's something you have to do rather than want. What is your opinion of this statement and how true is it to you?
Rick Yancey: There are times when it does feel like an affliction, a nervous disorder or a fever born of a malicious contagion. A little voice urging and chastising you by turns. "You must . . ." "Not good enough . . ." Other times, I do feel like one of the blessed of the earth in that I am free, at least for a few hours each day, of the worldly concerns that occupy most of our thoughts.
FT: When did you realise that you wanted to be a writer?
RY: Around the age of fourteen or fifteen. We were studying short fiction in school, and my five-page assignment turned into 25. That was my first clue.
FT: It is often said that if you can write a short story you can write anything. How true do you think this is and what have you written that either proves or disproves this POV?
RY: I haven't written a short story in about twenty-five years. They are incredibly difficult, and I admire the true masters of the craft (Eudora Welty and John Cheever leap immediately to mind).
FT: If someone were to enter a bookshop, how would you persuade them to try your novel over someone else's and how would you define it?
RY: I'd first offer to sign it, then I'd tell them it was better than 90% of all the other books on the shelves. If that didn't work, I would not be above offering a small bribe as an incentive.
FT: How would you "sell" your book in 20 words or less?
RY: "It's better than 90% of the books in your average bookstore. Still not interested? How much would it take on my end to close the deal?" Is that less than 20 words?
FT: Who is a must have on your bookshelf and whose latest release will find you on the bookshops doorstep waiting for it to open?
RY: I'm reading "The Alientist" by Caleb Carr. Part of the story in the second MONSTRUMOLOGIST installment is set in New York City, as is this novel's. I'm a huge fan of detective fiction; love Robert Parker's Spenser series.
FT: When you sit down and write do you know how the story will end or do you just let the pen take you? ie Do you develop character profiles and outlines for your novels before writing them or do you let your idea's develop as you write?
RY: As my career progresses I find myself outlining more. In the first few books, I never outlined, but now find it does help save time. That said, it is a exhilarating and sometimes frightening when a character takes over the story and you're just along for the ride.
FT: What do you do to relax and what have you read recently?
RY: I love hanging out with my wife and kids, doing puzzles (I read somewhere it delays the onset of dementia), going to the movies, reading, and travel. Recently finished that old standby "Dracula."
FT: What is your guiltiest pleasure that few know about?
RY: I sometimes eat six to seven Oreo cookies at midnight with a big frosty glass of milk.
FT: Lots of writers tend to have pets. What do you have and what are their key traits (and do they appear in your novel in certain character attributes?)
RY: I have two dogs. A very old and mean lhasa named Maddie and a very old and sweet black lab named Casey. The first is manipulative and moody; the second is laid-back and even-tempered. I look to Maddie for the darker side of human nature, to Casey for the reason we never give up faith in the future.
FT: Which character within your latest book was the most fun to write and why?
RY: Probably the bad guy. Bad guys are always fun to write about.
FT: How similar to your principle protagonist are you?
RY: We're alike in our monomaniacal pursuit of our careers. I can't decide which is more quixotic: writing books or hunting monsters.
FT: What hobbies do you have and how do they influence your work?
RY: I like puzzles; maybe that helps me write the dectective books.
FT: Where do you get your idea's from?
RY: Not any one source. I like to write books I would love to read. Nobody else is going to write them, so I do!
FT: Do you ever encounter writers block and if so how do you overcome it?
RY: When writing is your living, writer's block is a pleasant conceit you cannot afford to indulge in.
FT: Certain authors are renowned for writing at what many would call uncivilised times. When do you write and how do the others in your household feel about it?
RY: I prefer to write in the mornings, but I've written at every hour and usually seven days a week when I'm pressed on a deadline. Much of THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST was composed in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes till three a.m.
FT: Sometimes pieces of music seem to influence certain scenes within novels, do you have a soundtrack for your tale or is it a case of writing in silence with perhaps the odd musical break in-between scenes?
RY: Movie soundtracks are great for the adventure novels (ALFRED KROPP and THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST) The soundtrack of GLADIATOR works quite well.
FT: What misconceptions, if any, did you have about the writing and publishing field when you were first getting started?
RY: I honestly believed that once you published your first novel, life becomes easy. Parties, travel, fame, gobs of money. I was quickly disabused of that notion. The amount of books published in the States is staggering, about 75,000 each year according to the latest statistics I saw. I was also slow to appreciate how hard work has just begun with the words "The End." Marketing and promotion of a published book is as time-consuming as the actual writing of it.
FT: If music be the food of love, what do you think writing is and please explain your answer?
RY: A former professor once said to me "Art is how the soul breathes." That's how I feel about writing. Between books, I'm an incomplete mess. In the middle of one, I'm a neurotic, distracted one.
FT: What can you tell us about the next novel?
RY: The next consists of the two journals following the first three that comprise THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST. The creature encountered in this adventure is, like the Anthropophagi, one I had never heard of but appears to be quite well-reported in the literature.
FT: What are the last five internet sites that you've visited?
RY: Many sites related to New York in the 1890's as well as sites devoted to cryptozoology.
FT: Did you ever take any writing classes or specific instructions to learn the craft? If so please let us know which ones.
RY: I attended a semester-long seminar while in college. Other than that, I read a few books on the subject. The rest is learning-by-doing, trial and error, and making more mistakes than I care to count.
FT: How did you get past the initial barriers of criticism and rejection?
RY: I never got past them. A bad review still cuts me to the bone, and I'm depressed for days.
FT: In your opinion, what are the best and worst aspects of writing for a living?
RY: Best: never having to wear a tie.
Worst: the constant, nagging worry that your best work may be behind you.
Worst-worst: You were never really that good to begin with.
No comments:
Post a Comment