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My guest this week is a musician as well as an author. His debut novel,Pixels of Young Mueller, is all about an artist growing up... a young man who dreams of becoming a world famous rock star, but then life gets in the way. It's a book that spoke to me because I could relate to the dreamer qualities of the main character and how he feels that the way of life he is living is not really the one he wants to be living as he wants to express his artistic self to the world. It's the type of book that I think everyone will be able to relate to in one way or other. It's a very honest account of a young man growing up, a coming of age tale with a musical twist. I would highly recommend it, especially to people who love music.

I first met Jerry Schwartz on Twitter when I was giving away a copy of my first novel Coincidences. He entered the giveaway and won a copy. After that, I read his book and we have been good online friends since.

Jerry has very kindly agreed to give away a copy of his excellent novel to one lucky reader of my blog. I'm going to change the rules slightly for this giveaway. Usually, I ask you to enter by commenting on the blog post, but I know that some people don't like to leave comments. So, all you have to do to enter is to 'Like' the blog post and you'll be entered into the draw!! It would be lovely to see all your comments too, though, so don't let that put you off.

A lucky winner will be picked at random on 31st May 2011.

Here are Jerry's replies to my interview questions:


As well as being a very talented writer, you are also a musician. You are the man behind The Jerrys, a Beatles-influenced pop/indie band. Are you a one-man band, or are there other musicians involved in The Jerrys?



Thank you, Maria. For the most part, The Jerrys are just me. I love being the whole band, as members always agree on everything and there are no conflicts with schedules. I do enjoy bringing in other musicians from time to time. Robert Porche (drums/vocals) has appeared on a few songs, as well as in a few videos. In addition, Tom Clishem (vocals) and my brothers Todd (guitar) and Troy (drums) have each appeared on one song.


Your debut novel, Pixels of Young Mueller, is a coming-of-age story all about a young man who dreams of being a rock star. When I was reading it, I did wonder if it was in fact a memoir as you are a musician. How much of the story is based on your own life?

A reviewer referred to it as an autobiographical novel, and while I had not heard the term before, I thought that sounded fair enough. I wrote Pixels of Young Mueller as a Kunstlerroman (German for “artist novel”), the story of the growth and development of an artist. It’s based on my life, but I have taken liberties with facts to create Klaus Mueller.


How did you think up the title for the book?

That was the easiest part--I knew from the beginning that I wanted both “young” and “Mueller” in the title, and as I began writing, it seemed “pixels” was a great way to describe the bits that make up the story. In the end, it seemed like a nice play on Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, so I went with it.


Pixels of Young Mueller is quite original as it’s almost interactive. Klaus Mueller’s songs can be heard on The Jerrys’ website, and some of the lyrics appear in the novel. Since publishing the book, have you noticed many readers becoming fans of the band?

Thousands! Just kidding. Curiously, I am getting a lot more MySpace fans, but I don’t know whether that has anything to do with the book. I thought MySpace was supposed to be dead already--what’s up with that?


How has the book been received by existing fans of The Jerrys?

So far, they are still fans, so I’m taking that as a good sign!


I thoroughly enjoyed Pixels of Young Mueller. It is very well written, and I think that the main character, Klaus Mueller, is someone that most people will be able to relate to in one way or another. When you were writing the book and developing the character, did you have any particular type of reader in mind?

Thanks, Maria. I mainly wrote Pixels for me. I have always enjoyed books by James Joyce, Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de,Rabelais, Francois, Samuel Butler, Sterne, Laurence, etc, and it seemed to me that no one was writing those kinds of books anymore. Someone needed to step up to the plate and take a swing, so I did.


Do you have any other novels in the pipeline?

I’m working on a second Mueller novel, totally unlike the first. As one example, I’m using first-person narrative for this book, whereas I used third-person omniscient narrative in Pixels of Young Mueller. Also, I have ditched previous themes for new ones, which by their nature and no intent of mine will have broader commercial appeal.


I have seen from The Jerrys’ website that you have produced quite a few CDs. How would you describe The Jerrys’ sound?



People describe The Jerrys as Beatlesque, and that’s probably as good a start as any, but I don’t think it’s the best description. I’m probably not the best person to ask, but when I think of The Jerrys, I think of trebly guitars, Vox amps, harmonies, power chords, and a DIY attitude.




What bands influenced you most when you were growing up, and what was it about their style/music that you liked?

I grew up listening to The Beatles, The Kinks, Paul Revere and The Raiders, The Who, The Monkees, The Rascals, etc. Actually, I never just listened to them--I lived for them. Their music was my life, and there was nothing more exciting than electric guitars and drums and good singing. At times, I cared about nothing else.


What was the first album you ever bought?

The Beatles 1962-1966


What kind of music do you prefer to listen to?

I listen to a lot of music, but I prefer music that is upbeat and that makes me tap my foot. Ideally, the main instruments are guitars and the singer has an attitude.


Do you keep up to date with the current music scene? If so, what new bands have caught your eye recently?

I have a teenage daughter who LOVES music, so I’m pretty familiar with what is popular, at least. I hear a hook or two once in a while that sticks with me (usually Ke$ha), but as far as the current band scene goes, I’m disappointed. I’d rather not name names, but I don’t understand the success of some of these bands. In terms of recent releases, I’m listening to comeback albums from the Smithereens and the Cars. My favorite current band is the Dandy Warhols.


Do you have any tips for someone who is considering self-publishing their book?

I have not self-published before, but I do know that there are a lot of great resources out there. In addition, I would probably seek out people who have self-published their books to benefit from their experience. Any author should make sure that his or her book is the best it can be before submitting or publishing, and that means sleeping on it and coming back to it more than a few times. I would also mention that whether you are self-published or published by one of the biggies, you’d better be ready to promote your work. Like it or not, that’s how it is.


Who are your favourite authors and what is it about their writing that you like?

My favorite author is Joyce, despite the fact that I’m not the biggest fan of Finnegans Wake--at least not yet! I also love William Shakespeare, Italo Svevo, Sterne, Butler, Cervantes, etc. In each case, my favorite thing about their writing is that it is so undeniably them. It’s not only what they are saying--it’s how they are saying it.


Is there a book you own that you’ve read more than once?

The list of books that I have read more than once is too long to include here. I have always thought of books as being like albums in the sense that I would never think of listening to a good album only once. Each reading or listening brings new rewards.


What was the last book you read?

Googled: The End of the World as We Know It by Ken Auletta


Are you reading a book at the moment?

I’m reading Website Optimization: Speed, Search Engine & Conversion Rate Secrets by Andrew B. King. It’s a nice blend of search engine marketing and web performance optimization.


What do you think of ebooks?

I enjoy reading on a Kindle as much as I do reading printed books. In the end, it’s all about reading. As wonderful as technology is, it has brought with it a great number of distractions, and I don’t think people read as much as they used to (or need to). I like to think that ebooks will inspire new interest in an old pastime.


How important are reviews for you as a writer?

Tough question. Sometimes I think reviews matter, while at other times I don’t care. When people tell me they like my book, I always recommend that they post a review, but I don’t mind if they don’t. I’m not one to post a review of every book I read, so I get it.


How did you go about choosing the cover for your book?



One of the major themes of Pixels of Young Mueller is flight--the artist flying away from the things that hold him down--so I wanted a bird on the cover. Specifically, I wanted to use one of Max Ernst’s birds, as I am a big fan of those paintings, but I guessed that would cost a small fortune, so I did not pursue it. I created my own bird instead.


What are you working on now?

I released a new full-length album by The Jerrys just a few days ago, so I’m ready to hit the ground running on my second novel. I’ve already started the project, but because of my music, I have not been able to get real momentum going. That is all about to change, which I find exciting. The fact that I am ditching the album format for new music will free me up a bit more as well.




Where can people buy your book?

Pixels of Young Mueller is available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle Edition, as well as from the publisher, All Things That Matter Press.

Amazon

All Things That Matter Press


You can read more about Jerry and his projects on his website


Thank you for being a wonderful guest, Jerry.

Remember, all you have to do to enter the draw to win a copy of the amazing Pixels of Young Mueller, is leave a comment or 'Like' this blog post! Good luck! This is an international competition.