Mayra Calvani's Blog - Posts Tagged "general-fiction"
Interview with Sam Newsome, author of JOE PEAS
He received a BA in American history from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1971. He received his medical degree from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine (now Wake Forest University School of Medicine) in 1975. He completed his residency and certification in family medicine in 1978. In 1992 he received his certification in Geriatric Medicine.In 1978 he returned to King with his wife, Betty, to begin his practice in family medicine. As part of his practice, he staffed the community hospital and the county health department. He also began a county jail health program and continued to care for patients in local long-term care facilities.
He has two sons. Carlton shares a love of writing and lives in Raleigh. Justin lives in Winston-Salem and is an engineer at B/E aerospace.
Sam continues to live with Betty, his wife for forty-five years, in King, North Carolina. He continues to be fully involved in his medical practice.
His first novel, Jackie, was published in October 2013. It chronicles the life of an unfortunate child with autism spectrum who was bullied and abused in school till he was ruled uneducable. As a young adult he is discovered to have a near supernatural ability that propels him to a historic destiny.
His recent effort, Joe Peas, grew out of his experiences in medical practice and explores the increasing demands for conformity in our modern world. He does this in the setting of a long-term care facility that gives him the opportunity to both entertain and educate.
Q: Congratulations on the release of your latest book, Joe Peas. To begin with, can you give us a brief summary of what the story is about and what compelled you to write it?
A: James King is a family doctor who is bound by a life that is too full of structure and regulation. His routine is interrupted by an itinerant Italian house painter, Joe Peas. Joe’s free spirited life is a sharp contrast to Doc’s. They bond, and eventually, after an accident, Joe becomes a rehab patient in Doc’s long-term care facility. As Doc is drawn to his patient’s vagabond lifestyle, Joe begins to miss the family and human connections he never had.The long-term care facility is populated by residents with problems including traumatic brain injury, stroke, colon cancer, and advanced age. Joe’s infectious personality gets him involved in all their struggles and issues.
As Joe’s secret life begins to unfold, he creates a plot to help Doc with his own personal struggles. The Italian’s scheme is both unique and surprising.
Q: What do you think makes a good novel? Could you narrow it down to the three most important elements? Is it even possible to narrow it down?
A: Let me counter by my own question. Why write at all?
I write to send a message. In JoePeas, the main message is that we are becoming enslaved by conformity. A continuing theme is a celebration of the individual.
So, a novel sends a message. It may be subliminal, or it may have the power of a sledgehammer, but it should say something.
Second, it should entice the reader to turn the page. Humor, excitement and greed are all factors that contribute to wooing the reader to continue. Sex is also a popular legitimate means of holding attention, but I have no talent for writing erotica, so I largely leave that out.
Third, secondary stories (plots) that keep the reader guessing, “Just where is he going with that?”
The fun is in the trip with the expectation of arriving at a destination.
What else is there? So much that my puny talent can’t begin to fathom!
Q: How did you go about plotting your story? Or did you discover it as you worked on the book?
A: This story was character driven. It began with the four residents of a skilled nursing facility plus the Joe’s story. Each character’s story was initially written separately. Then they were woven together to provide interaction and, finally, the appropriate resolutions.
Q: Tell us something interesting about your protagonist and how you developed him or her. Did you do any character interviews or sketches prior to the actual writing?
A: My main character, Joe Peas, is based on a patient I treated for twenty years. The model for Joe was an adolescent during World War II and hidden by the resistance in Eastern Europe. After the war, like Joe Peas, he was given a choice. He could live in London, Toronto, or New York. He picked a very American name and became a New Yorker. That true story was too good not to incorporate in a novel at some point.
Q: In the same light, how did you create your antagonist or villain? What steps did you take to make him or her realistic?
A: There are two main antagonists in my story, as there are several simultaneous plots. One is so obvious, that I won’t expound on that here. The second is the extreme opposite of Joe Peas. He is a copy of every irritating front-row school student who continually asked questions to get noticed and raised the ire of the rest of the class. If Joe is the ultimate non-conformist, Professor Watley is a paragon of conformity.
Q: How did you keep your narrative exciting throughout the novel? Could you offer some practical, specific tips?
A: Having several story lines helps. I want to address serious topics in some detail, but I want to make a “good read” as well. If I think I’m getting too serious, I let one of the other characters carry his story for a while. I’ll occasionally throw in a light moment or have him tell a joke. That allows the deeper thought to percolate a bit before resuming the deeper subject. Shorter chapters are placed at the areas where attention may lag. That gives the reader a chance to turn over and begin to tan the other side before resuming the book.
Q: Setting is also quite important and in many cases it becomes like a character itself. What tools of the trade did you use in your writing to bring the setting to life?
A: Correct, the setting is an important part of my story. I describe the long-term care facility and the struggles of running a facility. Statistics show that fifty percent of us will spend time in long-term care. A sympathetic narrative should peel away some of the stigma associated with nursing homes.
Q: Did you know the theme(s) of your novel from the start or is this something you discovered after completing the first draft? Is this theme(s) recurrent in your other work?
A: The continued interaction of Joe and Doc was always the foundation of the story. The character studies were initially meant to be short stories. But I eventually felt they belonged as part of a single work and putting them into Joe’s story invites an interaction with a number of different people that highlights his Italian free spirited life-style.
Q: Where does craft end and art begin? Do you think editing can destroy the initial creative thrust of an author?
A: I think that art comes first, then craft. As I reflect on my own story, I jot or type the story as quickly as possible (I guess that’s art). Then I go back and rewrite as necessary (that’s craft).
Q: What three things, in your opinion, make a successful novelist?
A: First, is there something to be said? Otherwise, what’s the point?
Second, A novelist needs a grasp of what it takes to be a good storyteller. Can he successfully tell a joke?
Third, does he have the patience to methodically piece together? Can he see find imperfections and be honest enough to discard and rewrite?
Q: A famous writer once wrote that being an author is like having to do homework for the rest of your life. What do you think about that?
A: I don’t see that. I relate writing to an illness, an obsession—an obsession that is mollified by “writing it down.”
Q: Are there any resources, books, workshops or sites about craft that you’ve found helpful during your writing career?
A: Those would be great, and I fully intend to avail myself of those in the future. Like many authors, I am fully employed. I am, In fact over employed, so workshops will have to wait.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers about the craft of writing?
A: I’m not sure that there is a single formula for a great novel. There are as many different ways to construct a good story as there are novelists. Please write. Make good stories and enjoy the process.
Meet Paul Martin Midden, Author of 'Riley'
Q: Congratulations on the release of your latest book, Riley. To begin with, can you give us a brief summary of what the story is about and what compelled you to write it? A: Thank you. Riley is about the eponymous protagonist who is about thirty, a writer by trade, who lives in Washington, D.C. At the beginning of the book, she has left her husband and has undertaken a novel about separation and divorce. She lives in a small apartment in a D.C. high-rise.
The characters in Riley’s novel are also in a marriage that is teetering on the edge. It opens with Adam, her protagonist, trying to decide if he should talk to Suzanne, his wife about their relationship. He works from home, and he has decided this was the day they would talk. In the end, he loses his nerve and doesn’t say anything. But to his surprise Suzanne is the one who takes the initiative.
Riley’s life and the novel she is writing share many similarities, but there are also major differences. Suzanne turns out to be having an affair with her female boss. Riley’s best friend is a slightly older lesbian who is attracted to Riley but who values the platonic friendship they have.
As the story unfolds, unexpected things happen that challenge all of the characters. Without giving away the plot, the lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur, and each of the characters has to deal with the emotional impact of events as they unfold.
That is what the story is about.
Q: What do you think makes a good Adult Fiction book? Could you narrow it down to the three most important elements? Is it even possible to narrow it down?
A: A good contemporary fiction work requires a realistic portrayal of the characters, both externally in terms of their behavior and internally in terms of the mental process they undergo. The other two elements are important for all novels: an interesting narrative that keeps the reader reading and sufficient suspense to encourage them to read until the end.
Q: How did you go about plotting your story? Or did you discover it as you worked on the book?
A: I am definitely one of those writers who discovers the work as I go along. It is one of the joys of writing. It’s almost like reading in reverse.
Q: Tell us something interesting about your protagonist and how you developed her. Did you do any character interviews or sketches prior to the actual writing?
A: Not formally. But as a psychologist with lots of time spent with patients up close, I have a pretty well-developed understanding of how people function. That has important in all my books, but it was invaluable in writing this book, as much of the action takes place inside the characters’ heads.
Q: In the same light, how did you create your antagonist or villain? What steps did you take to make him or her realistic?
A: What made the antagonist realistic was relating his internal story as well as his behavior. He wasn’t so much just a bad guy as a confused, conflicted, angry, and neurotic guy. Of course, there is considerable overlap among those things. Again, the internal, mental landscape gives life to otherwise confusing or bad behavior.
Q: How did you keep your narrative exciting throughout the novel? Could you offer some practical, specific tips?
A: For this novel, the dynamic tensions existed both among the principal characters and in the lives of the novel-within-a-novel characters. And there was a lot of interplay among them all. I think this helps the excitement and engagement level of the readers. Hope so!
Q: Setting is also quite important and in many cases it becomes like a character itself. What tools of the trade did you use in your writing to bring the setting to life?
A: The setting of the novel is Washington D.C., which I visit often. It is a city rich with opportunities for description and emits a certain gravitas that is distinct from most other cities. Being a large city, it also provides a lot of background material.
Q: Did you know the theme(s) of your novel from the start or is this something you discovered after completing the first draft? Is this theme(s) recurrent in your other work?
A: Along with the plot, I discovered themes as the writing unfolded. The specific themes of this book are distinct from my other works, although there are some secondary themes that reverberate in several of them. I am given writing about neurotic, conflicted people. Occupational hazard, perhaps.
Q: Where does craft end and art begin? Do you think editing can destroy the initial creative thrust of an author?
A: I think I’m not a good judge of the line between craft and art in my own work; that is probably something for others to determine. Re: editing: It depends on the editor. I interviewed a woman who apparently thought the central structure of the book was flawed. I did not hire her, as the changes she proposed would have destroyed the narrative structure of the book. The ones I did hire were respectful of the work and its characters. I tend to be protective of my characters.
Q: What three things, in your opinion, make a successful novelist?
A: Dedication to the craft; a more or less continues output; and a love of writing. A willingness to self-promote is also important for commercial success.
Q: A famous writer once wrote that being an author is like having to do homework for the rest of your life. Thoughts?
A: I think there’s something to that, but with a caveat. I seldom enjoyed homework in school, but I love writing. That is such an important difference. It is a mature kind of love, however, rather than a one-night stand: it takes patience and perseverance.
Q: Are there any resources, books, workshops or sites about craft that you’ve found helpful during your writing career?
A: The book that triggered my actual decision to write was Anne Lamott’s book, Bird by Bird. Anyone familiar with that work knows immediately how potent her advice was. Beyond that, I think reading widely is one of the best preparations for writing.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers about the craft of writing?
A: For those who love to write, the craft often comes naturally. I think it is important for individual writers to respect their own love of the process and write accordingly.
New release: Somebody Else’s Troubles, by J.A. English
For Immediate Release
Contact: Maryglenn McCombs (615) 297-9875
Somebody Else’s Troubles by J.A. English Slated for September Release
Published by Zimbell House, Somebody Else’s Troubles will be available on September 22, 2020
Nashville, Tenn. – Somebody Else’s Troubles by J.A. English will be released in September. Published by Zimbell House in hardcover (ISBN: 978-1643901145, 398 pages, $32.99) trade paper (ISBN: 978-1643901152, 398 pages, $19.95) and eBook ($6.99) editions, Somebody Else’s Troubles will be available where fine books are sold on September 22, 2020.
An inventive, intriguing, and extraordinarily thought-provoking tale, Somebody Else’s Troubles centers on a titillating question: who among us hasn’t dreamed of walking to the corner store and simply disappearing?
About Somebody Else’s Troubles: Ohio businessman Travers Landeman has plenty of troubles. Between a marriage that is loveless at best, a hateful, greedy, self-consumed wife, and a family business changing in unexpected and unwelcome ways, Travers copes in the best way he knows how: by making a conscious effort not to think. But when his teenage nephew, Matthew Calkins, reaches out to him for help, Travers turns away. When his inaction causes unspeakable guilt, Travers fakes his death on the Caribbean Island of Mabuhay, an act that sets into motion a most unusual series of events—events that will bond together a most unusual cadre of people.
Years pass and it appears that Travers, now settled in to a new life with a new family and a new name, has gotten away with it. Or has he?
The Atlantis Fidelity Insurance Company hires Albert Sydney McNab to bring Travers back to Ohio. But McNab, a bumbling, sore-footed, ne’er-do-well with a litany of failed careers—waiter, bus driver, door-to-door salesman—is surprisingly somehow hot on Travers’ trail.
Chicago bookseller Joe Rogers leads a group of amateur archaeologists to Mabuhay. Dealt a fistful of trouble when he acquired Chicago’s oldest bookstore, The Yellow Harp, Joe Rogers has a penchant for vodka, an abject ineptitude for following orders, and an abundance of useless knowledge. But at a dig site in Mabuhay, Rogers discovers an ancient treasure—a jeweled mask. Will Joe, who has his own axe to grind with Atlantis Fidelity Insurance, step off the sidelines and get back in the game?
Esmerelda McNab, United Nations Ambassador of the UN’s newest member nation, the Commonwealth of Mabuhay, has her own set of troubles—protestors who denounce her part in the sale of the mask that Joe Rogers discovered as “cultural genocide.”
Do love, peace, and redemption even exist on Mabuhay? Or are somebody else’s troubles just that?
A brilliantly-rendered tale, Somebody Else’s Troubles takes readers on an unforgettable journey spanning from the streets of Chicago’s gritty Austin neighborhood to the remote island paradise of Mabuhay. Resplendent with richly-drawn characters that spring to life in the novel’s pages, Somebody Else’s Troubles is peppered with wit and subtle humor. Novelist J.A. English delivers a clever, captivating, smart, seamless story replete with fascinating historical detail and literary allusion. A beautifully written literary novel about escape and inertia, action and inaction, faith and doubt, and finding home—and hope—in the unlikeliest of places, Somebody Else’s Troubles is destined to stay with readers long after the final page is turned.
A proud native of Paterson, New Jersey, J.A. English came of age in Mexico City, Mexico. He received his B. A. cum laude from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and an M. A. from Rice University in Houston, Texas. English is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. He has lived for a half century in the Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s west side, where he still maintains a residence, but now spends much of his time in Sosua, Dominican Republic. English is a widely-published writer whose works have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Reader and Co-Existence, the literary journal which featured the works of Henry Miller. Visit J.A. English online at: https://sites.google.com/view/somebodyelsestroubles/home
Zimbell House is an independent publisher headquartered in Michigan. Members of the news media wishing to request additional information about novelist J.A. English or Somebody Else’s Troubles are kindly asked to contact Maryglenn McCombs by phone: (615) 297-9875 or by email: maryglenn@maryglenn.com
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