Introducing author, Quentin R. Bufogle, and win a copy of 'Horse Latitudes'!
Quentin R. Bufogle was one of the first authors I met here on Goodreads when I joined in 2008. When we met, I just knew we would be friends, he has a wonderful sense of humour and is one of the most genuine people I've ever met. Even though we've never met in person, we have become good friends.
His novel, Horse Latitudes, is one of my favourite books; the laugh out loud tale about an unemployed aspiring novelist reaching for the American Dream. It's a must read. Quentin is giving away a copy of the book to one lucky winner, more details about that later.
Quentin is a humourist, and I'd recommend his blog here on Goodreads where he shares stories, some true, some fictional, but all extremely funny.
Here are his replies to my interview questions:
Your bio says that you were a cartoonist & illustrator in the ‘80s & a contributor to National Lampoon magazine. Can you tell us more about that?
Wow. I’m honestly a little conflicted about the whole Lampoon thing. I should probably tell you that as a kid growing up in Queens, New York, I never thought about becoming a writer. I loved comic books, and from the age of about 8, my dream was to become a cartoonist. By the time I started attending the High School of Art & Design, National Lampoon was the #1 humor magazine in the country – in the world for that matter. They had an estimated readership of something like 8 or 9 million people a month, and the talent was unbelievable. As art students, we were all huge fans. Anyway, when I began making the rounds with my portfolio in the early ‘80s, I decided I’d give the Lampoon a try. I pretty much felt it was a waste of time, competition was fierce, but I gave it a shot. I still remember driving over to the office on Madison Avenue that day. I was stuck in a snarl of traffic and kept telling myself I should just turn around and go home – getting my work in the Lampoon was a-million-to-one shot. A couple months earlier, I’d been in the studio of Neal Adams, a legendary comic book artist, and broached the subject of submitting to the Lampoon. “The Lampoon!” He said, “Are you kidding? I know guys who’d give their right arm to be in the Lampoon!” I mean that’s how huge a deal it was. Anyway, long story short, they looked over my portfolio, and about four months later, Stacey Glick, the art assistant, called with my first assignment. I’d been getting rejected by these obscure little local rags like The Nutmegger, and here I was in the National Lampoon. There’s a caveat to the story tho. Although the Lampoon still exists as licensing company for movie projects, the magazine eventually folded. A few years ago the company decided to put out a compilation of the magazine on DVD-ROM – which included my work. Only they never bothered to pay me for using my stuff in the new format. The company had purchased limited rights for the use of my work (First American & European) and under copyright law, shouldn’t have been allowed to reproduce the work digitally without payment or consent. When I contacted the company to demand payment, I got the proverbial run around. I eventually sat down with an intellectual rights attorney and was told to forget about it – there simply wasn’t enough money in the case to bother. So much for the copyright law.
Which do you prefer, writing or illustrating?
Writing. I came to realize I was a storyteller, not a graphic artist. I’d been using pictures to tell stories. Words were more effective. It was like I’d been in a long-term relationship and suddenly found the true love of my life. I was done with illustrating.
Is there a particular author, or book, that inspired you to start writing?
I’d have to say Henry Miller. No so much his writing style, but his life. I remember a line from The Time of the Assassins: a Study of Rimbaud, his “study” of French poet Arthur Rimbaud.
Miller wrote that in Rimbaud, he saw himself as in a mirror. I feel the same about Miller. I used to read his books during the subway commute to my job on Wall Street. Stumbling upon his work at that point in my life was like someone tossing me a life preserver. I was in my late twenties, trapped in a job I hated, yearning to be a writer and taking my first wobbly, baby steps in that direction. Reading about Miller, a man in his forties who suffered the same predicament, and ultimately had the courage to break free – run off to Paris and write Tropic of Cancer – made me believe that I could somehow find a way.
When did you first discover your love of writing?
Looking back, I realize I’ve always had an affinity for words. Words affected me. I recognized the poetry in them even as a kid. Always had an ear for them. I didn’t become a serious reader tho til I was in my mid-twenties; then I devoured everything. I’d settle on a particular author, like Scott Fitzgerald, and read their entire body of work; then move on to someone else: Hemingway; Cheever; Bukowski; Hesse; Kerouac; Miller... I also made sure to read at least one biography of each author as well. Man, I was hooked! All I wanted was to be worthy of sitting at the same lunch table with those guys.
Do you have any tips for someone who wants to become a writer?
Yeah... for Christ’s sake, do something else!!! Seriously, if you think you could be happy doing something else – do something else! As tough as it might be to become a doctor, or a lawyer, or a nuclear physicist, there’s at least a path to those professions – not necessarily an easy path, but a path none the less.
Writers are not so fortunate. You spend most of your time wandering lost. There’s no formula, no blueprint, no textbook to read. You have to be foolish enough; arrogant enough, to believe that what you’ve written is worth the undivided attention of another human being – and willing to do it for nothing.
Now, if I’ve dissuaded you from becoming a writer, not to worry. You weren’t
one to begin with.
In your debut novel, Horse Latitudes, the main character Chester Sprockett has an ambition to write the great American novel. How much of your own personality is in Chester, and is the book in any way autobiographical?
Well, let’s just say Horse Latitudes is my most autobiographical novel – and I’ve only written one.
How did you go about choosing the cover for your book?
My publisher did ask for my input in selecting a cover image, but also made it clear that the final decision was theirs. As it turned out, the actual cover illustration for Horse Latitudes is almost identical to the one I suggested – something I was very pleased about. The image of a tiny, bathrobe clad Chester Sprockett, dangling from the bikini of a giant bathing beauty whose face is partially obscured from view, wasn’t only intended to be sexy and provocative; but symbolic of Chester’s thwarted love life, and the insecurity I believe all men feel on some level regarding the female sex.
As well as writing your novel, you’ve also been featured in the Las Vegas
Weekly, can you tell us a bit more about that?
I sent a review copy of my novel to the magazine, and, as I’d expected, got nothing by way of response. Soon after I read an article by Scott Dickensheets, the Weekly’s editor, about the closing of a local bookstore due to the lousy economy. Seeing an angle, I fired off an e-mail to Scott, the gist of which was: Granted the economy sucks, but perhaps publishers, bookstores & reviewers were sowing the seeds of their own demise by refusing to publish, promote, or review new authors. A few weeks later I was checking out the online version of the Weekly, and nearly fell out of my chair: Scott had featured my novel in a piece titled, Five Random Passages from Horse Latitudes, by Local Novelist Quentin R. Bufogle. Since then I’ve contributed several pieces to the magazine – mostly fiction.
How much can you tell us about the book you’re currently working on, which I
believe is titled, The Siren of Neptune’s Beach?
I knew you were gonna ask me that. The Siren of Neptune’s Beach, is something, well... different. I know you’re supposed to be able to summarize a book in 2 sentences, but not a chance. First & foremost it’s funny. It’s a romance, a mystery; a fable. It’s about surfers and beatniks and early ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll; about an old legend involving a moon goddess, and a desolate, long forgotten stretch of beach where time stands still. It’s part The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, part Don Quixote, and part Wuthering Heights. Does that help?
Who are your favorite authors and what is it about their writing that you like?
Charles Bukowski, because of his simplicity & dark sense of humor. Hemingway, because he taught us all that less is more. Henry Miller, because he showed us the light at the end of the tunnel.
Is there a book you own that you’ve read more than once?
The Time of the Assassins, by Henry Miller is one I’ve gone back to time and again.
Also, Hot Water Music, a book of obscenely funny short stories by Charles Bukowski – and for some reason I never seem to tire of reading biographies of Jack Kerouac. (and at this point I should be tired!)
What was the last book you read?
A really wonderful book of short stories which I gave 5 stars: Pieces of a Rainbow, by Maria Savva.
Thank you :)
Are you reading a book at the moment?
I’m sorry to say that I’m not. Between trying to finish the final rewrite of my new novel; blogging, tweeting, and facebooking, I don’t have much time for reading these days. Look forward to getting back to it tho.
What do you think of ebooks?
I think they’re great. Cost less for publishers to produce, and readers to buy. But I don’t think they’ll ever replace the experience of browsing in a bookstore; or that unique bond you feel with an author, holding a print book in your hands.
How important are reviews for you as a writer?
I think any writer who says reviews aren’t important is lying. We want people to like what we write. It’s part of the reason we’re writers – but I think you need to take reviews, both good and bad, with a grain of salt. I always think of that line from the poem If, by Rudyard Kipling: “If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two imposters just the same.” You should never believe you’re as good as your best review, or as bad as your worst.
What else are you working on now?
Trying to stay focused on The Siren of Neptune’s Beach for the most part.
Where can people buy your book?
You can buy Horse Latitudes in both trade paperback & Kindle editions on Amazon.com:
Horse Latitudes at Amazon.com
You can read the first 25 pages or so for free by clicking on the “Read first chapter FREE” icon on the right side of the page just above the “Frequently Bought Together” listing.
Do you have your own website or blog where people can read more about your
work?
You can check out my blog, fiction, and book reviews at:
Quentin R. Bufogle
Also follow me on Twitter: Twitter
And friend me on Facebook:
Facebook
Thank you, Quinn
If you'd like to win a copy of Horse Latitudes leave a comment here. One lucky winner will be chosen on 17th March 2011. Good luck!
His novel, Horse Latitudes, is one of my favourite books; the laugh out loud tale about an unemployed aspiring novelist reaching for the American Dream. It's a must read. Quentin is giving away a copy of the book to one lucky winner, more details about that later.
Quentin is a humourist, and I'd recommend his blog here on Goodreads where he shares stories, some true, some fictional, but all extremely funny.
Here are his replies to my interview questions:
Your bio says that you were a cartoonist & illustrator in the ‘80s & a contributor to National Lampoon magazine. Can you tell us more about that?
Wow. I’m honestly a little conflicted about the whole Lampoon thing. I should probably tell you that as a kid growing up in Queens, New York, I never thought about becoming a writer. I loved comic books, and from the age of about 8, my dream was to become a cartoonist. By the time I started attending the High School of Art & Design, National Lampoon was the #1 humor magazine in the country – in the world for that matter. They had an estimated readership of something like 8 or 9 million people a month, and the talent was unbelievable. As art students, we were all huge fans. Anyway, when I began making the rounds with my portfolio in the early ‘80s, I decided I’d give the Lampoon a try. I pretty much felt it was a waste of time, competition was fierce, but I gave it a shot. I still remember driving over to the office on Madison Avenue that day. I was stuck in a snarl of traffic and kept telling myself I should just turn around and go home – getting my work in the Lampoon was a-million-to-one shot. A couple months earlier, I’d been in the studio of Neal Adams, a legendary comic book artist, and broached the subject of submitting to the Lampoon. “The Lampoon!” He said, “Are you kidding? I know guys who’d give their right arm to be in the Lampoon!” I mean that’s how huge a deal it was. Anyway, long story short, they looked over my portfolio, and about four months later, Stacey Glick, the art assistant, called with my first assignment. I’d been getting rejected by these obscure little local rags like The Nutmegger, and here I was in the National Lampoon. There’s a caveat to the story tho. Although the Lampoon still exists as licensing company for movie projects, the magazine eventually folded. A few years ago the company decided to put out a compilation of the magazine on DVD-ROM – which included my work. Only they never bothered to pay me for using my stuff in the new format. The company had purchased limited rights for the use of my work (First American & European) and under copyright law, shouldn’t have been allowed to reproduce the work digitally without payment or consent. When I contacted the company to demand payment, I got the proverbial run around. I eventually sat down with an intellectual rights attorney and was told to forget about it – there simply wasn’t enough money in the case to bother. So much for the copyright law.
Which do you prefer, writing or illustrating?
Writing. I came to realize I was a storyteller, not a graphic artist. I’d been using pictures to tell stories. Words were more effective. It was like I’d been in a long-term relationship and suddenly found the true love of my life. I was done with illustrating.
Is there a particular author, or book, that inspired you to start writing?
I’d have to say Henry Miller. No so much his writing style, but his life. I remember a line from The Time of the Assassins: a Study of Rimbaud, his “study” of French poet Arthur Rimbaud.
Miller wrote that in Rimbaud, he saw himself as in a mirror. I feel the same about Miller. I used to read his books during the subway commute to my job on Wall Street. Stumbling upon his work at that point in my life was like someone tossing me a life preserver. I was in my late twenties, trapped in a job I hated, yearning to be a writer and taking my first wobbly, baby steps in that direction. Reading about Miller, a man in his forties who suffered the same predicament, and ultimately had the courage to break free – run off to Paris and write Tropic of Cancer – made me believe that I could somehow find a way.
When did you first discover your love of writing?
Looking back, I realize I’ve always had an affinity for words. Words affected me. I recognized the poetry in them even as a kid. Always had an ear for them. I didn’t become a serious reader tho til I was in my mid-twenties; then I devoured everything. I’d settle on a particular author, like Scott Fitzgerald, and read their entire body of work; then move on to someone else: Hemingway; Cheever; Bukowski; Hesse; Kerouac; Miller... I also made sure to read at least one biography of each author as well. Man, I was hooked! All I wanted was to be worthy of sitting at the same lunch table with those guys.
Do you have any tips for someone who wants to become a writer?
Yeah... for Christ’s sake, do something else!!! Seriously, if you think you could be happy doing something else – do something else! As tough as it might be to become a doctor, or a lawyer, or a nuclear physicist, there’s at least a path to those professions – not necessarily an easy path, but a path none the less.
Writers are not so fortunate. You spend most of your time wandering lost. There’s no formula, no blueprint, no textbook to read. You have to be foolish enough; arrogant enough, to believe that what you’ve written is worth the undivided attention of another human being – and willing to do it for nothing.
Now, if I’ve dissuaded you from becoming a writer, not to worry. You weren’t
one to begin with.
In your debut novel, Horse Latitudes, the main character Chester Sprockett has an ambition to write the great American novel. How much of your own personality is in Chester, and is the book in any way autobiographical?
Well, let’s just say Horse Latitudes is my most autobiographical novel – and I’ve only written one.
How did you go about choosing the cover for your book?
My publisher did ask for my input in selecting a cover image, but also made it clear that the final decision was theirs. As it turned out, the actual cover illustration for Horse Latitudes is almost identical to the one I suggested – something I was very pleased about. The image of a tiny, bathrobe clad Chester Sprockett, dangling from the bikini of a giant bathing beauty whose face is partially obscured from view, wasn’t only intended to be sexy and provocative; but symbolic of Chester’s thwarted love life, and the insecurity I believe all men feel on some level regarding the female sex.
As well as writing your novel, you’ve also been featured in the Las Vegas
Weekly, can you tell us a bit more about that?
I sent a review copy of my novel to the magazine, and, as I’d expected, got nothing by way of response. Soon after I read an article by Scott Dickensheets, the Weekly’s editor, about the closing of a local bookstore due to the lousy economy. Seeing an angle, I fired off an e-mail to Scott, the gist of which was: Granted the economy sucks, but perhaps publishers, bookstores & reviewers were sowing the seeds of their own demise by refusing to publish, promote, or review new authors. A few weeks later I was checking out the online version of the Weekly, and nearly fell out of my chair: Scott had featured my novel in a piece titled, Five Random Passages from Horse Latitudes, by Local Novelist Quentin R. Bufogle. Since then I’ve contributed several pieces to the magazine – mostly fiction.
How much can you tell us about the book you’re currently working on, which I
believe is titled, The Siren of Neptune’s Beach?
I knew you were gonna ask me that. The Siren of Neptune’s Beach, is something, well... different. I know you’re supposed to be able to summarize a book in 2 sentences, but not a chance. First & foremost it’s funny. It’s a romance, a mystery; a fable. It’s about surfers and beatniks and early ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll; about an old legend involving a moon goddess, and a desolate, long forgotten stretch of beach where time stands still. It’s part The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, part Don Quixote, and part Wuthering Heights. Does that help?
Who are your favorite authors and what is it about their writing that you like?
Charles Bukowski, because of his simplicity & dark sense of humor. Hemingway, because he taught us all that less is more. Henry Miller, because he showed us the light at the end of the tunnel.
Is there a book you own that you’ve read more than once?
The Time of the Assassins, by Henry Miller is one I’ve gone back to time and again.
Also, Hot Water Music, a book of obscenely funny short stories by Charles Bukowski – and for some reason I never seem to tire of reading biographies of Jack Kerouac. (and at this point I should be tired!)
What was the last book you read?
A really wonderful book of short stories which I gave 5 stars: Pieces of a Rainbow, by Maria Savva.
Thank you :)
Are you reading a book at the moment?
I’m sorry to say that I’m not. Between trying to finish the final rewrite of my new novel; blogging, tweeting, and facebooking, I don’t have much time for reading these days. Look forward to getting back to it tho.
What do you think of ebooks?
I think they’re great. Cost less for publishers to produce, and readers to buy. But I don’t think they’ll ever replace the experience of browsing in a bookstore; or that unique bond you feel with an author, holding a print book in your hands.
How important are reviews for you as a writer?
I think any writer who says reviews aren’t important is lying. We want people to like what we write. It’s part of the reason we’re writers – but I think you need to take reviews, both good and bad, with a grain of salt. I always think of that line from the poem If, by Rudyard Kipling: “If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two imposters just the same.” You should never believe you’re as good as your best review, or as bad as your worst.
What else are you working on now?
Trying to stay focused on The Siren of Neptune’s Beach for the most part.
Where can people buy your book?
You can buy Horse Latitudes in both trade paperback & Kindle editions on Amazon.com:
Horse Latitudes at Amazon.com
You can read the first 25 pages or so for free by clicking on the “Read first chapter FREE” icon on the right side of the page just above the “Frequently Bought Together” listing.
Do you have your own website or blog where people can read more about your
work?
You can check out my blog, fiction, and book reviews at:
Quentin R. Bufogle
Also follow me on Twitter: Twitter
And friend me on Facebook:
Thank you, Quinn
If you'd like to win a copy of Horse Latitudes leave a comment here. One lucky winner will be chosen on 17th March 2011. Good luck!
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Hello again, Ao! You could soon be in the Guinness Book of World Records, if you carry on winning books this way! Good luck in this giveaway!
Maria wrote: "Hello again, Ao! You could soon be in the Guinness Book of World Records, if you carry on winning books this way! Good luck in this giveaway!"
lol! that would be really cool. thanks Maria! c",)
I'm ashamed to say that I had not heard of Horse Latitudes. But it is now on my to-read list. :)Loved the interview. Quentin, your answer about advice for writers had me laughing. And you're so right. As hard as other professions might be as far as education and cost, at least there is a direct path. The writer's path is crooked, overgrown with weeds, and often hits a dead end that forces us to turn and find that fork in the road that we missed somewhere along the way. An equal mix of dedication and insanity. :)
Thanks for entering, Darcia and Joel :) I know you two would love the book.Darcia, you've made me realise something about our books. You say that you've never heard of Horse Latitudes, but I've definitely plugged it on Facebook and Twitter loads of times. It goes to show that it's hard to get any of our books noticed. Maybe we shouldn't feel so bad about hardly selling any books, because as much as we think we're marketing them to death, lots of people have probably still not heard of them!!
Great interview, Maria and Quentin. I hadn't heard of Horse Latitudes either. Can't understand why! I'm always sold on humor and paired with that title and adorably intriguing cover it looks like a sure-fire winner.
Maria, that proves what I read about a minimum of 70% of tweets going unnoticed. I never saw your tweets about this book and I have you on a short list of friends whose tweets I regularly check.Joel, that's funny because I tweeted about your book a few times, using your Twitter name. Rather discouraging when you think about how much time we put into these promotional and marketing techniques. If we don't even see each other's tweets, how do we expect others to find us?
Thank you Maria -- and thanks to everyone for your comments!
By the way, I'll pick a 2nd person who'll receive a free, signed copy of "Horse Latitudes." Just stop by my blog here on Goodreads & leave a comment on my latest post, "The Man Who Built Las Vegas." Winner to be picked on 3/21/11 -- Quinn
I'm not commenting for a chance to win--I have a copy of Horse Latitudes. I just wanted to stop by and say this was a great interview. I understand why it's taken so long to get a copy of Quentin's next novel--it sounds like a genre-bending tour de force. That alone is worth the wait!
"A genre-bending tour de force." Damn . . . wish I'd penned that one! (LOL) Thanks Angela. Good luck with your new novel.
Thanks to everyone for all your comments. I will let Quentin choose the winner. If you are the lucky winner, Quentin will be in touch with you shortly!
i have to thank you for introducing Quentin to me when you mentioned his name together with Jason etc on your FB's wall.
i didn't expect Quentin to be a humorist. he looks too formal in his picture. c",)
well i don't have a lot of "funny" books so Horse Latitudes would definitely be a welcome addition to my nookshelf (no typo there!)
thanks again Maria!