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Above All Men Author/Reader Discussion
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Just a word from the loyal opposition regarding quotation marks. I didn't like that aspect of the book. I spent way too much time trying to figure out who said what. That said, I must also admit that the quotation mark problem may have been exacerbated by my tendency toward big print on my Kindle. I may have modified the sentence placement.
Otherwise I enjoyed the book. My mother grew up on a farm and until 1939 and the Rural Electrification Administration, they had no electricity. Their life and farming methods were the same that the people in AAM were forced to adjust. Although my grandfather had tractors later in his life, he used and preferred a team of horses all his life.
One of the things that I "enjoyed" was the depressing sense of helplessness that these folks faced in the climate and economic breakdown of their society. I have felt that myself with various quandaries that we have got ourselves into, Vietnam, Iraq, and the financial meltdown of 2008.
I would have liked to have seen a stronger role for the women in this story. It has been my personal experience that without my wife, I would not be much of a man. She has been a stabilizing and empowering force in my life.
Perhaps you can work a deal with Bezos...the quotation mark option in Kindle Settings. Click to display the stodgy marks for the cranky, old, semi-senile curmudgeons like me that don't want bothered trying to figure out who said what. Double click for the artsy removal of them for the young sharp avant-garde who find their absence refreshing and in some manner a positive addition to an already good book.
Eric wrote: "Tia wrote: "Eric, why did you choose to not use quotation marks when writing dialogue? While not necessarily a new technique, I've always found it an interesting choice but never really understood ..."I often take a stylistic choice like this one as a way to invite a deeper look...and, in the case of ABOVE ALL MEN, it seemed like a powerful reminder of all that was NOT BEING said by hard-edged and stoic folks...so it worked beautifully.
Henry wrote: "Just a word from the loyal opposition regarding quotation marks. I didn't like that aspect of the book. I spent way too much time trying to figure out who said what. That said, I must also adm..."
Thanks for your thoughtful post, Henry. I know the lack of quotation marks isn't for everyone. Surprisingly enough, I tend to think of myself as the curmudgeon. You folks and your fancy e-readers. If making the quotation marks an option is something I can feasibly do in a future edition, (or my next book) I'll look into it.
As I noted in another post, I tried to make the female characters in AAM as strong and well-rounded as I could within the confines of the story I was telling. I'm of the opinion that Helene is a prime example of just the sort of woman you're describing, though perhaps the time a reader is given to see that on the page is limited. I do my best to put the story I'm telling above all other concerns--and that includes taking flak post-publication for shorting characters or for writing along gender stereotypes. So I'll take the heat today, and hopefully soon you all will get to see a book with my name on it that features strong women more prominently.
First of all, Eric, thanks for sharing your book with us. I really enjoyed it.I was curious about your process. In particular: do you outline and plan ahead, or is it more organic than that? Your characters were well drawn, so how do you develop characters? Thanks!
Joe wrote: "First of all, Eric, thanks for sharing your book with us. I really enjoyed it.I was curious about your process. In particular: do you outline and plan ahead, or is it more organic than that? ..."
I'm glad you liked it, Joe. Thanks for coming here to talk with me.
For Above All Men, I started with a few guideposts, events that I knew I needed to write toward. I had an event or two in the beginning, the murder in the middle, and the ending. That was as much planning as I did--the rest came about organically, as I wrote. For my second novel, which I'm polishing now, there was a lot more planning involved. I think my process is still evolving, but it also seems like it might just depend on the book.
As for the characters, I've had versions of David, Red, and Helene in my head for quite a long time--they starred in a couple shelved novels that will never see the light of day. I think that helped quite a lot. If you're looking to develop rich characters, give them lives and details that you, the writer, are aware of, even if those details never make it into a book. They'll still enrich the actions that do make it onto the page.
Eric wrote: "Thanks for your thoughtful post, Henry. I know the lack of quotation marks isn't for everyone. Surprisingly enough, I tend to think of myself as the curmudgeon. You folks and your fancy e-readers. If making the quotation marks...So I'll take the heat today, and hopefully soon you all will get to see a book with my name on it that features strong women more prominently. "
Eric you curmudgeonly whipper snapper you! Fancy e-readers...you sound like my mother, she disliked fancy things--pretty much anything that was made after 1945. Automatic washers and dryers, frostless refrigerators, self cleaning ovens...anything that lessened the drudgery in household drudgery. She felt that it encouraged sloth. She would agree with you on an e-reader. What's wrong with a book, damned fancy e-readers are for lazy people.
Well my man, enjoy your youth while you have it. When your hands get old and arthritic, and your eyes are shot, having a light and lighted Kindle with huge font can make the difference between reading for a few minutes or a few hours. One of the greatest advances in reading history since Gutenberg...and Steve Jobs said it would be a flop because nobody reads anymore.
You write a book with strong women in it and I'll buy it (Kindle version with or without quotation marks).
A comment regarding the quotation marks issue: Whenever I feel a bit lost in a book, punctuation fripperies aside, I read it aloud. Something about dialogue feels different...I guess that's kinda new-agey, but I've found it to be true.Hi Eric! Great answers, it's always nice to see an author take the readers seriously.
Thanks, Richard. It's good to see you chime in.That book's coming, Henry. Give me a couple years.
Hello Eric! Thank you so much for sharing your book with us, and joining us for this discussion.I'm just over halfway through now, and as the story continues to unfold, it's harder to put down. The first half for me was so intriguing and yet I was anxious for more things to begin happening. I think that's why I was pulled into the story. It's that drawn out, desolate feeling (the wondering - will it ever get better for them?) that you establish from page one. It really makes you feel the struggle of living in this rundown world, where everyone is just trying to survive and do their best with what they've got.
The character development is one of the strongest parts of this book for me. You have given each character their own attributes and also demons that must be fought. While many of these challenges lie internally, there are just as many, if not more, in the world around them. And so it continues, and I will keep that anxious feeling as I read the rest of the book and hope that maybe - just maybe - it will get a little better for these people who try so hard.
I'm looking forward to finishing this one! I'll go back and read through the other comments then (I didn't want to spoil the ending!).
Megan wrote: "Hello Eric! Thank you so much for sharing your book with us, and joining us for this discussion.I'm just over halfway through now, and as the story continues to unfold, it's harder to put down. T..."
You flatter me, Megan. Thank you for your careful read of the book. I look forward to seeing you back here when you've finished.
Good morning Eric. I read some more of your book this morning. In reference to the Ptsd I found some of your writing to be so descriptive and kind of poetic in nature. A few of the sentences that really caught my attention are these:Things he'd done and seen, during the war and after. Memories he had to wear smooth before he could put them away.
He thought about the body in the restaurant and about the children and he churned the thoughts until they were built up in him like ink,Something impenetrable. His brain preserved in it like formaldehyde. Adding droplets of other memories to the suspension.
I will be thinking about your book long after I finish reading it.
Rhonda wrote: "Good morning Eric. I read some more of your book this morning. In reference to the Ptsd I found some of your writing to be so descriptive and kind of poetic in nature. A few of the sentences that r..."Thank you, Rhonda. Those passages you quoted are two that I'm particularly proud of.
Did the hat you wear in your author photo inspire you/your writing?
Melanie wrote: "Did the hat you wear in your author photo inspire you/your writing?"Ha, no. I think it was the other way around, actually. When I was starting out, the more I wrote about country people, the more I began to identify with them--so much so that my accent (which was regionless Ohioan) began to take on a more backwoods flavor. Eventually wearing the hat became natural, and it fit.
Mod
I know in my case, I'd either completely fall apart at the seams, or I'd knuckle down and make the best of things, but I know no matter what, I'd not last very long living in those conditions....
Speaking of characters, I have a question about Skillman. He was portrayed as both good and bad, and as the one responsible for the murder. Why did you decide to reveal his true nature in that manner?
Lori wrote: "Eric, if the world were to go the way of ABOVE ALL MEN, which character would you be most like? I know in my case, I'd either completely fall apart at the seams, or I'd knuckle down and make the ..."
I'd probably be like Red. I doubt that societal collapse would cure my wanderlust, so I'd probably still be wandering around like I do now. Except I'd be armed, I suppose. And I'd have big spikes on my car.
Lori wrote: "Speaking of characters, I have a question about Skillman. He was portrayed as both good and bad, and as the one responsible for the murder. Why did you decide to reveal his true nature in that manner?"I was playing a tough game with Skillman. I didn't want him to be a stock character, just a bad guy with a mustache to twirl. At the same time, I knew what he was (to some extent) beneath all of his minor philanthropies. Without coming right out and spoiling anything, I made his revelation the way I did (vague, perhaps unfulfilling) because I wanted the reader to feel the way that David did--that no reason, no excuse or origin story could explain away his actions. That's the world David lives in, and while he may have lived there all his life, the rest of humanity has now joined him.
Speaking of wanderlust, I've always wondered if writers weren't scratching the itch of all different sorts of wanderlust by inventing stories. Nancy Kress said that an author must learn to be three people at once: Character, writer, and reader.Is writing a spur to, or a palliative for, your incurable wanderlust?
Richard Reviles Censorship wrote: "Speaking of wanderlust, I've always wondered if writers weren't scratching the itch of all different sorts of wanderlust by inventing stories. Nancy Kress said that an author must learn to be three..."It's a palliative, in a way. Likely it's more of a distraction. If I'm neck-deep in writing a book, I can't be driving down 40 through the Panhandle. Both passions, for me, require the kind of attention that sacrifices most everything else.
Ah, driving! Finally I get to ask my hoarded question: I've read your novella, RENE, and reviewed it with some praise.Rene is specifically mentioned as driving a Chevrolet Townsman station wagon. My family had a 1956 Townsman, and I got a big smile out of that small detail. It's typical of your writing to use small details to give texture to the world you're building.
The question for me is, where did a snot-nosed kid not even 30 hear about a Townsman wagon?!
No, not really...the setting of RENE is place specific, but not anchored in time as specifically. I've got to know: is this postapocalyptic Murrika, pre-Civil Rights Murrika, or an alternate timestream?
Richard Reviles Censorship wrote: "Ah, driving! Finally I get to ask my hoarded question: I've read your novella, RENE, and reviewed it with some praise.Rene is specifically mentioned as driving a Chevrolet Townsman station wagon...."
I can't remember what led me specifically to the Townsman, but I knew it was the very vehicle I needed once I saw it. It didn't hurt that I'm a Chevy man.
Rene is actually locked in time--it's 1957, if I remember correctly. Recall the newspaper in the grocery? It's referencing the Little Rock Nine.
I'd forgotten that detail! *sigh* Eldermemory. (I'm blaming that.) I do love the riverside scene. So how much of Rene's father is based on your own good self?
(Sorry for hijacking the AAM thread, fellow readers. Please to go read the novella online! It's free.) (And excellent.)
Richard Reviles Censorship wrote: "I'd forgotten that detail! *sigh* Eldermemory. (I'm blaming that.) I do love the riverside scene. So how much of Rene's father is based on your own good self?
(Sorry for hijacking the AAM thread..."
*Spoilers for "Rene"*
"Rene" is actually based on two real things: one of my best friends, who was born nine months after the stillbirth of a child who had a proto-version of her own name; and a witch who healed an otherwise incurable nosebleed that was afflicting my great-great-grandmother back in the hills where "Rene" is set, though some twenty years earlier. None of Rene's dad is me, thankfully. At least that I'm aware of.
I liked AAM, and knew that I would based on Lori's glowing review. I did have trouble with the absence of quotation marks. I also read electronically and tend to make the print larger (I walk and read at the same time). The book reminded me a good bit of The Road, but at least with SOME happy bits (talk about the saddest book EVER), and definitely, Larry McMurtry. I am going to go find Rene now, LOL. Sorry for the delay in joining the discussion. I was reading some trifle to get the dust out of my head.
Now I want to read RENE, too! Is there a link available for the free copy, or is it all the different installments through Fiddleback?
Melanie wrote: "Now I want to read RENE, too! Is there a link available for the free copy, or is it all the different installments through Fiddleback?"It's all at Fiddleblack. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.
Angel wrote: "I liked AAM, and knew that I would based on Lori's glowing review. I did have trouble with the absence of quotation marks. I also read electronically and tend to make the print larger (I walk and..."Hm. Looks like those optional quotation marks will have to be a feature of future books. Thanks for joining the discussion, Angel.
Did you do any farming to learn more about that kind of life? It's also interesting, to me, that O H would come from Atlanta to farm and not realize that there is a lot to know (in fact, Michigan State University, now known for it's large campus and football, used to be an agriculture school, because there is a lot to learn. People called it the farmer school). Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but David didn't know much about farming either--he's taken in by Danvers, yes?
Melanie wrote: "Did you do any farming to learn more about that kind of life? It's also interesting, to me, that O H would come from Atlanta to farm and not realize that there is a lot to know (in fact, Michigan S..."I'm from the country, and though I haven't done any farming personally, you end up soaking some of it through your skin. I did raise hogs, though, and I've thrown a bale of hay or two in my time.
As far as O H, he's a particular example of a trend. Before the Dust Bowl really got underway in the early 1930s, people were grabbing up land that they didn't know what to do with--and, at the time, farming practices weren't as learned as they are now, so even the canny farmers were hurting the soil. The mass migration of city-folk to the country in Above All Men is really just a duplication of real events that occurred a hundred years before.
David is given the land and house by Danvers, yeah, though I admittedly don't recall how much he's said to know about farming in the book--in a longer draft I might have mentioned that he'd worked for Danvers in the past. Having an experienced farmer whispering in your ear is about as well-equipped as you're bound to get, though.
Eric - Do I understand correctly that when you shared here previously, you stated that you created a few of the AAM characters (specifically David, Red and Helene) in other projects you had started? In AAM, did you begin writing this story based on wanting to use the characters or did the issues (like climate change, PTSD, etc.) motivate you to use the characters? I know that's kind of a "what came first: the chicken or the egg" type question but I was curious.Were climate change and PTSD topics that you were interested in before writing this book? Can I ask what type of research you referenced as you wrote about each related issue as the story progressed? You did such a good job of creating an atmosphere that was horrifyingly realistic, it prompted me to want to know more. Did the topics discussed in AAM interest you prior to creating these characters? The simplicity and beauty of your writing really added a special element to such a sad and frightening tale.
I'd love to see another book based on the character "Red" - he was intriguing and left me wanting to know more about his travels.
Kandi wrote: "I'd love to see another book based on the character "Red" - he was intriguing and left me wanting to know more about his travels."+Graham's Number
Yes please.
Kandi wrote: "Eric - Do I understand correctly that when you shared here previously, you stated that you created a few of the AAM characters (specifically David, Red and Helene) in other projects you had started..."It's a little embarrassing to say that the world of AAM was one that evolved from quite a while back--starting, of all things, with a comic book. This was years back, about ten or so. The characters of David and Red, and eventually Helene, came about when I started writing a precursor novel to the comic, and I quickly found that the novel was far superior to my work on the comic. Nevertheless, that novel--my first--was not so great. I wrote it, and a second one (starring Red) that were both not fit to see the light of day. But my third, still set in that same world, was Above All Men. The characters and the subject matter were all, really, rolled into one. There was no separating David from PTSD, and no separating the world from global warming and other ravages.
As far as research goes, I didn't do a terrible lot of it. I read Timothy Egan's The Worst Hard Time to get a grip on the Dust Bowl, and some general books on war. Listening to my uncle and my vet best friend supplied the brunt of the research I needed for PTSD. Creating the world of AAM, the specifics of the degeneration of the world, all came rather naturally, and seemed to fit, to feel right. These topics did interest me before, and do interest me now, but I think they married very well with what I wanted to work on. In the future I hope that I can do the same for other novels.
I would have loved to show more of Red, or to do something with him in another book. The trouble with him is that, while he's a more inherently charismatic character than someone like David, he's also better-explored as a character type. You don't see the depths of a David as often as you see the rather Byronic aloofness of Red.
Well I finished your book. What started out as me reading a book by a new author has turned into a real treasure. A book to savor, recommend to others and to add as a keeper on my shelf to visit the characters again. I know someday when you are on the best seller I will think to myself I knew you when you were new to the wonderful world of readers and book lovers. I have been blessed to indulge my heart and mind into the journey of Above All Men and look forward to more from you in the future! How old were you when you felt the creative pull towards writing?
Rhonda wrote: "Well I finished your book. What started out as me reading a book by a new author has turned into a real treasure. A book to savor, recommend to others and to add as a keeper on my shelf to visit th..."That's very sweet, Rhonda. Thank you.
I started writing, misguidedly, in the comic book field as a teenager. I started writing prose when I went to college, and started my first novel when I was twenty. To keep things simple, I generally just say when I started college. That's when it really became a passion.
Richard Reviles Censorship wrote: "Kandi wrote: "I'd love to see another book based on the character "Red" - he was intriguing and left me wanting to know more about his travels."+Graham's Number
Yes please."
Did I miss something?
Maybe the Graham's number ref? I would love to see Red wandering around the blasted blast-furnace world you've made.
Richard Reviles Censorship wrote: "Maybe the Graham's number ref? I would love to see Red wandering around the blasted blast-furnace world you've made."I stand informed. I thought I'd missed a reference to my own book, and was concerned for my memory.
Mod
I really enjoyed seeing how you responded to everyone's questions and am so grateful that you were able to make the time to be here and hang with us all week!
It was awesome hosting you! Thanks so much!
Yes, thank you Eric. It's been a privilege to get the inside scoop on such a wonderful work. I eagerly await your next book!
Thank you for having me, Lori. I'd love to come back should the next book prove to be something you'd like to discuss. Thanks, everyone, for your wonderful questions. I'm so glad to have heard from all of you. I really cherish hearing your thoughts on Above All Men, and I feel very lucky to get to discuss it with you all.
People are bound to experience the book differently from one another, and inevitably people are going to have poor experiences with the book. Convincing them that they've interpreted it incorrectly isn't likely to change their opinions of it, so it's best to just let it be. I'm just thankful to have people like you, who've read and enjoyed the book, and are trying to get others to read it. Thanks for that.