*Spotlight* on author E.J. Knapp »
Recently, E.J. Knapp, author of Stealing the Marbles stopped by to let us in on a few of his secrets. After reviewing his debut novel, we just had to know more. See what was revealed below:
*Thanks for speaking with us today. Can you give us the rundown of your debut novel,Stealing the Marbles?
In one sense, it’s a classic thief story: object to be stolen, preparations to steal said object, actual theft, getaway. STM was a little bit more than that for me, however. I wanted it to be the story of a thief stealing something that was stolen, something that is the heart and soul of a nation I happen to think of as my second home. I also wanted to educate people about the Parthenon Marbles in particular and stolen antiquities in general. The Greeks have been trying to get their stolen antiquities back from the British for close to 200 years with zero results. I thought a novel about someone stealing them back might be a good read, a little education and, hopefully, a favorable nod to those diligent folks working for the Marbles return.
Stealing the Marbles is loaded with great European settings, and I can tell you really wanted to do them justice with this novel. Which one was your favorite to write about and why?
I love Europe. Given the chance, I’d move there in a heartbeat. Of the two main places mentioned in the book - Bize-Minervois in France and the island of Kefalonia in Greec e - it would be a toss-up between which I would want to live in most. In the end, I think Kefalonia would win out. Bize is a beautiful little town in a beautiful part of France. There’s a great little restaurant there, just inside the arch to the old part of the city, that you simply don’t want to pass up. The proprietor there was the inspiration for the part of Kaz’s father. But oh, the island of Kefalonia, that captured my heart long ago and has never let go. I hope to go back there one day to stay.
*In the review, I mentioned that your novel has moments of duplicity, betrayal, and high-speed chases. It's also a story about friendship and love. What made you want to write a novel like this, with all of these different elements?
I think that part of life is the duplicity, the betrayal of others, though maybe not the high-speed chases. I believe it was Nietzsche who said “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger (though I’m not ashamed to admit I believe I first heard that quote in a Scott Adam’s Dilbert cartoon). It’s the friendship and love of family and friends that balance it out. Add to that, as in the story, the fact that sometimes duplicity and betrayal may not always be the evil they appear to be and, well, then you have a whole new playground to explore.
*Were there any challenges in creating a story with this many layers? Especially in the thriller/suspense genre?
Challenges? No, not really, not in terms of writing the story, anyway. If there were challenges at all, they came in terms of how to describe it genre-wise when I first was looking for an agent (a quest I was never successful at and am now glad I wasn’t). Is STM a suspense/thriller? A mystery? An action story? I honestly don’t know. I don’t write in a particular genre as far as I can tell. I’ve heard this said by a number of authors and feel it has always applied to me and my writing: I write what I would want to read.
*During my research, I learned that you want to be free to write in any genre you choose. What's your favorite genre to write? And to read?
True. See above question/answer. The way I see it, the whole genre thing is something the publishing industry came up with to determine what section of the bookstore your book will get shelved in. But what does it mean, really? I’ve read mysteries that were thrillers and thrillers that were mystery. I’ve read so-called literary novels that were every bit a mystery, or a thriller, or a suspense novel. What determines that? There’s a controversy going on right now about how a ‘literary’ novel written by a woman won’t get the same attention as a ‘literary’ novel written by a man and may well not even be considered a ‘literary’ work but rather be tagged as ‘women’s fiction’? WTF? I don’t see a genre category out there called ‘men’s fiction’!
Sorry, this whole genre thing is a real soapbox issue with me, worse than politics and religion combined. To answer your question, I have no barriers to what I read; if it’s a good story, I’ll read it. As to what I write, well, there is almost always murder and mayhem so I suppose I would be wedged into the suspense/thriller category.
*The characters of Stealing the Marbles were so layered. They had strengths and weaknesses, and they felt like real people. Where do you pull that from?
I have this thing I do with all my characters, primary and secondary; I put something of me in each one. It can be something small, something simple, something large and complex but it is some part of me. Then I send them out into the story to fend for themselves but that one piece always keeps me connected to them. The one problem with that is that they tend to start haunting you. The characters from my novel-that-will-never-see-the-light-of-day, something every author has buried somewhere, still whisper to me.
*The novel is loaded with factual information, not exactly stuff you can get off a cereal box. What was your research process like?
I was lucky with STM in that I’ve been to all the places mentioned in the novel so I had first-hand knowledge into all the sights, the sounds, the smells of the places mentioned in the book. That fact holds true for the novel I just finished but, I fear, the one I’m toying with at the moment is going to require some serious research as it starts out in, and may well stay in, a country I’ve never been to. Luckily, I have friends who do live there. I just hope I don’t strain the friendship too much with the six million questions I’m going to ask.
*And what is your writing process like? Is there music involved, food? How much time do you spend in one sitting?
Silence. Absolute silence. And no one in the room or anywhere near me. My ideal writing spot would no doubt be the dark side of the moon. I will sometimes listen to a piece of music a character is interested in, but not while I’m actually writing. I just can’t take the distraction. As for my writing process, I’m not one of those get-up-and-put-down-1000-words-every-morning kind of writers. I write when I write. I’m also one of those types who edits as I go so the process can oft times be very laborious. As for time in one sitting, it can be fifteen minutes or fifteen hours. It all depends on how deeply into my imaginary world I am. There were moments with STM, well, let’s just say they were very long moments.
*What made you want to get into writing, and what advice would you give to those wanting to do the same?
Unhappy, hostile childhood sums it up best of all. Reading took me out of that but it takes you to a place someone else created. Writing takes you to a place you create, you control, a place where you decide what is right and wrong, who wins and who loses. Maybe I’m a control freak. Maybe all writers are.
As for advice for the newbie: READ! Read what you like, read what you think you wouldn’t like but above all – READ! Once you have that down, start writing but make sure to develop a thick skin in the process. Rejection, bad reviews, lack of attention from family and friends, it’s all part of the game. Get used to it. Once you’re writing, seek out other writers. The best way to do this is join a writers group like Backspace. Don’t be afraid to put your stuff out there. You’re gonna take flak. Get used to that, too. But keep in mind, always, that not every critic is a good critic for what you’re writing. Find those writers whose work you respect and listen to them a good tad more than you listen to anyone else.
*What can we look forward to next from you?
Meter Maids Eat Their Young is finished and will be in the hands of my editor by the time this interview is posted. A bit different than STM to be sure though there will be murder (three or four, actually), mayhem, the mangling of parking meters (which I fully endorse), a long con, conflict between friends and the long overdue resolution to a love story.
*Thanks so much for spending a little time with us. Is there anything else you want us to know?
Well, if I may be so bold here, could I recommend all of Rebel e’s books to your readers? For the suspense/thriller fans out there, Cat Connor’s books are top of the line: Killerbyte, Terrorbyte and her new one, Exacerbyte, coming out in February. Political satire fans will love Land That I Love by William Freedman while fans of historical fiction might love The Gates of Hell by Caroline Addenbrooke (I just finished it and loved it. Ditto Land That I Love). Our newest Rebel author is Ian Barker, author of Fallen Star. I haven’t had a chance to read that one yet but it’s at the top of my TBR list.
Oh, and if I may, there is a self-pubbed book called Last Witch of Manhattan by Richard Lewis that I would highly recommend. It’s available on Smashwords and is one hell of a read.
Jarika Johnson
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Reader Comments (5)
Thanks for the interview. I enjoyed reading some of EJ's secrets. :)
Great interview. I'm happy to see this fine book published and accessible to readers. Great work, EJ You kept at it. Congratulations.
@Tina: You're very welcome! Yes, his secrets were interesting indeed :)
@Jessica: Thank you very much! EJ did a great job with this book; so, it was really my pleasure!!
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Among those posts I've seen, this is the most particular one, and I think the blogger must have spent lots of time on it, thank you so much!