Just in case your interested. . .
I had been active for several years in Voice of the Faithful, a lay reform group in the Catholic Church. The aim of VOTF is to find solutions to the clergy sex abuse scandal. I got calls from victims and realized that the crisis was far from over, in spite of some changes here-and-there in the Church. When my story idea arose, I decided to use mystery fiction to bring the story of the clergy sex abuse scandal to a wider audience.
Everything in the story centered on the sex abuse scandal is true in the sense that what is portrayed has happened around the country many times over. The story is not particular to the Winona area or the Midwest. What’s left out in my novel are the sordid details of individual cases of abuse—there are plenty of non-fiction accounts available.
The story is set along the Mississippi in Iowa. I grew up in Winona and as a boy swam in the Mississippi and fished the sloughs with my uncles. I frequently hiked the bluffs around Winona. In high school, I worked with a local vet and visited numerous farms in a thirty-mile radius of Winona. This beautiful valley, majestic bluffs, mighty river, and surrounding farmlands have left an imprint on my soul. These experiences wove into the sub-plots of Costly Grace.
Producing the first couple of drafts is great fun, and at that point, I’m full of energy. I’ve basically told the story to myself. The hard part comes when I have to revise this unruly beast of a manuscript with a potential reader in mind. I ask myself how can I shape and craft the story so I give my readers enjoyment, a good read? Revision is more important than the initial writing and takes longer. Steven King advises writers to revise by taking out everything that is not the story.
On the craft side of writing, I continue to learn from other writers. Recently I stumbled on this sentence in a Dorothy Sayers mystery: “The sky, between pillow and pillow of rounded cloud, was the pale and transparent blue of aquamarine.” Would you rather read, “There were clouds in the blue sky”? I learn about dialogue from Robert Parker, characterization from Elizabeth George, plot from P.D. James, light-heartedness from Sue Grafton, and setting from Nevada Barr and Tony Hillerman. I also find that reading philosophy, theology, and spirituality nourishes me and shows up here and there in my writing.
I have. My sleuth, Brian Kane, and his sidekick, Maria Valencia, team up to hunt down another killer.
Four years from the day I wrote the first page until I held a book in hand. The first draft took six months, and a year passed before I had reactions from advance readers and a manuscript that came close to the final book. At this point, I submitted the manuscript for copy-editing and started fixing tons of errors. I spent another year pitching my story to prospective book agents. Ultimately, I decided on independent publishing.
The publishing business was hit by the economic downturn in 2008 and has become risk aversive, especially to first time novelists. I chose independent publishing because I wanted to get my story in the hands of readers. Stories of sex abuse by clergy continue to surface, and environmental issues are frequently in the news. (Recent local events include an accused Methodist pastor and the bluff lands ordinance dispute.) Independent publishing has evolved from the “vanity press” days. Today, independent publishers provide the professional services previously only available through publishing houses: editorial review, cover design, copy-editing, page design, and proofing. They employ print-on-demand (POD) book production and help with marketing and distribution of the final book. In 2008, POD titles exceeded traditionally published titles for the first time. I’ve had a very good experience with iUniverse. Independent publishing allows authors to follow in the footsteps of independent filmmakers and recording artists. In this internet age, authors can connect directly to readers with websites and blogs. (Check out www.jamesallaire.com.) |
