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All you aspiring authors
out there…Imagine what it would be like if you had the opportunity to
co-write a book with James Patterson? This month’s jewel did just
that. Not only did he co-write a New York Times Bestselling Book with
the master of storytelling, but he did it six times. That in itself is an amazing
story.
I am sure
you have noticed my recent pattern of interviews over the last few months. I
have branched out into  mainstream fiction and even have temporarily left my first
love of romance to try my hand at other genres such as political thrillers. I
have been quite impressed with the magnitude of talent out there and thrive on
bringing to you what I feel is the very best in this business. So without further
ado, go grab yourself a cup of tea and get to know one of the hottest rising
stars at HarperCollins, Andrew
Gross. And, don’t
forget to look for the trivia question at the end on the interview. You,
too, could win your very own copy of Andrew’s latest release, THE
DARK TIDE.
Jen: Every author has his own personal
story that influences the path of his career. Please take us on your journey
highlighting the significant moments in your life that led to your becoming an
author.
Andrew: Well,
two moments stand out in that journey. The first was a “turnaround” business
venture that didn’t turn
around. I was always deft at phrasing and writing, always a savvy reader,
and over two decades of managing companies in the sports apparel field, and,
like a million people, it was always one of my dreams-- more of an inner
fancy really-- that I would one day find the time to take a year “sabbatical” and
write my novel. Well, that sabbatica l became a reality in a management RIF
(reduction in force.) I took my wife away from the kids to Key West, Florida.
We sat around for a few days and she asked me, “So what are we going
to do?” I cleared my throat and said, “Well, I want to run something
by you, honey…” When I told her I wanted to take a year off
to write a book, that I had this idea for a political conspiracy thriller,
that we would monitor that year and my progress closely and not turn it into
something frivolous and crazy…instead of looking at me and saying “No,
are you insane, Andy? We’ve got kids in private school,” she
saw something more determined than desperate in my eyes, swallowing all the
dubious snickers we would no doubt receive and replied, “Do it. I’m
behind you, honey. All the way. ” There’s no amount of inspiration
or dedication more important to a change of life decision than a supportive
spouse. Find this book in our catalog.
The second, clearly, was the call I received from James Patterson.
I had written my novel, HYDRA—it took two
years actually—polished
and revised it, found a top agent to sell it, and watched, with exuberant hope
as it was sent out to twenty publishers, and, two weeks later, fielded an equal
number of rejections, some bolstering and complimentary, others, pretty terse
and unhopeful. After two years, I had no idea what I was going to do next.
Write another novel? Elbow my way back in business? Go another year or two
without money coming in, or without a real handle in life? While I was
sitting around stewing over this, I got a call from my agent. “Would
I be willing to take a call from James Patterson?” My pat line is… I
would have taken a call from the mailman if he had anything nice to say about
my book. We met for breakfast and he shared some positive comments about
my book, which had been given to him by the then senior editor of Warner
Books with five amusing words scratched on it, “This guy does women
well!” What Jim said to me was, “You’ve got the goods, Andy.
I can tell you how to sharpen your book, and you can go back and spend another
year revising it and then re-submit. Or, I’ve got a few ideas for stories
I’d like to tell, that I don’t have time to write—and if
you’d like to consider working with me, it just might be worth your while.”(Those
ideas became the Woman’s Murder Club series.)
And, Jim’s
call changed my writing career.
Jen: One of those most challenging
parts of becoming an author is quite simply figuring out the “formula,” if
you will, for which to create the best book that you can possibly write. What
was it like going from a “one man show” to working with a partner?
What adaptations to your writing style or methods did you have to make in
order to reach the final product?
Andrew: Well,
I’ve made the trip full-circle now.
Originally, it probably took that first book to fully understand what Patterson
was trying to do, stripping scenes down to their elemental core, learning
his voice and how everything in the book is built for speed. After that,
I was given a pretty long leash. At the time, his publisher called it “the
most seamless collaboration he had ever read.”
The challenge then,
having sold my own book, was re-finding my own voice, as I had written in
someone else’s for so long. Seven years. Six books.
And let’s face it…it’s a privilege and a luxury to be able
to call up one of the keenest minds in the business to help noodle it out when
you get stuck. I still miss that.
Jen: For the best part of seven years, you worked side by
side with James Patterson creating New York Times Bestselling novels
that put your name on the map in the publishing business. I would think
that you were quite comfortable in those shoes, but in the back of your mind,
did you know that one day you would return to writing solo? How hard
was it to make that break?
Andrew: From book one, we always knew there would be an
end game. But the deals grew in lucrativeness; the books always went to number
one. It’s a thrill seeing your name at the top of the list, having
a million people reading your stories… three of them were sold to
the movies. So one book grew into six. And this was before Patterson became,
Patterson, Inc., so to speak. I was actually waiting for a seventh treatment
from him when I scratched out some thoughts and put them in this outline
and submitted it to my agent, questioning, you think this might sell? A week
later we had four publishers bidding on the outline. I actually fully never
intended to make the break when I did; it more or less was hoisted on me.
I never forget for a second that my career is a chain of such fortuitous
events.
Jen: Your first solo project, BLUE ZONE,
soared to the New York Times Bestselling List which validated to the
critics (as well as to yourself) that you are a talented author in your own
right. How did that change your view of yourself as a writer? Did you
feel more pressure to exceed your readers’ expectations or did it have
the reverse effect in respect that you were able to recognize that you had
honed your craft to the point that success was truly attainable?
Andrew: I never really feel pressures like that. People
who know me would joke that I’m a host-- not a recipient. It’s
taken a while to accept that I’m actually pretty good at what I do.
First, it was always, it must be Patterson doing it and then there was always
the nagging doubt-- well, working with Patterson gave you the platform for
your success, or that as you say, that burst to the Bestseller List was
an ocean of Patterson readers familiar with your name. It took a book for
people to realize I’m not writing Patterson clones. That I have my
own voice. I’ve received about a thousand emails of readers, going “wow!” Or “this
is a lot more that I was expecting.” Then you get reviews that back
that up and praise from other writers you always read and admired…then
that initial three book deal with Morrow is suddenly backed up with
an almost unheard of six book extension…and you look at your wife
who was there at that first agonizing decision to give this a shot and scratch
your head and go, “jeez, it isn’t about Patterson at all. I
must really be able to do this thing.”
Jen: Your latest release, THE DARK TIDE,
is an amazing thriller that is fast-paced, nail-biting, and deftly executed. How
did you arrive at the premise?
Andrew: While the book starts with a horrific event, THE
DARK TIDE is a not a book about catastrophe or terror. I think
I’ve always been touched by the inner “terror” of successful,
complete, seemingly untouchable lives altered in a second through fate. THE
BLUE ZONE was such a story, a husband and father betraying
their family’s trust. In THE DARK TIDE, a
successful dad wakes up, kisses his wife goodbye, heads to the train, and
is never, ever heard from again. I’ve also had a lot of contact in
my career with very successful businessmen who have been brought down through
either fraud or stock scandals. The mighty falling seems to also be a theme—and
the two are woven together here.
Jen: How much research went into
the formulation of the novel? And
if you had to choose, what one bit of information was most helpful for making
your readers buy into your storyline?
Andrew: As I said, I’ve witnessed close hand the fall
of a few, iconic, seemingly “untouchable” business people. I’ve
also been part of a family company that was once on the New York Stock
Exchange, but now, due to financial misreporting, no longer exists.
This is my best research—stories of sudden shame or complicity, or
hypocrisy. And greed. We also lost a close friend on 9/11, so I know little
about what Karen, my protagonist, had to go through.
Jen: In my opinion, the brevity
of your chapters is a brilliant writing technique because it keeps the story
focused while at the same time teases the reader “to just read one more.” From a writer’s
point of view, do the short chapters help to keep the story moving forward
or is it double the work because you have to make sure the story doesn’t
become disjointed?
Andrew: Absolutely the first. My tales are plot intensive,
like Patterson’s. One hundred four page chapters or so, each propelling
the story forward. If you do it well, if each chapter ends with a jolt and
a mystery, propels into the next, it’s an automatic page turning machine.
It keeps people up at night. Still, I try to let the scenes go to their natural
dramatic conclusion. Unlike Jim, I don’t abruptly end them, just to
make them brief.
Jen: Your lead character in this
book is a female, a choice that entailed quite a bit more finesse on your
part in order for it to ring true with your readers. What was the most challenging part of writing
from a woman’s point of view?
Andrew: I have always written in a female voice. Can’t
explain why. Even my first still unpublished manuscript that got me to Patterson.
I know I do it well, because I like to write about sensitivity and emotion
wrapped up with crisis and danger. I like to write about women who act heroically.
The books I started writing out with Jim had four women! Now, I only have
to do one or two!
Jen: The catalyst that sets the plot in motion takes place
in New York City, which carries with it the connotation of being similar to
9/11. What makes that locale so vital to the story?
Andrew: THE DARK TIDE is not really
a New York story. It’s set in Greenwich, CT. What attracts me there
is that it is a community of the richest, most successful business people
in the country, yet it’s a small town. Moms drive their kids to school,
go to yoga…dads coach the teams. The mix of power and suburban familiarity
is what is so compelling.
Jen: My favorite character in THE DARK SIDE is
Ty Hauck. What are his strengths and weaknesses? And, which scene of
his was the most enjoyable to write and why? Which one was the most difficult
and why?
Andrew: Hey, a male! I did it! I’m glad you feel that
way. Hauck is quiet, strong, dogged, and vulnerable, carries a private tragedy,
has a true sense of right and wrong, and is willing to risk his life for
someone else’s wrong. He is a true knight. Selfless, courageous, and
in that sense, romantic and heroic. I’ll pass on the scene so I don’t
give anything away.
Jen: Of all the books you have written so far, which one
are you most proud and why?
Andrew: I like this one, because I think it is the richest
in feel and most complex. And exciting. Yet there are parts of me in every
one that enliven them for me. I loved writing THE JESTER—a
book that should have gained more fans—a real fairy tale in the middle
ages with enormous charm and emotional resonance at the end, an ending that’s
sort of a signature with me.
Jen: What has surprised you most about the publishing business
and why?
Andrew: That it’s actually not a whole lot more advanced
than the old woman’s dress business where I started out. Publishers
aren’t sure just what they have. They throw it out, everyone believes
their “line” is better than the next guy’s, and then the
customer tells them what sells! Then they try to milk that concept as much
as they can on the next one. Never had any idea my old resume was so applicable
to my new career!
Jen: Are you currently at work on your next project? And
if so, is it collaboration or a solo venture? What can you tell us about it?
Andrew: No more collaborations. I’ve got a book to
write a year for the next eight. Yes, I’m halfway through. I’d
rather not say the subject though until people read THE DARK
TIDE.
Jen: Please tell us about your website. Do you have e-mail
notification of upcoming releases? Do you participate in author phone chats?
And if so, how would my readers go about arranging one? Do you have a blog?
Andrew: Yes, yes, yes. It’s a strong site. I try to
share things about myself and make myself available. I never forget for a
second what a privilege it is to be doing this and in my heart, I still identify
with the reader writing in more than the author responding. So, I love contact.
I learn from interacting with my audience. So don’t be shy—good
or bad, although I have to say, of the thousand or so e-mails I’ve
gotten on BLUE ZONE, only a couple or so were negative,
and they were pretty much due to how I completely bungled the Spanish. (I
promise, no Spanish in THE DARK TIDE!)
Jen: Thank you so much for taking
time out of your busy schedule to chat with my readers. It has been such a pleasure for me to be able
to interview you. I was truly impressed with your novel and look forward
to your next release. Best of luck in 2008!
Andrew: Thanks for giving me the time. Hope I hear from
some of your readers down the line!
I hope you have enjoyed my interview with Andrew Gross. THE DARK
TIDE would make the perfect gift, so why not pick up a copy
today? Or, would you rather win one? Okay, the first five people
to e-mail me at jensjewels@gmail.com with
the correct answer to the following question will win! Good luck!
Please name the title of Andrew’s first solo project.
Later this month, I will be bringing to you my interview with Therese Fowler,
author of the masterfully written debut novel, SOUVENIR. You
won’t want to miss it.
Until next time…Jen |
Meet
the Author: featuring Jen's Jewels