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Mary Ann: Hi Ian!
We're delighted to have you at All Things Writing. Our blog mainly reaches
other writers so we like to talk about the process of writing. How long have
you been writing?
The absolute first thing I ever wrote I think was some sort
of Role playing game when I was in 4th grade or something. We were a
few soon-to-be-geeks in school and we played a lot of Nintendo games and this
thing that was called Hero Quest (a board game). It was around the time when
the first Jurassic Park came out (In 93 I think) and my dad had bought me the
game and so I adapted the Jurassic Park video game into a sort of D&D. That
is the first thing that I can remember.
I don't think we ever played more than a few games and then
high school kicked in and I was sent to this specialized class for smart kids
(and I am not saying this to brag) which does not land you points with ladies
or jocks, but hell if we learned how to use computers. We were really into like
early cyberpunk novels and I remember reading a bunch of the Shadowrun series
and then trying to write one. I don't remember what I did with it.
It wasn't until I went to Cegep (some sort of community
college here in QC) that I took my writing seriously. I played around with
philosophy, political science, poetry, script, but after a while I realized I
was more comfortable with novels. How long have I been writing you asked? I
guess 19 years now.
You bio and your
synopsis of Tales of Lust, Hate, and Despair indicate you were strongly
influenced by music and cinema for this work. Is that the norm for you when you
are writing? Or is this the first time you've attempted that style?
I have been a huge fan of all things cinema for as long as I
can remember but it was when my uncle gave me a copy of Aliens (the Cameron
one) when I was something like 15 that my mind was really blown away. I started
digging into these kinds of stories, asking people I knew if there was anything
else like it they knew about.
There was this weird goth kid (we became friends) at the
record shop and he introduced me to a few of the bands that I still love to
this day. If you look at the “thank you” part of movies, novels or Cd's (back
then), that's how you discovered these gritty movies or underground bands. I had
the internet, but there was no such thing as wiki or youtube back then and
finding an director like Kevin Smith still required some work.
For the longest time I didn't want to write novels “Who the
fuck would buy them?” I was thinking. I mostly wrote songs and sang in a
hardcore band, but when the band broke off, I had to do something else. That
was the first time I thought about moving away from music and I tried writing
scripts first which I still do from time to time, but then I figured I could actually
sell my own books so I started writing novels for the first time. That was
maybe three or four years ago.
I think that what I write is visual and I have heard people
call it something like “cinematic” because it is mostly descriptive with a lot
of dialogue, but that's just how I learned to do narratives when I watched
these hundreds (if not thousands) of movies. I think my writings will always be
influenced by cinema and music. There's no way around it.
This novel is full of
gritty characters and complex situations. Where did you get your inspiration
from?
Movies and music are a big part of it. I cite Kurosawa and
Samuel Fuller as major influences, you could add writers like Richler,
Hemingway or Lehane, but as far as the story goes, I was mostly influenced by
the darker sides of Montreal. I know the city has (had?) a reputation for being
a place where people are all happy and all, but there are these places and
times where people struggle and conflicts are real. I would never say that it
is as bad as places like Baltimore or Detroit but the conflicts are not unlike
New-York in the 80s-90s (from what I've read of the era). There was this think
in Montreal in the late 90's, early 00s that has been called “The Biker Wars”
and although I was never part of it, that's all the news would talk about back
then.
I also spend a lot of my young adult years in the red light
district at this community center called “L'x room” which is where I discovered
“Straight Edge” but also a lot of violence, drugs and prostitution. The room
was sort of a safe heaven for young punks and bums where you could see a show
for 5$ and there were old used books for sale every now and then. The whole
area is gentrified now and I can't say I miss it (I still work there for a
student coop) but it was a time and place of turmoil and a lot of stories in
the novel are from that time in my life.
The city is certainly
a huge character in the book! Agent or
no agent? What's your take on that part of the publishing process?
I did send out stuff to a few agencies, mostly when I was
still in college, but none of them seemed to care. Back when there was no DIY
option (or no viable one) for self-publishing I understood their necessity even
if I could argue that they maintained themselves in a position of power in
order to guarantee themselves a job, but now that self-publishing is incredibly
easier, I see no reason why I should get an agent.
I also discovered art and music by going at L'X (which I
mentioned before) and it was a very special place where most of the people
believed in direct democracy and the DIY (Do It Yourself) ethic. There were
these bands that we all loved, like Minor Threat, Bad Religion and Black Flag,
and these bands had built their careers (and an entire musical genre) from
scratch. There was no one around willing to support them, so they did it
themselves.
In the 90s in Montreal and early 00s, there was this void
downtown where most of the buildings were vacant and artists kinda took them
over and there was no scene at all and no money, so everyone I knew were adamant
on DIY. If you could find a few instruments, a few mics and a computer you'd be
alright. It was the beginning of the accessible numeric-age, the very first
“affordable” pro-tools and CD printers.
So going to a major was never much of an issue for me whether
it was music or literature. If ever a publishing house or an agent calls me, I
am not saying I would say yes or no, but I would simply ask if the deal was to
my advantage or not.
What is something
major that the publishing world has taught you?
“You're on your own kid.” I guess that's nothing new to
people my age, but in today's world, if you are a creative person, you have to
know how how to do (almost) anything. Of course, there are endless databases
and videos online on how to do this and that or this and that. If someone asks
you good money for information on anything, look elsewhere, there might be
someone who wrote a similar article and was happy to give it for free.
Libraries are also free and have endless on a vast aray of
subjects. If you are expecting to be a self-published author, you need to know
how to write, but then you need to know how editing works, how the programs
themselves work, how the technology is evolving and mostly, how marketing
works. All of these competences ca be found for free if you are willing to give
in the time.
Something else I learned is that I am not proficient in all
aspects of book publishing. For example, I know how to work the basics of
photoshop, but I am not a graphics designer in any ways. That is why I gave the
cover design for Tales of Lust, Hate and Despair to a professional. I came up
with the general idea, I spent maybe 16 hours just looking at stock photos. I
had made a plan to have my wife take pictures of models we knew, but as I am
not rich and we have little place (and a daughter) I took the decision to buy
stock photos instead. I sent the proofs to my graphics designer (who is a
friend as well) and he replied “this one will work, this one won't for this and
this reason” which are details that I don't know about.
There is also this issue with editing and proofreading that
I (really) such at. I think I know how to tell a story and I am far less
interested by the grammar than I am interested by the tone and the story I am
telling. So I hired two people I used to go to college with who are now
graduates as well. And these persons are now professional writers and
publishers in a certain way. I could have looked for someone with ten years of
experience, but having spent countless hours in workshops and classes with
these two (I am talking here of Sarah Needles and Alex Manley) I knew their
work was just as good as the next guy with “more” experience. So I paid them
what I could and they seemed happy to put in the time. Hopefully I'm make a
little money out of the novel (or at least cover my costs) and be able to pay
them more next time but their inputs has been invaluable to the novel.
So I guess the lessons you need to remember is :
A) learn at least a little bit about all aspects of the work
and
B) know your own limitations and act on them by getting the
proper help.
What's next for you?
Any other books in the works?
I started writing my third novel a few months ago. It was
mostly snapshots at first and a good idea, but I've been putting in the hours
lately and the novel is advancing almost as fast as I'd like it. The title will
be “A Teenage Suicide” and it is a straightforward look at the lives of young
men and women whose lives have been struck by that kind of event. It's more of
a Young Adult marked I'd say, but it is also a story that is closer to my heart
so I wanted to get it off my chest before going back to my more hardboiled
stuff.
I had a bunch of fragments and ideas written down on scrap
paper for something titled “Memoirs of a Hit-man” but it'll have to wait for A
Teenage Suicide to be over. I would love to get the third novel ready for late
November and catch a bit of the Christmas crowd, but I am not willing to cut
corners just for that.
That's pretty much it for now.
Thanks for having me.
Review of Tales of Lust,
Despair, and Hate
This is not a sunshine and roses book. It has no paranormal
element to it or pages and pages of a romantic hero looking to ride off into
the sunset. And none of that is a bad thing! I have to admit that I've been
swamped with romance novels, historical fiction, and high fantasy books for
review so I was really looking forward to something with a little more grit to
it.
And boy, did I get that.
If you read my interview with Mr. Truman, you probably
gathered that he is quite passionate in his beliefs. You can easily sense this
in his writing as well. Tales of Lust, Despair, and Hate is a gritty, brutal
novel that travels a dark path of self-discovery. Full of tough truths, this is
the book that stays with you long after it's done.
Here’s the synopsis:
Samuel Lee has known
three days of freedom in the last eighteen years. Three days to come out of
prison, see his daughter, settle a score with the mother of his child and her
dangerous new boyfriend. Finding shelter in the unlikely company of a group of prostitutes,
Sam will have to challenge his friends, his family, and ultimately, himself.
Told in the tradition of the best literary noir, Tales of Lust, Hate and Despair is a modern, lowdown and gritty take on the genre. Inspired by the cinema of Akira Kurosawa and Samuel Fuller as well as the music of Tom Waits, Sage Francis, Neurosis and Marilyn Manson, it is a novel that is sure to please anyone who has ever found themselves trapped and cast aside from the world.
Told in the tradition of the best literary noir, Tales of Lust, Hate and Despair is a modern, lowdown and gritty take on the genre. Inspired by the cinema of Akira Kurosawa and Samuel Fuller as well as the music of Tom Waits, Sage Francis, Neurosis and Marilyn Manson, it is a novel that is sure to please anyone who has ever found themselves trapped and cast aside from the world.
Cast aside from the world? Yeah. I would agree that is where
we find Sam when the novel begins. He is a man looking for answers and looking for his
daughter. He tries to be peaceable, tries to mind his business and walk a
straight path, but his internal struggle with himself does not make that easy.
Oh, and then there's that little liquor problem he seems to have. He doesn't exactly
make the best impression on people when he's been drinking.
I had mixed feelings about Sam as a character. On the one
hand, I liked him and wanted him to stop daydreaming about what he could do
with his life and just do it! He often wanders into flights of fancy where he
imagines himself living the good life or where things are perfect. Yet, he
doesn't allow himself the opportunity to follow through with those thoughts and
make them a reality. This was frustrating for me as a reader,and unfortunately,
very true to life. There are so many people like Sam who think about how great their
life could be, but yet do nothing to make it happen. The author really had me here!
There is quite an eclectic group of characters within this
story ranging from Alice (Sam's drugged up ex) to Josie who fits the prostitute
with a heart of gold stereo type. I particularly liked how the story of the
European client who beats the prostitutes unfolds. I liked Mikey (the best friend) because I
could feel his concern for Sam. So all in all, great character development!
There is a lot of backstory which guides the reader to the
present day situations that are occurring.
While I think backstory is important, I did feel that at times it slowed
the forward motion of the novel. The
descriptions of the city were vivid and painted a picture, but once that
picture is painted, I want to move on. Occasionally, I felt like some of the
setting stuff was taking away from the pace of the tale. I also loved the
narrative style of the author, but there were times when the tense changed and
some head hopping occurred. I spotted
quite a few typos and misspellings--not enough to make me stop reading, but enough
to make me think the book needed one more pass with a line editor. On the other hand, I was reading the Kindle
version and I always find more mistakes
in that format.
I agree that there is a cinematic feel to this novel, and I
would recommend putting it on your
reading list! I'm glad I got to read this one! Don't forget to enter the raffle for your free copy of this book!
Amazon code:
Ian Truman Online:
Website www.iantruman.wordpress.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/IanTruman
This is a great review!
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