WTVR Television Interview and BYS Exclusive Interview! First up, former newspaper journalist and sports writer turned award-winning author, Brad Parks, shares details on his latest mystery novel EYES OF THE INNOCENT on WTVR Television.

 

And the second part of our BYS Double Header, an exclusive interview with our own Brad Parks.

BYS: What went Between the Sheets of this book? Either what was happening in your life when you wrote it, or what was happening with the book as you wrote it.

BP: My second book, EYES OF THE INNOCENT, will always make me think of my daughter. When I began writing it, my wife was five months pregnant with our second child and I knew – with the timing of the contract I had just signed – I needed to complete the first draft before the baby came. My mantra became "Book No. 2 before Baby No. 2." I just got it in under the wire, finishing three days before my daughter arrived. When it came time to edit, I was a stay-at-home Dad with a daughter who would only take naps in one place: Strapped to my chest in a Baby Bjorn. Naturally, I couldn't sit down (or she'd wake up). So I did the majority of the editing while standing with the computer perched atop the television. I always read my stuff out loud when I edit. It was amazing how quickly it put her to sleep. Even the action scenes. (Hopefully you'll have better results).

BYS: When did you decide to sit down and write your first novel and what led up to the publication of your first book?

BP: I was a lifelong sportswriter who had just switched over to news reporting in 2004. My first assignment was a quadruple homicide – four people, shot in the back of the head, left to die in a vacant lot in Newark, New Jersey. Unlike all the sports I covered, there was no postgame stats package, no final score, no neat conclusion to the whole thing. From a narrative standpoint, I found that incredibly unsatisfying. So, in my spare time, I started making up a story that answered all the questions. I began writing in 2005, finished in 2006, found an agent in 2007 and she sold it in 2008. That book, FACES OF THE GONE, was published in 2009.

BYS: Where did you find the idea to write this novel?

BP: I was one of the first journalists to do serious reporting on the subprime mortgage scandal in 2008, reporting on this huge wave of foreclosures that was just starting to crash across urban areas. Little did we know, those foreclosures would portend a global economic collapse. At the time, I just thought it would make for a cool mystery novel – all those failed business deals, all those angry people, all those empty houses. So I concocted a heartwarming little tale that involved arson, a subprime mortgage, a house-flipping scheme, some political corruption and a guy who likes to kill people with a nail gun.

BYS: How long did it take to develop your characters for this book?

BP: In some ways, my whole life. In some ways, about 20 seconds. I wanted readers to focus more on the story I was telling than on the storyteller. So I consciously made Carter Ross the most boring white man who ever lived – in other words, I made him just like me.

BYS: Take us through a typical writing day and your creative process.

BP: In the mornings, I'm a Dad first and an author second. Before I get to the writing, I have to get the kids up, the breakfast out, the lunches made, and so on. So while I usually wake up around 5:30 (or earlier or later, depending on how late the children sleep), I don't start writing until 8 or so. From there, I keep writing until I finish at least 1,000 words. There is no waiting for the muse or inspiration or whatever, mostly because I know I only have so long to write before the kids come back home and start wreaking havoc again. It tends to have a marvelous focusing effect.

BYS: Are you a visual writer? Do you see scenes and characters in your head? Or do you hear the characters voices?

BP: I'm 100 percent visual. I see scenes, hear characters, the whole thing. There's a little movie going on in my head the entire time I'm writing. Sometimes I can get so lost in it, I look up from my computer screen and realized I've lost track of time and place.

BYS: What are your thoughts on First Person verses Third Person? Which is your preference?

BP: I've gone back and forth, depending on the project. They each have their strength. I actually began writing the Carter Ross series in the third person. As I recall, I may have even completed an entire chapter in third person. Then I went back and switched it to first, and it was like the thing popped, because that's what allowed Carter's voice to come through – and many readers have told me Carter's voice is what drew them in. There are obviously limitations to first person in terms of what you can show. But, as both a writer and a reader, I enjoy the intimacy of it.

BYS: What is your re-writing and editing process? Do you let anyone read your work in progress before it goes to your editor?

BP: No one reads my stuff while I'm writing the first draft. Once I complete the draft, I let it sit for about two weeks, give it a quick read through, looking for big-picture stuff – did I leave any elephants dangling from chandeliers? – then send it out to a few first readers. Based on that feedback, I consider whether I need to make any major changes (my rule: if I hear the same thing more than once, I make the change, no matter what). The last step is to read the manuscript aloud and get really fussy with the language. Then it's off to the editor.

BYS: What is your opinion of critique groups? Do you find them helpful?

BP: What's a critique group? No, seriously, I think I've heard of them, and I know some writers swear by them. But they're not for me. I don't want to have to spend that much energy worrying about other people's feelings, and I don't want anyone else to have to worry about mine.

BYS: What keeps you going and motivated when life throws you a curveball?

BP: My children are smart like their mother and will want to attend good colleges. By the time they get there, tuition will be $90,000 a year. That's all the motivation I need.

BYS: Were you an avid reader as a child? What did you like to read?

BP: I wasn't necessarily the most focused student but I was a voracious reader, so I got my education through my library card. As a kid, I read history, sports biographies, mysteries, adventure stories, whatever. I began reading adult books when I was 12 or so. John D. MacDonald was my first literary hero and still an all-time favorite.

BYS: Do you have time to read now? What authors do you read?

BP: This question reminds me of the one my Great Aunt Katie used to ask me: Who do you like better, your mother or your father? It's a totally unanswerable question. I have so many authors I admire and like to read. I fear if I began listing them, I'd leave someone out. We don't need any hurt feelings.

BYS: Who or what influenced you to write and what inspires your imagination?

BP: I got into writing for the money and the sex. I was 14 years old and I had seen an ad in the local newspaper saying "sportswriters needed." The job paid 50 cents a column inch, which meant I could make more money writing sports than I could babysitting. Best of all, the assignment was to cover the Ridgefield High School girls basketball team. Now, at that point in my life, I was short and fat, I had braces, I had this high voice – hardly a catch – but I figured this would be a way to get girls to talk to me (after all, if they wanted to get their names in the paper, they'd have to talk to me). The sex part didn't quite work out, but I found I enjoyed telling stories and having my stuff read by lots of people. Thus, a writer was born.

BYS: How important is self promotion in today's publishing market and what do you do to promote your books?

BP: I find great satisfaction in writing. (I would say I love writing, but there are enough times when I hate it that I think, "I am satisfied by it" is a more accurate choice of phrase). And I know that if I want to continue having a career as a fiction writer, I'm going to have to promote myself. So I do it out of necessity. That said, as long as I have to do it, I might as well have fun with it, right? Hence, I tend to toss myself into just about everything – book touring, blogging, sending postcards to librarians, singing to Brad Meltzer at Thrillerfest… whatever helps me stand out.

BYS: What are you working on now?

BP: Uh, gee, I'm answering this questionnaire… oh, you mean in general? EYES OF THE INNOCENT just launched last week, so right now I'm in full-time touring/promotion stage. But once that dies down, I'm probably going to begin working on a new project – a big, high-concept stand-alone thriller of yet-to-be-determined subject matter. Though it may have something to do with money. (Doesn't everything?)

BYS: What advice do you have for aspiring writers? And how did you keep your spirits up until the first book was published?

BP: All published authors have one thing in common: They kept writing until someone published them. For as much as writing itself can be difficult – and the publishing process can be trying – the good news is there's no real stopwatch. If your goal in life is to be shortstop for the New York Yankees, you pretty much know by the age of 18 whether it's even going to be possible for you. If your goal in life is to be a published author, the only thing that can stop you is dying (or, in some cases, not even that – look at Stieg Larsson). So just remember that stubbornness and persistence are at least as important as talent and creativity, and keep at it. The only person who can make you stop is you.

BYS: Anything special that you want to tell your readers about yourself?

BP: I'm colorblind. So if you see me wearing stuff that doesn't match, just gently pull me aside and tell me where I went wrong. Otherwise, I'll never know. Imagine the horror.

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