… goriness can be offensive. The hardest part about this is that I’m not trying to offend anyone. Violence is a part of the world and therefore violence finds itself in a story. It’s no different than how love and laughter finds itself in a story.
C. W. Schultz – 12 December 2012
The Back Flap
At home, Rachel Rhodes is a mother and wife. At work, she is a manager. At night, she is the infamous serial killer known only as Jill. Her secret will eventually affect everyone in her life, from her family members to the detectives investigating the case.
Luck starts off on her side as she befriends heartbroken detective Cole Dale, who’s an important link to the investigation. However, that luck seems to fade when Rachel meets Cole’s partner, an unorthodox and mentally unstable detective, Perry Charleton, driven by personal reasons to stop Jill using any means necessary.
The novel is told in an omniscient narrative style, allowing the story to have a hauntingly neutral perspective which disguises everything as it progresses and leaves no room for predictability, entangling the reader in a web of evil. Layered with symbolism and motifs, leaving the story to come together like a puzzle through the characters’ actions and interactions; its themes deal with such issues as dysfunction, impressionability and influence, sexism, racism and even humiliation.
As with any C. W. Schultz novel, Jill is a study in candor. The author himself calls Jill “a serial killer soap opera” as Rachel seeks the romantic, fairy tale ending that only a deranged woman would believe possible after the things she has done.
About the book
What is the book about?
My book is about a female serial killer known as Jill, who selects victims that remind her of her father or husband and lures them to their death with her beauty. As the story progresses, her strategy for avoiding capture slowly crumbles, especially after she takes a gamble and befriends one of the detectives on the case in hopes that he will inadvertently feed her information so she can stay one step ahead of investigators.
When did you start writing the book?
Writing for Jill began in January 2011.
How long did it take you to write it?
The first draft of Jill was finished in March 2012, though it went through an exhaustive series of edits that came to an end in about October 2012. For me, the hardest part about writing a book is editing it.
Where did you get the idea from?
My ideas don’t derive from anything in particular. Usually, I’ll mentally create individual characters in unique situations that they find themselves in based on their personality, then I’ll piece together these isolated ideas into one story. By the time I have all my players ready, I’ll already know which one of them is best suited to antagonize and create a meaningful and interesting conflict. It sounds more random than it actually is. Since this is just the way my creative process works, I’ve adapted to this method which actually helps me create a story that unfolds rather smoothly.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Before I write the first word of my book on paper, I already know what the last word will be. Well, metaphorically. Basically, I know my book from beginning to end even before I write it. This may sound like writing is a breeze for me, but it’s not. Ideas in your head are not the same as ideas on paper. When something doesn’t match up the way you thought it would beforehand, you have to: 1) scrap it, 2) change it, or 3) change a bunch of other stuff in your story so it can be used.
Another struggle was content, for a couple reasons. One reason was because goriness can be offensive. The hardest part about this is that I’m not trying to offend anyone. Violence is a part of the world and therefore violence finds itself in a story. It’s no different than how love and laughter finds itself in a story. To me, that’s appropriate. However, making violence more tolerable and/or less senseless than it actually is isn’t how I want to tell my stories. The real question with me when writing a story like this is not Do I cross the line or not?, but rather When is the right time to cross the line and when is it not? To me, there’s no question I’ll be crossing that line, I just can’t do it carelessly because then I’ll just be writing exploitive trash with zero merit.
The second reason content was a struggle was because of the emotional toll. Writing dark stuff can be heavy. I imagine it’s comparable to a method actor escaping into an evil character… a character that thrives on everything the actor stands against. It’s a burden, but it has to be done.
What came easily?
Dialogue came easily in this story. Some stories, dialogue is problematic. I guess it just depends on what the story is and what kinds of characters are interacting.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
This is a question I always get from those closest to me and I’m sure other writers are in the exact same boat. There are no characters that are based on or an interpretation of anyone I know. I may draw a minor trait from someone I know in order to develop a part of the character. For example, my friend Joe Blow has four sons, so I might create a character that has four sons. That’s it. Other than that, the character has no other similarities to Joe Blow.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Stephen King said, “You have to be well-read in order to be well-written.” There is no question it is important for writers to read. One thing that is important to me is to not develop my craft based on the works of someone else. So reading different kinds of things by many different people is something that I think will give me the necessary flexibility to write with confidence and prevent me from recycling my own or someone else’s material. That doesn’t mean you can’t have influences. There have been times when such authors as Bret Easton Ellis and Jack Ketchum have helped me follow through to the end.
Do you have a target reader?
My target reader is adults with a strong stomach and an open mind. Several years ago I would have said my target audience is men because many of the characters in my stories are men and the content tends to be more tolerated by men than women. However, a lot of women have read my previous work and liked it. I’ll tend to show anti-sexism through a misogynist character or I’ll tend to show anti-violence through a deranged psychopath—I let the characters make examples of themselves… I let them dig their own holes through their hatred and weakness. Ultimately, readers find my approach effective.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I don’t necessarily have a process. Perhaps if I slacked and/or procrastinated, I would develop a routine so I could get my work done. But I don’t seem to have that problem. The reason I avoid a process is because I want writing to be enjoyable, not a chore. I’m not saying that those who have a process don’t enjoy writing; I’m just saying that a process for me would be patrolling myself while in the zone of creativity—a place that should have no boundaries or supervision.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
Yes, I outline. I tend to commit to a story when I think I have a unique enough plot worth telling. From there, I decide how the conflict develops (the beginning) and how it resolves (the end). Then I do extensive breakdowns or buildups of how the beginning will ultimately meet the end; this development includes outlining chapters and noting how this particular section helps drive the plot and/or develop the character(s).
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I wait until I am finished. You have to allow some parts of the story to come together on its own, and proofing yourself before you even have a chance to get the next thing on paper will affect things that can fall into place so nicely.
Did you hire a professional editor?
Yes.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Very rarely. Classical music would be the only thing I’d listen to when writing.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I focused more on publishers with Jill.
What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Definitely gradual. I was open to anything, but after months of exploring my options for this story, I decided to go Indie.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?
I did it myself.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Marketing for Jill will include the first chapter teaser posted free for all to see at my website. Replicas of the main character’s calling card are also available and will be provided with signed copies of my book—those who are interested may go to http://www.cwschultz.com/contact/. Free book giveaways at Goodreads will be in the near future. Other interviews are expected. Press conferences are also being considered.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Write because you enjoy it, not because you think telling stories will be a cool job. Literature or anything else that can be considered an art form should not be a part of a get-rich-quick-scheme.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Lake Forest Park, WA.
Where do you live now?
Seattle, WA.
What are you working on now?
2013 will be dedicated to promoting Jill, continuing my film Watch’s festival run, and polishing a bunch of my spec-scripts. Most likely, I will start work on my fourth novel in early 2014, which will hopefully be out by 2015. I also will be traveling to a third world country in the near future, a place where I expect to draw a lot of inspiration.
End of Interview:
Find out more from C.W. Schultz’s website and his profile on Goodreads.
Get your copy of Jill from Amazon US (paper or ebook) or Amazon UK (paper or ebook)
