I have worked with many publishers, mostly trade, and I saw the writing on the crumbling walls of traditional houses some time ago. This seems to be the same for fiction publishers. When you think about it, the traditional authors’ club is pretty small, because it’s about profits, not necessarily quality work.
Jim Wills – 4 April 2013
The Back Flap
The first of four Kavanagh stories, A Few Men Faithful sets the stage, defines the Kavanagh family, and tells of a troubled land and an equally troubled romance amid war and treachery. Time span: 1916 to 1924 in Dublin, County Cork and Northern Ireland. Major events: Easter Rising, Secret War, War of Independence, the Civil War. This last is little known and less explored, especially through the eyes of a soldier on the losing side. The main character, Danny Kavanagh, escapes Dublin in 1916 only to become one of the Twelve Apostles, that squad of executioners Michael Collins used to shut the spying eyes in Dublin Castle. As a soldier he is haunted, nearly driven mad, by what he has done, what he cannot do, yet still hold onto that deathless dream of a united Ireland. He pays the price, finally, as an exile and IRA emissary in North America. Anyone interested in high-speed historical fiction will find A Few Men Faithful to their liking.
About the book
What is the book about?
A Few Men Faithful is the first of four Kavanagh stories. It sets the stage, defines the Kavanagh family and tells of a troubled land and an equally troubled romance amid war and treachery. Time span: 1916 to 1924 in Dublin, County Cork and Northern Ireland. Major events: Easter Rising, Secret War, War of Independence, the Civil War. This last is little known and less explored, especially through the eyes of a soldier on the losing side. The main character, Danny Kavanagh, escapes Dublin in 1916 only to become one of the Twelve Apostles, that squad of executioners Michael Collins used to shut the spying eyes in Dublin Castle. As a soldier he is haunted, nearly driven mad, by what he has done, what he cannot do, yet still hold onto that deathless dream of a united Ireland. Only his impossible love for Sophia O’Faolain keeps him sane. He pays the price, finally, as an exile and IRA emissary in Philadelphia. This North American connection is pursued in the next book: Philly MC.
When did you start writing the book?
August 2008, after I returned from an extended research trip to Ireland.
How long did it take you to write it?
Nine months, with time off for reflection and paying the rent, then rewriting, cutting and responding to my freelance editor’s recommendations.
Where did you get the idea from?
I have been reading in Irish history and literature for quite some time, though my actual field of record is English literature of the 18th and 19th centuries. It occurred to me that very little had been written, in fiction or non-fiction, about the Irish Civil War, mainly, I came to understand, because it remains divisive to this day. The literature was and is dominated by a happier focus on the Free State/Irish Republic side of the story. I decided that a novel about a soldier on the losing side would tell a story that needed telling and go some way in dispelling many years of misinformation and neglect.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
I wouldn’t call it a struggle, but the most difficult part was to keep the dates and events accurate and in line with the plot.
What came easily?
Dialogue. I’m a careful listener to the cadences used by people from earlier times or specific regions. It’s enjoyable for me. Letters. I like writing letters, especially in a period environment, using period language and sentence structure.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Danny Kavanagh, the main character, has some physical resemblance to my maternal grandfather, but that’s as far as it goes. Danny, Sophia, Jim Murtagh, the Devlins, etc., are all fictitious, but a great many, like Collins, Mulcahy, Lynch, are all real enough. The idea was to put fictitious characters in real situations. I guess this defines historical fiction.
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?
One reviewer likened my style to Hemmingway, though I can’t say I’ve read much of his work beyond For Whom the Bell Tolls. It is true that my style, like his, is spare and understated, but it’s not an imitation. In contemporary fiction, I’d have to point to Roddy Doyle as a strong influence for the unblinking way he regards his characters, plus his phenomenal ability to tell a story and handle dialogue. The less well-known writer Eoin McNamee is in there somewhere, too. For plot development and characterization, Dickens is at the forefront, but certainly not for some of his more sentimental forays. There are many others: Henry Fielding, Jane Austen, Dostoyevsky, Joyce, Herman Melville, Dorothy Sayers, Faulkner, John Barth, John Gardner, Carolyn Chute and so on.
Do you have a target reader?
My ideal target reader is a product of the Irish diaspora, worldwide, but particularly in North America. Next would be the Irish in Ireland. After that, and in broader terms, are readers who enjoy historical fiction and a ripping good yarn no matter the setting.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I’ve been a professional freelance writer and developmental book editor for many years. I treat each project, no matter if it’s one of my novels or something that actually pays, as a 9 to 5 job, no exceptions, no wandering off from the keyboard. It might be that an entire day’s work ends up on the cutting room floor, but I just keep at it. I have never experienced so-called writer’s block. The biographies of many great novelists are consistent in describing a set writing schedule. I have a tendency to write a first draft very quickly, then slowly refine and cut and rewrite.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
In the early stages I did, quite exhaustively, too. These days, I mostly line up chapter titles.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I edit at the end of each chapter, then do it again and again as the plot develops in full. This helps me weed out inconsistencies in characterization and plot snarls. One of my procedures, particularly useful with dialogue, is to read a chapter out loud. If there’s a glitch in the reading, there’s something wrong with the writing. Once the final page of the book is written, I go through it end to end, very slowly. Only then is it ready for a professional editor.
Did you hire a professional editor?
Yes, it’s impossible to edit my own work dispassionately and objectively, and that is what’s needed. I would recommend the same course to any author. However, it’s important to hire an editor with a track record in your field. Get proof, not promises. Editors can be a haughty bunch. The author is the employer, and as such should set the guidelines. In my case, Bobbi Speck was not only talented and easy to work with, but she understood right away that my style is my style. I was looking to her for advice on plot, characterization and believability—things structural. Her response was invaluable.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
No, I find it distracting. Besides, I’m a down and dirty, loud blues guy. It’s difficult to describe, but I can hear what the characters are saying as they’re saying it. I focus on that.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Originally, yes. But I discovered it’s a very time-consuming, random and expensive search. Finding one with both a brain and a heart is tricky. The agent I had in New York City simply vanished.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I have worked with many publishers, mostly trade, and I saw the writing on the crumbling walls of traditional houses some time ago. This seems to be the same for fiction publishers. When you think about it, the traditional authors’ club is pretty small, because it’s about profits, not necessarily quality work.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I treat this exactly the same way as hiring a professional freelance editor. Besides, I have trouble drawing a recognizable circle, so graphic design is out. Fortunately, I developed a strong contact in cover design through my book packaging projects. Sarah Orr at ArtPlus is very, very talented. A professional cover draws the eye and stands out. In a bookstore, it’s usually the spine the customer sees first, so it has to make an immediate impact through type style. An amateurish cover does none of these things.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I wouldn’t use such a formal word as “plan,” but I do pursue every opportunity I see. The tumbling tide of indie voices out there means it’s very, very easy to get drowned out. Getting my voice heard is the goal.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Practice, practice, practice. If you wait for “inspiration,” it will not arrive, and nothing will get written. An idea in your head doesn’t exist outside it until it is written down. Good, solid, readable fiction writing is a craft; great writing is an art and quite rare. Be strict with yourself; every single word you write really isn’t cast in platinum. Digressions are allowed only if they further the plot down the road. Subtle misdirection for a surprise ending is fine, but contradiction isn’t. If you decide to write to a set plot or the genre of the moment, work hard to make it your own. Make each character’s voice distinct and definitely not your own. This is a common mistake, even among “famous” authors. Boring. Develop and stick to a disciplined writing routine. Do use spell check but be aware that Word is hardly the ultimate authority, because you are. It will not, for example, see the difference between its and it’s. The spelling its’ is anathema. If an English woman writes a letter or sends an email to her US boyfriend, she uses English spelling and word selection, “whilst,” for example. If the boyfriend replies, he uses US spelling and word selection. Word’s automated grammar and usage suggestions are often laughable. I turn it off. Find as many typos as you can. Guard yourself against repetitious vocabulary. Same goes for sentence structure. It’s shocking to be shocked so often. It’s either unique, a superlative, or it isn’t; very unique does not exist. There is nothing wrong with using a thesaurus. Make sure your plot holds water. If it leaks, it sinks. Hire an editor and listen; carefully consider suggestions, but don’t be overawed or lose ultimate control. Know the rules of spelling, grammar and punctuation inside-out; only then can you break them if you have a good reason, especially in dialogue. Use a professional cover designer whose work you admire. Giving up is not an option.
About You
Where do you live now?
I have spent the majority of my life in and around Toronto, Ontario. Today, when not in Europe, I live in a small, rural village in farming country to the north and east of the city.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I’ve had many and varied careers. In more or less historical order, I’ve been a motorcycle mechanic, a race engine builder, a teacher, an academic, a hard rock miner (silver), a developmental book editor and ghost writer, trade book author, a commercial writer in print and video, a novelist, a mason, a wood-fired artisan bread baker, and a teacher of and writer about that craft. Some overlap in time and continue.
What are you working on now?
There are four finished novels in the Kavanagh saga. They span the years 1916 to 2020. The fifth one, “Fianna,” is in the germination stage. It will be set in 1798. To get it going, I’ll have to return to Ireland (darn), and I’ve got quite a bit of reading to do yet.
End of Interview:
For more from Jim visit his website where you can find out about his books as well as his other ventures including the breadmaking he mentions above.
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Get your copy of A Few Men Faithful from Amazon US (paper or ebook), Amazon UK (paper or ebook), Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords.
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