My secondary goal, after telling an exciting and entertaining story was to give the reader a realistic insider’s view of what being a firefighter is really like, both in the station and at an emergency: the merciless heat and blinding smoke; the camaraderie and conflict between men and women who place their lives in each other’s hands; the moments of grim hilarity, unexpected grace and heartbreaking tragedy that are part of life in the fire service.
John Kenny – 1 June 2014
The Back Flap
Searching for the truth is the most dangerous thing firefighter Donny Robertson will ever do.
The blaze in the old factory has left Donny physically and mentally scarred. And Fitz was dead, nothing was going to change that. But everyone is eager to put that tragedy behind them – there were no traces of arson and no signs of foul play. As pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together, evidence and people start to disappear. By the time Donny realizes he’s in over his head, it’s too late. He’s become a loose end and someone is cleaning up. Framed for the murder of his last remaining lead, Donny only chance is to find and confront the person pulling the strings. It’s a desperate plan and it will cost him everything he has left.
The Spark is a fast paced, intelligent thriller that gives an insider’s view of life in the fire department.
About the book
What is the book about?
Firefighter Donny Robertson can’t accept that the fire which killed his friend and mentor was just an accident. His search for the truth spirals out of control, with Donny getting way over his head in a world of corporate intrigue and murder for hire.
When did you start writing the book?
About twenty-five years ago, shortly after I became a firefighter. But I kept thinking, “who am I trying to kid? I can’t write a book!” and I quit. Every few years I’d pull out those twenty or thirty pages and look at them, until I finally threw them in the garbage. But the idea refused to die. Every now and then a new plot twist would pop into my head. I finally had to sit down and write it. That was about four years ago. I started, twenty-five years ago, on an IBM Selectric typewriter and finished on a notebook running Vista.
How long did it take you to write it?
The first draft took me about 18 months. Well more like 12 months (two winters) spaced over 18 months. I’m a very slow writer and a very slow reader. I read at about the same speed as I speak. I don’t think I have a learning disability, I just like to ponder and savour the words. (no the ‘u’ is not a typo, I write in the Queen’s English). If I read two books a month I’m doing well. I write at a proportionally slow pace, trying to get the wording just right. I love the elegance of a well crafted phrase.
Where did you get the idea from?
Being a firefighter, the idea of a hit man who uses fire as a weapon and to cover his tracks seemed like a natural. I’ve been to lots of incidents where people set fires to try to cover their tracks. Almost all of them do a really bad job and botch it. Then it occurred to me that the ones who did it well would never get caught. Hmmm, how would you do that…? Then I had to change it a bit so I didn’t give anyone bad ideas!
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
The ending got rewritten more times than I can count. I confess I do like happy endings, but I didn’t want it to become silly or saccharine. And evil does persist. In the end I think I got a decent balance. The other tough part was the romantic sections, maybe because I’m a Virgo. I don’t think I’m a prude, I just don’t find erotica all that interesting. (I know, my poor wife). But my early readers told me I needed to put more into the romance and they made helpful suggestions. I think adding humour to the romance helped.
What came easily?
Writing about day to day life in the fire hall. My secondary goal, after telling an exciting and entertaining story was to give the reader a realistic insider’s view of what being a firefighter is really like, both in the station and at an emergency: the merciless heat and blinding smoke; the camaraderie and conflict between men and women who place their lives in each other’s hands; the moments of grim hilarity, unexpected grace and heartbreaking tragedy that are part of life in the fire service.
Hollywood portrays us as two dimensional cartoon heroes and the calendars give another false impression. In reality we are very ordinary people, who are sometimes privileged to do extraordinary things to help people in the worst moments of their lives.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
I have borrowed and blended from the real world. In some cases I’ve used the names of friends and colleagues as a sort of tribute or just because, well, how can you resist using a name like “Eddy the Ladle”. The character “Fitz” is directly modeled on my first Captain. He was a true mentor and a man I greatly admire. He’s a little pissed because I killed him off early in the book, but he’s retired now, so there’s not much he can do to me. Hey, that tire wasn’t flat an hour ago…!
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?
Gosh, there are so many great writers I admire. To say they have influenced me, seems vain. I’m not fit to sharpen Hemmingway’s pencil, but I love the clarity and economy with which he wrote. I love the taut plot structures of John Le Carré. He’s my idol in the thriller genre. I am in awe of Margaret Atwood for the lyrical beauty of her writing… there are so many. It’s like navigating by the stars. I know I’m never going to arrive at those distant points of light, but it gives me something to aim for.
On the lighter side, I’m a big fan of Bernard Cornwell’s historical fiction, particularly his Arthurian trilogy, The Warlord Chronicles. Cornwell has a real talent for making the past come alive with richly textured, complex characters. I enjoy Bill Bryson’s subtle humour and story craft. I read very widely and I learn from almost every author. Even in a book that I don’t entirely enjoy there is always a page or a paragraph where my mouth hangs open and I say to myself, once again, “boy I wish I had written that!”
Do you have a target reader?
Yes and no. I write primarily because I like painting with words. So in that sense I write for myself. On the other hand as a reader I love the vicarious experience of things I would never otherwise have the opportunity to encounter. I was conscious while writing The Spark of opening that window for anyone who wanted to know what being a firefighter was really like.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Get up. Make a mental list of half a dozen things I really need to do instead of writing. Wrestle with guilt. Walk the dog. Have another coffee. Wrestle some more. Guilt gets me in a full pretzel atomic hammer slam. Make a bargain with myself that if I try to write for an hour, then I can: fix the leaky flapper valve in the toilet, patch the drywall in the garage, fix the lawnmower, etc., etc. Sit at the keyboard certain that I will never again be able to string together a coherent sentence. Catch a thread of inspiration. Watch words magically appear in front of me. Suddenly it’s lunchtime. See, I knew that would be easy. That’s a good day.
(No, I don’t write in the fire hall. Too many interruptions and distractions.)
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I start with a broad mental outline for pretty much everything I write, even a letter. I don’t want too much detail, because, for me at least, I think that would interfere with the creative flow. The Spark is the first of what will hopefully be a trilogy. I’ve written out the main plot points for the other two books. They came to about a page and a half each. I doubt I’ll elaborate more than that. I’m about half way into the second book and it’s morphing a bit. That’s just fine.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I definitely edit and polish as I go. I always review the previous day’s output before going on. Then I go over each chapter three or four times after I finish it. Then I go back a couple chapters and review them all together. It’s definitely a two steps forward, one step back process for me. Maybe that’s why I’m such a slow writer, but that’s fine by me.
Did you hire a professional editor?
Definitely a professional editor! Diana Tyndale – Piranha Communications. She did a fantastic job, not only with grammar, syntax and spelling, she also made some helpful suggestions regarding clarity. Some I suggestions I took, some I ignored as artistic prerogative. I also hired a professional to do the cover and interior design. I’m fortunate that I make a good living as a firefighter, so I can afford these services. I doubt The Spark will ever breakeven but I’m fine with that. I spent so much time and effort crafting the story I didn’t want it to end up looking like a kindergarten project. The Spark is aesthetically, grammatically, lyrically and structurally as good as I can make it.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Silence is golden. The noise inside my head is more than enough.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Yes. One took me on for a year. He was very helpful and gave me an honest appraisal of the manuscript, which led to more rewrites. He did his very best to sell the manuscript, but Canadian Publishers tend to shy away from commercial fiction and American Publishers aren’t all that interested in Canadian stories. It was suggested I reset the story in New York or L.A., but I felt that would be dishonest. There are subtle differences in Fire Department culture and slang and I worried that I might lose the authenticity of my voice.
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 sort of knew I would probably end up going indie from the beginning. My parents were writers and translators so I had no illusions about the publishing world. (They translated the works of Egypt’s Nobel Prize winning author Naguib Mahfouz, into English). But I wanted to give traditional publishing a try. No regrets. One day, Dean, my agent said we’d come to the end of the line. He gave me some good advice and recommendations about self-publishing. He was even kind enough to come to my book launch.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
As I said above, I had the cover and interior design done professionally. It was a collaborate effort, but there’s a reason I’m a writer and not a painter. I had a pretty clear concept for the cover image and ended up taking the cover photo of the Zippo and the flame myself, with my wife’s help. But a photo isn’t a cover. Laura, the designer liked the shot though and brought it all together with a great back cover layout. She also handled all the e-book conversions flawlessly. Laura Brady – Brady Type.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I’m pretty much winging it. I’m definitely learning as I go. Some things are more intuitive than others. I like doing library programs, readings at bookstores and that sort of live event. I’m good at them. I’ve got some background in theatre and radio and have a good speaking voice. Social media I just don’t get. [John puts on his “crusty old fart” hat]. I’m not sure what the appeal is. I don’t care what someone had for lunch or what random thought just dribbled through their mind. It raises the banal to an underserving level of importance and distracts us from truly pressing issues. I have nothing against people staying in touch, but the obsession with social media replaces reasoned debate with mere chatter. Like the cult of celebrity, it represents some of what I see as wrong with our society.
End of rant. I’m definitely a digital immigrant, not a native.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Don’t quit your day job.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Mostly in Toronto. But my father was a professor of Middle Eastern Studies, so we travelled back and forth quite a lot to that region. In total, I spent about five years of my childhood and teens living overseas. That gives you the sort of education you simply can’t get in school. I still love travelling, but I hate resorts. Give me the second class trains and overcrowded buses with the goats and chickens and real people.
Customs officer, looking at my passport: “Why were you born in Egypt?”
Me: “I wanted to be close to my mother at the time.”
John gets led away for another body cavity search.
Where do you live now?
About an hour outside of Ottawa, Canada. My wife, Liz and I have two and a half acres on a beautiful lake. We live in a log home, part of which was built by my grandfather almost a hundred years ago. The land has been in my mother’s side of the family since we stole it from the Indians. It’s a little slice of heaven. Moving here was a large part of what allowed me to get serious about writing a novel.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I never wanted to be a firefighter growing up. I always thought I’d be a research scientist. Truth be told, I applied to the Fire Dept. on a whim. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else.
I’m grateful that the public holds us in high esteem, but I’d like it to be for the right reasons: not for those moments of dramatic heroism, but because we go back, day after day, year after year, to face the hard edge of human misery. True, there’s also the deep satisfaction of a successful rescue.
Most firefighters couldn’t articulate why they do it – why they accept having years whittled off their life expectancy. There’s the excitement and the adrenalin rush, but there’s more to it. It has something to do with honour; with camaraderie that goes right to the bone; with an abiding need to serve people you’ve never met before and will never see again; with sacrifice.
If you want to thank a firefighter, thank them not for their heroism, but for their commitment.
What are you working on now?
I’m about half way through the first draft of the second book – working title The Committee. (Ya, it’s a bit lame for a title). It will feature the same main characters, Donny and his crew. This time the plot revolves around drug labs and vigilantes. Book number three – working title The Arrow (that’s a bit better), will deal with a terrorist plot. Then I think it will be time for a change.
End of interview:
For more, visit John’s website, like his Facebook page, or follow him on twitter. (What was that about social media?)
Get your copy of The Spark from Amazon US (paper or ebook), Amazon UK (paper or ebook), or Barnes & Noble.
