Honestly, pretty much every character is based on someone I know, and most of the events in the book did happen. However, it’s all just a leaping off point. It’s not a linear or literal retelling of history. It’s more like a big gumbo with all my life experiences floating there that I plucked from whenever I could.
Bill See – 9 December 2020
The Back Flap
A single-father comes of age as he discovers whether it’s love or fatherhood that could save him. Haunted by his mother’s death and a series of serendipitous events from his past, Benjamin Bradford desperately tries to keep his mental illness under control while raising his daughter Sophia. Set against the iconic streets of Los Angeles, there’s music always playing, heavy therapy sessions and private emails to discern, shattered friendships and betrayal, and the specter of a true love that got away. Think: “Silver Linings Playbook” meets “High Fidelity” with a dash of “Eighth Grade.” Can Benjamin find redemption? Can he escape his demons and find love again? Come along for the ride and find out. “Everything That Came Before Grace” is Bill See’s first book since the critically acclaimed on the road memoir “33 Days: Touring In A Van, Sleeping On Floors & Chasing a Dream.”
About the book
What is the book about?
It’s about a guy called Benjamin who’s this music-obsessed, wannabe writer and single father who’s desperately trying to keep his mental illness under control while raising his daughter. He’s also just found out the only girl he ever loved is getting married to his ex-best friend who he lost her to a decade earlier. So, that’s a parallel running storyline about not just what they once had, but the life changing moment when he lost her.
When did you start writing the book?
The day after the last ever show by my band Divine Weeks in February 2019. Which is also tied to why it took me nine years to write a follow up to my first book, 33 Days. See, the healing that came from writing that book led to a Divine Weeks reunion which sidetracked me for a few years. Anyway, when we put the band to bed, I was kind of desperate to find the next thing to jump into.
How long did it take you to write it?
The first draft poured out very quickly. Two months. For a brief time, I was going to keep it at as a novella. Then I shared it with some trusted comrades and got some much needed criticism, and I went back to work. I had it all done late last year, and planned to release it March 2020 and then COVID hit. Like a lot of musicians and writers, we’ve all been trying to figure out how to best promote our work. I finally decided it was going to get stale if I didn’t put it out. So, here we are.
Where did you get the idea from?
A few years ago, I bumped into this stranger I’d first met on 9/11. We’d each brought our young kids to a park to escape the horrible news of that morning. It was just the two of us sitting on a bench. We got to talking and shared our fears, hopes and dreams on this life changing day. I’d been going through a hard time in the early days of fatherhood, and I told him I thought I was starting to lose it. He told me the answer was to go all in on fatherhood and cast every distraction aside, and I’d be alright. He said I could hold on to sanity by being the dad I never had. I’ll never forget that. Anyway, I ran into him years later, and we were both like, “Hey, it’s you, isn’t it?” When I dropped that character into the story everything started to come together.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Well, I rewrote every chapter probably 8-10 times, so yeah. But honestly, I love editing and rewriting. The hard part is letting it go. Not because I worry it’s crap, well, I guess we all secretly worry about that. But for me, the real reason is I know I’ll miss working on it.
What came easily?
The skeleton of the story from the first draft pretty much never changed. It all poured out in one deluge the first month or so of writing.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Honestly, pretty much every character is based on someone I know, and most of the events in the book did happen. However, it’s all just a leaping off point. It’s not a linear or literal retelling of history. It’s more like a big gumbo with all my life experiences floating there that I plucked from whenever I could.
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?
There’s a moment in the book where the lead character Benjamin is driving home from a therapy session, and he’s rattling off all the things that make life worth living. And toward the end of this long list, he says he’s thankful to Salinger for how to write, to Kerouac for how to live and to Harper Lee for how to be a father.
Do you have a target reader?
For this particular book, it’s threefold. I think it’ll resonate with down in the trenches parents who quietly struggle with balancing being the best they can be for their kids and giving themselves permission to keep pursuing their dreams. I also think it’ll connect with a lot of us who are trying to reconcile the serendipitous fate-altering moments in our lives. And finally, I think it’ll mean something to folks who turn to music or movies or the arts for comfort.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so, can you please describe it?
I try and commit to a total and completely un-self-conscious first draft. I try not to stop and do any editing at all. Just get it down. And I have to say, even though the editing and rewriting went on for months and months, the skeleton of the storyline stayed pretty true to that first draft.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I don’t do any of that. Like I said, I really trust my first draft. Not so much the technical side, but the bare bones of it. The best tool I used for this book was recording it for the audiobook and listening to it back. That really helped shape the character’s voices. Really helped me see the kind of connective tissue that was missing.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Once that first draft is done then it’s this continuum that goes on for months. Editing. Rewriting. Editing. Rewriting.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I’m blessed with several friends who are editors or proofreaders. I don’t take criticism personally. I ask for brutality and honesty.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Well, music is such a huge part of this story. Curating the 137 song playlist was a long evolving process. In some cases, listening to music inspired the storyline. In other cases, the storyline sent me searching for the right song to drop into the story.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I’ve gone through all that in my rock and roll days. Managers, agents, record companies. And look where the music industry is now? It’s trashed. Why bother signing to a label? I’ve gone through all that, and frankly I don’t write to make money. I write because I’d go mad if I didn’t. Honestly, I’ve made more money from the sales of my first book which is self-published than all the records I made.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Going indie and DIY is part of my DNA. That’s from my music background. Putting out my own records, booking my own tours. It’s what I know. So, when I put out my first book almost a decade ago, I took to this who knew – at the time – self publishing world very easily.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I did that myself, actually. I think it’s pretty striking. I wouldn’t do it every time. I just found something I really liked at the very beginning of the process, and ended up not finding anything else that worked.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
It’s still coming together because look where we are? Still in the throes of COVID. It’s a challenge for all of us. For me, I have a few cards to play. I have a pretty good book trailer culled from old home movies, and from a performance of a couple of scenes I did on stage a year or so ago. I have the Spotify playlist with all 137 songs namechecked in the book. I have a podcast / audiobook where I do a couple minute intro to each chapter and then read the chapter so it unfolds episodically.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Commit to getting it down right without thinking of anything else. Then share it with someone you trust and be willing to accept brutal honesty. Then when you have it close, start thinking about your target audience Googling it. Make your title, subtitle or SEOs filled with those things you believe your audience will be Googling.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Los Angeles, born and raised.
Where do you live now?
Still here in L.A.
What would you like readers to know about you?
Benjamin, the lead character in this new book, is not exactly me. But yeah, he’s the most extreme and anxiety ridden version of myself. I’m a lot funnier than Benjamin. But we both are music obsessed and wannabe writers. But in the end, he’s braver than me, but I can’t say why. You gotta read the book.
What are you working on now?
I’m just trying to figure out how to promote this book. In the book, Benjamin is writing a book that the reader finds out they’ve been reading all along. One of the things he struggles with is something I definitely struggle with and that’s standing up for the work. I’ve never been good at that, be it my music or my writing. So, I’m just trying to get there. It’s hard.
End of Interview:
For more, check out the website and Facebook page dedicated to this book. Also, you’ll obviously want to listen to the songs on the Spotify playlist referenced several times in the interview.
Get your copy of Everything That Came Before Grace from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
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