IndieView with John Hamilton, author of, Isle Royale

“I think it must be my journalism training, but I need an outline.  I need to know where the story is going, especially the end.  By the end of the outlining stage, the plot is pretty well set, with few surprises.  But the way the characters are drawn out continues to evolve, even beyond the first draft.  Characters always surprise me, which keeps the writing process interesting.” John Hamilton 12 February 2011

The Back Flap

The year is 1924. The place: Isle Royale, a remote island on Lake Superior. Clarence MacDougal, keeper of Wolf Point Lighthouse, stands ready to guide sailors through treacherous waters.

One storm-tossed night, French-Canadian bootleggers arrive. The ringleader is Sean LeBeck, a former lover of Collene MacDougal—the lightkeeper’s wife. LeBeck is determined to rescue Collene from her dreary life and rekindle their old passion, even if it means taking her off the island by force.

The lightkeeper’s son, Ian, and his best friend, Sally, escape during the storm, only to stumble upon a hidden cove, home of the last remaining members of the Coast Guard cutter Chippewa. A dark secret forced the crew to banish themselves. Given one last chance for redemption, the ancient mariners set out on stormy Lake Superior in a desperate attempt to save the day.

About The Book

What is the book about?

Isle Royale is about a family at a lighthouse held hostage by ruthless gangsters. The action takes place in 1924 on an island in Lake Superior, during a hellacious storm. It’s like Key Largo on the Great Lakes, if you can imagine Humphrey Bogart as the captain of a sidewheel-paddle steamer!

When did you start writing the book?

My twins were babies when I started, so that would make it… about 16 years ago. Wow, time flies!  They’re in high school now.

How long did it take you to write it?

About 6 months for the first draft, and several months more for further drafts.  There was a lot of historical detail that needed researching, plus several subplots with emotional depth that took a lot of thought. As part of my research, I backpacked alone on Isle Royale, getting a feel for the island and its history. It was an incredible experience.

Where did you get the idea from?

I love traveling and hiking along Lake Superior on Minnesota’s North Shore.  One of my favorite spots is Split Rock Lighthouse, which is a state park now.  One day, I was hiking along the shore at the base of the granite cliffs, looking up at the lighthouse perched 150 feet up, and the idea for the story just came to me.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Getting the history right, and incorporating it into the story without it being intrusive. That’s always a balancing act with historical novels.

What came easily?

Action scenes are always fun for me to write.  There’s a lot of action and adventure in this book. Sometimes it seemed as if the words magically appeared on the screen.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

The characters are made up, although I borrow traits of people I know.  It helps round the characters out.

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?

As a young reader, I loved the work of science fiction masters, from Wells and Verne to Asimov and Bradbury. I also enjoy a good adventure tale. Jack London always fired my imagination.  Today I read a lot of Dan Simmons and Tim Powers. I love how they blend history with stories of the fantastic.

Do you have a target reader?

Not really.  I think most people enjoy a story with characters you care about, with a lot of action and adventure and emotion.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I like to write early in the morning, or late at night, when the house is quiet. In the mornings, I drop my kids off to school and then grab a hot chocolate at the local coffee house. It’s an old remodeled farmhouse, complete with cast-iron stove, wooden floors, and comfy chairs. I turn on iTunes, lose myself in the mood, and start writing until the hot chocolate is gone. Then it’s off to the day job.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just Chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I think it must be my journalism training, but I need an outline.  I need to know where the story is going, especially the end.  By the end of the outlining stage, the plot is pretty well set, with few surprises.  But the way the characters are drawn out continues to evolve, even beyond the first draft.  Characters always surprise me, which keeps the writing process interesting.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

To jump-start a day’s writing, I like to jump back a page and do a light edit and then take it from there. Mostly, though, I leave the heavy lifting for the second draft.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I’m a book editor at my day job, so I handle editing myself.  But I always have several friends, some of whom are professional writers, read the manuscript before I set it loose upon the world.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Yes, definitely!  I really enjoy listening to film soundtracks as I write, the more melodramatic the better. They help sustain mood, especially when I’m writing an action scene.  In my current playlist I have soundtracks to “Sherlock Holmes,” “Casino Royale,” Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Flyboys,” and “Rome.” Anything by Hans Zimmer is good, like “Batman Begins,” “King Arthur,” and “The Last Samurai.”

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Yes, many times, to agents and directly to publishers. I finally signed with an East Coast agent, who shopped my manuscript to the several publishers. Nothing ever came of it, though.

What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Isle Royale had a lot of nibbles over the years, but no takers. An editor at HarperCollins fell in love with the story, but it was eventually rejected by their marketing department. That took a year. Very frustrating, to say the least. When the ebook revolution finally came along, especially Amazon’s Kindle, I was more than ready to give it a try. It’s been an amazing experience so far. I still can’t quite believe the number of people who’ve purchased my books, especially after all those years of rejection. I treasure every single reader. It seems like I’ve finally found my audience, and it continues to grow.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?

I do my own covers. It’s not something I recommend everyone try. With my publishing background, I have a lot of graphic design experience, so that helps a lot.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

My marketing mostly involves a lot of social networking on Amazon, KindleBoards, GoodReads, etc., plus submitting manuscripts to review blogs. Eventually, those things add up and you get more visibility, which is what you really need as an indie publisher.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Proofread and edit until your eyes fall out of your skull. Create a cover (or hire someone to create one) that’s indistinguishable from a cover you’d see on the shelves of a bookstore. Write a short, effective blurb. And don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Use social networking, not just to tout your book, but to make genuine contacts with other authors, and readers. And keep writing!

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Iowa and southern Minnesota, mainly Rochester.

Where do you live now?

I live with my family in a suburb of Minneapolis.  It’s only a three-hour drive to the North Shore Drive of Lake Superior, my favorite place in the world.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I love wild places. I’m also a history buff. My nonfiction book, Lewis & Clark: Adventures West, was a finalist at the 17^th Annual Minnesota Book Awards in 2005. I also love science fiction. I’m a two-time Golden Duck Award winner for excellence in children’s science fiction literature. You can find me most summers hiking along Minnesota’s North Shore. There’s no place quite like it in the world.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently writing a book called Ghost Marshal. It’s about a woman who travels to Deadwood, Dakota Territories, in 1876. She’s determined to track down the men who murdered her father, but to get revenge she needs help from the ghost of Wild Bill Hickok. It’s sort of like The Ghost and Mrs. Muir goes West. It’s been great fun writing it. I think fans of paranormal romances will enjoy the story, but there’s plenty of action and history to satisfy most readers.

End of Interview

You can buy Isle Royale at Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Barnes and Noble. You can find out more about John at his website here.