Don't just shop local this holiday season.
Read local.
Local author Jon Kile makes it easy to do just that in his debut novel, The Grandfather Clock.
Kile, who says his family's own grandfather clock and blunderbuss inspired him, published his first novel last month.
CL sat down with him to ask him about his book, writing with two toddlers underfoot, and how an oil salesman turns into a writer.
CL: What inspired you?
Kile: I've had a lot of book ideas over the years, but never developed them. The Grandfather Clock was inspired by the fact that I actually did retrieve my family's grandfather clock from a storage unit in California. I thought it would be a great road-trip story. Alas, I had it shipped back to Florida and took a plane home, so I had to make up the rest.
Why the Nazis?
Before having kids, my wife and I took a trip to Patagonia, a place where many former Nazis settled. It's a great setting. I later read a book called The Grey Wolf: The Escape of Hitler which puts forth a not-so-obscure theory that Hitler escaped and died of old age in Argentina. My character has to deal with a few people clinging to the story.
Do you really own a blunderbuss?
Yes. My grandfather took a trip around the world in the 1930s and somehow collected a blunderbuss from the Napoleonic era and it hung on his mantle. It was with my brother, but he's shipping it to me.
Why did you self-publish?
I've been following the careers of several very successful indie authors who have built huge followings out of obscurity. I could have spent five years shopping my book to struggling publishers, or put it out myself and write my next book. I hired a professional editor because that is essential if you plan to self-publish. It's gratifying to know how to put it out myself, from eBook to printed version.
What should readers expect from your story?
Even though it's a thriller, the story is really about the growth of the main character as he tries to start a new life. It's not an action hero story. My character has to solve his problems by understanding the relationships he is developing. The book seems to appeal to both female and male readers who enjoy the dialogue.
What’s your creative process?
I have two kids and an outside sales job. By day I might have a chance to think about what I want to write but almost all of my writing takes place after 9 p.m. I started with a good outline, and when I open the laptop I just start writing.
You started this as a National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) project with the Skyway Area group. How did NaNoWriMo help your process?
It makes you write. NaNoWriMo sets the goal of creating a 50,000-word manuscript in 30 days. It forces the writer to focus on the big picture and not sweat research and literary style. It gives you a manuscript to work with and leaves a ton of editing to be done.
Who do you read?
When I'm writing, I don't get to read much. My wife reads everything, and hands me her best recommendations. I love Erik Larson, Devil In The White City and In The Garden of Beasts. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro also stands out. Before writing this book I read a few famous thriller writers and arrogantly declared that I could to that too.
You have a BA in economics, not English or Creative Writing, and you sell oil for a living. What advice do you have for nontraditional writers?
Successful writers come from all walks of life. Insurance, law enforcement, and Wall Street. It's about telling good stories. Start writing even if it's bad. Bad writing is good practice.
The end was there too quickly in the book. Do you have a sequel planned?
I have this planned as a three part series, with numbers two and three coming out in 2015. Writing a good ending is the hardest part, which explains why so many good books have bad endings. My goal was to stay believable and true to the characters. It sets the table for the next book. The resolution of this book is the tension in the next.
This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2014.