Interview: Author Vincent Zandri

By Mark Young

One of my favorite authors is Ernest Hemingway. As I prepared to interview our guest—international bestselling novelist Vincent Zandri—I could not help but make comparisons between these two men. Both men traveled extensively in Europe, loved to write, spent an awful lot of time in cafes and bars, and enjoyed the outdoors.

There are differences. Hemingway and  Vincent became freelance journalists, but I am sure Papa never dabbled as a punk rock band member or studied the world’s first wind turbine-powered skyscraper in Bahrain. To be fair, these things did not exist when Hemingway was earning a couple of Pulitzers for literature, but I doubt he’d have moved in that direction if they did.

In many ways, though, Vincent seems to have followed the Hemingway template for living. He regularly crisscrosses the Atlantic, spending a part of the year in New York City and other parts in Italy and elsewhere. He has been able to choose a lifestyle that allows him to wander, gathering great material for his novels while making a living.

Mark: Thanks for joining us today, Vincent. In one paragraph, how would you characterize Vincent Zandri, the novelist, for our readers?

Vincent: Well that’s a tough one. First and foremost, I’m a hard worker. You have to be in this business. Maybe to the point of obsession. But I’m also still learning. I suppose I will always be learning as a writer. This is a solitary existence and I live in my mind a lot more than the average man or woman.  But I try and balance the cerebral life of the writer with the physical, making sure to spend as much time away from the typewriter as it were, as I do in front of it. After all I wouldn’t have anything to write about if I stayed put all the time. Thus the frequent flier miles.

Mark: I know you’ve written several articles about your experiences moving from traditional publishing to following an independent publishing path. At one time, your novels were released by traditional publishers like Delacorte and Dell, and then you decided to become an indie author, working with outfits like Stonehouse Ink. Recently, you signed a contract to publish through Amazon’s imprint, Thomas & Mercer. What led you to make these changes?

Vincent: Somehow it just seemed like a no brainer to sign a couple of deals with an indie press like StoneHouse/StoneGate Ink when they were offering an incredible 50% royalty rate on e-books. Plus they were getting the editing and cover art done in a matter of a few short months as opposed to a year or two like the biggies. My agent at the time strongly suggested I give the e-book-heavy independent house a try once they offered up a couple of contracts. And it was one of the best moves I’ve ever made in my life. Those deals led to my selling a couple hundred thousand e-book editions of The Innocent alone and that’s what led once more to a major deal. So I guess I’ve come full circle. But this time, the major publisher is similar to the indie, in that they are very e-book heavy and they are also marketing geniuses. Not to totally blow their horn, but Thomas & Mercer/Amazon is the place to be if you want to make a great living as an author.

Mark: Give us your viewpoint on what is happening in the publishing world and what the future might hold for new authors?

Vincent: At this point, I believe that things are changing all the time. What worked a year ago in the indie world, such as pricing your books at .99, doesn’t work anymore. Now you have to do freebie specials to get people to notice. So what happens next year? Do we pay people to read our books? I’m being a comic hear, but the reality is that the major publishers are very aware now of what works in the e-book market in particular and what doesn’t. Now they are beginning to offer competitive royalties and they are pricing their e-books for less. So it’s just a matter of time until the “indie experience” as it were, no longer works for the majority of authors who insist on self-publishing or signing with an indie label. Plus the market is becoming flooded with sub-par material, and many  Kindle readers and the like, are fed up with bad work. In the end, it will be business as usual. The good work will float to the top and the bad stuff will sink, and fade away.

Mark: I understand that Thomas & Mercer will be releasing your new novel, Murder By Moonlight as well as many of your previously released novels. What is Murder By Moonlight about and when can we expect it to be available?

Vincent: “Murder” is based on the real life story of Chris Porco, a young man who is doing a couple of life sentences for taking an axe to his parents while they slept. He killed his dad but his mother somehow survived the attack. Originally she fingers Chris as the killer, but later on recanted. One of those a-mother’s-love-for-a-son-overrides-everything-even-murder kinds of things. Murder by Moonlight is a fictionalized account.  Despite the seriousness of what happened, it was a lot of fun to write since, as an novelist, I can wax poetic and use artistic license while not being bogged down entirely by factual material. The murder and attempted murder took place in an Albany county white-bread hamlet called Bethlehem. You can’t make stuff like that up. It should be available in the late spring.

Mark:  How would you compare working with Thomas & Mercer compared to working with traditional publishers like Delacorte and Dell? What are the similarities and differences?

Vincent: It’s sort of the same experience in that there’s the whole agent, publisher, advances, contracts, release dates, publicity department, etc. kind of corporate atmosphere stuff. But much different in that these guys actually want your input every step of the way. Even in the content editing phase, they take the attitude that the author is the boss. The suggested edits are just that. Suggested. However, my content editor, a guy named David Downing who is a fiction writer and MFA in writing teacher, did an unbelievable job getting me to really reach for the essence of the novels. It was very hard work, and I’m still pretty tired from the whole thing. We did five, back to back edits in a row, plus I finished the first draft of a new novel called Precious. This was also at a time when my father dropped dead after going for a run, so it’s been one hell of a few months. But that’s where you can find the major difference between Dell and T&M. When my dad died, these guys were on the phone with me telling me not to sweat deadlines, take care of your family first. They sent me wine and food and sympathy cards. You didn’t get the “personal treatment” at Dell. I made some nice friends there, and partied a lot, but it wasn’t the same. I’m happy where I’ve landed.  

Mark: Recently, Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million announced they would not be carrying Amazon titles. How do you see these business decisions affecting writers like yourself, Barry Eisler, and Joe Konrath, who’ve decided to team up with Amazon?

Vincent: I don’t care. Seriously. I don’t care. Here’s the way my royalty structure is broken down: 80% Amazon; 10% B&N; 10% miscellaneous. Or something like that. It’s pretty much the same for the others you mentioned too. Those authors published at the Big Six will realize a bigger sales number at B&N, but that’s because the corporate giants cater to those stores more than they do the reader, who is the real, inevitable client in all this. Amazon caters directly to the client, not the bookstore. That’s why they are taking over the world. Not because they are cut throat business people, but because they are the first operation to actually do things the right way by directly connecting readers to the authors they want to read. It’s really very simple and beautiful in its lack of complication and sincerity.  

Mark: I read that you might be writing a screenplay? Can you tell us something about this venture?

Vincent: ‘Might’ be is the key phrase. And I’m not actually writing the screenplay so much as my books are always getting reads from movie companies, producers and actors. I expect to connect one day and have a movie made, but I’m not holding my breath in the meantime. If I had a buck for every time an agent told me to be available for a phone call with the likes of George Clooney or Dustin Hoffman or DeNiro, I’d be a wealthy man. Like Papa Hemingway said, Hollywood is a strange business. You drive across the desert due west and stop when you reach the state line. There will be a car waiting for you there. A man will get out. He will be wearing sun glasses and a black suit. You hand him the book, he hands you the money. You nod at one another and head back to your respective rides. No words need ever be exchanged.

Mark: Many of us can only travel vicariously through the lives and experiences of others. Since you are a world traveler, is there one place in your journeys that you’d pick as the best place in the world to live and visit—or are you still searching?

Vincent: I’m always searching. And I’m one of those persons who can be living in Florence for a month or two and lament that I’m not in Paris or Istanbul or New York.  I guess it’s like writing. I’m always exploring and seeking out new opportunities that will improve both my life and hopefully, the lives of others. I leave for Italy again in early March so I can finish up some research in Venice. Venice is a nice place to go and take stock of your life. If you can’t get some thinking done in a place like that, you don’t think. If you don’t feel blessed while you’re there watching the boats bob in the Grand Canal in the never still gray water, then you are without a soul. I’m a thinker and I feel blessed. I’m a lucky man.   

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Vincent Zandri is the No. 1 International Bestselling author of THE INNOCENT, GODCHILD, THE REMAINS, MOONLIGHT FALLS, CONCRETE PEARL, MOONLIGHT RISES and SCREAM CATCHER. He is also the author of the bestselling digital shorts, PATHOLOGICAL and MOONLIGHT MAFIA. Harlan Coben has described his novels as "...gritty, fast-paced, lyrical and haunting," while the New York Post called THE INNOCENT, "Sensational...Masterful...Brilliant!" In March, April and May of 2011, he sold more than 100,000 Kindle E-Book editions of his novels. In September 2011, he signed a "very nice" deal with the Thomas & Mercer crime imprint of Amazon for the publication of his new novels, Blue Moonlight and Murder by Moonlight, along with the re-publication of many of his back-list titles, including The Innocent and The Remains. Zandri's list of publishers also include Delacorte, Dell, StoneHouse Ink and StoneGate Ink. An MFA in Writing graduate of Vermont College, Zandri's work is translated into many languages including Dutch, Russian, and Japanese. An adventurer, foreign correspondent, and freelance photo-journalist for RT, Globalspec, IBTimes and more, he lives in New York. For more go to WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM.

Interview: Author Nike Chillemi

Sanctuary Point Book One: Burning Hearts

Historical, Romance and Murder/Mystery

 By Mark Young

Burning Hearts is much more than what the title implies—romance. It is an arson murder story set in fictional Sanctuary Point, a village on Long Island, New York, during the post World War II era. Readers are swept into this 1940s period by well-researched descriptive prose as debut novelist Nike Chillemi weaves language, foods, businesses, clothes and vehicles to create a vivid step back into the past. This inspirational novel is a guaranteed page-turner, even for readers like myself who normally flee from stories with more than a hint of romance.

Nike loves a good crime mystery as her blog title clearly suggests: Nike Chillemi ~Crime Fictonista. She writes about her purpose on the blog: “Reading, writing, and shooting the breeze about Christian crime fiction, murder mysteries, thrillers, police procedurals, detective stories, and life.” Her current novel reflects this passion.

Erica Brogna, a young clothing designer, finds her friend’s dress shop in flames. Erica vainly tries to rescue her friend and mentor, but is forced outside by heat and flames, finally collapsing across the path of a stranger riding a motorcycle. Lorne Kincade, a troubled war veteran, nearly crashes his bike to avoid hitting Erica. In answer to her pleas for help, he rushes into the burning building to pull out the dying victim, Ada Pinter. Later, police determine an arsonist started the fire. Erica and Lorne are drawn into the investigation—Erica, because of her love for Ada; Lorne, because of his growing attraction for Erica. The search for truth becomes elusive as they find out more than they ever wanted to know about themselves and their community. This suspense-filled story captivates readers until the last page.

Nike has done a good job of creating a vivid 1940s community peopled by believable characters. Erica and her family, a part of the smaller Czechoslovakian community, offer readers a glimpse of traditional ethnic dishes, language and customs which broadens the flavor of the story. Aficionados of history, mystery or romance novels will discover something in this novel to piqué their interest and keep them reading.

MARK: Thanks for joining us, Nike. I tried to give a brief synopsis of Burning Hearts. What else would you like readers to know about this novel?

NIKE: I want to show how ordinary people can rise to great heights in standing for what is right and against evil. I hope my readers can see the "natural nobility" unpretentious people can display when against all odds they do the right thing. I hope my main characters Erica and Lorne come off in this manner. There is great ugliness in the world. I don't want to deny that ugliness, but want to show there is greater beauty. Dignity and hope can live in the human heart. I want my readers to come away knowing the greatest, most powerful force on earth is love. It can't be defeated. 

MARK: I understand that the fictional town of Sanctuary Point, located somewhere on Long Island, New York, might not be far from where you live. How much of your own hometown experiences wound up in this novel?

NIKE: There is a great deal of me in the book. I love the seaside and was compelled to write a novel in a setting where the salt sea air tantalizes the nostrils, so to speak. Erica is a bit like me. She wants to be a dress designer and I graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology and worked in the bridal industry. She's independent and stubborn and it gets her into trouble. I'm independent and stubborn but it never got me into any trouble at all. Yeah, right. Something I didn't realize until the book was in edits is that Erica's mother is very similar to my Czechoslovak grandmother. Mrs. B excels in the kitchen and has a great sense of humor. So did my grandmother. Mrs. B teases her children and is teased by them. I recall my grandmother swatting my dad with a kitchen towel. He'd laugh and hug her.

MARK: You have created a memorable community of characters in this post WWII story. How did you go about gathering historical research? What became your best sources of information?

NIKE: I did a lot of dogged, grunt type research. I looked up the make and models of cars in use then. Found out that auto manufacturers stopped making civilian model cars during WWII and only made vehicles for the military war effort. I spent hours finding what types of products, gadgets, and appliances were in use in homes then. I researched hairstyles, clothing, slang terminology, and much more. There was a certain type of cadence and rhythm to the speech of that period. I listened to a number of classic movies made then to get that down. I studied the partition of Czechoslovakia and even read the nonfiction book, "RAID, the untold story of Patton's secret mission." My hero's backstory is that he was an undercover operative working for Patton in France during the war. I wanted to really know what that was like.

MARK: One of your characters, Lorne Kincade, owns what many men only dream about—a Harley Davidson. Are you a Harley lover, living vicariously as a biker, or was the motorcycle just a prop for one of your characters?

NIKE: I don't ride a bike. But Harley's are kind of iconic and bigger than life. I wanted that symbol for Lorne. I guess, in a way, I wanted a type of James Dean feel to Lorne. The difference is, he's a loner rather than a rebel, and he has a cause. He wants to see wrong righted.

MARK: Your novel was released as an eBook through Desert Breeze Publishing. Tell us about your publisher, and how you connected with them.

NIKE: I wasn't put off by the fact that Desert Breeze was an Ebook publisher. I embraced it. Several people I respect mentioned Desert Breeze to me as a good possibility for my writing. So, I submitted and the rest is history. Desert Breeze is a romance publishing house, but they offer great diversity in what they put out. One novel might have a huge science fiction element to it, another might be sheer fantasy. Mine are clearly classic murder mysteries with a huge action element to them.

MARK: Much has been written over the last year about the changes going on in the publishing industry? A few years ago, publishing opportunities offered by houses like Desert Breeze were not even available. Any thoughts about what might be in store for authors in the near future?

Nike: The world of Christian publishing is expanding rapidly. In fact publishing in general (Christian fiction, general market, and nonfiction as well) is in great flux. One thing early on that helped me understand I had done the right thing was the wave of Kindle ads, week after week, on American Idol last season. It seems Ebooks are going to be the way of the future when the younger generation choses to read. And I hope they do read. I'm a huge advocate for increased literacy in America. In addition, there are numerous small independent Christian and general market print publishers springing up. In Christian fiction, these smaller houses are giving authors who push the envelope a chance. What they publish might be gritty, or steamy, or have a darker edge to it than what traditional Christian publishers would go for.

MARK: Now that you have been through the fire as a debut author, what suggestions would you have for other writers who have not yet run this gauntlet?

Nike: I feel reading within the writer's genre is very important. And newbie Christian authors should not be afraid to read a few general market authors. There is some terrific writing out there in gen market fiction. Read the best of it. If there are any affordable or free online writing courses available, take them. To help me in crime fiction I took a course offered by Romance Writers of America entitled "What the Kickass Heroine Knows That the Writer Should Know." It was designed to help write about feisty heroines in fight scenes and entailed martial arts, knife fighting, and gun battles. Since I'm writing a historical suspense series, I took an online course on the history of forensics. That course caused me to change quite a few facts about my medical examiner in book two of the series.

MARK: Since Burning Hearts is now on the digital shelf, should we be looking for Sanctuary Point Book Two in the future or are you working on other writing projects?

NIKE: I just sent the manuscript for Goodbye Noel, which is book two, to my publisher. It's a Christmas themed, action packed romantic suspense with lots of period police procedure and will come out in mid-December 2011. Without getting on a soapbox of any kind, one of my side objectives is to show how pervasive the celebration of Christmas was in America in 1946.

MARK: If you created a character like yourself as an author, what words and phrases might you use to paint a vivid and accurate image for the reader?

Nike: This character would appear hardnosed but would be a lot more ditzy than most people think. She'd love animals. Most domesticated pets would feel comfortable around her. She's not a push over, though she's also not afraid to love. Her ideal spot would be in the tropics under a cabana with a good murder mystery to read as the surf goes in and out.

MARK: Lastly, Nike, if you wandered into a large bookstore, which shelf would you gravitate toward first? Mystery? Historical? Romance? Other? Any particular authors?

NIKE: Oh, brother, I don't like bookstores. I can never find anything I want to read there, even in the larger chain stores. I'd try the mystery shelves first. But they never have the authors I read, not even in general market novels. They might carry Michael Connelly now that The Lincoln Lawyer has been made into a successful movie. I'd have a hard time finding Robert Crais and Barbara Parker. Then I'd try the religious fiction shelves and look for Steven James, J. Mark Bertrand or Sibella Giorello. I wouldn't find them, so I'd go to the coffee bar and get an iced tea. Then I'd go home and order from Amazon.

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More information about author Nike Chillemi can be found at her blog site Nike Chillemi ~Crime Fictonista. She writes book reviews for The Christian Pulse; sat as a 2010 Inspy Awards judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category; and was a 2011 Carol Awards judge in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories. She is the founding board member of the Grace Awards, a reader’s choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction, and a member of several writers’ organizations.

EBooks: Time for unpublished novelists to change strategies?

A Revolution Blowin’ in the Wind

By Mark Young

Every unpublished novelist shares this dream: One day a publisher reaches out and taps them on the shoulder. Someone out there read the struggling writer’s pride-and-joy, their sweat-drenched manuscript. A letter arrives. The writer tears open the envelope and reads, “We are pleased to inform you that we have decided to publish …” or something to that effect.

Most unpublished novelists, however, often share this kind of letter: “Thank you for your query submission. After careful review, we have decided (insert name of novel) is not a good fit for us at this time.” Worse yet, the aspiring novelist never receives a response.

It’s a tough business—on the publisher and the writer. Publishers cannot spend precious time on concepts or ideas that that will never get traction in the market. Time is money. Unpublished authors—like their manuscripts—may find themselves at the bottom of a slush pile, slowly drowning. No one wants to gamble on the unknown.

As novelists, they’ve tried to prepare themselves in order to survive—even excel—in a highly competitive market. Spending years learning the craft, perfecting their writing, joining critique groups, and attending writing conferences. They may have subscribed to a plethora of writing magazines, attended university creative writing courses, read piles of how-to books, and painstakingly studied the craft of published and well-respected writers. Maybe they entered writing contests for short stories, novellas, or novels while writing articles on whatever subject might sell. Anything to get their name and writing out there.

One day they pluck up enough courage to start sending out those query letters and submissions—day after day, year after year, novel after novel. Each day they trek to the post office hoping for word that someone out there finally decided to take a chance. Letters of rejection start piling up, the writer beginning to recognize these rejections by weight and feel of the envelope—without ever slicing it open. Almost fatalistically, these rejections are tossed into a growing file. These rejections will be living proof someday—when dreams comes true—that this writer paid the price to become published.

Always tenacious, the writer trudges home from a day job, tiredly flopping down at the desk to begin another page, another story. Maybe this new novel will be something publishers simply can’t turn down.

This process is not unique to aspiring novelists. Through the years, now published authors fought this same fight, shared this same dream. You are not alone. For these novelists, the dream finally came true. They broke through and made it to the other side.

At some point, writers begin to toy with the idea of self-publishing. They compare costs, look at all the options, at the same time recognizing this self-published stigma might stifle their chances of traditional publishers ever picking up their work. Reluctantly, the unpublished novelist decides to wait, to be patient, to keep putting words and stories together.

Still no word comes. The words come harder and harder to write.

Meanwhile, the publishing market begins to shift—for the worse. As recession slowly grips everyone’s pocketbook, publishers begin to draw back, selecting fewer and fewer debut authors. Even multi-published authors begin to find contracts harder to win. Understandably, publishers need to invest their limited funds in projects that are most likely going to give a return. Publishers begin to hedge their bets, going for the sure thing, less and less inclined to gamble. After all, it’s all about survival. They—like writers and agents—are in business to make money. So, unpublished writers watch the market slowly dry up as fewer and fewer opportunities emerge.

Then a shift begins in the industry’s paradigm like a refreshing breeze. Technology—specifically eBooks and everything this digitalized revolution brings to the table—begins to rumble and shake the market. Everyone in the writing industry starts eyeing changing percentages as eBooks become more viable to cash-strapped consumers and a mobile society. Writers read where Amazon.com announced in July their eBooks are outselling their hardcovers, estimating that by 2011 eBooks will be outselling their paperbacks.

Authors –like Joe Konrath— start beating a drum that a new revolution is coming our way. They tell us that writers can economically step into the role traditionally held by mainstream publishers. That writers can begin to manage their own destiny, their own dreams. They can compete—granted, much like David and Goliath—in a digital market where consumers are more directly involved. Where readers are offered a wider variety of products at a lower cost. Where authors can make choices about price, title, and marketing of their novel.

Everyone watched as big-named publishers and Amazon.com started sparring in the ring like heavyweight champions struggling for the title. Publishers landed the first punch—not yet Round 1—with what they call the “agency model.” Under this plan, publishing houses will determine the price eBooks—generated from the publisher— will be sold in Amazon’s marketplace. As if to counter this blow, Amazon comes up with services for authors willing to sell directly to that company in both eBook and print form. Other companies—like Barnes and Noble—come out with self-publishing platforms for authors, offering generous royalties far and above those given by traditional publishers.

And so the war continues.

Hope begins to emerge. Writers begin to see a possibility that their novel just might reach more than test-group Beta readers or friends and family. That their writing might emerge into the light of the open market. Their dream just might survive.

So what do they do? Keep writing and trying to get their work recognized by traditional publishers and agents? Or, do they start changing strategy, venturing into this new world offered by the eBook revolution?

This new world will still require well-written, well-edited novels. However, this new world of consumers appear eager to sample new authors at a price affordable to almost everyone. The survival of the fittest still continues, but the playing field may have leveled just a little.

Here is the question that every unpublished author must start asking themselves in today’s market: Do they continue pursuing their dream down the same road they been traveling, or do they take the path not yet traveled?

A revolution may be Blowin’ in the Wind.