by 
Interview Frank Settineri
 |  |
Interview
– When did you start writing novels, what moved you to start writing?
Sixteen years ago I attempted to build a LinkedIn network at night while staying at hotels and eventually boredom creeped into my life. Without provocation I began writing short stories, read and listened to successful authors, and the third short story morphed into my first novel, In the Shadows of the Oaks. Inspired by teaching in an inner-city school, I wrote the novel in four months and spent the next two and a half years editing it; I rewrote it after an editor told me it was a good story but needed more character work. Thus the characters developed into “characters” – from the love triangle between Sean, Brenda and Landi, to Jake Davis (a gang leader and Landi’s former common-law spouse) to Salvador Espinosa (a rival gang leader) to Ms. Fredericks (the school principal) and to Mr. Brown (the officious, corrupt and intimidating school superintendent). At the time, never have written a book, it seemed as if a supernatural power overtook me and the words flew out of my fingers, as if they had minds of their own.
Not wanting to do a sequel, I stumbled over an article about a paint so black that it absorbed almost all the light that struck it and I thought, ‘What would happen if it absorbed so much light that it became a black hole’? It was a great idea, but I couldn’t figure out how to make it realistic. Until I watched an interview with Janna Levin who authored a book entitled, Black Hole Blues and other Songs from Outer Space. The book described how LIGO – the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory – detected black holes and voila, this was the missing piece I needed to link the black paint to black holes and ultimately to my next novel, The Phantom.
– In what genres do you write? Do you plan writing in other genres?
Many writers devote their efforts to one or two genres, but my mind works differently, and I write in different genres (probably because my attention span is on par with that of a three-year-old). In the Shadows of the Oaks fills the romance/education/race genres and The Phantom checks the box for Sci-fi/romance. My current (unpublished) work, Fearless, is written in the genre of contemporary times/romance, in which a Vietnam veteran, Joey, and his friends embark on a road trip from New Jersey to California in the 1970s to meet the widow of Joey’s best friend who was killed in action.
– Tell us about your novels. Why should everyone buy them?
I don’t take myself too seriously and my novels, as an extension of my persona, are written in a light-hearted manner, despite some topics that are anything but frivolous. The novels reveal the fluidity of thoughts that race through my mind and although they are fictitious, they reflect real life situations, thoughts and feelings that others have, or could have, experienced. Although I don’t profess to be clairvoyant or prescient, I can detect “nonsense” and my stories reflect this investigative nature, endowing them with a believable authenticity.
As you may have guessed, each of my novels has a romantic element to it, mainly because romance, and love, make the world go around. I’ve learned that lesson from so many of the authors I’ve read, no matter what genre in which they write.
– What is your all time favorite novel/book? What makes it special?
This is a hard one. So many outstanding books from which to choose. Upon reflection I want to say Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. We were forced to read it in high school and as a wise-guy sixteen year old, it was the last thing I wanted to do. However, as I started reading it, I realized that I had never before read a book that captured a segment in history in which the characters from another time became so full of life, so filled with emotions, so happy, sad, angry, fulfilled, betrayed and ultimately redeemed. I felt I was actually living during that time and that feeling was so overwhelming that it never left me, now over fifty years later.
– Tell us a bit about your writing process.
I write wherever and whenever I have time. At home, on airplanes, in hotel rooms, on vacation, before and after work. Fortunately I have not yet developed “writer’s block” because my mind is always racing and thinking of different situations; I usually start with the phrase of “What would happen if…” From there the sky is the limit. Speaking of limits, the limiting factor is that I am self-employed and when I’m with a client, sometimes for months, I literally have very little time to write. One day I might be successful enough to write full time. That would be a thing of beauty.
– What author would you love to have dinner with?
I would love to have dinner with so many authors and to pick one is extremely difficult. Steven King immediately comes to mind as does Danielle Steel (phenomenal story teller) and John Grisham. However Ken Follet tops my list because I love historical novels and he makes the dead come alive with so much passion and substance that it’s easy to get sucked into his universe. They all are such fantastic writers, as are many authors featured in Circle of Books.
– Tell us about your hobbies and passions other than writing.
Sports and science. I still play ice hockey (unfortunately I was never good enough to play baseball) and loved to play tennis, basketball, football and skiing. After a knee operation I “settled” for playing hockey and riding a bicycle. I also love fast cars, anything mechanical, repairs around the house, my family, music, being outdoors and of course reading. I live next to a small park, and although this is not a hobby, I love listening to the kids playing – arguing, fighting, calling each other names – and at the end of the day shaking hands and walking back to their homes, still as best friends. There’s nothing like the sound of kids playing. Even writing about it right now sends chills down my spine.
– We have many followers who would like to start writing a book or are already writing their first novel, any advice for these brave people?
Although I’m not a prolific writer my advice to new writers is to simply write. Think of something that interests you or something you have experienced and add the phrase I use, “What would happen if… (for example)…that guy walking down the street tripped on the sidewalk, fell to the ground and the police officer who helped him up became one of his best friends”? Use your imagination to complete the story; that’s how I do it.
– How often do you write, daily, every other day or?
I fall short on this one, not because I don’t know what to write, but rather due to lack of time. Shame on me. When I’m not busy I will write every day, yet when I’m with a client sometimes a month or more will transpire. However, I still write during that time – for clients – and I suppose that type of technical writing allows me to continue to hone my skills.
– Do you keep a notebook with ideas for your books? If so do you carry the notebook with you so you won’t forget any ideas?
I don’t keep a notebook and don’t have an ending in mind when I begin writing; I start with an idea and let my fingers take me on the adventure. Once the ideas become more concrete and less abstract, I build the characters around them and let the characters tell the story. Usually I’ll look up from the computer and talk their lines out loud to hear if they make sense or not. Sometimes I get stuck on what direction to take the story and think about it for a while, maybe after a day or two (often while riding my bike) and continue afterwards after the events become clear.
– How important is it to have your facts right and are there any instances when you bend history to fit your story?
I’m a stickler for accuracy and I research events, times and places before including them in the story. Of course fictitious characters are just that – fictitious – but the history must be precise and accurate. I will stretch the facts at times, as in The Phantom, since black paint does not result in black holes, but the underlying science is accurate. I think it makes the story realistic.
– What are you reading at the moment?
I’m reading Texas by James Michener. H’s also one of my favorite authors – lots of history with real-life characters living during the particular times.
– How is it to be an author in your country? Do you have a good support from the local public?
I find it very easy to be an author, with the ability to write an entire novel on a computer, self-publish and self-market it. I haven’t asked for too much public support and in this aspect I’ve fallen short. However some of the folks who have read my novels like them – they’ve told me in person – and others haven’t said anything, so I conclude they were not enamored with the novels. I haven’t pulled a John Grisham, who filled his car trunk with copies of his first novel, went door to door and gave them away to libraries, schools and neighbors. Perhaps I don’t have that much confidence in my abilities and fear rejection?
– Certainly you have had some interesting episodes as an author, fans related or others, share one of them with us.
A friend asked me how in the world I came up with the stories (he thought they were great) and a relative told me I should quit my day job (this was quite unexpected, coming from him). Other family members were non-committal and some folks raved about one book or the other. I’ve learned that you can’t please all of people all of the time and if people like your niche they will look for you to continue to write and create.
– A final message for our circleofbooks.com readers.
Expand your universe. Venture into other genres and authors because anyone who has written a novel has done something that only a small percentage of people have done, and you never know how good (or bad) something is until you’ve discovered it and assimilated it.
Thank you Frank Settineri. We at circleofbooks.com wish you much success!
Click here to visit the author page here on Circle of Books.
Tweet
