THE EVOLUTION OF THE POST-MODERN THRILLER

or

HOW AMERICA CAME TO LOVE JACK BAUER

Jeffrey S. Stephens
Author of TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Coming Labor Day, 2011


As the public becomes increasingly jaded and distressed by the acts of unspeakable evil in our world, the author of a modern thriller seems obligated in each new book to raise the stakes of terror confronted by his or her hero, who will inevitably be ... << MORE >>

When I first began writing I used a fountain pen and legal pad. It actually remains my preferred form of creating a story-there is something cathartic about the relationship of thought and emotion to the movement of your hand guiding the flow of ink onto a page. I tried the typewriter years back, but it was too loud and impersonal. In recent times, I must confess, I usually begin on a computer.

I concede that this is an act of sheer laziness. The use of word processing from the very first draft simplifies the endless parade of rewrites I do. Why write things out in longhand? I'm only going to have to type it out on Microsoft Word later.

And so it goes, all in the name of progress.

I remember reading how the late Michael Crichton would set up his novels. He not only began with word processing from the get go, he had outlines and flow charts and even timelines telling him how much he would or should or could write in a given day. A remarkably clever mind, designed for the modern era.

It leads me to wonder, though, how did Tolstoy keep track of all the subplots and characters in WAR AND PEACE or ANNA KARENINA without all this high tech support and an Edit-Search function key? After all, the man had no choice but to write everything out in longhand. And in Russian, for goodness sake!

But I digress.

The point I want to get to is how technology changes everything, including art. What I specifically need to tell you is that I recently discovered my novel, TARGETS OF DECEPTION, has now sold more copies on Kindle than in hardcover. I don't know about you, but I find this astonishing. I mean, it occurs to me that Kindle didn't even exist a few months ago, am I right? And now this e-book format is outselling the palpable, hold-able, dog-earable, make notes in the margin-able version of my book, the kind we all grew up with, with pages, and numbers and all of that. Simply amazing.

I am extremely gratified, of course, that there is a new world of tech savvy readers willing to take a chance on a well reviewed first novel-brilliantly written and suspensefully plotted, I should add-by purchasing a copy for their Kindles. And even more stunning is the fact that the sales on Kindle have been increasing each month from the first of the year. Thank you everyone, you cannot imagine how gratifying it is to think that thousands of you are out there reading my book.

How conceited must I be, you may ask, to be crowing about this good news? It is not vanity, I promise you, it is because of the surprising lesson I am learning-that e-commerce is truly the wave of the here and now. People are learning of TARGETS OF DECEPTION on-line via a new means of word of mouth. Chat rooms. Facebook. E-whatever the heck you call it. Then they simply log onto the virtual bookstore provided by Amazon and presto! In a matter of moments my novel is downloaded on their screen for $9.99, a 40% discount compared to a discounted purchase of the hard cover version from the very same Amazon site. But with Kindle there is no waiting or paying for delivery, no trees killed to print the thing, no book to lug around.

A close friend of mine bought me a Kindle some time back, a wonderful gift. At first I was not sure if it really made sense for me. As you may recall, I started the writing life with a Parker fountain pen and a lined pad, and I was not sure I could read an entire novel on this gizmo. But on my first trip after receiving the gift I realized I was able to take five new books without adding a single ounce to my suitcase. Fantastic. And I can change the font size so I can read the Kindle anywhere, in any light, with or without glasses. A neat trick.

So, although I will never lose the enjoyment I feel from holding a brand new hard cover book in my hands, I now understand that this brave new world of technology is here to stay-and I'm all for it. It makes sense on so many levels I had not realized before. As for those of you who have already purchased my novel on Kindle, or in hard cover for that matter, my undying appreciation. For those of you who have not, it's time to turn on (your Kindle) tune in (to the Bookstore) and enjoy the read.

I was heading to Detroit for a television interview-traveling from Connecticut, through Atlanta-into the teeth of a Midwestern blizzard. It was Sunday night and my connection was fully booked, populated by the entire Michigan State lacrosse team-parents and coaches in tow-as well as the Bowling Green ladies lacrosse team, with their same entourage.

And, of course, me.

I had not even been aware there was a storm zeroing in on Michigan, having been happily ensconced in a bar at the Atlanta airport, drinking and eating and watching the Olympics. When I arrived at the gate, a father of one of the Spartans just happened to mention that we were flying into a major low pressure system and that the fluffy stuff would begin to fall within the next couple of hours.

What he failed to mention was that the snow would not stop until late the next day.

The good news, however, is that Detroit knows what to do with snow. It's not like the South, where an inch and a half of the white stuff causes motorists, who otherwise seem to have all of their marbles, suddenly go crashing into one another as if the entire region had been turned into a bumper car exposition. No, in Michigan they land planes in blinding conditions as if there's nothing to it, people drive their cars through six inches of slush as if things were meant to be that way, and business goes on as usual regardless of the climatic inconvenience.

Except I did not bring a coat.

My wife told me to take a coat on my trip, I will admit that at the outset in the interests of full disclosure.  Why would I need a coat? I would be in and out of taxis and terminals, an airport hotel and a television studio. Why lug a coat around for two days? I had a small travel bag and a plan to watch the American curling team-playing a game only slightly less complicated than cricket-and some international hockey, while I drank measured pours of vodka with an extra shot for a dollar more.

So, when we landed after midnight with the snow coming down so hard it felt like it was trying to hurt me, I had to run around outside in my sport coat trying to find the shuttle van to the local Marriott. Which did arrive, I must say, before frostbite took my fingertips. Then, after four hours of sleep, a hot shower and a bad cup of coffee, I was in the lobby looking for my ride to FOX TV. Did I mention, it had snowed all night?

The ride, as it turned out, was just a regular sedan, no SUV, no chains on the tires. I readied myself for the experience of slipping and sliding through eight inches of mush for some twenty-plus miles to the studio. Since the people in Detroit know snow, the sanitation department doesn't bother to salt and plow until the stuff gets really, really high or the storm finally abates, whichever comes first. The driver was Sam, a man of great skill and calm nerves, who assured me there was nothing to worry about as he expertly navigated us along and got us to our destination. We actually skidded to a stop ahead of schedule.

What a guy.

The interview at FOX TV was excellent, and the crew there was perhaps the most professional bunch I have worked with to date. The producer, Al Johnson, took the time to sit with me and explain the entire layout of the upcoming appearance. Normally the producer just hooks a microphone to my jacket and shoves me onto the set. Al was efficient as a Swiss watch, and he was really interested in my novel. The interviewer was Jason Carr, movie star handsome, very bright-he loved my book, after all, so he was clearly a man of high intellect-who was also phenomenally generous in pitching my novel as we spoke.

But we only spoke for three and a half minutes. I mean, wasn't I entitled to fifteen minutes of fame?

It really was a terrific interview, regardless of how short it was, you can check it out on the link to my website. Sam got me to the airport in good shape, but with the snow still coming down I was convinced I was about to spend an unscheduled day in the Motor City. As I stepped through the automatic doors it felt as if the huge, modern terminal was deserted. I walked up to the desk, handed over my ID and asked, "Are we taking off today?"

"Taking off? We're on time, man," the attendant told me. "This is Detroit.."

At the gate they sold first class upgrades for $49. The bigger seat is tempting of course, but the free drinks sealed the deal. The stewardess was a sweetheart and I was on my third screwdriver before we took off.

What snow?

I had a great interview in Detroit, so they must love me there. And I love them.

As I travel around promoting TARGETS OF DECEPTION, meeting people at book signings, interviews and talks, there is one subject that comes up which deserves to be addressed. Someone will approach me and diffidently confide that they have a book they are simply dying to write and then, as if railing against the wind, will declare that someday, damnit, they are going to get it written.

So here's the first piece of valuable information I can impart on this subject as a published author-EVERYONE has at least one book worth writing. EVERYONE has a story that's important enough for them to take the time to commit it to paper-or in this era, to some electronic format-and I believe everyone should.

It is the simple act of writing, that grueling, inspiring, lonely, exhilarating, frustrating and rewarding experience that makes it worthwhile for you to take the time to tell your story. It is an intimate relationship worthwhile having. So take an hour early each morning (as Julia Cameron so ably advocates in THE ARTIST'S WAY) or turn off the boob tube for an hour at night when you are about to watch that useless program you chose by default simply because there was nothing else worth seeing at the time. Use half of your lunch hour or set some time aside on the weekends. Whenever and wherever you can, DO IT, because I can assure you it is an enterprise you will never regret.

And don't begin by thinking that you have to create WAR AND PEACE. Just begin setting down your ideas and remembrances and see where the journey leads you. Whether it is a family saga, a thriller, a romance or-Heaven forbid-another romp through the world of vampires, there are things you will learn about yourself as you press ahead that you might not ever have otherwise known. And don't judge what you've done, don't get caught up reading what you've written, or sharing it so others have the chance to dissuade you, or compare yourself to those who have come before. As George V Higgins admonished in his book about the craft, WRITERS WRITE. The rest is a lot of applesauce you can do without. Tell your story, write as much as you can for as long as you can. Enjoy it. Let it become a secret covenant between you and yourself. And then, one day, you will look down and say, "I've done it!"

Your age doesn't matter. Create something for yourself and you may also be creating something you may someday share with your children. Your grandchildren. Your sisters and brothers. Your friends.

Start small, but think big. Let it go. Let your memories and imagination carry you away. And then, some time when you stop by to meet me somewhere, we can talk about your writing as well as mine.

Welcome to my blog. Please check back soon for new entries.