Interview with Author Jarrett Rush

I recently read Jarrett Rush's novella, Chasing Filthy Lucre, and was impressed with the quality of writing and how the story pulled me in (check out my review of it here). I'd tweeted occasionally with Jarrett, and after I read his book, I decided to ask him if he'd be up for a brief interview. Jarrett was kind enough to agree, and I'm happy to share that interview with you today. If you haven't purchased his novella, you can get it for the Kindle or Nook.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Who is Jarrett Rush?

I can give you my standard answer that appears on my blog and at the end of all of my online fiction. It goes like this: "Jarrett Rush is a writer who lives in the Dallas area with his wife, Gina, and their overly energetic lab, Molly." If you want more than that, here goes. I'm a guy in my late 30s who has wanted to be a writer nearly all my life. Until this writing thing can pay the bills -- and the hope is that one day it can -- I work for The Dallas Morning News. Baseball and writing have been my two loves since I was a kid, and before I wanted to be a writer I wanted to be a baseball player. I play a little softball to indulge that dream. Not being able to hit a curveball kept me from taking my baseball career past junior high so I had to settle for being a fan. I spent far too much money cheering the Rangers through the playoffs last season. But it was all worth it to be able to be there when the team clinched its first American League pennant.

2. What's your creative process like? Do you have a routine, or do you just wing it?

My process depends on the project. For short stories I wing it. I know the beginning and maybe the ending, but, usually, not much of the middle. With longer pieces, like Chasing Filthy Lucre, I use an outline. It's loose. Not moment-by-moment, but just hitting the action's high points. There are four parts to Chasing Filthy Lucre. In the outline each of those sections was broken into four parts. I knew where the action was supposed to start and I just wrote from one part of the outline to the next part of the outline. It was the first time I'd used something like that and I loved it. I didn't feel like my creativity was stifled, and that was always my worry with using an outline.

As far as the actual writing goes, I try to get behind the keyboard on a daily basis, but I'm not always successful. When I'd I shoot for between 750 and 1,000 words. Not as much as some, but it works for me.

3. Who are some of the influences on writing?

The most important is my wife. She's the person who pushed me to try and make a real go of this, to make my dream come true. That's probably not what you meant though. There's one writer who showed me the power of a good book. It was Matt Christoper and the book was The Kid Who Could Only Hit Homers. That was the first book I read all the way through in one day. I was a kid -- third or fourth grade, I think -- and I remember laying on the couch in our living room just buried in those pages. I couldn't tell you now what the book was about, but the title seems like it gives things away. But I think it says something that the title and the author have stayed with me all these years later. It's that kind of book that I want to write. Something that pulls a reader in and just won't let go.

4. What inspired you to write Chasing Filthy Lucre?

I just loved the story. It was something that came out of a few other ideas I'd been playing with. The idea of data addiction first appeared in something that's still sitting on my hard drive. I fleshed the concept out in a short story. It was there that I created the beginnings of the world where Chasing Filthy Lucre takes place. The opening scene is actually a response to a writing prompt I put together for a writers group I'm part of. I took all of those pieces and let them marinate for a while then started writing. And once I started I didn't want to stop. Even though I knew how it was going to end, I still wanted to see how we got there.

5. Are there any projects that you're currently working on that you can tell us about?

Chasing Filthy Lucre is part of a planned series, so I'm working on Book Two right now. We pick up the story a few months after the end of Book One. Berger and Rexall, our heroes, are in the middle of investigating a kidnapping, looking for missing girl and also trying to stay a few steps ahead of Roma Corp security forces. I've also got a few ideas cooking on the back burner that I'm excited about. I'll keep those to myself, though, because I don't even know when they'll see the light of day. But, trust me, they're cool.

6. How can readers connect with you? Website, Twitter, etc.?

I have all the social networking tools you can think of. You can follow me on Twitter at @JarrettRush. I try to keep the book promotion to a minimum. I also don't Tweet every thought that pops into my head. If you are on Facebook and are in the mood to like an author then head over to http://www.facebook.com/jarrettrushauthor. I can always use more Facebook fans. Like Twitter, I try to keep the book promotion to a minimum. Most of the time I'm sharing links to blogs, mine and others. And, yes, I have a blog. It's a http://jarrettwrites.blogspot.com/. I update it semi-regularly. And if all of that's not enough, readers are always welcome to email me at jarrettrush@yahoo.com.

Update

Howdy fellow book lovers, hope all is well in your world. Just want to let everyone know that I'm still here and I'm not just sitting around watching the grass grow (although that sounds very tempting at times!). Life’s been pretty busy lately, but that’s a good thing.

The main reason you haven’t seen any book reviews here recently is because I haven’t read any books for review. My reading has been dominated by proofreading and copyediting. Since I lost ten days that I hadn’t planned for when I had my surgery last month, I’ve been playing catch-up for the past month. The good news is that I’m almost caught up. So, hopefully, you’ll start seeing some reviews around here in the not-too-distant future.

In other news, I’m working on a new blog that will focus on my proofreading and copyediting services. I think it’s time to separate those things from this blog, because this blog was intended for more of the “fun” stuff, not business. So be on the lookout for that new blog; it will have all the information you’ll need about my services and I’ll blog about some common mistakes I see when I’m proofreading. In the meantime, if you are interested in my services, please see this page for more information. Here’s a sneak peek at the logo that my lovely wife created for me:

I’m pleased to say that I recently teamed up with Stephen James Price at Book Looks to offer Indie authors a one-stop spot for all the services they need to publish their e-book. Stop by and take a look!

Lastly, I am reading a few books for review right now: Ravenmarked by Amy Rose Davis, A View from the Lake by Greg F. Gifune and The Drummer by Anthony Neil Smith. All of them have been a lot of fun so far; I look forward to finishing them up and sharing them with you (or as I tend to say in “real” life, y’all). Oh yeah, and I'm writing a blog entry for Grade Z Horror's Laymon Month celebration.

That’s all for now. Be good and make sure you have a compurgator in your life. You never know when you’ll need one! (Sorry, I learned a new word and think it’s a lot of fun. :-P)

Guest Blogger: Author Lee Thompson

It is with tremendous pleasure I present to you the first-ever guest blogger here at Bookhound's Den: author Lee Thompson. Lee started selling his work last year and recently his novelette, As I Embrace My Jagged Edges, was published as an e-book and should be available as a deluxe hardcover in February. I recently reviewed this startlingly powerful work and wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who wants to read a well-told story. Make sure you watch out for Lee's work in the future because I expect a lot of good things from him.

And now, here's Lee:

Big thanks to Neal for allowing me to spray dribble on his blog. I’ll try to avoid being tedious.
I’m happier than I can express that readers are enjoying the hell out of AS I EMBRACE MY JAGGED EDGES. (http://sideshowpressonline.com/?page_id=4&category=7&product_id=26)

That story has been through a number of frustrating drafts. When I’d first written it, the timing wasn’t right. I wasn’t right, or ready. I’m a firm believer that authors can try to tell stories too soon and the consequences are cruel. It’s hard not to rush, hell, with anything. We want people to read our latest work Right Now.

Finding others who love a well-crafted tale always thrills me—whether they’re in it solely for entertainment/as an escape from the sad monotony of everyday life, or if they want fiction to enlighten them and make them think, or both. When something moves us and our brains taste some small amount of magic, we end up wanting to share it with others in hope that they’ll experience that feeling as well. It’s a wonderful thing to see—one of my favorite parts of human nature and an example of really connecting with others.

I think I write weird. I’m definitely NOT big on being linear, or easy to understand. But looking at the WHY, I see it. I’ve been walking into writing from a different direction; a realization I’ve had recently and one I’ve come to appreciate.

Life Experience bleeds into The Work. A hell of a lot of it. Over the past year, as I’ve started finding my voice, I see how many things that are separate from writing, which came long before it for me, influence how I approach stories.

I’ve played guitar for a number of years (classical, blues, rock, rockabilly, folk, progressive) and when I sit down to create a story my brain automatically jumps to rhythm, harmony, phrasing, hooks, structure, and progressions. It’s been a revelation. And with martial arts (Jeet Kune Do) I embrace Bruce Lee’s philosophy to take from everything: the boxing arts, the kicking arts, the grappling arts, to be better-rounded and one step ahead of the opponent; to use rudiments until they’re second nature, to parry and attack simultaneously, to condition, feint, stop-hit, misdirect, use combinations, and sidestep.

This is how I write. I take from what I know, what I’ve been passionate about, and find ways to use the ideas in composing something new. On the surface I really have no idea what I’m doing when I approach a story. A lot of it is pure subconscious and training in music and martial arts that has wired my brain a certain way. What a revelation.

I imagine a lot of ‘creative types’ will read this. Find out what influences you, and your creations—what came long before the latest project. Hell, before the first project.

Even if you’re not creative, you can look back over your life, and learn what you’re good at.

Once you’re aware of them, use those strengths.


Blog: http://alongthispathsodarkly.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Thompsons-Scary-and-Slightly-Sad-Stories/113352152049331

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/LeeThompson

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Please leave a comment by 12:00 p.m. January 20th to be entered for a chance to win an e-book copy of Lee's As I Embrace My Jagged Edges. I'll draw one lucky winner from those who leave a comment. Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you.

Creation

Figured I'd go ahead and blog this morning before I get too tired and the kids get up and I remember I need to wash the dishes. I had some ideas yesterday that I wanted to blog about but didn't get around to it, and then I thought about these ideas throughout the night at work. But for some reason, as I'm sitting down to write this post, I'm having a difficult time expressing my thoughts in words. Who knows, maybe I've been working third shift for too long and it's catching up to me. Please bear with me as I try to hash it all out.

I've had a desire to write a book since I was in college. That was about 14 years ago. Now this desire didn't come from some grand epiphany I had. Rather, it grew over the years to a point that last year I started writing short stories. I tried to establish a routine for my writing, but alas, I came up with a million different excuses as to why I couldn't write for that day. I'm tired. The kids kept me busy. I've got too much to do around the house. This movie looks really good. And on and on my excuses went. If any of you need an excuse, let me know and I'll let you have one of mine.

Needless to say, I began to get very frustrated and reached the point that I just stopped writing. It wasn't a conscious decision, it just happened. After a while, I figured I just didn't have the fire inside me to follow through with it. My frustration level grew.

At the time I started writing, my reading increased. After all, I'd read advice from numerous authors saying a good writer reads a lot. In the past, I maybe read five to ten books a year. Last year I read 46 books. This year I've read 58 books, so far. Reading became my passion (or obsession, if you ask my wife). I now almost always have a book within arm's reach of me. And the thing is, I'm a fairly slow reader. Sure, I've improved some over the last couple of years, but it still takes me a while to get through a book. So that number of books I've read indicates a significant amount of time invested on my part. It seems that I'd found my passion, my fire inside. Right?

Well, not exactly. I still had some discontent inside me, a feeling of being unfulfilled somehow. I wanted to do more than just read a book. I wanted to be a part of creating one. The creation of something is important to me. It gives me that warm fuzzy feeling all over. But with my passion for consuming books and my lack of drive for writing them, it didn't seem creating would be in my future. So I resigned myself to being a consumer.

Then one day I came across a blog post by one* of my favorite authors. He was looking for some pre-readers to give some of his books a whirl before he releases them, to help get the bugs out. I jumped on this opportunity because, come on, I would get to read books by a great author before others do. What was not to like? So I sent him an email and he promptly sent me a book he was going to release shortly. He ended his email response by saying, "Be tough."

Be tough? Really? Did he really know what he was telling me? He probably should've talked to my wife before he typed that command to me. See, I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I'm my own worst critic. I could probably be described as anal at times. Did he really want me to be tough? Did I have it in me to point out errors in this author's work? After all, he is one of my favorites and I didn't want him hating me. Seemed I had a dilemma.

I didn't know know exactly how I would handle this dilemma, so I did what I do best. I read. As I read, I found a typo here; a misspelling there; a minor inconsistency over yonder. My dilemma became a little tougher. But after a little thinking, I decided to shoot the author an email with the things I found. Besides, he asked for it. After clicking the send button, I anxiously awaited his response. Figured it'd be something along the lines of "Get a life, dude."

But he didn't say that. Instead, he thanked me and said he'd take a look at the suggestions I'd sent him. That wasn't so bad. So as I continued reading, I sent him any other suggestions I had. I guessed that he would tire quickly of me. But one of his emails said something along the lines of "Hey, you're pretty good at this." Hmm. I know he meant it as one, but I didn't know if that was a compliment or not. The ability to find flaws in something is not normally an endearing quality. Most folks can't stand people like that. Heck, I can't stand people like that.

However, the little hamster in my head jumped on its wheel and started running. I'm pretty good at this. I'm helping a person I esteem to make his creation better. Hey, wait a minute. Creation. Create. Hmm.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm creating anything for this author. But I am helping him with his creation, to make it better. I liked that and it gave me a sense of fulfillment. The author mentioned copyediting and told me that with a little practice I might be able to do something with it. Hmm.

Well, I've taken his advice and I am getting some practice. I've proofed three books so far and am working on my fourth. And the crazy thing is, I'm enjoying the heck out of this. Don't know what that says about me, that I enjoy finding flaws. But I don't see it that way; I see it as helping someone make their creation better.

I still would like to try my hand at writing a book one day. One day, just not today. And I don't know how things will work out with copyediting. Who knows, I may tire of being nit-picky after the fifth book I proof. But I don't think so. It seems I'm onto something here. It definitely has kindled something inside me. Time shall tell.

If you've made it this far, I thank you for putting up with my rambling, incoherent thoughts. I know I probably wouldn't have made it this far. I would have probably thought, what is wrong with this guy? He needs to get a life! But this post has been quite helpful to me, so that makes it worthwhile in my mind. And that's all that counts. Right?

*I didn't name the author because I haven't asked his permission to talk about our correspondence.

Good riddance 2009

Once again we have a new year before us. In fact, a new decade. As this year draws to a close, I think the title of this post captures my feelings towards it perfectly. 2009 just wasn't a good year for me. I won't get into everything that was wrong with it, but suffice to say it was probably my worst year ever. Don't get me wrong; there were some good things that happened, but all in all it was fairly rotten throughout.

As I embark upon this new year, I am tempted to make a list of resolutions and make all kinds of bold proclamations about how I am going to change all kinds of stuff in my life and this is going to be the best year ever. But I am not big on resolutions, as they usually fall by the wayside by the second week of January. Also, there are so many things that are out of my control, and I would be a fool to proclaim things that may never come to pass. Let's face it, crap happens. And for all I know, 2010 may be an even crappier year than 2009.

However, there are a few things that I am committed to strive to improve upon during this new year, and if they affect the quality of the year, then I can be happy with that. Here are a few of the things of concern to me:

1. Be a better husband and dad. I think this is something I will never be perfect at, but I am sure as hell going to try for improvement. This is what life boils down to for me, and it has to be at the top of my list.

2. Start writing more. This is something that I have a strong desire to do and began to experiment with this past year (one of the few good things from this year). I am tempted to make commitments to a word count per day, a number of days to write per week, etc. However, I don't feel I am in position to make those commitments. Life is busy, especially working and having a family with two small children. However, I am committed to improve my writing skills and to start doing it regularly. This is what has been sorely lacking the past few months. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect to be the next Stephen King or Brian Keene, but I don't want to look back 30 years from now and say, "Man, I wish..."

3. Read more. I believe this goes hand-in-hand with writing, and I did make positive strides in this department in 2009. I read 46 books, by far the most in my life. However, I feel this can be greatly improved upon and it will in turn improve my writing. Cutting out wasted time such as watching so much TV would definitely help with both this goal and my writing goal. This is going to be very difficult for me, as I am addicted to a number of different TV shows and I love watching movies. However, for me to improve upon goals that I think will give me much more sastisfaction, it is a thing I will have to give up.

4. Spend money smarter. We live in tough times right now. This has been a very difficult subject for me this past year, and I don't see circumstances changing a lot in the near future. So I need to better control my impulse spending and just be plain smart about my money. If I don't need it, don't buy it!

These are my main areas of focus for this new year. I know, it may sound pretty bland and not seem like a big deal, but these things are a big deal to me. And when it boils down to it, I am committed to pursue happiness for me and my family. And I believe these things will bring some of that to us.

So, 2009, good riddance! And hello 2010!

Happy New Year to everyone, and I wish you and yours a safe, happy, and prosperous new year!