Fiction Scribe

Hello and welcome to this week’s author interview. Recently I had the opportunity to talk to a true-to-life author David Grant who has written Bleach | Blackout. I hope you’ll join me in welcoming him to Fiction Scribe.

Hello and welcome to Fiction Scribe, Mr. Grant. Let’s start with getting to know you a little better. List five things you feel define you as a person.

[DG] 1. Living for the moment 2. My friends and family 3. My writing and books 4. My collection of Sombreros 5. My love of popsicles.

What inspired the initial idea for Bleach | Blackout?

[DG] Bleach is semi-autobiographical and yet relatable to many who have moved away from home, come back and slip back into old habits. Hooking up with old friends and picking up where you left off. In the case of the characters in Bleach, that is drinking excessively, looking for casual sex, and finding the perfect bra for the New Year’s Eve party. Blackout was more my curiosity. Given the outcome of Bleach, two years later, would this change the outlook of Jeremy, Chip, Sharon, and Stoner?

The cover of Bleach | Blackout is simple yet speaks volumes. What was your involvement in the cover art?

[DG] It was my initial idea, but my publisher, Offense Mechanisms, an imprint of Silverthought Press put it all together. The flipped covers make it the perfect format for a double novel fueled by excess.

The synopsis of your book is as follows: “Fans of fluffy romance novels and that all-too-familiar, over-hyped, edge-of-the-seat crap should steer clear. This is life at its most jaded. Offense Mechanisms is proud to present Bleach | Blackout by David S. Grant, two novels about drugs, sex, revenge, the corporate crunch, and the inevitable unpleasantness of life and death.” Did you set out from the beginning to write a gritty, not your typical literary fiction book?

[DG] I set out to tell story of reality, or at least a darker side of reality. In B|B, the actions of the characters would lead you to believe they are in a dire state, yet they don’t feel this, instead enjoying life and not thinking about tomorrow. Bleach has the characters with more of an edge, trying to figure out the darkness, where in Blackout there is the lesson of living for the moment. A story about living that turns to a story about revenge and back to living.

How much of the grit, drugs, sex, revenge and corporate crunch of the book is inspired by your life?

[DG] Some comes from personal experience, some from friends, some from stories I’ve heard, and some is fiction. I’ll let the reader ponder which part pulls from where. These days I find my destructive tendencies living through my writing rather than my daily life. It’s a tad bit safer.

What kind of research (if any) did you have to do for this book?

[DG] Very little, this is more of a humorous story that didn’t require much research, more structuring of the chapters in order to play off of each other. Certain themes play though out, reminding the reader of the underlining theme and potential escalation points.

What is your favourite part of the book?

[DG] For Bleach, it is the way the book builds up to the final party. Jeremy remembering past parties, rekindling past relationships, and chasing the girl of his dreams; tying this together in the end, sort of, was fun for me. The first chapter in Blackout is as fast a story can move. Also, writing the courtroom testimony for Chip was enjoyable and just plain entertaining.

What are your goals for your writing? Where do you see yourself in five years both as a writer and as a person?

[DG] As a person I don’t plan to change, as a writer I hope I’m still writing. If I’m still writing I’ll be okay, the rest is tequila shots on a summer day.

What is the most valuable piece of advice you have been given/learned in your life as a writer?

[DG] If you want to write, then write. If you’re looking to get published be persistent. No one writes a book and has an agent calling them the next day offering them 100K just to read their manuscript. This isn’t HBO, hell, this isn’t even Bravo.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers here?

[DG] To read an excerpt from Blackout, read reviews, more information on my books, or to contact me please go to http://www.davidsgrant.com. Thank you.

Thank you very much for coming by this blog. I wish you great successes with Bleach | Blackout.