Bookpleasures.com welcomesas our guest  Mark Guillerman, author of Flow Like a River.

Norm: Good day Mark and thanks for participating in our interview.

Please tell our readers a little bit about your personal and professional background. As a follow up, how did you get started in writing? What keeps you going?   

Mark: I grew up in Houston, Texas, and have lived here most of my life.  I also lived around New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to help with their rebuilding efforts, working as a Building Official.  I’ve been married for over 25 years and have two children and two grandchildren.

I have been writing songs since high school and spent time playing local bars in and around Houston. 

Flow Like A River was actually inspired by a song I wrote many years ago. The first verse is (tempo is similar to a waltz):  

In the town where I grew up, through the center flowed

The laziest river you’ll ever behold

And on the banks of that river, just south of town

Grew the mightiest oak tree for miles and miles around,  

The book evolved from the song.

What keeps me going is that I have some stories that I want to tell.  I enjoy the research and building the characters and the story-line.

Norm: In fiction as well as in non-fiction, writers very often take liberties with their material to tell a good story or make a point. But how much do you believe is too much?

Mark: At the end of the day, telling a good story is what it’s all about and with that said, I think fiction writers can take whatever liberties they feel they want/need.  However, I also believe that if you are writing historical fiction, then any liberties or distortions a writer makes in order to create his/her story is a slippery slope and very few authors can pull it off.  Certainly, Anne Rice did, but she is an exception, not the rule.

As for my writing, could the story of Running Wolf and The Prince actually have happened?  Highly unlikely, but yeah sure, why not?

Norm: Why are you interested in the Texas hill country and Texas history?

Mark: My hobby is taking long motorcycle trips.  I love staying in old historical hotels around the country and reading about the local histories.  I am convinced that wherever you live in this country (or anywhere else), there is more than enough local history to keep you busy for years.

Texas history is full of colorful characters and events. Whether it was the Alamo, Spindletop, Texas Rangers, Texas Independence, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Barbara Jordan, or NASA, a person could spend a lifetime studying these things and not scratch the surface.    

The Texas Hill Country is where you can go and still taste Old Texas.  Some areas are heavily populated now, but you can still find the old Texas spirit, especially on a motorcycle.  It’s not just the hill country, but also the whole southwest. New Mexico and Colorado are favorites of mine; life is a little slower, the people are friendly, and the Mexican food and margaritas are great.

Norm:  How did you become involved with the subject or theme of  Flow Like a River and what do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book?

Mark:  As I said before, the story evolved from a song.  I didn’t have any agenda when I started other than to tell an interesting, fun and hopefully great story.  After I started writing the story, my personal interest in American Indians and Texas History came into play.

I was trying to write a book that, when the reader was finished with it, they lay it down and feel a little bit sad it’s over; that was my goal with “Flow Like A River” and will be my goal for other books I may write.     

Norm: What are some of the references that you used while researching this book and how long did it take you to research and write the book?

Mark:  During most of the time I was writing the book, I was working two jobs and long hours.  The total time I spent writing it was eight years, but most of that time was late at night after I got home from work.  Sometimes I would go a week without writing simply because I was too tired to be creative. At the beginning of 2018, I resigned from my job as a Building Official and worked solely for myself.  I was able to get a lot done during that year.

I do a lot of research, most of which is research on the internet.  I try and stay as historically correct as possible, just to make it believable and create a scene that is close to the spirit of the day.   I studied the history of trains in the southwest for a couple of months, only to have one chapter with trains in it. I also studied firearms and the Texas Rangers in the 1920’s.  

My research in regards to the character of Running Wolf has gone on for years.  Riding through Indian reservations in New Mexico, visiting museums, and things of that nature contributed to my writing.  I have read several books on American Indian prayers.

Norm: Did you see your book from an outline or did it come from a completed manuscript?

Mark:  I’m a big believer in outlining.  I wrote the outline for the first half of the book sitting on a bench overlooking the Guadalupe River, while waiting for my wife who was taking a CLE class.  After the first half of the book was written, I outlined the second half in a few hours while sitting on my back porch. I put the outline aside and didn’t look at it again until I was finished.

After the book was finished, I went back and read the outline; I was amazed how closely the book followed the outline.  Outlining works for me and my style of writing.

Mark: When I first started writing my book it was a very basic story line.  The only solid elements of the story were the Guadalupe River and the huge oak tree, “Four Brothers,” growing on its banks.   

As I started developing the story about the oak tree, I realized that if I wanted to stay historically plausible, I had to come up with an American Indian element.  Brenna came about as I struggled to make this work. I did a ton of research on migration into Texas in the 1920’s, and I came up with Brenna and her son Billy, Irish immigrants.

William Laveaux’s character was heavily influenced by my time spent in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  I have always been interested in the Storyville era of New Orleans and his character was heavily influenced by my personal experiences and my research on this period of time in New Orleans.     

Norm: Which of the novel's characters was the easiest to write? Most difficult?  

Mark:  The easiest character to create was Sheriff Bud who was heavily influenced by my uncle, Bud Ervin.  He’s a colorful character, quick witted and big hearted.

The most difficult character was the Prince.  I didn’t have any references to draw from on a personal level, so I spent a lot of time just thinking about and developing his character.  

Norm: Do you feel that writers, regardless of genre owe something to readers, if not, why not, if so, why and what would that be?

Mark:  At the end of the day, I probably wrote and rewrote my book a hundred times, massaging every line and paragraph.  If a line wasn’t right, it drove me nuts and I couldn’t let it go until it felt just right. As a writer of fiction, I don’t know if I feel like I owe my readers anything other than writing the best book I can.       

Norm:  What are your upcoming projects:

Mark: I have started the outline for my second novel.  I am trying not to focus too much on it right now, while I am marketing Flow Like A River.  My second novel tells the story of a young sixteen year-old boy and his seventeen year-old brother, who leave home in southeast Pennsylvania in 1876.  They weave their way down through Kansas and finally to Texas, where they end up joining the Texas Rangers. It’s going to be a straight up western novel, historically correct with stories of coal mines, gunfighters, cattle drives, etc.    

Norm: How can readers find out more about you and your endeavors?

Mark:  I am just starting to develop my career as a writer.  As of now, all I have is my Facebook page. I have a website in development and it should be up in a couple of weeks.  I am planning to record the song Flow Like A River and that will probably be my next publication.

Norm:  Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. It's been an absolute pleasure to meet with you and read your work. Good luck with Flow Like a River.

Mark:  My pleasure.

Follow Here to Read Norm's Review of Flow Like a River