Bookpleasures.com welcomesas our guest, Randy Smith author of The Raffle. The real person behind Randy Smith (a pen name) was born in Downtown L.A. in 1977. An avid punk rock fan, Randy played in several punk bands in the early to mid 90s. In college, Randy specialized in international relations and history. After teaching for a year, Randy moved to Washington, D.C. for law school. Randy has been a practicing attorney for the past sixteen years.

Norm: What makes an attorney want to become a novelist?

Randy: Attorneys write a lot. It’s not all trial briefs and complaints. I’m a deal lawyer, and I draft a diverse array of documents, but I also email with clients and opposing attorneys. Often, we have to advocate on behalf of our client’s interests and being able to tell a “true story” is a skill every lawyer should have. So, as an attorney, I’m already a “writer,” but not necessarily a novelist. 

I decided to write novels and screenplays because of the “what if” questions constantly bouncing around my ahead. I also want to spend the little free time I have working on a craft that hopefully I can do when I retire. So, whenever I am commuting via public transportation, waiting in line at the store or waiting for my very young children to fall asleep, I whip out my Smart Phone and I write.

Norm: Why did you use a pen name Randy Smith to write The Raffle rather than your real name? 

Randy: The Raffle contains explicit language and violence. It also calls out various terrorist groups (domestic and international) and rogue nations. So, as a practicing attorney I thought it would be better to provide a little cover.

Norm: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?  

Randy: Stephen King. I wouldn’t be a writer without having grown up on his books. I have read and re-read so many. Also, On Writing, had a tremendous impact on my approach to writing. Like Stephen King, I mostly can’t outline. I have to feel the story and let it flow organically. His discipline and proliferation would be so impactful to me if he was my mentor.

Norm: Are you a full-time or a part-time writer? How does that affect your writing? 

Randy: I write everyday as an attorney (articles, client alerts, etc.), but that is nonfiction. As far as fiction goes, I’m a part time writer. Being part time affects my writing in that it likely takes me longer than others to complete my works in progress. Part 1 of The Raffle was a work in progress for years before I self-published it in early 2016. Parts 2, 3 and 4 then took 3 years to complete. During that time, however, I completed three screenplays, one of which is currently in development. So, being part time has had an impact, but not overly negative.

Norm: Do you worry about the human race? 

Randy:Yes, I do, in large part because I have very young children. I worry about the long-term impacts of social media, electromagnetic frequency and artificial intelligence on the fragile fabric of our society. I also worry about religious extremism and left-wing extremism. But, I think humans are inherently good and we can work things out so long as we disenfranchise the extremists, make them powerless and continue to move towards acceptance of all people. I also worry about our planet and want to help heal it. It’s why I’m a big proponent of public transportation and clean energy.

Norm: What are your thoughts as to why people read dystopian novels? 

Randy: The Raffle was referenced during a discussion on a podcast recently where this very question was asked. It’s called “Good Is In The Details” and the episode had Dahlia Schweitzer, the author of Going Viral: Zombies, Viruses, and the End of the World being interviewed. And when the question of why we are attracted to dystopian story, the answer is something I agree with.

We are all fascinated by questions like, “What if the end of the world happens” or “What if xyz happens”. But we romanticize the post-apocalyptic world  because all you have to do is  worry about survival and protecting your family: No more mortgage. No more student loans. No more social media. Just survival.  It sounds so much simpler than our current lives, when, in reality, 99.999% of us would perish, including me. But the protagonist in The Raffle, Ramsey Arami, is very adaptable, and so that is why he is able to advance in the story. 

Norm: Why have you been drawn to writing a dystopian novel? What is the purpose of dystopian literature? Are there aesthetic advantages and disadvantages peculiar to this genre? Does it have a form?

Randy: I am obsessed with “What ifs.” I believe the best way to explore complex questions about racial imbalances, religious extremism, jingoism, etc., is to create an alternative/parallel universe and see how we got there and where it goes. 

One tenant of dystopian literature is that the society portrayed in the story is contrary to the author’s ethos. That is very much true for me in The Raffle. The problem is many of things I thought could never happen and are contrary to my ethos are actually happening: the expanded belligerency of North Korea, the election of Donald Trump, the rise of the right wing, the “closing of our borders,” Middle Eastern immigrants being under heightened scrutiny (i.e., the immigration cutbacks), the attack on our Constitution, the rise of white supremacy, the expanding use of robots and AI, and, last but not least, a storming of Area 51 (which thankfully in real life was more of a joke and didn’t really occur).

So, perhaps I wrote The Raffle to deal with where the world is unfortunately heading. With the hope that since my story is set in the future, maybe I can get people to think differently about the direction we are heading today. 

Norm: What motivated you to write The Raffle and did you write the story to express something you believe in or was it just for entertainment?

Randy: For five years I was commuting between Los Angeles and New York every two weeks because my wife, who I had met on a blind date in NYC, was living there. I was always very thankful of our incredible transportation in this country that allowed our marriage to survive while we were thousands of miles apart. But, then I thought…what if? What if something “separated us?” And so, the seeds of The Raffle Series were sown. I explored the possibilities of numerous fictional catastrophes. Ultimately, I decided on multiple catastrophes converging at once: an overall powerful religious cult/terrorist group with access to biological weapons, a crazed rogue nation and drones. 

I wrote the story mostly to entertain, but also to educate the world about the mindset of someone who feels like he was always on the outside of society, but wanting to be included. Like my main character, I have always felt that way and wanted to express my feelings in an entertaining and educational way.

Norm: What was the most difficult part of writing this book and what did you enjoy most about writing the story? 

Randy: The most difficult part was staying focused on finishing it. In the past four years, my wife and I have had two children. My wife is surgeon, so I need to be around more for the children when she leaves early, comes home late or is on call overnight. I am also a partner in a large, international law firm. I also am a podcaster, a law school professor, investor, advisor, actor, standup comedian and a writer. The only way it works is using public transportation to commute. I live by a strict schedule. And that provides the daily discipline I need to achieve.

Norm: Did you write the story more by logic or intuition, or some combination of the two? Please summarize your writing process. 

Randy: As a lawyer, I always have to play out scenarios with my clients: if x, then y, if y then z, if z then either a, b or c. So, I think that is a logical approach. However, Part 4 of the Raffle Series, The Covenant, the real meat of the story, that was mostly intuition. That took me a year to complete because I allowed most of the ideas and themes to marinate in mind and then I explored them on the pages until they played out the way they were supposed to.

My process has been refined over the years. Now, whenever a kernel of a story idea (which usually starts as a “what if” question) pops in my head, I document it in my Evernote folder titled “Story Ideas”. Sometimes those story ideas converge into one story. In the Raffle series, many story ideas/questions get answered. 

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 is too much?

Randy: The few liberties I took in The Raffle Series are the Virus and its effects, as well as the NHCs (the humanoid robots in the Series). With the Virus, I did research into Mitochondrial DNA damage and whether there is a biological reason behind racism. I mixed the two together, added a splash of “we all have fears and will do whatever we need to survive” and, voila, we had four ethnic enclaves doing battle against each in Los Angeles 2016. Was that too much? Perhaps, but it was intriguing. 

With the NHCs, the major liberty I took is that they look totally human. Humans don’t know the NHCs from other humans. In “real life, are we there yet? Probably no, but that is where Area 51 comes in. I don’t believe in aliens, but I do believe extremely advanced systems and weapons are created and tested there. So, in “real life”, perhaps there are advanced robots and drones being built there.

Norm: It is said that writers should write what they know. Were there any elements of the book that forced you to step out of your comfort zone, and if so, how did you approach this part of the writing? 

Randy: I am terrible at science and don’t know the bible that well even though I went to Catholic school my whole life. So, I had to conduct some scientific research into viruses, DNA and other matters to make things more believable in The Raffle. And I had to learn parts of the Bible that certain people use for their own agendas. That took a lot of work outside of my normal comfort zone.

Norm: How did you go about creating the character of Ramsey Arami and is there much of you in the character? 

Randy: Ramsey is partially inspired by me and my own upbringing, but I am not Ramsey. He is way tougher than me both mentally and physically. There is no way I could have survived ten years in the prison that is New Angeles.

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and The Raffle? 

Randy: THE RAFFLE WEBSITE is where fans can find artist images of the Series, blog posts that explain the various themes, oddities and history relevant in the Series, and will be where the future of the Series can be found. I also frequently Tweet about The Raffle and related stories 

I also have a FACEBOOK PAGE

AND

Instagram 

Norm: What is next for Randy Smith? 

Randy: I don’t want to give too much away Norm, but I highly recommend fans of The Raffle to periodically check The Raffle website. There are some exciting things that will be happening in the near future. Whole new mediums to explore the world of The Raffle.

Norm: As this interview comes to an end, what question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has? 

Randy: I wish someone would ask me more about the legal intricacies of the New United States and how it came into being and why was it so important that I explain what happened to lawyers and our Constitution in Part 2. As a lawyer, I believe strongly in our Constitution and fear that it is being disrespected and twisted. If that continues, I fear that we will be living in The New United States soon.

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors

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