Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest author, entrepreneur, and businessman, Greg Wyss. Greg was well-known on the small-press scene in the 1970’s where his poems and stories appeared in dozens of literary publications. A collection of his work, Sit Down Have a Beer, was published in 1977 by Realities Library in San Diego, California. A graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, Greg retired in 2015 to resume his writing after the wireless communications company he co-founded was  purchased by a competitor. Greg and his wife Barbara live in Houston, Texas. When Life Was Like a Cucumber is Greg’s first novel.

Good day Greg and thanks for participating in our interview.

Norm: Who or what has influenced your writing and how has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

Greg: The genius of great writers has always fascinated me. I am a product of my generation. Coming of age during the 60’s and 70’s, I was influenced by the likes of Kesey, Bukowski, Robbins, Vonnegut, Tom Wolfe and Hunter Thompson, to name a few. However it was Jack Kerouac and Ernest Hemingway, two writers with completely different styles, who have had the greatest impact on me as a writer. I love the frenetic, spontaneous energy of Kerouac’s prose and I am constantly in awe of Hemingway’s ability to say so much with so few words. I would love to have one-tenth the talent of either one of these literary giants.

Norm: How did you become involved with the subject or theme of When Life Was Like a Cucumber?

Greg: When Life Was Like a Cucumber was the story I had to write, the one that I had been wanting to tell for most of my adult life. My inspiration was personal. Having come of age in the 60’s, I have always felt that an important part of my generation’s story has been overlooked in both literature and film. There is no shortage of books or movies covering those turbulent times, but virtually nothing that addresses the aftermath of the decade and its effect on those who lived through it. Jeff’s story is not unique but is meant to be an accurate representation of the countless others his age who were trying to make sense of their lives at the time.

Norm: What made you want to chose the title When Life Was Like a Cucumber?

Greg: It certainly is an original title, isn’t it? I love that no one knows what it means. The title is explained about two-thirds of the way into the book. My real-life Greek friend shared the saying with me and I felt like it perfectly described the era: some people were tasting life and enjoying it, while others, well let’s just say, they weren’t.

Norm: What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

Greg: It was important to me to write an honest story, one that accurately captured the times. The main character Jeff is a deeply flawed individual and a product of the 50’s and 60’s in small town America and of the seismic cultural changes in America at the time. Jeff is not an heroic figure. He is insecure, experiments with drugs and is consumed by his sexual appetite. His is an American story – a struggle to find a higher purpose in life and hold on to the small town values he was raised with. If the reader is transported back to the era and inside the confused minds of those who were there, then I achieved my goal. So far, from the feedback I have gotten, I succeeded.

Norm: How much of the book is realistic? Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Greg: When Life Was Like a Cucumber is a work of fiction, not an autobiography. However, most writers write what they know. The origins of the novel began many years ago whenever I would get together with old friends and we would share and laugh about some our crazy stories from back in the day. Why not turn them into a novel, I thought? Jeff’s story mirrors some of my personal experiences and many of the characters in the book are fictional and composite depictions of people that I crossed paths with during those years.

Norm: What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book?

Greg: I like to joke with my wife that in one-hundred years When Life Was Like a Cucumber will be required reading in school for anyone studying and trying to understand the late 1960’s and early 1970’s in America. All kidding aside,  I tried to create such a vivid picture of the decade, through the music, the environment and the dialogue, that readers would feel like they had stepped into a time machine and transported back to the era. So much of history is either forgotten or erased. I hope readers understand what it was like to be a young person during those confusing times.

Norm: How much editing did you do? As a follow up, how does an author know when to stop revising?

Greg: It took me more than seven years to write this novel. I was constantly rewriting and revising because it was important that I get it right. I wanted it to be the best that I was capable of doing. As for when to stop revising, I can’t speak for other authors, only for myself. My wife Barbara was a tremendous help. She read every page and her perspective was invaluable. We may not have always agreed, but when she liked a page or a chapter, I figured I was on the right track.

Norm: What do you think most characterizes your writing?

Greg: That’s a tough one. I will leave it to others to decide, but I think of my style of writing as visual. I try to write as if I am simply standing in front of a reader and speaking to them in plain English. It’s important to respect the reader. I like to use humor, surrealism and turns of phrase to create depth in my stories. I want the reader to peel back the layers and decide for themselves what they see and feel.

Norm: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your novel?

Greg: Just how difficult it was. When I started, I had a good idea of what the story would be. I had no idea how hard it would be to actually write something worth reading.

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?

Greg: Another good question! I have definitely taken a number of liberties to make the story interesting. You want the reader to finish page 64 and be in a hurry to turn to page 65. Most of my liberties were taken in the dream sequences, drug experiences and the Isadora Duncan character. It’s funny, my real-life brother read the book and called me to complain about the Bernie character, insisting that the events either didn’t happen or didn’t happen that way. Like I told him, Bernie is a fictional character and it’s a work of fiction! As for taking too many liberties, it’s in the eye of the beholder. My rule of thumb is that the liberties have to be consistent with the story and the style of writing.

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and When Life Was Like A Cucumber?

Greg: My WEB PAGE  or they can Google “Greg Wyss Author” or “Greg Wyss book reviews”

Norm: What is next for Greg Wyss?

Greg: They are both in the infant stages at the moment, but I have two ideas for novels that I am working on. One is a sequel centered around the “Bernie” character – I have had several people ask about “Bernie” and suggest a sequel. The other is a story that revolves around the wild, unregulated lifestyle of the early 1980’s in Houston and Texas. Stay tuned.

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

FOLLOW HERE TO READ NORM'S REVIEW OF WHEN LIFE WAS LIKE A CUCUMBER