Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is excited to have as our guest, Jeffrey A. Friedberg author of Black Road 2012:Empire of the Gods,  Lost Relic of the Gods: The God Conspiracy, The Secret Pillars of Writing, and soon to be published Found: Relic of the Gods

Good day Jeffrey and thanks for participating in our interview.

Jeff:

Thank you for this opportunity, Norm. It’s exciting to speak to you and your many wonderful readers.

Norm:

Please tell our readers a little bit about your personal and professional background.

Jeff:

I was a private eye for 32 years, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, and Florida. I had my own licensed detective agency, employing up to about 125 people. I had a US Department Of Defense Clearance, and specialized in: deep investigation, undercover, organized crime, public utilities protection, nuclear plant protection, local and State Government-related investigation, and other things. I guess you could say I've seen my share of “real life,” secrets, conspiracies, and the madness of others.

On the saner side, I was an internet guru, and, later, a consultant to America On Line. I have a BA in English and Psychology/Sociology. I've been writing all my life. I studied writing under people like the great John Truby, Harold Lazarus, George Deaux, Stephen Berg, and the uniquely oriented, one-time convicted triple murderer Jay Smith, whose sentence in Pennsylvania was overturned due to "prosecutorial misconduct." I did criminal defense work for awhile, but didn’t like it when “we won,” so I stopped.

Now I live and write in the New Mexico desert, in the shadow of a dormant volcano, right near the sacred, Native petroglyphs.

Norm:

When did you first consider yourself a writer? How many novels have your written and what keeps you going?

Jeff:

Norm, I thought I was a writer every time, usually just before I realized I wasn’t really one. Every time I thought I knew what I was doing, an editor or other professional evaluator, like you, for one, would show me I was not ready. “Again,” they would say, “wax on, wax off,” and all that Karate Kid stuff, you see. I had to teach myself, confront myself, and tear out what could not be used, and use what could not be torn out. It’s intuitive--your “ear"--but there are basic rules that can be learned.

Anyone can learn them. Anyone can write. In my case, I now, finally, feel that I’m a “real” writer and in full control of writer-things. I would have to say the heart of it is cut, cut, cut. Stay hidden behind the words, and write your heart out. And then cut it down, because it’s waaay too long. I’ve written a little book on writing, The Secret Pillars Of Writing.

Norm:

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Jeff:

Yes. Every word must have a purpose or don’t use it; every sentence, every paragraph, every page, every chapter must be there solely to move the story and the action forward. If they don’t do that--cut them out. That’s my challenge. And then I revel in the results when I get it right. It took me two years of re-writes, for instance, to get my opening scene right in Lost relic Of The Gods. But the irony is, none of the re-writes mattered except for the last one. When the control finally comes, you soar. At times. You watch your fingers typing and you have no idea what they will say next, but there it is. A character has just written his own scene--for you. He has moved the action and the story forward out of some spiritus mundi, maybe. He’s your character, in a universe you created, and he can only follow the rules of his needs, desires, and fears, which you gave to him. So, Norm, that is my personal challenge: to move the story forward; get the reader to turn the page. I enjoy it immensely. Anyone can do it.

Norm:

Has your environment and/or upbringing influenced your writing?

Jeff:

Sure. I grew up watching 1950‘s black and white science fiction movies, a triple feature was twenty-five cents, popcorn was a dime--giant spiders, aliens, creatures from lagoons, and lots of fog. Scary as hell, Norm (laughs). I was reading science fiction at about eight, stories like...well this one where an alien lays its eggs in people, hides them in the walls, and monsters burst out from them. Then there was this other one about an object found on the moon that was put there millions of years ago and signals the aliens that men have landed there. I’m talking maybe 1953 here. See? The movie Aliens; the movie 2001; nothing really new out there. I then had training in creative writing in college, but got side-tracked into the private eye thing for thirty or thirty-two years. But I always wrote. I wrote from “real life” as they say. I wrote detective reports. I wrote what I saw. I learned where everything is and how it all works in this world. I learned a lot. I saw a lot. I did a lot. Secrets, conspiracies, murder, oh my! I sometimes can’t believe I’m still alive. Anyways...anyways...

Norm:

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

Jeff:

A professor of mine, Harold Lazarus, told me a writer never needs ideas; he always has ideas. For instance: who has a name like, “Harold Lazarus?” Is that his real name? Is it an alias? Is there some message encoded in that name? Is he immortal, or risen from the dead, as was Lazarus in the Bible. Ideas are everywhere, waiting to form; they are inclined to be born. I think it was Ray Bradbury who wrote in a room full of props and strange items. He used them to fuel ideas. My ideas come from everywhere. People, the news, my experiences, my reading, and things I see on TV, on the nature and science cable channels. Everyone I see or meet in life is a character in a story. Life is a movie. Shakespeare said it a little differently, and he said it first.

Norm:

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Jeff:

Norm, I was stunned to learn early on that I stunk as a writer (laughs), but I fixed that with help from folks like you, my editors, and my own studies of the craft. What amazed me most was how a writer at some point, maybe at 3 AM--that sort of thing--fades away and there is nothing but the story, the story, and the story. It can be like a waking dream, a merging with the story and the characters. Transport to another level of perception, where the characters are totally on their own, and doing the writing. I was also shocked to find how high you can get doing this, a feeling of wonder and happiness with the work, that I never experienced before. It is also the hardest work I’ve ever done in my life. I’ve been shot, stabbed, sued, kidnapped, arrested, starved, frozen, baked, and all the rest of it, but that was all eezeee compared to this new job.

Norm:

What is your secret in keeping the intensity of the plot throughout the narratives?

Jeff:

Every word, sentence, and paragraph must be dedicated to that purpose. Me? I play it in my head like a movie. I make it a movie that I would like to see. I entertain me. I constantly look for action, movement, conflict, turmoil, opposition, and i don’t let up until I’ve done the scene. then I might let the reader rest a few seconds. But every chapter ends with a question, a dilemma, a problem, whatever it takes to make the reader turn the page. I constantly ask what the hell else could possibly go wrong here, and then I throw it to the character. I wrote Lost Relic Of The Gods as a head-movie, a movie that plays in the reader’s own inner vision. I wrote The Secret Pillars Of Writing to explain to others how to do this; I priced this book as cheaply as the printer or e-booker would allow. At some some point it may be available free online, I’m waiting to hear from manybooks.net . I will give a free .PDF to anyone who asks me for one.

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?

Jeff:

Writers owe their readers a good, fair, and true ride. They owe them a payoff for sticking with the story and reading it all the way through. Above all writers owe readers Respect. Don’t preach, don’t instruct, don’t talk down to them. They are as smart as any writer, so let them take part in the story and the characters by letting them be part of it all. Let the readers fill in the blanks. Don’t describe the characters too much, the reader wants to do it. the reader wants to see it his/her way. The reader wants to be the hero or heroine. The reader is not interested in the writer or what s/he likes in cars, vodka, firearms, politics or pet peeve. The reader is interested in the universe of the Story.

Norm:

Do you have a local writing community or fellow writers that you look to for support and advice? Did you have a writing mentor? Do you mentor others here?

Jeff:

No. I hire professionals to edit or evaluate my work. I have found the meetings and classes and critique groups to be an utter waste of time, and more political than a garden club or homeowners association. I have found there cliques of people who know utterly Nothing pretending to mentor those who attend the meetings, when all they are really doing is flacking for each other, giving each other “cover," awards and prizes, and fooling the honest people who look to them for help. I think this is done without fore-thought or conspiracy. However--no matter--this is why I’ve priced The Secret Pillars Of Writing as low as the producers will allow and will send a free .PDF of it to anyone. For support I am partial to the services and resources of Norm Goldman, Irene Watson, Diane O’Connell, Micki Grover, John Truby, and a few others. That’s it. I’ve found I really have to rely mostly on myself. But that is how it’s always been for me. It may totally work differently for others who are more talented, skilled, friendly, needful, attractive, or glib.

Norm:

What does a typical writing day look like for you, from waking to turning in at night, and how does it compare to a conventional 9 to 5 job?

Jeff:

Me? I basically eat or sleep wherever I happen to be. My house and residency in New Mexico were specifically chosen as places of seclusion for my work. I’m actually writing a quadtych--a four book epic. I bought the house new on the internet, from my retreat on Estero Island, Florida--sight unseen. I might wake at 10 PM and work until 4 AM, and then wake up again from 8 AM to 6 PM, it varies--stuff like that. It’s pathetic, I know don’t cry for me Argentina (laughs).

Norm:

Has a review or profile ever changed your perspective on your work?

Jeff:

Yes. This guy named Norm Goldman once critiqued that i was 65 pages overwritten. Turns out he was right, so i cut 15,000 words. But that’s different from my editors. Diane O’Connel tells me things like “too much navel-staring, get the hell on with it!” Micki Grover was with John Truby and she checks my use of his methods and characterization and gives me her own great insights. Tyler Tichelaar did an evaluation for me which was very useful. Irene Watson is very knowledgeable. Jerry D. Simmons knows all about New York publishing houses, their pros and cons.

Norm:

What will you be doing for promotion of you books and how much of it is your doing?

Jeff:

Norm, I was a web guru and internet search engine guy, so I do all of that myself. Website optimization, press releases, blogging, sending to agents and money-publishers, I do that, and I also have a professional background in marketing and internet marketing. I do my own publishing, graphics, uploads, downloads, all that--you almost have to do it yourself or it takes forever or maybe never gets done. Also, everybody and their grandmother has their hand out for a chunk of your money, unless you do your own publishing. It took me three months to get a cover image onto a major online bookstore because a “distributor" just never got it done, in ten different venues; I had to do them all. So I do my own publishing, but yeah--no, you still need the help of others. Yet, buyer beware! This industry is spotted with tricksters and rascals, like any other. I use professional services for audio excerpts, video trailers, piece-work advice, some types of promotion, and so on. I recommend Jerry D. Simmons’ book What Writers Need to Know About Publishers, as a help-aid along these lines.

Norm:

Are you working on any books/projects that you would like to share with us? (We would love to hear all about them!)

Jeff:

I’m ready to begin Book II of my epic quadtych. The current book, Lost Relic Of The Gods will be followed by Book II, which is called, Found: Relic Of The Gods. The quadtych itself is called the God Conspiracy.

In Book II our hero Jack Vane returns to Philadelphia with our heroine, his wife, Fiamma Vane, and they begin their new life and a controversial world-wide detective agency, together. Let’s just say things don’t go well. In addition to marital strife, we have other problems--like terrorism, murder, revolution, world shadow-governments, conspiracies, loose demons, immortals, unbeatable opponents, and oh...we find out who the “aliens” really are. Stuff like all that there, Norm. The thing is, it sounds maybe cheesie, but no--I give these premises brand new twists and yaws. Because, as I said, I was there at the dawn of modern swci-f- and hoorr and paranormal writing, and have studied it for sixty years. I pitch the reader out into a new and raw universe.

As a Hannibal Lecter character said, “With imagination comes fear.” I take my role dead-serious. I am responsible to my Reader. I must give the reader what s/he wants or seeks. I see myself as a shaman. I show you the mystical in your own mind; I bring your mind congruent with mine through the magic of writing. I show you your connection to birth and life, death and infinity--your Connection to the universe and Eternity. And a good, roller coaster of a story.

Norm:

Where can our readers find out more about you and your books?

Jeff:

Amazon.com, Redroom.com, Facebook, and other online venues. I think there are about 95,000 hits on “ Jeffrey A. Friedberg ” + writer. My current books are: LOST RELIC OF THE GODS, and, THE SECRET PILLARS OF WRITING. You can obtain a free copy of the latter by clicking here

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

Jeff:

Yes, in case I sound like an egotistical braggart; OK, so what? (Laughs). A writer needs, pride, ego, vanity, and Belief in themselves. You MUST “toot your own horn,” or nobody else will. Illegitimi non carborundum: don’t let the bastards wear you down. Ben Franklin said this about Vanity and Ego: "Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves. But I give it fair quarter wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others that are within his sphere of action...."

Norm:

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

CLICK HERE TO READ A REVIEW OF LOST RELIC OF THE GODS THE GOD CONSPIRACY VOL 1