Official Interview: Keith Steinbaum

[kandscreeley]

Today's Chat with Sarah features Keith Steinbaum author of You Say Goodbye. If you're having deja vu, it's because he was interviewed about his previous book, The Poe Consequence.

To view the interview for The Poe Consequence, click here.

To view You Say Goodbye on Amazon, click here.

To view the official review for You Say Goodbye, click here.

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1. How do you start a book? Do you have a basic plot in mind? A character? A vision?

For the first book I wrote, The Poe Consequence, I knew from the beginning that a core aspect of my story would be a tale of revenge against two modern day Latino street gangs from Los Angeles who were responsible for the murder of an innocent bystander. That innocent bystander eventually turns into a supernatural enemy of the gangs. So I had these characters in mind from the start. The murder victim’s brother, appearing in Chapter One on the first page in a conversation with him, gave me the springboard to reintroduce him shortly thereafter and that brother becomes the protagonist. From there, like a magnet attracting scattered metal filings, the other main characters (except one) developed and gravitated towards the action that occurs in the first three chapters and continues throughout the remainder of the story.

My second book, You Say Goodbye, first involved the idea of a little girl battling a brave fight against cancer because of a true story I read in the obituary section about Alexandra Scott from the Alex’s Lemonade Foundation. I knew I wanted to have a character patterned after her. She needed a ying-yang foil, an adult who had grown bitter about life and believed his best days were behind him, someone who was bitter about his life, unlike her who, despite her hardship, remained positive about her life. So these two characters were developed in my mind from the start. The book is a whodunnit murder mystery, so I needed to write my way into the storyline idea and let characters that felt right come to me and become part of the plot. The ‘vision’ that you include in your question started as a mist and eventually cleared up as ideas formed and started making sense in their consistency.

I’m now working on a third novel where the first chapter will appear to be a strange disconnect from the remainder of the book and I'm treating that first chapter as if it’s an independent short story. It already involves a lot of outlining and research and although I have the idea of an intriguing plot, I know it’s certainly subject to change as I move forward. I’m interested to see where my imagination and characters take me because right now I’m unsure of what the future holds which is fine and not uncommon.

2. Tell us about your very first story.

The only answer I can give you isn’t what the story itself entailed because I don’t remember. But I do recollect that when I was in seventh grade, and my English teacher, Mr. Ubick, assigned his class to write a creative story with a winner to be named, he called me into his class after reading it and looking back on that conversation, although not realizing it at the time, he may have doubted that I was the author and was someone who perhaps received parental help. I say that because I was somewhat of a goof-off, and not the serious type of student like Gordon F., who wound up winning the contest. I came in second and despite my earned reputation as a fun-loving kid, perhaps that seventh-grade assignment offered an indication of my creative potential.

3. What advice would you give those that are seeking to enter the writing world?

1. If you think you’ll make money at this, and that’s a driving force for you, you’re in for a major disappointment. But if you have a thought-provoking story to tell, and/or an interesting character in your head that you want to bring to life in story form, don’t regret not giving it a try.

2. If you want to give it your best, be prepared for as much or more frustration than exhilaration. But once you type in those final two words, ‘The End,’ there isn’t a feeling of accomplishment that can equal that high for any author. It’s a long and often lonely period of time working on a book, so your commitment to the task will be tested and re-tested. Be prepared for many hours of time sacrificed over other things you like to do. Do your research in order to make the story, and characters, as credible as possible.

3. I had a creative writing teacher who offered this advice about what it takes to maintain interest in a story: Make sure you carry enough provisions to make the journey through the desert. What she meant by that is that you may have a great beginning in mind, and a great ending in mind, but if you don’t have a middle to get you from that great beginning to that great end, you’ll probably lose the reader’s interest somewhere between the beginning and end.

4. You must be critical of your own work, and prepare to edit, edit, edit. Once you feel that it’s the best you can do, if you have the money to afford a professional editor to give you that objective feedback before you seek out a publisher, it’s a very worthwhile investment. Or, perhaps, a significant other or good friend if you respect their creative judgment. You may not agree with everything the editor critiques, and that’s your prerogative, of course, but definitely keep an open mind to the comments.

5. Finally, remember that once you put your creative work ‘out there’ in the public forum, it’s open to all opinions from complimentary to cruelty. Whether you’re a writer, a musician, an artist, a singer, a dancer, an actor, or a part of another creative field, be prepared to face all types of feedback. Artists are often of a sensitive nature which I believe feeds that creative mindset, so just know that not all reviews will be kind. But for those that do offer praise, it’s a glorious feeling and a boost to your self-esteem that will make your day, for sure.

4. Let’s discuss your book, You Say Goodbye. Can you give us a short synopsis for those that may not know?

After a temperamental meltdown on stage, Sean Hightower, a regretful and resentful “one-hit wonder” rock musician hoping for a comeback, returns to his girlfriend’s condo seeking comfort from the woman he loves. But after letting himself in, he discovers her naked body on the bed, murdered from a bullet to the head. When the police detective arrives and sees the two taped pieces of paper on the wall with the word, “hello,” on one and “goodbye,” on the other, he realizes that the renowned serial killer, The Beatles Song Murderer, has struck again. In the days that follow, he reaches another conclusion—The Beatles Song Murderer is probably somebody Sean knows. Now the detective needs Sean’s help to find the killer.

5. What audience do you see this book being most fitting for?

Fans of sleuth-oriented, whodunnit type mystery novels. And if you’re a fan of the Beatles who like sleuth-oriented, whodunnit type mystery novels, all the better!

There’s also a story within a story involving a unique friendship between a little girl battling cancer and that ex-rock star I mention in the premise — how they wind up helping each other in their respective lives while simultaneously becoming main players in the whodunnit part of the storyline.

6. This book deals with the world of music. Is this something you’re familiar with? How did you research this?

I don’t know anyone who isn’t a fan of some sort of music, and often more than one genre. So for anyone who reads You Say Goodbye, if you’re acquainted with the Beatles and music of that era, that’s the only kind of familiarity required. Some research was required because I give certain facts about members of rock groups not of that earlier era such as Nirvana that I needed information on.

One thing to point out is that my background as a professional song lyricist aided me in the parts of the story where the protagonist, Sean Hightower, experiences certain situations, and lyrics he’d written in the past come to mind that I include in the scene. At first, I used actual lyrics from artists but later found out that it would require the publisher’s permission to include those words in my story. So I wound up writing my own ‘Sean Hightower’ lyrics and I feel the story, and Sean’s character, are better for it.

7. What was the most difficult part of the book for you to write?

Being a whodunnit murder mystery, the greatest challenge was to make the mystery work throughout the novel by keeping the identity of the murderer a secret until the end. If I failed in this, it would have ruined everything.

8. Your previous book, The Poe Consequence, includes Edgar Allan Poe. This book includes the Beatles. Why have you included these other famous elements in your works? Is that kind of your “calling card?”

This is a great question and I’ve certainly given a lot of thought to making it my “calling card”. And maybe I should because anything that an author can do to promote his ‘brand’ can only help in such a brutally competitive field as this. I did think of other historically famous names to attach to ‘Consequence’ and in the future this is something I just might do. But as I’ve now started my third book, I already have a title in mind that I feel fits alluringly to the storyline and no famous name is attached.

A few more fun questions.

9. What’s on or in your bedside table?

What’s on? Two books – one is the novel I’ve just started titled The Winemaker’s Wife, by Kristin Harmel. It takes place in the Champagne region of France during WW II. The other book, and perhaps this will bring a chuckle or two, is a thick compilation of Flash comic books. My daughter worked for a few years at DC Comics and she’s known for a long time that the Flash was my favorite superhero. This was a gift that I’ve enjoyed perusing when the mood hits.

What’s in? Stuff.

10. What book are you currently reading?

As mentioned above, The Winemaker’s Wife. But to bring more depth to this answer, my favorite three books that I’ve read this year are The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab, The Institution by Stephen King, and The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah.

11. What would be your last meal?

Wow, hopefully death row doesn’t await… I limit my meat intake, but for my final meal, I may as well skip the fish, sushi, or fried chicken and order a delicious prime rib with sautéed spinach (lots of garlic), buttery mashed potatoes, and the best bottle of Cabernet or Pinot Noir the chef has to offer. And what the heck, throw in some onion rings.

12. Would you rather have a cook or a maid?

If by maid, you’re inferring someone who will clean up the pots, pans, and dishes after I cook, I suppose that would be my preference because it would encourage me to learn to cook more than the few things I’m able to do now and there’s so much to learn about the culinary arts. I’d like to think I could eventually learn a lot and knowing that I could walk away from the mess each time I cook is certainly a nice trade-off.

[Ihuoma03]

I tried working on a short mystery story a few weeks ago and I stopped because I realized that I had unravelled the mystery a little too early.

So when you said that the most difficult part was keeping the murderer unknown till the end, it resonated with me.

But I think I'll take your advice of having the end in sight from the beginning. That should help a lot since it's something I'm not usually conscious of.

Amazing interview!

[Keith+Steinbaum]

Hello, Ihuoma03,

Thanks for the response and especially your comment about the interview, I'm very appreciative. I came across that idea about having the end in sight from the beginning from a Canadian journalist and author named Malcom Gladwell. I wrote what he said on a post-it note and have kept it by my computer ever since. "Most writers get too hung up on the beginning of the story. Think more about the ending — that helps make the start easier." I was already deep into my second book when I heard it so it was a bit too late to take advantage of that philosophy, but as I'm now working on my third novel, while constructing the outline before I started, I did find this to be quite helpful. It's gotten me off to an encouraging and more confident start knowing the shadowy direction to follow.