Novelist Don Bruns started his writing career off by getting his ass handed to him by Sue Grafton and has sinced cranked out a string of fast, funny and fierce mystery-thrillers. Big Thrill contributing editor Jonathan Maberry caught up with Don to ask him about his latest novel, Stuff to Spy For.
From Don Bruns' website:
"When renowned mystery novelist Sue Grafton read Don Bruns' book manuscript, she fired off eight pages of criticism, pointing out numerous structural problems, plot problems and character problems. Sometimes sarcastic, sometimes caustic, her comments stung the fledgling writer. After reading her remarks, Bruns told his wife Linda that he may as well give up on any attempt to get published. Two days later Grafton called him and asked if he was ready to shoot himself or her. Grafton, the successful writer of the Alphabet murder series suggested that Bruns throw away the proposed book and using her suggestions and comments, attempt to write a new one. Bruns had purchased her critiquing services as part of a charity auction during a mystery convention in Tucson, Arizona in March 2000. Grafton agreed to read the second book for free. She told him she felt he had the makings of a good writer, but he needed to pay attention to details.
Nine months later Bruns finished the second book, Jamaica Blue, a mystery novel about the murders that seem to follow a Jamaican rock band. Grafton read the book in one sitting and called him the next day.
"It's good. It's really good. This is publishable," she told him.
"I was on the road when I took her call on my cell phone, " Bruns said. "I almost had an accident."
So...now that you and Sue Grafton are friends, can you come out and admit that you wanted to shoot her?
She was a very harsh critic. Very! But she taught me some valuable lessons and she actually helped sell my first book so I'm glad I let her live. After she yelled at me, she asked if I was ready to shoot myself or her. But her first alphabet book came about because she was tempted to kill her first husband and decided to write about it rather than do it. Smart woman.
Give us the skinny on Stuff to Spy For.
The Hardy Boys grown up. Only Skip and James are not nearly as clever as Frank and Joe. Skip Moore lands the biggest contract of his life, installing a security system for a software company that is doing some hush-hush government work. The minute he enlists the help of his roommate and best friend, James Lessor, all hell breaks loose. When James decides they should take a second job, investigating the software company and using state-of-the-art spy equipment, the entire world is in danger. You would never trust the fate of the United States Department Of Defense to these two guys. Of course I wrote it as an international thriller, but Publisher's Weekly says "Laugh out loud funny." Anyway, it's an action packed, funny read.
You went from musician to novelist. How is the storytelling biz different (better or worse) than life as a troubadour?
Working in front of an audience ( as a musician/standup comic) gives you the opportunity to get immediate response and edit on the spot. This song isn't working, delete it. This joke isn't getting laughs, cut it short and move on. This bit is getting better response than I anticipated...stretch it. As you know, it takes weeks or months to get response when you're writing a novel. There is no instant feedback. It really is an entirely different process.
Stuff to Spy For is the third entry in the Stuff series. Do readers have to catch up on the others first, or can they jump in here?
I believe that most series writers try their best to write each book as a standalone. Of course the characters grow in each novel, but I don't want to refer back to past books or episodes. You can start here with Stuff to Spy For or you can start at the beginning.
Stuff series regulars James Lessor and Skip Moore came out of the box as fully realized people. Are they drawn from real life?
I loved a quote from Jefferey Deaver that said "brilliantly realized characters." And I do know young people who are fresh out of school, new to the adult world of responsibility, full of hope, dreams and ambition. I wanted to explore the false bravado of two brash young men who think that all will be explained to them as they get older. The joke of course, is that no matter what our age, we still have the same questions.
We followed Mick Sever through five novels in the Caribbean Series. Will be seeing more of him?
I have not heard from Mick. He always wanted to buy a little place on Antigua and settle down, but I really don't know. He'll contact me when he's settled I'm sure.
Aside from eight novels you've done some short fiction as well. Talk about the differences in approaching short vs long fiction.
I've written songs for other people and for a CD called Last Flight Out. Song writing is the purest form of story telling. You've got 3 ½ minutes to lay out the problem, build the suspense and make a plausible ending. I think if you can write a song, you can write a short story. Even though a novel has to move, with cliff hanger moments and lots of action and suspense, it is a much more leisurely experience. You have time to smell the roses in a novel.
Jonathan, I find the same question in your writing. You create very vivid stories in comics for Marvel, then you write a complete novel, then do the research and write a non fiction book. You must have entirely different processes to work through. I'd like to talk to you about that sometime.
Which came first: the music for Last Flight Out or the Caribbean novels?
Last Flight Out came out just before my first book with St. Martin's, Jamaica Blue. I wanted a compilation of the experiences I had traveling the Caribbean, Europe and other places and the short story/song format seemed perfect. I really like the CD. It captures the moments. You can hear it on my website and it's available at Amazon and other places on the web.
The Stuff series features a couple of regular guys who are more often down on their luck than riding high. Not your typical thriller novel protagonists. What gives the series its drive?
They own a box truck that could be considered a character, so I suppose there's your "drive". In Stuff to Spy For they outfit the truck as a spy mobile. But I believe the drive is that these two guys start out each novel trying to get their feet on the ground. They live outside of Miami and see all this wealth and prosperity and they want it now. And they have the best of intentions, but always muck it up and put themselves in danger. Lots of danger. Every review I've ever had has the reader rooting for the two underdogs, but laughing at their amateur attempts to solve the problems. I suppose we all can see ourselves in some of their antics.
Your novels could as easily be classified as either mysteries or thrillers. Where would you shelve them...and why?
Stuff to Die For received a starred review from Booklist saying "the narrative voice and feel of Mark Twain's Huck Finn". So I'd put them in the Fine Literature section. No, no. It was a nice review, but these two guys are more like the Blues Brothers. Sort of a comedy thriller, with a touch of international intrigue.
What's next?
The boys, Skip and James, get their P.I. license and hire on with a traveling carnival, trying to find out who is sabotaging the rides. The carnie's the rides, the food, the fun house and Ferris wheel, the customers...I mean, what can go wrong there.
Visit Don online at http://www.donbrunsbooks.com
Jonathan Maberry is a multiple Bram Stoker Award winning author and Marvel Comics writer. His novels include PATIENT ZERO (optioned for TV by Sony), GHOST ROAD BLUES, THE DRAGON FACTORY and THE WOLFMAN. His nonfiction books include VAMPIRE UNIVERSE, THEY BITE and ZOMBIE CSU. He writes DOOMWAR and BLACK PANTHER for Marvel Comics. Check out his publishing industry blog at www.jonathanmaberry.com
