Can you start off by telling us a little about you?
I am a Maine boy transplanted to
New York City many years ago. I have a
wonderful wife of almost 30 years. We
have a wonderful son who will turn 23 at Christmas. He has severe autism, but he lives a rich,
happy life at a miraculous place called The Center for Discovery in upstate New
York. Everything else is a minor detail.
Can you tell us your
latest news?
I am doing a Q & A for
Ashley’s blog. How ‘bout that? Pretty exciting!
When and why did you
begin writing?
I was a copywriter in the
advertising agency business. Ads were
fun and profitable to write. But as a
reader, I always felt that writing a book would be an amazing lifetime
accomplishment.
When did you first
consider yourself a writer?
When my first book, The Big Time, was published. It was non-fiction business and based on
interviews with 350 people around the country (BTW I got to appear on The Merv
Griffin Show alongside a then-unknown comedian named Jerry Seinfeld).
What inspired you to
write your first book?
A friend in the marketing end of a
publishing house said, “Hey, you could write a book and get it published!” I said, “Really?” I couldn’t believe it, but he encouraged
me. It started like that.
Do you have a
specific writing style?
I would hope that “clear” and “fun
to read” define it.
How did you come up
with the title?
I know the lawyer who invented the
poison pill. I also knew that corporate
take-overs are very dramatic. The rest
sort of followed as I thought about what you could do with the title and the
situation.
Is there a message in
your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Human values are worth more than
monetary values. But this is definitely NOT
a “message” book. It’s entertainment.
How much of the book
is realistic?
All of it IMO. That’s something I worked hard to do. I worked, probably too hard, to make sure
that everything that happened really could and would happen under the
circumstances I created.
Are experiences based
on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Yes, some. No, I can’t say which ones.
What books have most
influenced your life most?
Too many wonderful books even to
begin to start a list. The point is that
books influence readers at all stages of life.
And if readers grow with time, books will never cease to be a source of
enrichment and an influence on their lives.
If you had to choose,
which writer would you consider a mentor?
Raymond Chandler, even though my
writing and my books are nothing like his.
The power of his words and his ability to evoke so much with so few of
them never ceases to inspire me.
What book are you
reading now?
I just reviewed Olen Steinhauer’s
forthcoming novel, The Cairo Affair,
for a Publishers Weekly Signature Review (spoiler alert: I really like it).
Name one entity that
you feel supported you outside of family members.
Friends. Friends are often better than family.
Do you see writing as
a career?
Not yet. My first book’s advance supported me for the
18 months it took to do the research and writing. But my three novels could never pay the rent
and put food on the table.
If you had to do it
all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
OMG, don’t even start me on
that. And I know I am not alone in
this. Once it’s too late to change a
book, every writer sees a million things he could have, should have done
differently. The French have a term for
it -- L’esprit de l’escalier. It means “stairway wit” and it’s what you
think of after you have walked away and are heading down the stairs. Too late!
Do you recall how
your interest in writing originated?
In school, I was no good at math,
but I loved reading and had a big mouth.
So writing, spilling out my own river of words, came as a natural
consequence.
Can you share a
little of your current work with us?
I’m thinking of a novel set in the
art world. My agent thinks it’s a
terrible idea but he’s willing to let me try a draft.
Is there anything you
find particularly challenging in your writing?
Not second-guessing myself and not
being so self-critical that it becomes hard to keep moving forward.
Who are your three
favorite authors and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
John Le Carré: his ability to
write deep character studies in the context of thrilling stories.
Raymond Chandler: for the sheer magic of his words.
Barbara Kingsolver: for The
Poisonwood Bible, a towering epic of a novel. One of those amazing stories that is
literally about everything.
Who designed the
covers?
Eric at Tor. See the Acknowledgements page, please.
What was the hardest
part of writing your book?
Seeing through the fog of
uncertainty to discover what was going to happen next.
Did you learn
anything from writing your book and what was it?
I have to be more forgiving of
myself, not seek perfection in every page, and keep moving.
Do you have any
advice for other writers?
Don’t be too hard on
yourself. Keep the manuscript moving
forward. You can (and will!) go back for
re-writes. Just get the thing down in
first draft form. You can (and will have
to) fix it later.
Do you have anything
specific that you want to say to your readers?
At the moment, I said everything I
wanted to say in Poison Pill.
Which comes first? The character's story, or, the idea for
the novel?
For me, the idea for the
novel. And that may not be the optimal
approach, but it’s how I operate.
What advice do you
have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
Be prepared for more rejections
than you can imagine. Absolutely every
writer has had to endure them.
Ashley Haines
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