A Writer's Tale

On at least one occasion, my participation in the cover had some very peculiar consequences.

Headline publishes my material very fast. They often begin production of a book before I’ve even finished writing it.

I was still in the middle of writing Island when Mike Bailey called to ask for ideas about the cover art. I told him a little about the story. Then I said that the cover might show a sunny tropical beach with an inlet in the background. Offshore is a yacht. The illustration might be from a viewpoint as if we’re looking out at the beach and yacht from just inside the border of a jungle.

As we discussed the possibilities, we came up with the idea of showing a palm tree in the foreground with a weapon stuck in its trunk.

My Headline covers almost always depict a weapon usually a cutting implement: a saw, a meat cleaver, an ax, a knife, etc.

Whatever it is, it usually drips blood.

So I told Mike about some of the weapons used in Island.

He said he would give the matter some thought, talk it over with the artist, others at Headline and Bob Tanner. (Bob seems to have a lot of influence on the packaging of my books.)

The result, some time later, was a very nice artist’s sketch of the beach and inlet and yacht, with a palm tree in the foreground. A spear was stuck in tree trunk.

Uh-oh.

I phoned Mike.

“It can’t be a spear,” I explained. “They’ve made their spears out of sticks. The points are whittled. They’d never penetrate a tree trunk.”

Mike, of course, immediately recognized the problem.

I suggested that the spear be replaced by a Swiss Army knife a sharp weapon that not only appeared in my story but could definitely stick in a tree.

But I also mentioned the presence on the island of a straight razor.

The straight razor had already appeared in my book, but had not been used in any significant way. Unlike the Swiss Army knife, which played a bigger role.

I’m not sure why, but the decision eventually came in against the Swiss Army knife.

Stuck into the palm tree on the cover of my book would be a straight razor.

Here’s the thing.

As mentioned early, I was still in the process of writing Island.

And I now knew that a straight razor would appear prominently on the cover.

So I beefed up the role of the razor.

And the book was better for it.

That razor…

Ooo, the places it went, the things it did!

All because of some decisions about what to put on the cover.

Before leaving the subject of covers, I must mention that nearly all of my Headline dustjacket and cover illustrations have been done by the artist Steve Crisp. They’ve all been great, and I’m sure that no small part of my success in the United Kingdom has been due to his artistry. My deep appreciation, Steve.

On “Real” Jobs

YOU’RE AN ASPIRING WRITER.

But everyone warns you that you need a “real job to fall back on.”

An annoying thing for them to say.

It demeans you from the get-go.

Besides, everyone has it backwards. You don’t need a real job to “fall back on” in case the writing career goes on the fritz. Instead, you need the real job to sustain you during the early years, before the writing career has blossomed enough to provide you with a decent annual income. (See “On Money.”)

There is little doubt that you will need a “real job” during the early stages of your writing career.

Now, what sort of job should you take?

First, it should be one that you like. If you’re very lucky, you may only need it for five years. More likely, though, you may need to turn out fiction for ten years before you’ll be able to make a decent living at it. It may take longer. And some people are never able to make it as a full time writer. (Which I figure is their fault. In my own opinion, those who don’t make it generally fail because they don’t try hard enough. My theory is, I’m an average guy. If I can do it, anyone can. If he works at it hard enough.) Okay. So try to find employment in a job that you won’t mind keeping for a decade or longer. That is most important. But be careful. If you like the job too ‘much and let it consume your time and energy, that’ll be the end of you as a novelist.

Second most important, look for a job that gives you the maximum amount of free time.

A job in education is ideal for this reason. Most teachers get off work in mid-afternoon and receive three to four months of vacation each year. An entire novel can be written during one summer vacation. (I wrote The Cellar during one.) Being a teacher is an ideal side-career for a great many reasons. A possible drawback is that some educators get so caught up in preparing lesson plans, grading papers, etc., that they have trouble getting around to their fiction. This need not happen, though. Even the most conscientious teacher in the world should be able to find an hour or two each day for pursuing a career as an author.