Words At Large

The novel is about a young man who joins forces with a pair of con men. What fascinates you about these shady characters?
The sheer, brazen confidence that they embody. They are self-invented, charming, brash and utterly unhindered by such restrictions as class, income, social position or a conscience. It's always the bad guys that fascinate us, isn't it? Not the noble hero, strong of jaw and pure of heart. It's the rascals that we find compelling.

You were once scammed as a clerk in high school. Can you describe the circumstances of that encounter. In what way did this experience help you write about the con men of Spanish Fly?
When I was in high school I was working part-time as a clerk in a convenience store when a well-dressed man came in, bought a pack of cigarettes (which were only a dollar or so back then) with a crisp $50 bill. He then immediately handed his change back with some coins. I won't get into the mechanics of it because I don't want to aid and abet any would-be grifters out there, except to say that when I cashed out at the end of the night I was exactly $50 short. It came out of my paycheque. It was only when I was researching the swindles in Spanish Fly that I realized I had been stung. It's a street con called "change raising," and it works. Unfortunately.

Why did you decide on Spanish Fly as the title of the book?
The original title for the novel was "Jack's Wager", which refers both to Pascal's Wager--which plays such a large role in beginning of the novel--and the wager Jack makes with his life at the end of the novel. However, we felt the title sounded too much like a Ludlum novel, which would be fine if that's the sort of book it was. I changed it to Spanish Fly instead, which is snappier. The pseudo aphrodisiac Spanish fly plays an important part at key moments in the story, both in terms of plot and theme. Jack is trying to decide whether he's "cut paper or palm frond, fly or beetle." (Jack's realization is hidden in the text of the novel, by the way. At one point, Virgil tells Jack that if a book is divided into four parts Virgil can read the first two words in each part and tell you what the book is really about. Well, as it happens, Spanish Fly is divided into four parts. And if you take the first two words from each part there is a final message from Jack McGreary.)

The novel has its own soundtrack. What's the story behind how this happened?
I was at the Ironwood saloon in Calgary with Don Robinson, the head of sales for Penguin. We were listening to Tom Phillips and his band The Men of Constant Sorrow play their urban honky-tonk tunes. I know Tom and I'd seen him perform on stage in the role of Hank Williams. Tom is an accomplished singer-songwriter with several country CDs out. His music has an Old School roots country feel, which is exactly the music of my novel. I leaned over and said to Don, "If Spanish Fly had a soundtrack, it would be by Tom Phillips." We talked about it, about how movies have soundtracks but novels don't. Don said, "Let's catch Tom between sets and talk to him about it." The result is something that's never been done before: an original music CD with songs based on the characters, story and themes of the novel. I even wrote the lyrics to few of the songs, which Tom put to music and performed along with his own. It was incredibly cool.

What role does music play in your writing?
In Spanish Fly I use music to delineate character: young Jack is country music, a bit old fashioned, heartfelt, dusty. His mentor Virgil is jazz--fluid, always moving, always changing.

You've lived abroad in Japan and South America. How have those experiences influenced your writing?
They've influenced my travel memoirs more than my fiction really, although travel writing itself is very similar to fiction. In travel memoirs you need to evoke place and time, you use dialogue to reveal character, you rely on vignettes and the telling detail. Just like fiction.

Describe your writing process.
I write three, maybe four hours a day--which is plenty. Any more than that at my desk and I get a bit squirrelly, physically exhausted and mentally drained. Mind you, when I get on a roll, I will sometimes go out again in the evening and work till the wee hours. Generally though, I find three or four hours is all I can hack at my desk. I don't have a day job--I don't write a newspaper column or teach creative writing at a community college or anything--so I can focus purely on writing books. This allows me a lot of free time to daydream or read or just go for a walk and think, which is really the bulk of the writing process. I usually allot a year of my life for each book. Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes less, but I find that a year is about as long as I can maintain enthusiasm and interest in a project.

What books or authors have most influenced your life?
History? Pierre Berton, James Gray, Dick North. Travel? Jan Morris, Paul Theroux, Bill Bryson, Alan Booth, Bruce Chatwin. I read history more than anything else, but travel writing is still my favourite genre. When it's done well, it can't be beat. Politics? Mordecai Richler's O Canada! O Quebec! had a huge impact. Fiction? I love Kundera, especially his earlier work, but I'm not sure I was influenced by him. I would hope so, but I don't think so.

What do you think you would have been if you hadn't become a writer?
I would have gone to work for Parks Canada. What a great gig that must be. I'm still tempted to at times. I'm still not convinced being a writer is such a great job, really. You sit in a room by yourself inventing conversations between imaginary people. It's not a healthy way to earn a living.