Novelist John Andrew Fredrick is chatting with me today about his newest book, The King of Good Intentions III, a mix of music, romance, humor, and satire.
Bio:
Born in Richmond, VA and raised in Santa Barbara, CA, John Andrew Fredrick is the author of five novels and one book on the early films of Wes Anderson. He received his PhD from UCSB and has taught at USC, LMU, Cal Lutheran, among other universities. He is the principal songwriter/singer for an indie rock band called the black watch that has released 22 albums to considerable acclaim.
Please tell us about your current release.
The King of Good Intentions III is the third (and stand-alone) part of my indie rock trilogy, begun with The King of Good Intentions, published in 2013. It tells the story of a couple who form a jangle pop band and their struggles to make their way as artists as well as keep their relationship intact. Along the way, they encounter many crazies, kooks, endearing fans and foes—and an emu.
What inspired you to write this book?
I write in order to make myself laugh and to make others—I should hope!—laugh along. I had a comic and tragic story to tell and there are NOT, in my estimation, enough funny books out there.
Excerpt from The King of Good Intentions III:
All around now, it being full-on dawning morning, and the blue desert ablaze with a.m. sunshine and golden light and way-blue sky, crew people were stirring, emerging from trucks and sizeable trailers, stretching, yawning, adjusting their underwear, shifting their ballsacks and, if they were chicks, adjusting their bras and ponytails. Nobody was shag-assing or tear-assing anywhere now like they’d done on the previous three days; they were only walking at their leisure towards the one “Craft Services” canteen tent that hadn’t been torn down, wearing motley mufti, in quest of coffee, tap-packing fresh packs of cigarettes, having their own bandanas going (some of them) or floppy slouch hats or baseball caps with Confederate flag patches on them or “funny” slogans like “Funk As Druck” or “Charles In Charge” or “Bite Me” or “Blow Me” or “Eat Me” or “Harvard” or “What’s In Your Petri Dish?” or “Best Boy: West Hollywood” or “One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila… Floor” or “Wine ‘em, Dine ‘em, Sixty-Nine ‘em” or “Film School Dropout” or “I’m With The Stupid Guy With The ‘I’m With Stupid’ Hat” or “My Wife Went On Vacation All By Herself And All I Got Was This Hat And A Penicillin Shot.”
Hollow steady clanking sounds, like someone was pounding on a giant pole with an industrial sledgehammer—clank-clonk, clank-clonk—were coming from somewhere indiscernible and puffs of dust got kicked up by just-getting-going feet.
The world, that tired old thing, was, as always, just the weirdest place.
What exciting project are you working on next?
My band, the black watch, just got back from Austin, TX where we made a record with up-and-coming producer Misha Bullock.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I wrote a novel in prep school, age 15 and very lonely. Then I made a lot of sports teams and gave up writing novels till ten years later. Failed at my first one, started a rock band, took up my pen again ten more years later!
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I write very quickly and edit quite slowly. I don’t write fiction full time, but I am always writing lyrics for my songs.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
There isn’t one, really. I write, as mentioned, in order to make myself laugh; so if anyone was a fly on the wall while I’m working, they might see me as a madman cackling from time to time at my own self.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A professional athlete, of course!
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I’d love to hear from you—even if my novel upset you or perturbed you in some way.
Links:
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