JACK GETZ Interviewed by Montiese Mckenzie 
Jack Getze spent nine years as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, a total of twelve years covering national business and economic issues for the Times, the L.A. Herald-Examiner, and the London Times. Getze later sold stocks and bonds for a regional securities firm on the New Jersey Shore. BIG MONEY, published by Hilliard & Harris, is the second installment in his Austin Carr Mystery Series. The first, BIG NUMBERS, was published in January, 2007.
Q: What is your approach to writing a novel: that is, do you outline or not? Do you keep files and piles of notes?
I need two things before I start my first draft. One, I need a short outline --say ten or twelve sentences, each line representing a major scene in the story. Two, I want to know the ending. Who is the bad guy and what does he want? Why he's doing what he's doing?
Q: What are some of the tricks, pitfalls, etc. that you need to keep in mind when writing a mystery novel/story?
I learned two good tricks I'll pass on. One, I never tell the reader EVERYthing about ANYthing. Raise questions. Two, I usually cut my scenes off in the middle -- at the height of tension. Make'em start the next chapter. As for pitfalls -- watch out for boring! My journalist center makes me want to explain things. I always end up cutting stuff about stocks and the economy.
Q: What is it that kick starts a project for you: a character, a situation, or…?
With previous projects, it was the character. People I wanted to write about. With Austin Carr and this “Big” series, it was my job as a stockbroker. I hated it. And looking back, maybe that's why Austin worked better for me: He came out swinging, emotional about his life.
Q: What started you in writing? (Was it always a dream of yours?)
A dream as long as I can remember, probably since reading The Hardy Boys and then Conan Doyle and Poe. This was before high school.
Q: What keeps you writing? What inspires you?
I've always believed writing stories was my purpose in life. I'm an observer.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about the first story you had published -- how did that come about? And how do you feel about it now, i.e. would you like to change it and how?
It was the 1970s. I was a reporter for the LA Times, working on a novel, when I read a fellow journalist's fiction piece in PASSAGES, an airline magazine. I said, “Hey, I can do that,” and ripped one off that night, sent it in. They published it, my first and only short story, but cut off the twist ending for space reasons. Nice art, but no ending. I'd love to go back and finish the story for those readers.
Q: How have you grown as a writer?
I'm more aware of my reader than I used to be. I used to write primarily for myself, but that's not the way to keep readers interested, not the way to entertain people.
Q: What has gotten better?
Scene structure is much better than it used to be. I've learned that conflict is essential in everything, and all the time. No thumb-sucking chapters.
Q: What things have you dropped along the way?
No more long chapters, characters with similar names, useless description, or “white bread” characters.
Q: What helped most in your growth as a writer?
Writing a couple of million words for the LA Times and the LA Herald can't be dismissed as a learning tool. Twelve years writing daily. But it was Writers Retreat Workshop, a fiction-teaching workshop designed and started by Gary Provost, that made the difference. His followers run two, 10-day seminars every year. Although I'd written seven unpublished novels when I found them, I knew nothing about writing fiction until WRW set me straight.
Q: What are the three most important pieces of advice you'd give to writers?
Every piece of advice you hear, and every rejection, is one person's opinion, so learn who to listen to.
Write the story that's in your heart, not what you think will sell.
Make sure tension and conflict are on every page.
Q: How long does it generally take you to complete a novel – from conception to completion?
From 18 months to two years. My agent says I will have to do better with the next contract (he said optimistically).
Q: How many revisions do you normally go through when writing a novel?
The plan is always for three drafts, but it usually takes four or five to make my agent happy. I needed six with the latest.
Q: What's the most difficult stage in the writing for you?
The second draft. Decisions, decisions. What to leave in and what to leave out? Some elements seem good, but the rest of the story has to change too much, so the good must be dropped. 5. Who are the authors who you admire most, who inspire you, whose writing you think is most beautiful, moving, exciting?
Elmore Leonard is my hero, my favorite writer, my target when I try to put a story on paper. As you'll see in my later answers, I believe story is just about everything, and Elmore never uses a $2 word when a 50 cent one will do. His aim is to communicate, to tell a story. He doesn't worry about beautifully written words, or trying to be literary. That said, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is the Great American Novel. To me, though, its incredibly beautiful writing is part of the narrator's character, his voice. And a very real part of the story. I can't imagine ever being that good.
Q: Are there authors who you think are much better at spinning a plot as opposed to writing beautiful prose? How about the reverse of that?
I pay scant attention to beautiful prose. Tell me a story. One exception I remember: The first 30 pages of The Horse Whisperer were really really wonderful; great prose and a solid story hook was set. I kept going even though I was pretty much disappointed all the way through, especially the ending. In that instance, great writing made me stick it out. Most times, I quit reading when the story sucks.
Q: What do you find most satisfying in a book: a great plot, beautiful writing, fully realized characters?
PLOT!
Q: In your own work, what do you think you are strongest at: plot, beautiful prose, character? Or something else?
I sold the current series based on the character. Because I drew so heavily on myself and my experiences, Austin Carr is a very real, unique individual. But I also based him (and focused my own experiences) on a cartoon character, Bugs Bunny. He's clever. He's funny. He's always in trouble. But the bad guys never get him. There's a great book on writing mystery suspense called Killer Fiction, by Carolyn Wheat, and she recommends thinking about cartoon characters and fairy tales. I took that to heart when rewriting Big Numbers after it sat in my drawer for 20 years.
Q: How do you plot a mystery or a thriller – what stymies you most, what do you find easiest?
Mysteries and thrillers are two different animals, although I try to do both at the same time. But either way, I think in three acts. The beginning, the middle, and the resolution. The beginning and the ending come easiest. Like many writers, the middle becomes the area of hard work for me. How to keep things moving, introducing a new twist, thinking of ways to surprise the reader, but still get her to the ending you've constructed.
Q: What advice can you give on plotting a mystery?
Think in three acts, like a movie script. And in the middle of the second act, have a turning point, a dramatic scene (or set piece) where the protagonist realizes he can never go back. This is it -- his life will never be the same. He commits to beating the villain.
Best functional tip ever: Again from Carolyn Wheat's book, do not coincide scenes with chapters. Cut each chapter at the height of tension in the previous scene. The reader is pulled forward.
Q: Does the world you create in your non-series novels continue to live in your mind long after you've completed the novel? What implications does that have in terms of wanting to do a series in the same setting?
My series is set in a fictional town exactly like my neighborhood. I couldn't get away if I wanted to. Well, not for long anyway. It's home. I hope I'm writing the last draft of my last Austin Carr book on the day I die. I could live in and write about this place for whatever career I have left.
Q: If you have a series: When doing a series, how "into" the world of that series do you get? Do you constantly think about that world and compare it to reality, changing it or fixing it as you go along?
I'm always looking for places -- parks, buildings, unusual structures -- I can use in the books. But I keep no files. I often visit places I'm mentioning to refresh my memory and collect those tiny details that make something real to a reader.
Q: What scares you about doing a series?
That sales won't keep growing for each successive episode. That would mean the end of Austin Carr.
Q: What are the advantages/disadvantages of series characters?
It's fun that you get know the person so well. Gets easier and easier to put words in his mouth and thoughts in his head. But I know I'm not really pushing myself to be the best writer I can. Doing easy things isn't the way to grow.
Q: If you do not have a series (in publication or planning) would you like to? If so, why? If not, why not? 1. What other kinds of writing do you do?
I blog for myself and others. I write magazine stories, marketing materials, and other nonfiction to publicize myself and my fiction. I write lots of email.
Q: What tips do you have for beginning writers?
Each form of writing has its own craft -- novels, short stories, screenplays, journalism. Learn your craft. It doesn't come naturally, and you can't switch from one to the other without learning the new craft.
Q: What about readers – how have they received your books – do you hear from them, have any problems arisen, or any good/funny/touching experiences happened with regard to readers? What kind of fan mail do you get? Have you developed any friendships with fans over the years? What do your fans most like about your books?
Hearing from someone who liked your novel is probably the most fulfilling part of this writing gig. I didn't know it until it happened, but for a reader to say they just loved Austin Carr and can't wait to read his next adventure, well, that makes all the work and rejection and marketing problems worthwhile.
I think most mid-list authors feel this way. We're sure not making a ton of money, and it's not the reason we stick with it. The fans who email and write make you feel like you're accomplishing something. And I think it's usually the happy people who take the time to contact you. The people who didn't like your book don't usually bother. I did have a reviewer send me back Big Numbers. She said she couldn't finish it because she HATED Austin Carr. He was a scoundrel, she said. It made me laugh, because of course Austin's a scoundrel. Isn't Bugs?
Q: Is the publication of each book as thrilling as that first one?
No. On the first one, because it's something you've wanted and striven so hard and so long for, it's an amazing day. You feel like a success. By the time the second one comes out, you know the business better. You know you're just one of many many people trying to get attention for your work.
Q: What are your goals as a writer?
My goal has been the same for several decades. I want to be the author of a popular mystery/suspense series. I want to create a character who lives longer than I do.
Q: Why do you think mystery is so popular?
All stories are mysteries, at least to some degree. What happens next? That's the only reason a reader keeps reading. Without that element, you don't even have a story.
Q: Why has mystery spawned so many sub-genres?
Because of its popularity. So many readers, so many different tastes. And I think readers are always looking for something different, so a lot of experimentation goes on.
Q: Talk about your most recent book and what it means to you. What sparked the idea? How long had you had this idea before starting to write?
On the day I met my father-in-law, he was written up in the local paper for having failed to testify against some mobsters who tried to extort money from him. They took him for a ride, but the driver was wearing a wire for the FBI. This happened in 1979. I began writing the book -- or a first version -- about six years later.
Q: Did you feel compelled to write this book? About this subject?
Not compelled, exactly. I married an Italian woman in 1979, moved back to Jersey, and began immediately collecting stories about my new family. Many of those stories -- including the limo ride -- are in BIG MONEY.
Q: How did you approach the planning and writing? Did you prepare an outline? Would you share your outlining and preparation processes?
I always do a short outline -- about 10 lines, each one a major scene. I'm particularly fond of writing the ending first. I like to know where I'm going, how it's all going to end.
Q: How long did it take to complete it? What was your least favorite part in the writing of the book?
The first version of BIG MONEY was called BLACK GRAVY, and it did not feature stockbroker Austin Carr. I wrote it in about two years, from 1989 through 1990. It didn't sell. Couldn't get an agent. But after BIG NUMBERS sold, the publisher wanted a sequel and so I rewrote that old story to include Austin. That second version took me about three months. I loved every minute of writing that story.
Q: What do you like best about it? Which are your favorite characters and why? Which are your favorite moments in the story?
Austin Carr is the protagonist, and these books would not have been published without Austin's voice, his humor. But my favorite character is Austin's friend, Luis Guerrero, a bartender and tough hombre who helps Austin deal with the bad guys. He's based on a real person, a bartender who used to wait on me in Red Bank, NJ. My favorite moment in the book is the final page. Austin has been working on something, but the reader doesn't understand what until the very last paragraph. One reviewer called the ending a “polished gem.” I don't know about that, but I sure worked on it a long time. It still makes me smile.
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