My second guest in the hot seat for unconventional authors is George Polley, another writer with an interesting, unorthodox background. George writes in a style I much admire, clear and sparse, to produce beautiful images in the best story-telling tradition. When you know that George has elected to live in Japan, it’s hard not to see the influence of classical Japanese art in his work. I’ll hand over to George to talk to us about his writing.
J. What is your work about?
G. That depends. I’ve written and published a wide variety of short stories about Jonah, a Tokyo artist (fictional) named Seiji, a young schizophrenic man, an elderly ex-convict, a female serial killer, Sherlock Holmes and MacTavish (a big Scottish Fold cat) and a young woman who is magically taken into the sky lifted on the wings of hundreds of big Monarch butterflies. My two published novels — The Old Man and the Monkey and Grandfather and the Raven — are about elderly men and their animal friends. A Tanzanian friend calls them “teaching stories.” A children’s novel, “Bear: a story about a boy and his very unusual dog,” will be published sometime later this year. The novel that I’m currently working on is about Mexico City. In other words, Jane, I’m all over the map.
Genres? I think about the story first, and look for genres later. I never write specifically for genres
I want my stories and novels to take the reader on an adventure, to really get to know a story’s main characters, who they are, and what the world they live in is like. I want readers to feel like they were there, experiencing the story as it unfolds.
J. What inspired the story in the first place?
G. In the case of the ex-convict, it was having met someone like him. With “The Old Man and the Monkey,” I was a dream about a Japanese monkey. When I woke up, I asked the monkey what his story was. The novella is the result. With “Grandfather and the Raven” I wrote the novel (a story cycle) in response to a raven that flew right over my head. “Bear” came from a character in the “Raven” book. I liked him, so I brought him to Seattle (my hometown) and wrote about him and his human pal Andy. The Mexico City novel was inspired by living there for a few months back in 1973-74 and falling in love with the city.
J. Did you try to get agents/publishers interested?
G. That’s an interesting question, Jane. “The Old Man and the Monkey” was originally published by Abbott ePublishing, and was listed on their website. I had mentioned the book in the online magazine “Speaking Without Interruption.” Tim Hewston, the publisher of Night Publishing saw it, read the novella, loved it, and offered to publish it and advertise it on Amazon. Since Abbott ePublishing only promoted it on their website, I moved it to Night, and it went from there. I owe my career to Stephen Abbott and Tim Hewston.
Night Publishing and its successor Taylor Street Publishing have been helpful in promoting and marketing both books. Publishers sometimes move in new directions in response to market and business needs, so how long they continue supporting these two books is a bit up-in-the-air. That’s the way it is with publishers, and always has been.
J. Has it been a handicap not being able to stick a handy label onto your books?
G. Not really. It’s a matter of searching through the seemingly ever-changing list of genres, sub-genres and other categories. “Bear” is a novel for boys age 10-11. “The Old Man and the Monkey” is a fable, an animal tale. The same with the book about Grandfather and his raven friend. The Mexico City novel will fit into Historical Fiction (yes, I shudder to admit it, but the early mid-1970s does qualify as historical fiction), travel fiction, Latin America/Mexico.
The handicap may be in not working in one or two genres, which may make it difficult for readers to “find” me. Hard to pigeonhole an eclectic.
J. How do you tackle promotion?
G. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and other no-cost methods that I run across. When I begin publishing myself over the next few months, I’ll also use KDP-Select and other Amazon programs, plus link my books to as many popular genres as possible. I will also work with several author promotion groups on Facebook, such as MasterKoda, Author Blog Group, Tom Winton’s group, and others, plus Goodreads. I’ve been inconsistent with this, which I must change, so I have to learn to schedule this in a workable program. The main things are consistency and avoiding flooding Twitter, Facebook and Google+ with promotions, as it turns people off.
In summary, my advice to to keep writing, look for quality advice on promotion, and find a good editor that you can afford and follow their advice. If you find a publisher, great, as they can and will promote your book. You will have to promote yourself, however, as they have other books to promote, so don’t neglect it.
Thank you, George for that insight into your work, recommended for lovers of fables and stories as they have been told since I suppose a family of Homo Sapiens first sat round a fire and wondered what they were going to do for the rest of the evening.
I completely agree with your advice about self-promotion. It’s hard but even if you find a good publisher who is prepared to push your book, you have to be prepared to make yourself visible, available and accessible to readers. Good luck!
Here is a brief blurb for each of George’s novels.
The Old Man and The Monkey. In Genjiro Yamada’s world, monkeys are dangerous beings. When a big monkey comes along one day as Genjiro is sitting gazing out over the valley, looks into his eyes and sits down next to him, he wonders: “What is this big monkey here for?” When the monkey repeats his visits nearly every day, he learns that the monkey means no harm. In fact, the monkey becomes his friends and, soon, the friend of Genjiro’s very skeptical wife. This is a tale about a friendship that lasts the rest of Genjiro’s life, a friendship that touches the lives of everyone who comes to know him.
Grandfather and The Raven. When Grandfather meets a big raven one day, he has no idea that their meeting will become an important event in the lives of Grandfather and his wife. When he shows up at mealtime one day, her exasperation knows no bounds. But the raven came bearing a gift. This big bird is full of jokes, tricks, goofy mistakes, and a few heroic deeds. The neighbors all think Grandfather has lost his mind, until Sir Raven (the name Grandfather gave him) wins their respect.
Bear: A story about a boy and his very unusual dog. When Andy Lindquist gets a new dog for his birthday, he soon discovers that this is no ordinary dog at all. He’s as big as a small bear, looks like a bear, scares people because he looks like a bear, and is the friendliest dog in the neighborhood. Friendliest, that is, until Andy or his parents are threatened by someone. You mean he attacks them? No. He has other ways of scaring them off. Oh — he’s also a hero in the neighborhood. Pretty unforgettable dog. Wish I had one like him.
The City Has Many Faces; A love story about Mexico City. For Minnesota native Joseph Manning, Mexico City was the most magical place he had ever been. So magical, in fact, that he settled there, immersing himself in its culture and its history, listening, observing and remembering. This is a story about Mexico City in the mid 1970s, told by its people and some of the expats who lived there. It is a story about meeting a young woman and falling in love. Unforgettable characters all of them, some of the many faces of this great city sitting 7,000 feet above sea level in the Valley of Mexico.
You can find them all on Amazon.
And don’t forget to visit George’s website here.
Jane Dougherty Writes 