He does, and here he is.
Three
Is A Magic Number
by S.W. Lauden
Rare Bird Books published Hang
Time, the final book in my Greg Salem trilogy, in January. Marketing
and promotion aside, this brings an end to a project that I’ve been working on
for many years. Scott Adlerberg graciously asked me to stop by and share some
thoughts on writing a trilogy and what I’ve learned. So here goes...
For starters, it feels
strange to not be writing another punk rock P.I. novel. I’d probably be
freaking out if that hadn’t been the plan all along. Why only write three books
for this story arc? I guess the intellectual answer would touch on the mystical
nature of the triad, Borromean Rings, and Pythagoras. But those are just things
I Googled a few minutes ago, so I’ll focus on the gospel of Schoolhouse Rock
instead.
Here’s a sample of the wisdom from "Three Is A Magic Number":
"The past and the present and the future
Faith and hope and charity
The heart and the brain and the body
The heart and the brain and the body
Give you three as a magic number"
Boom. Case closed.
For what it’s worth, I
consider the three Greg Salem books to be a single continuous story that was
too big for one volume. If anybody ever asks me where to start with this
series, I always suggest they check out page one of the first book, Bad
Citizen Corporation.
My hope is that
readers will keep flipping pages from there, continuing on to Grizzly Season and Hang Time. Some do. Some don't. None of that is in my
control.
Om.
It is in my control to
tell the most honest and compelling story I can. When I sat down to write about
Greg Salem and his crew, I didn’t want “punk rock P.I.” to be a clever marketing
hook slapped on a crime novel. So I put my energy into creating an authentic
universe inspired by bands like Black Flack, Circle Jerks, Descendents and
Pennywise.
Punk singers can be
some of the most flawed narrators around—angry, self destructive and
cartoonishly earnest. That helped shape the characters, but I also focused on tempo
and tone. Like the songs on a hardcore album, I tried to keep the chapters
short and the pace cranked up to eleven. And like the tracks on a hardcore
album, the subject matter shifts quickly from chapter to chapter, and scene to
scene.
Did I achieve my goals?
Some readers think I did. Some don't. None of that is in my control.
Om.
“Om” itself is a
sacred sound that represents the three stages of cosmic creation. I like the
idea that “Om” is deeply spiritual, but also open for anybody to use. But I
promised not to fill this post with my recent Googlings. In keeping with the theme,
I’ll finish by talking about some of my favorite three-piece bands instead.
I’ve played in power
trios and can tell you from experience that it’s an interesting challenge. Armed
with only one guitar, bass and drums, a classic three-piece band has to develop
big hooks, a unique sound and/or a lot of energy to keep their audience
engaged.
Various acts have done
this successfully over the decades—ranging from The Jimi Hendrix Experience,
The James Gang and Rush, to The Violent Femmes, The Muffs, and Nirvana—but for my
money there are five magical acts that define the genre. Here they are, in no
particular order:
·
The Jam—Favorite songs include
“In The City,” “The Modern World,” “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” and
“That’s Entertainment.”
·
The Minutemen—You can’t go wrong
with “Cut,” “Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing,” “Corona,” and “Stories.”
·
Supergrass—Start with “Caught By
The Fuzz,” “Alright,” “Tonight,” “Pumping On Your Stereo” and “Moving.”
·
Husker Du—Dig in with “It’s Not
Funny Anymore,” “Celebrated Summer,” “Books About UFOs,” “Whatever” and “Makes
No Sense At All.”
·
Jawbreaker—Check out “Want,”
“Boxcar,” “Chesterfield King,” “Bad Scene, Everyone’s Fault,” and “Lurker II:
Dark Son of Night.”
Anyway, I wrote three
books about a punk rock P.I. named Greg Salem. I’m proud of them. I hope some
of you will read them. I know that some of you won’t. Thanks a ton if you
already have.
Om.
S.W. Lauden is
the Anthony Award-nominated author of the novella, CROSSWISE, and the sequel, CROSSED BONES (Down & Out
Books). His Greg Salem punk rock P.I. series includes BAD CITIZEN CORPORATION, GRIZZLY SEASON and HANG TIME (Rare Bird Books).
He is also the co-host of the Writer Types podcast.
Steve lives in Los Angeles.
1 comment:
Thanks for letting me babble, Scott. Always an honor to guest post at Do Some Damage.
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