Q & A with Thomas Boniello
- Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym or “pen name?”
I considered using a pen name. But then I considered the hundreds of thousands of internet hounds who would ultimately find me out and expose me. So I elected to write transparently.
- Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
I have the storylines for two additional BookMarck sagas in my head. Other than that, I believe that my other stories will be free-standing.
- How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
I will never again be casual about the editing process, but will drill down on every page before it goes to a publisher.
- What did you do with your first advance?
I contributed @$3,000 to the publishing of my first book. So my first advance was -3,000.
- What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
BookMarck is a location-heavy story, so I spent a lot of time researching specific locations in France and England before I felt comfortable enough to write about them with some authenticity.
- How long were you a part-time writer before you became a full-time one?
I am still a part-time writer.
- How do you select the names of your characters?
Selecting a name for a characters is like buying a golf shirt. It is difficult to find a style that fits the body. As I write, I will sometimes intentionally attach a name to a character that does not work, hoping the juxtaposition of a character with a wrong name will be so jarring as to cause the authentic name to spring forward in my head.
I also draw upon the names of friends and family. Having people I “know” embody my characters helps me write to their body language, their voices and their eccentricities.
- Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
Not intentionally. But the narrative of BookMarck occurs “between the paragraphs” of several famous novels, so it was important to me to fit my narrative into these contexts without disturbing the classic storylines. I hope that some of my readers will be familiar with these classic stories and will appreciate the care I took to fold into them.
- What do you consider to be your target audience for BookMarck?
BookMarck can be read as an adventure story for young adults. I hope that it will also be read by adults as a paean to classic literature and as a political allegory about truth.