Interview with Richard Hains

Chameleon
Richard Hains
Beaufort Books (2006)
ISBN 0825305101
Reviewed by Ellen Hogan for Reader Views (11/06)

We are pleased to interview Richard Hains, author of award-winning Chameleon. Richard is interviewed by Irene Watson, Managing Editor of Reader Views.

Irene:  First of all Richard, congratulations on being a finalist the Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller category of the Best Books 2006 National Book Awards.  With near 200,000 books published yearly in the United States, this is an honor.

Richard: I was delighted that Chameleon was a finalist in this competition as it gives credibility to the novel and it is this that is so important for a first time author such as myself. As you so correctly point out, simply being recognized is somewhat of an achievement in this extremely competitive commercial environment.

Irene:  Please tell our reading audience the gist of your contemporary thriller “Chameleon.”

Richard: This is a tale of high ambition, big money and low morals. It is very 2007, and, as such, is littered with highly contemporary, somewhat provocative themes. The foundation of the novel is set in the very top end of the New York based financial markets where greed is the oxygen of the industry, its very life-blood. When a deal goes spectacularly wrong, our leading character, tarnished by years of indulgence and self interest, finds his world spectacularly collapses. To make matters so much worse, he finds himself unwittingly involved with a group of highly disreputable Russian villains who are desperately trying to claw back their lost millions. It is a fast moving tale revolving around a variety of intricately structured twists and turns that ultimately develop into a tale of intrigue and revenge and redemption. 

Irene:  Who is your leading character and what qualities does this character possess?

Richard: He is fundamentally a sound, moral, hard working individual but has become a product of his own environment and has been subsequently been shaped in recent years by indulgence and self interest. He is aware of what he has become and becomes determined to rediscover his roots and his moral foundation. Things don’t quite evolve as he expects.

Irene:  Did you model your characters after any specific real life characters?  If so, would you give your reading audience a glimpse into who they are?

Richard: Those closest to me suggest that there are one or two similarities between myself and the main character, although, from my perspective, this has more to do with environment rather than personality. The characters Delboy and Andy in the book are based on old pals of mine from the London Options Market in the late 1980’s. Other than that, the characters are products of my imagination.

Irene:  Being a UK resident, why did you choose to write about an American based situation?

Richard: In the global financial markets the day begins with the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange. New York is the heart of the industry and it is an environment I am extremely familiar with having lived there for a number of years and having had an office there for quite a long time. Starting off on Wall Street was always a no-brainer and I never even considered any other alternative.

Irene: You are so right about financial markets being led by the opening bell.   Please give us a glimpse into “Chameleon” and how it relates to the financial market as it is today.

Richard: In these early stages of the novel I am attempting to put the reader in an environment that most feel highly intimidated by. I am attempting to remove some of the veils and I would like to think the reader will find this access to the top end of the financial markets is somewhat refreshing.

Irene: “Chameleon” is a fictional plot; however, it seems to me that much of what you write about comes from reality.  Are there any areas of the book that are taken from real live experiences and incorporated into your story?

Richard: The trading environment a depicted in the book is meant to portray a high degree of commercial realism. I have lived this world for over 20 years and in Chameleon I attempt to put the reader in this environment, one in which many, if not most, find highly intimidating. It is a bold attempt to remove some of the veils so cleverly constructed by the industry to keep the insiders in and the outsiders out. I am hoping the reader comes away with a better understanding of the financial markets and, of course, enjoys the journey that it ultimately takes them on. It should be noted that the novel swiftly moves away from the financial market setting and I would not want potential readers to feel as though Chameleon is some form of contemporary text book. It is not, although the financial environment sets up the story nicely. I would like to think that there is something fresh and rather modern about the story and the manner in which it’s written.

Irene:  Earlier in this interview you mentioned the story depicts low morals and deception when the main character must make choices.  How does the character’s actions relate to what is going on in society now?

Richard:We are all faced with difficult choices, but I purposely positioned Jon’s plight on the very edge of moral acceptability. His reactions are extreme, but I feel most will have some understanding of them.

Irene:  As a finance expert and global investor, how much of the plot is taken out of your own experience?

Richard: Many of the various settings are taken from my own experience. I know only three cities well, New York, London and Melbourne and it is of no coincidence that this is where the novel is set. The plot is a combination of imagination and experience, one without the other would not have been enough.

Irene:  With writing fiction one can embellish real life experiences – sort of having a writer’s license to say whatever will make the story more intriguing.  However, that being said, how much embellishment did you do?

Richard: A writer’s most important tool is his or her imagination and experience. I have also attempted to structure the novel in such a way so as to maintain a brisk momentum. The story has a mix of imagination and experience, but I am reluctant to discuss what is experience and what is not.

Irene: Let’s talk about you.  You are a globe trotter who runs a private hedge fund and spends much time in New York.  What is your connection in the Wall Street industry, the setting for your book?

Richard: Yes, you are right, my brothers and I run a substantial, but extremely private hedge fund. We regard ourselves as both experienced and sophisticated investors and, subsequently, our relationship with Wall Street is an extremely intimate one. If Wall Street sneezes, the rest of the world is highly likely to catch a cold. That’s just the way it works, its importance cannot be overestimated in our business.

Irene:  You mentioned that you lived in New York at one time.  Why did you decide to move to the UK?

Richard: I decided to live in London at the time as I felt it was a more familiar environment and one in which would better suit bringing up a very young family. I am extremely fond of New York and I imagine myself living there again one day. It is very different today than it was in the late 1980’s, I quite liked the grubbiness of that era. I remember the Meat District when it was full of meat workers and transvestites, but now, somewhat sadly, it’s full of investment bankers. New York has an extraordinary ability to change and this is one of its great strengths.

Irene:  “Chameleon” was recently optioned for a movie.  What does this mean?

Richard: The producers of the award winning film Hotel Rwanda recently negotiated with me to purchase a 24 month option over the film rights for both the novel and the screenplay. I have written the screenplay and I recently delivered the final draft to them. We are now in the pre-production process and the producers are now “packaging” the film. We are hoping to have this process complete by the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. I am delighted that this process is moving forward as I have always seen Chameleon as a film.

Irene:  I just went to your website (http://www.chameleonanovel.com) and found a most intriguing video on it.  Not only is it a book trailer, but you offer your readers an opportunity to “Win a Weekend in London.”  Tell us more about this exciting opportunity.

Richard: My publishers, publicists and I appreciate that with over 500 books published each day you need more than just a well reviewed and, in this instance, award winning novel. It’s a very competitive market and we felt we needed to do something different to attract attention to the novel. The competition is an innovative way of promoting the book and the winner will spend a fun w/e in London with me as their host. We’ll spent time around the iconic sights of London and in the evenings, I’ll show them some of the more interesting venues. The video simply seemed like a good idea, so I wrote the script and set about directing and producing it. We shot it in 4 hours on a very wet Sunday morning around London. It has received about 9000 hits on You Tube over the last few weeks. I’m delighted with it and I feel it helps potential readers of Chameleon get a better understanding of the novel, the author and the competition. I would love your readers to enter it. As you said, the details are on the website, as is the video.

Irene: Now, who could refuse that!! Richard, is there anything that you would like to leave your potential readers with?

Richard: We have adopted these interesting and perhaps unique marketing ideas in an attempt to attract attention to the novel, but, that said, the really important part of the whole process is the novel itself. I am hoping your readers will find it an intriguing, provocative, fast-moving and thoroughly contemporary interesting read.

Irene: Thank you Richard! Okay, now I have to get the your book and read it so I can enter your contest.

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