Interview with James McCracken

Rue de la Pompe: A Satiric Urban Fantasy
James Earle McCracken
iUniverse (2008)
ISBN 9780595485055
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (7/08) 

Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is pleased to interview James Earle McCracken, who is here to talk about his new book, “Rue de la Pompe: A Satiric Urban Fantasy.”

James Earle McCracken has lived in Paris since 2005, and the City of Lights serves as the setting for his debut novel, “Rue de la Pompe: A Satiric Urban Fantasy.”

Tyler:  Welcome, James. I’m glad you could join me today. To begin, it is obvious from the cover and title that “Rue de la Pompe” takes place in Paris. Why did you choose Paris as the setting?

James:  Actually, the setting came before the story. I arrived in Paris in September 2005 for a three-year work assignment, and I was immediately struck by how “foreign” it is to an American. I’ve lived about half of my adult life outside the U.S. and have been to some out of the way places like Mongolia, but Paris still surprised me with its uniqueness and eccentricities. I had received some great advice many years ago when I first lived abroad. When you travel to a new place and something strikes you as unusual, take a picture of it right away, because after one month, you won’t even notice it. Remembering this, I started snapping mental images of Paris, and then built a story around them.

Tyler:  Will you explain the subtitle to us? What is your definition of a satiric urban fantasy, or what was your goal when you set out to write the book?

James:  Great question. I would say that the subtitle—“ASatiric Urban Fantasy”—was a controversial choice among the first readers of the book when it was in draft form, except there was no controversy because everyone hated it. The obvious default title and subtitle—“Rue de la Pompe: A Novel”—didn’t appeal to me. I thought it gave the impression of being another sloppy, sentimental homage to Paris. I wanted to tip off the reader that something else was going on in the pages of this book.

I haven’t found a standard and accepted definition of urban fantasy that I like, and when I see examples that include vampires and werewolves, I’m slightly bewildered. Wouldn’t that qualify as contemporary horror? For me, urban fantasy is a story set in a real city in which the main character discovers there’s a fantastic side to the place that he or she could never have imagined. Of course, that definition is self-serving as it describes my book.

“Satiric” in the subtitle is a weak legal disclaimer. It’s literary shorthand for “Hey, I was only kidding” in case anyone is offended by the humor in the novel.

Tyler:  When did you first get the idea to write “Rue de la Pompe”?

James:  As I walked up and down that street on my way back and forth to the office every morning and every evening in the autumn of 2005, the story gradually came to me.

Tyler: James, what about the Rue de la Pompe appealed to you or made you think if was special and did the name of the street affect your ideas?

James:  The odd collection of shops, stores, restaurants, and residences along Rue de la Pompe caught my attention, and I tried to imagine the back-story for each place. A number of them wind up in the book: the dry cleaners, the English pub, the travel agency and, of course, Michael’s apartment building. The name of the street in English is nothing special—Pump Street—but I do like how it sounds in French.

Tyler:  James, will you tell us more about the main character, Michael Whyte? What about him do you think readers will enjoy?

James:  The bare bone facts are that Michael Whyte has just turned 30; he’s been in Paris for only a few months, and he’s vaguely dissatisfied with his life. Michael is Everyman. He is not based on me. He’s a stand-in for the reader. I deliberately avoided a physical description to allow the reader to form his or her own image of the character. I hope that readers will enjoy the workings of his mind as his thoughts are voiced by five distinct personalities:  Mikey, Mr. Whyte, Smart Ass, Jackass, and Dumb Ass.

Tyler:  Will you explain these personalities to us? Does he have split personality disorder, or is Michael just very imaginative?

James:  I misspoke. Michael does not have five personalities; he has a single personality. His thought process is revealed through five components of that personality:  the child, the parent, the voyeur, the agent provocateur, and the fool.

In the first draft, I only used the five in a single scene when Michael is alone in his apartment in a self-imposed quarantine. I liked how that chapter turned out, so I ran with it.

Tyler:  What made you decide to center the plot around the search for a coin?

James: I was intrigued by the history of the French franc. The first francs were minted to pay ransom for a French king who was taken hostage by the English during the 100-years war. Using the very first franc minted struck me as a great MacGuffin.

Tyler:  Will you tell us more about what is the stimulus or goal in the novel relative to finding the coin?

James: Michael is alternately pressured and seduced by different groups into searching for the coin. The different groups provide conflicting accounts of the true nature of the coin. One person tells him it is a weapon; another maintains that the coin has enormous value. Although he tries to avoid taking sides or engaging at all in the search, Michael finds himself caught up in it every time he steps out of his apartment.

Tyler: Michael meets some colorful characters during the story. Would you tell our readers about a few of your favorite ones?

James:  It’s tough to pick favorites among your children. I love all the characters—the villains and the heroes. Chione, Michael’s love interest, was the easiest to write. All of her scenes flowed effortlessly. I also have a special affection for Groot, the linguistically challenged Dutchman who works with Michael. Then there are the two showstoppers: the rhinoceros and the statue of Benjamin Franklin. I resisted the temptation to expand their roles.

Tyler: Will you give us an example of how satire is used in “Rue de la Pompe”?

James:  The satire employed in “Rue de la Pompe” is similar to that used by Mark Twain in “The Innocents Abroad” and some of his other works. Please note that I mean similar in intent, not in effectiveness. Twain was the master, and the first line of my answer is the only time you’ll ever hear his books and mine mentioned in the same breath. It’s a gentle satire meant to poke fun at our preconceived notions of people based exclusively on where they are from.

Tyler:  Of course, Twain was seeing Europe as an American tourist. Earlier you mentioned how Paris seemed like such a different place from America. What do you think are some of the key cultural differences or even culture shocks Americans experience in Paris, or that you used in “Rue de la Pompe”?

James:  The differences and shocks vary by individual. Twain knew that the American tourist commenting on Europe was saying as much if not more about himself than about the phenomenon he was observing. That said, the language barrier can be very real and very wide as can the differences in social conventions, and I definitely seized on those a few times in the story to put Michael in uncomfortable situations.

Tyler: The novel moves quickly and Olivera who reviewed the book at Reader Views, describes it as “It was wild, it was unpredictable, it was mad-cap and scary at times; but always witty, picturesque and never boring.” What is your secret for keeping the reader turning the page and constantly interested?

James:  Short scenes are better than long ones. Dialogue is preferable to description. When in doubt, have one of the characters take off his clothes.

Tyler: Wow, James! I never thought of people taking off their clothes as a way to get attention in a book. Now that your secret is out, I bet lots of authors will start doing that. Anyway, James, do you have plans to write any more books and if so, will you tell us about what you’re currently working on?

James: I’ve started taking notes for the second book in the series and will begin the first draft shortly.

Tyler:  Will it be a direct sequel. Can you give us a hint of what the plot will be?

James:  Yes, it’s a direct sequel. The second book will start up within days of when the first one ended. The tagline will be something like: “Michael Whyte is out for revenge and the perfect pain au chocolat.”

Tyler:  Thank you for letting me interview you today, James. Before we go, will you let our readers know about your website and what additional information they can find there about “Rue de la Pompe”?

James:  My website is www.jamesearlemccracken. The www stands for World’s Worst Website, and, as of this moment, nothing useful can be found there. I intended to upgrade it from completely pathetic to merely lame, but then the Internet service in my apartment went out. I think it was Paris getting even with me for making fun of it in the book.

Tyler:  Thanks, James. I think Paris should thank you for making it famous yet again. Best of luck with your writing.

James: Thank you, Tyler.

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