Interview with Erik Quisling Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is happy to be joined by author Erik Quisling, who is here to discuss his new book “Fables from the Mud.” Erik Quisling is the author of “The Angry Clam” (Warner Books, 1998), “Straight Whisky” (Bonus Books, 2003) and the newly published “Fables from the Mud” (Borderlands Press, January 2008). Erik resides in Los Angeles. Tyler: Welcome, Erik. I’m pleased to have you join me today. To start out, will you tell us what the title “Fables from the Mud” refers to?
Tyler: How did you come up with the idea for your three invertebrate main characters? Erik: I initially came up with the ideas for each story shortly after I graduated UCLA. In the course of my soul searching and trying to figure out my place in the world, I was struck with the idea of a pissed off clam who was trying to do the same thing. For some reason it struck me as extremely amusing. I have always liked allegories. So my concept was basically that with these presumably silent little creatures, there could be a great deal more going on than meets the eye. I believe humanity, perhaps in its arrogance or ignorance, generally fails to give other types of creatures credit for the immense complexity they have in their lives. Tyler: Do you have a favorite allegorical story? Erik: “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein is a classic as is Richard Bach’s “Jonathan Livingston Seagull.” Tyler: Would you tell us a little bit about one of the characters’ struggles? Why should a human care about a worm, an ant, or a clam? Erik: Well, first of all, these are perhaps the greatest ant, worm, and clam to have ever walked the face of the earth. But let’s take the worm in the fable “Grant’s Tomb,” for example. Living inside of Grant’s Tomb, feasting on the bones of the former president, is General Julius Gunther Weems, a celebrated war hero who led the worm army to victory in the last of the great cemetery wars. However, after achieving glory and fame and just about everything else he ever wanted in life, he realized he still wasn’t happy—still not satisfied. So, figuring he could never truly be happy, he sets off on one last mission to drown himself in the nearby Hudson River. But on this journey, Julius discovers the answer to why true happiness had always eluded him. Tyler: I love it, Erik—a worm in Grant’s Tomb. You previously had a great deal of success with your book, “The Angry Clam.” It sounds like “Fables from the Mud” is written in the same vein, or is it even a type of sequel to “The Angry Clam”? Erik: Well, one of the stories in Fables is “The Angry Clam.” The other two stories are written in the same format though they are not actually sequels. All three stories are individual and unrelated. Tyler: I understand “Fables from the Mud” can be read in about ten minutes. What then makes it worth the purchase price? Erik: I would say thirty minutes is more realistic. But, as most reviewers say, what makes the stories very interesting is that they can be re-read multiple times and you find different meanings every time. Tyler: Erik, are you the illustrator of the book, and to what extent do you think the illustrations add to the book’s success? Erik: Yes, I am the illustrator. I believe the minimalist style of the illustrations supports the humor and general tone of what I am trying to say. Tyler: How would you classify your book? Is it something children will enjoy, or is it geared toward adults primarily? Erik: The books are definitely geared primarily for adults. There are a lot of plays on words and complex themes that you pretty much have to have quite a bit of life experience to understand. Though the book does have a lot of funny little pictures kids might enjoy. Tyler: “Fables from the Mud” has been viewed as a type of anti-“Jonathan Living Seagull” and a relief from self-help books? Do you view it this way? Erik: Well, “Fables” is definitely darker and told with more humor than “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” but I feel the messages are very similar. I am a fan of Richard Bach and any comparison is certainly flattering. Tyler: What literary or cultural influences would you say have been predominate in your writing? Erik: I am a big fan of Kurt Vonnegut—his minimalist style and doodling illustrations have obviously influenced me. Besides that, I have always been a student of philosophy—particularly the Taoist tradition. Tyler: Would you say “Fables from the Mud” operates from a specific philosophy? Erik: There is a definite underlying sense about the absurdity of taking life too seriously. Perhaps a detached amusement at the unnecessary struggles human beings can be prone to putting themselves through. I believe any wisdom that permeates the book is most likely attributable to my constant reading of the Tao Te Ching and other comparable texts. Tyler: When a reader closes “Fables from the Mud,” what reaction are you hoping to have evoked from them? Erik: Hopefully readers are both amused and touched by the struggles of the characters in the book, and they can perhaps see themselves in those characters. Tyler: When did you first decide you wanted to write books? Erik: It was never a conscious decision. It is just something I was compelled to do. I actually wrote a brief story of how I came to write my first book, “The Angry Clam,” which I will share with you now—I call it “A Secret to Getting Published”: A Secret to Getting Published When Warner Books, one of the world's largest publishing companies, published my first book, “The Angry Clam,” back in 1998, the most common question I got asked was, "What were you smoking when you wrote this book?" This was quickly followed by the second most common question, "How in the world did a 40-page, hand-written book with bad drawings of a clam get published?" The answer to the first question was easy—pure Turkish Hashish—just kidding. (Actually, I awoke in the middle of the night with the idea of a ticked off clam running through my head, then feverishly spent the wee hours putting a frantic pencil to paper.) The answer to the second question takes a little bit more explaining but I believe it contains one of the essential keys (and secrets) to getting published. The story of how I got “The Angry Clam” published is a brief one so I will share it with you now: After I awoke from my long morning nap after having spent the previous night beginning and completing my first ever attempt at literature, I reviewed what I wrote, kind of liked it, and then decided to show it to a few friends. To my amazement, they all thought it was hysterically funny—but in a good way. (They were actually laughing WITH the book not at it!) Inspired by this, I purchased the supplies necessary to create a more presentable copy of the book—like giving it a cover and hand-writing and drawing each page in pen—and then went to my local Kinko's to get 50 copies printed up. The following day, with my 50 copies in hand, I decided to go to the owner of a neighborhood bookstore to see if he would be interested in selling “The Angry Clam” on consignment. To my delight, he looked at the book, laughed, and then said sure, why not, he would take 5 copies. (I believe he was half taking pity on me.) Unbelievably, within 24 hours, I received a call from the owner asking me for 10 more copies. He then explained how the staff of the bookstore had bought the books and they were now passing them around to everyone to read. So I brought over the 10 copies and they were immediately put in the "Staff Favorite" section right near the front register. Incredibly, I began receiving weekly orders for the books. Encouraged by this, I then went to the owner of another neighborhood bookstore, described the tale of what was happening down the street, and he too agreed to take a few copies. Astonishingly, a very similar phenomenon happened. So this was great—I now had 2 local bookstores consistently selling and promoting “The Angry Clam.” It was at this point that I stumbled upon the very simple idea that would eventually get big New York literary agents and then several major publishing houses to pay “The Angry Clam” notice. Placing a call to the owners of the 2 bookstores, I very politely asked them if they would each write a brief letter describing the "phenomenon" of the “The Angry Clam” at their store. Thankfully, they both agreed and within a day I had my two letters. Armed with these testaments of “The Angry Clam” selling prowess, I was ready to see just how far my little book could go. So I purchased a copy of the Writer's Guide to Literary Agents, picked about a dozen agents, and then mailed out a copy of the book and the 2 letters to each one of them. What happened next has made me a legend in my own mind. Within 2 weeks I received calls from 5 of the agents—each wanting to represent “The Angry Clam.” After carefully selecting one of them, it took less than a month to get my first of several publishing offers. What happened after the book was bought by Warner Books is a tale for another day. (“The Angry Clam” eventually hit the shelves of bookstores all over the United States and even rose into the Hot 100 on Amazon.com.) But the moral of “The Angry Clam” story is this—in the publishing world, a book's perceived ability to sell is king. Prove to the publishing companies that your books can sell on a small scale and they just might take a chance that your books will sell on a large scale. What have they got to lose? Unknown authors rarely get more than a tiny advance and the cost to print up the first 2,000 books is nothing to a large company. After all, Publishing is just a business. Tyler: Erik, do you have plans for any more books? Erik: Yes, I have recently been hit with a jolt of inspiration for a new story so we’ll see where that goes. Tyler: Would you be willing to share some of your ideas with us? Erik: Well, I kind of keep them close to the breast until they are ready to be hatched. Tyler: That’s understandable. Thank you for joining me today, Erik. Before we go, will you tell our readers a little about your website and where they can purchase copies of “Fables from the Mud”? Erik: Thank you Tyler. My web site is http://www.erikquisling.com and you can purchase the book at Amazon.com or at bookstores everywhere. Tyler: Thank you, Erik. I hope “Fables from the Mud” is even more successful for you than “The Angry Clam.” |
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