It is an honor, and a pleasure to bring back Author Jeffrey B. Allen.
Author of: "GONEAWAY INTO THE LAND"
http://bit.ly/8v94ae (Amazon/Second Edition)
~~INTERVIEW #4~~
Geri: What book genre in your opinion makes the best movies?
Jeffrey: In today's world of mega movies, where the ticket sales for the
first week of the release make or break the fortunes of the
movie makers, one would be prone to answer that question
with either science fiction, or fantasy. Certainly, Star Wars,
Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rings and King Kong made huge
profits. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those type of movies as
well as that genre in a novel. After all, my novel "GONEAWAY
INTO THE LAND" is a fantasy novel. However, when I sit
down to watch a movie, the movies that I remember are
movies about people, their relationships and struggles.
Also, their tragedies, and ultimate triumphs. I enjoy movies
that rely more on the story, rather than the special effects.
Examples would be THE RED VIOLIN, THE PIANIST, THE
ENGLISH PATIENT, THE PAINTED VEIL and movies like
those. That's why "GONEAWAY INTO THE LAND" is about
the life struggle of a twelve year old boy as he battles to
overcome the horrible impact of his abusive father, who
he adeptly names "The Beast." The fantasy is simply a twelve
year old boy's inner journey of reconciliation, which could
not be set within anything other than fantasy.
Geri: What is your favorite movie?
Jeffrey: I believe our favorite movie, if answered with the proper
introspection, would come out of memories from our
childhood. Our childhood is when we are most
impressionable. This may not be true with everyone, but
I think most people would be able to remember the first
movie they saw. Mine was BAMBI. Yes, that does date me
a bit, but it also gives me a breath of experience. The older
one is, the more time they have to compare the emotional
impact, derived from the greatest movies they have ever
seen. Nothing will ever replace the sadness I felt, when I
found out that Bambi's mother had been killed by a
hunter. Every time I see a stoic Buck standing in a field,
I think of Bambi's father. At the very end of the movie,
he was reassuring the fawn that, although a tragedy had
occurred, everything was going to be alright. I
have many more favorites, such as THE WIZARD OF OZ,
and the 1933 version of KING KONG. I keep assuring
myself that the next time I see that movie, Kong will not
fall from the Empire State Building. Instead, he will knock
all of the planes from the sky and safely return to his
island, from where he was violently removed by human
greed. After all of these years of plummeting to his death
in remake-after-remake, don't you think he deserves better?
The movie that I tell most people that I loved the most is
TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA. Maybe
that's the brutish male in me, thinking that it's more
palatable to my fellow males that I relate to Nemo, rather
than Bambi.
Geri: What was the worst movie you have ever seen?
Jeffrey: I don't really remember the worst movie, because I probably
quickly discarded it from my memory, unless it was so
ridiculous, that the director meant for me to remember it
as such. Therefore, I will hearken back to a movie that was
making the rounds, when I was in college. The title of the
movie was PINK FLAMINGOS, starring a well known
Transvestite, named Devine. If you have never heard of it,
look it up. It is by far, the worst movie you will ever see.
Geri: What is the most important aspect of a book? Would it be the plot,
setting, or characters?
Jeffrey: I am very big on characters. I love to develop them, to become
intimate with them, and have my reader never forget them.
But, without plot, there can be nothing worth reading.
Therefore, no character in the world can carry a bad plot,
or poorly constructed story. The answer is plot.
Geri: How does poor editing affect book sales?
Jeffrey: It makes it, or breaks it. Poor editing affects an author's
self-esteem. It affects a book review, and ultimately,
it kills a book that may otherwise have been successful.
I found that out the hard way. Up until I was picked up by
my new publisher, I was involved with a publisher who
could not print a clean book. No matter how many times
his editor's edited the book, there were always mistakes.
The worst part was that no matter how many times he
went back to the drawing board to reprint the book, there
were always printing errors. Here is an example of how
frustrating it can be. The third galley copy that I received
had no page numbers. My advice to new authors is to find
a good editor, and pay the price. It's almost impossible to
edit your own writing, because you are too emotionally
attached to every sentence. You will never really read your
book as others will. So, it is imperative to search for an
editor, who relates to your style, and cares enough about
your work to be outspoken and relentless in the pursuit
of perfection.
Geri: Thank you kindly for your time. This interview was very
interesting, and enjoyable. We have so much in common
on the movie point-of-view, and I was able to relate to your
feedback on editing, and other questions. One of the most
difficult tasks I've experienced was editing my own books.
However, because of perfection, I also found it difficult
to edit manuscripts for authors of different genres.
Editing is a tough job, no matter who does it. But, it's
extremely difficult for the editor who seeks pure perfection.
That would be me.
Jeffrey: You're welcome.
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