Thursday, June 2, 2016

Jeffrey Salane

Jeffrey Salane grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, but moved north to study in Massachusetts and New York City. After spending many years playing in many bands, he now works as an editor and writer, and lives with his family in Brooklyn.

Salane is the author of the Lawless trilogy: Lawless, Justice, and the newly released Mayhem.

Recently I asked the writer about what he was reading. His reply:
I’m in the middle of A Game of Thrones believe it or not. I came by the series from the show (which is horrid, but the books have so much of the pages!). I had honestly never considered reading them until this year when the television show eclipsed the printed story. I think that’s rare. Reading the series now feels both like reading it for the first time and for the second time all at once and that’s the experience I was hoping for. I dove into the book to seek out the crafted strands of various character’s stories, to appreciate how Martin’s plotting and development has been so steady and true from the beginning to the end of certain arcs. To craft a story this worldly and seed as many plot points and twists along the way is a master class for me as a writer and as a reader. That’s what made me pick up the book and I cannot wait to continue on the adventure and the lesson. Hold the door, Martin.

Before picking up GoT, I just finished The Diviners by Libba Bray. Libba can build a world in a brilliant way, which is what ushered me in to the story, but it was her outro that had me reading the final few chapters over and over again. For those who don’t know the story, it takes place in the New York City of 1926, and is filled with catchphrases and characters that would make the bees-knees blush. Again, this is another book with so much of the pages and it’s one that I waited to read because it has a follow-up title called Lair of Dreams. So my writerly question was, how would Libba end one large story knowing that there was another large story to follow. Well, the ending of The Diviners does not disappoint in action and resolution, but it was the set-up for book two that caught my eye. There’s no cliffhanger (I’m big time guilty of cliffhangers) and there’s no quickening of the plot. Instead, Libba sets the scene, slowly and effortlessly, for the second story by bringing her characters to new places beyond the ending of the first story. If you’re a writer who’s thinking about penning a trilogy or a duology, give this book a read before you write your own ending. Highly recommended.
Visit Jeffrey Salane's website.

My Book, The Movie: Mayhem.

--Marshal Zeringue