By Norm Goldman
(Article originally published on BookPleasures.com, August 27, 2012) 

 

Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is excited to have as our guest Warren Adler who has written thirty-three novels including The War of The Roses that was made into a movie with Michael Douglas and Random Heartsthat was likewise made into a movie with Harrison Ford.

Warren started an unprecedented bidding war in a Hollywood commission for his unpublished book Private Lies which according to the New York Post “Tri-State Pictures outbid Warner Bros and Columbia, and purchased the film rights to Private Lies for $1.2 million… the highest sums yet paid in Hollywood for an unpublished manuscript.”

He has also written short story collections and in stories from his collection The Sunset Gang became an American Playhouse three-hour television production in 1991 and 1992 and an off Broadway Play. His most recent novel, The Serpent’s Bite will be released in the fall of 2012 (has been released and is available in hardback and e-book formats on Amazon). Warren is also a regular contributor to the Huffington Post.

Good day Warren and thanks for participating in our interview.

Norm:

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? What keeps you going and is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Warren:

I think it came from my mother who was a voracious reader of novels. Other than a similar love of stories and novels, I can´t come up with a root cause for my obsession. I never aspired to anything more than to write stories and novels ever since I was a teenager. I don´t know what you mean by challenging. I am passionately in love with the process of creating works of the imagination, understand the process, and am a happy and enduring practitioner.

Norm:

Do you have a specific writing style?

Warren:

Clarity, simplicity and rhythm are my style watchwords. A story must move the reader to turn the page. Once I get the rhythm, I am off and running.

Norm:

Who or what has influenced your writing and has your environment/ upbringing colored your writing?

Warren:

All of my stories come from my biography, my experiences, and my observations. For example my works like the Henderson Equation, We Are Holding the President Hostage, myFiona FitzGerald series and many others are set in Washington D.C. where I lived for about 30 years, and New York Echoes (and New York Echoes 2), Banquet Before Dawn, The Housewife Blues and others are set in New York City. When they come together in a writer´s subconscious they are driven by imagination. Other serious writers know what I mean. It is often hard to convey to others not in the game. I have tried to convey this process to aspiring writers. Sometimes they get it. Sometimes they don´t.

Norm:

Do you write from your own experiences and where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

Warren:

That is always the third question asked of writers all over the world. The three questions are: When do you write? How do you write? (meaning computer or quill pen). As for the third question: Where do you get your ideas? They come from training myself to be a good listener and a good observer. Everyone has a story. When it strikes the magic chord in my imagination a story begins to emerge, a character is conceived who begins to work out his or her own destiny. It always begins with character and it is character that drives plot.

Norm:

What do you want your work to do? Amuse people? Provoke thinking?

Warren:

Engage, provoke, elucidate, and provide an entertaining matrix for the revelation of truth. I know its sounds a bit high falutin and spacey but that motive is at the heart of all my stories.

Norm:

Is your work improvisational or do you have a set plan?

Warren:

Writing a novel is like life. It is unpredictable. As a consequence, I can´t outline. Once the characters are created they pursue their own destiny. At times, a character will get out of line and has to be slapped down for distorting the store. If I knew how a novel would end, I could not write it.

Norm:

What genre are you most comfortable writing?

Warren:

Being outside of a genre category represents a tough marketing problem for my work. Even my Fiona FitzGerald mystery series, although categorized as “mystery” are outside the traditional genre definitions. Nevertheless, I have a pretty good survival record and am still in the game.

Norm:

In fiction as well as in non-fiction, writers very often take liberties with their material to tell a good story or make a point. But how much is too much?

Warren:

I am at a loss. I never take liberties. The characters in my stories follow their instincts and motives. If they take liberties, so be it. To me they are humans following their own trajectory.

Norm:

Were you pleased with the screen adaptations of your novels The War of The Rosesand Random Hearts?

Warren:

Loved Roses. Hated Random Hearts. Worse, I insulted the movie makers by writing a piece in the New York Times about how much I hated their adaptation. The Roses people got it. A trilogy of my short stories The Sunset Gang was made for PBS. It was superb.

Norm:

Can you share a little of your current work with us, The Serpent’s Bite?

Warren:

The Serpent´s Bite is about a father trying desperately to unite again with his two ungrateful and alienated adult children. He makes the mistake of taking them on a trek through the Yellowstone wilderness to replicate what was once a memorable family bonding experience. It is a story of thwarted ambition, disillusion and failure and, in my opinion, has introduced one of the most evil women in fiction. It may sound a bit self-serving, but I am truly astonished by my own evil creation and the majority of early readers and reviewers seem to agree!

Norm:

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Warren:

Write. Write. Write. And Read. Read. Read. The more you write and the more you read the work of others, the better will be your own performance. If you are a true writer you will never give up, no matter how many rejections and bad reviews you might receive. I´ve had them both.

Norm:

What do you think of the Internet for writers?

Warren:

The internet is a great research resource. I presented the first digital reader in 2007, and have been on the forefront of e-book publishing, which has opened up a vast new world for both readers and writers.

Norm:

What is next for Warren Adler and where can our readers find out more about you and your books?

Warren:

About my upcoming works – keep watching! You can read my bio at www.warrenadler.com. A visit to all major e-book outlets, Kindle, iPad, Kobo, and SONY and my website will introduce you to all of my works. My books are available in both print and as e-books. The Serpent´s Bite is now available hardback as well e-book format at Amazon.com and independent bookstores.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

Warren:

The best way to learn about my work is to engage with them. They are all in print and all currently available. I hope knowing a bit about the author will interest readers to read my books. Thank you so much for the exposure.

Norm:

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavours.

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For more information and to get your copy of The Serpent’s Bite, click here.