LE: It’s not a pejorative term towards women nor a term denoting a cute little fluffy girl dog. It derives from the U.S. federal statute, the so-called “three-strikes-and-you’re-out, ha-bitch-ual criminal law, referred to by us outlaw types simply as “The Bitch.” And, it is. It means that once a criminal has been convicted of two felonies, his third will land him significant time—up to life—in prison. And, that’s exactly what the novel is about—a guy (Jake Bishop) who’s done two bits and has straightened his life out when out of the blue an ex-cellmate, Walker “Spitball” Joy, appears, demanding a favor from him—to commit a burglary, which was Jake’s specialty when he was in the life. He can’t refuse as Spitball saved his hide back in the joint. Each step he makes to prove his loyalty and repay his debt sends him spiraling further and further into the abyss as he hurtles toward… The Bitch.
PDB: You're following up The Bitch with The Rapist. Are you giving your publishers a hard time with these titles?
LE: Nah. They love the titles! It’s my wife who’s now sleeping upstairs in our bed in the room we refer to as “The Scene of the Crime” while I languish downstairs on the couch… She’s a hairdresser and keeps complaining, “I’m supposed to tell my clients to buy my husband’s books—THE BITCH and THE RAPIST? I’m going to end up sitting around a lot…”
PDB: You published a great short story collection, Monday's Meal and are soon to be publishing another collection. Can you say something about the similarities and differences between the two collections?
LE: The structure for one. Collections are usually built around a central theme and neither of these are. There is a wide range in the subject matter and treatment. To allow for this, I titled the first one MONDAY’S MEAL and the one coming out from Snubnose Press, GUMBO YA-YA. Why? Well, they both denote the diffuse nature of the stories—I grew up in the South and Monday was traditionally washday. A day when the harried mother had to take care of her ten kids, do the week’s wash, and cook a meal for her husband and the kids. So, whenever she had a spare minute, she’d run in and throw something in the pot. Usually a lot of ingredients that when considered, didn’t seem to have much of a gastronomic relationship, but, when added together, created a great flavor. Same with gumbo—“real” gumbo isn’t really like what some restaurants provide—when I was a kid, my grandmother would keep a huge pot simmering on a wood stove and when she had a minute, she’d run in and throw in another ingredient. A typical Monday meal… In fact, my favorite ingredient, in season, is crab eggs or roe.
Both collections are about folks from the underside of life. I never write about life insurance salesmen or folks who treasure taking care of their yards…
Those are the similarities. The difference is, the stories in the first collection were a product of my youth (one of the stories was written when I was 12 and another when I was 15), and the stories in GUMBO reflect my more mature (some say “doddering”) age. Also, I’ve included an essay on Charles Bukowski and censorship and that evil thing called “political correctness” that I’m very proud of in this one.
PDB: You've said that your novel Just Like That is a semi autobiographical. How much did you have to leave out?
LE: Everything in it where the statute of limitations hasn’t yet run out, is fiction. The rest is fairly spot on. At the advice of counsel, that’s all I’m going to say on that subject.
PDB:In your book Hooked, you write about grabbing the reader from page one. Why is that so important?
LE: For two reasons. Two kinds of readers. One—and first and foremost from a practical point-of-view—agents and editors. The gatekeepers in publishing are all overworked and daily face daunting stacks of manuscripts to consider. They all have a built-in list of red flags that, as soon as they encounter one, they’re able to put that mss down, insert a rejection slip, and go on to the next. The single biggest red flag is encountering an opening that doesn’t compel them to read on. They know if they’re not compelled, neither will the readers who plunk out their hardearned money for it.
The second reader is that group I just mentioned. Paying readers. I’ve owned two bookstores and have watched thousands of customers as they make their choices. They read a few paragraphs on the first page. If it doesn’t grab their attention, they’re most likely to put it down and glom onto another one to consider.
And, think about it. If a writer can’t write something interesting and compelling on the first page, why is there any reason to assume it gets better? The answer is, it probably doesn’t.
Also, the message I tried to convey in HOOKED was that it isn’t just the beginning that’s important—it’s important to use the elements in a great beginning all the way through.
LE: As my hip son Mike describes me to his mates, his dad is so “five minutes” ago in my knowledge of pop culture, so I have to admit I don’t know who Donattella Versace is. Don’t have clue one! Is that bad? I really don’t—don’t know as I’ve ever heard the name. It’s like that person named Britney Spears—I am aware she exists and appears on TV for some reason—singing? acting? having sex with donkeys?--but if she walked in the room right now, I wouldn’t know who she was. I do know who Trump is (that’s sad, isn’t it!), and as a hair designer myself of almost 40 years, I don’t know as I’ve ever heard anyone claim to be his stylist. I’m led to assume that he visits military bases and gets his haircuts from military barbers who are used to the egos of colonels and generals and are used to delivering those swoop-arounds. I don’t think it matters much to him—he’s kind of like Charlie Sheen—practices a kind of checkbook attractiveness to the opposite sex.
Paul, I’m absolutely honored to be asked these questions by a writer I consider one of the top writers in the world! (Notice I didn’t say “noir writer” but just writer. Period. Hope I done good!
Now. Can we go out for those drinks you promised? And, who buys? The interviewed or the interviewer?
Is the place we’re going cool? Will there be…
