We’re thrilled to have John Vorhaus with us today to tell us a bit about his latest novel, Poole’s Paradise!
Q: Please describe your book in 104 words or less.
JV: POOLE’S PARADISE tells the story of earnest young Alexander Poole and his imperfect search for purpose. As a college sophomore in a small New England town in 1974, Poole craves purpose. He doesn’t know what it is or where to find it, but he’s determined to get him some. Unfortunately, his search takes him into the louche underworld of the local townie community, where college kids like Poole get messed with every day. By roundabout and utterly unexpected means he discovers his purpose and the essential truth that – spoiler alert – when you don’t know your purpose, your search for purpose is your purpose. (That’s 103 words, including “louche,” which means “disreputable or sordid in a rakish or appealing way,” and not including these ones here.)
Q: Is it autobiographical?
JV: It’s emotionally autobiographical. The things that happen to Poole never happened to me, and I couldn’t have handled them with the honesty he does. But his heart rests on mine, and what he wants I wanted, too. In fact, a big impetus for the book was my desire to create a different sort of college experience (a frankly transcendent one) from the satisfactory but not spectacular one I had. Of course, having lived through the ‘70s helped me manifest the world of my story – its idiom and culture – but so did Google, so there you go.
Q: Who is this book for?
JV: It’s for “young seekers and old geezers.” Younger readers, especially those who seek a deeper understanding of life, meaning and “the isness of it all,” will appreciate the lessons Poole learns. They will find it, I think, much like ZEN IN THE ART OF MOTORCYLE MAINTENANCE, though a good deal shorter and easier to read. Oldsters – people of my generation – will really dig the 1970s references and resonance. For those readers, I intend POOLE to be a trip back in time to when life was simpler, phones had cords, and a bag of weed cost twenty bucks an ounce.
Q: What unique challenges did this book pose for you, if any?
JV: Since the book is set in the ‘70s, I had to leave behind everything I knew about the modern world – and it’s amazing how insidiously pervasive that knowledge is. I’m not just talking about obvious things like CDs and DVDS. I’m talking about today’s mindset, where knowledge of any subject is assumed to be at our fingertips. People lived in much smaller mental spaces back then, with worldviews defined by ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITTANICA and the 6 o’clock news. The ‘70s had a special innocence – an innocence since swept away by the tidal wave of the information age. Also, the events of the book take place exactly in the fall of 1974, so I had to police my references and make sure I never talked about events that hadn’t happened yet.
Q: What has been the most rewarding aspect of having written this book?
JV: Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. For fourteen of the fifteen months I worked on it, I really kind of hated it. I just wasn’t telling the story in the lean, clean, “humble in service of the work” way that I intended. But I kept my faith in it (even when that faith seemed unfounded) and kept peeling back the layers of self-indulgence until what remained served the purpose I’d set for myself. It’s a short book – a fast read – and I doubt that the reader will see the levels of complexity which informed my earlier drafts, but ultimately had no place in the work. That’s fine. I’d rather have the reader think, “He made that look easy,” or better yet not have the reader thinking about me at all. This is Poole’s story, not mine. Once I understood that, everything fell into place.
Q: Bonus sixth question – what’s the best piece of advice you can give to new writers?
JV: Make the music you make; keep giving them you until you is what they want.
Readers, you can learn more about Poole’s Paradise HERE. Enjoy!
About
Writer Unboxed began as a collaboration between Therese Walsh and Kathleen Bolton in 2006. Since then the site has grown to include ~50 regular contributors--including bestselling authors and industry leaders--and frequent guests. In 2014, the first Writer Unboxed UnConference (part UNtraditional conference, part intensive craft event, part networking affair) was held in Salem, MA. Learn more about our 2019 event, ESCAPE TO WuNDERLAND, on Eventbrite. In 2016, the Writer Unboxed team published a book with Writer's Digest. AUTHOR IN PROGRESS: A No-Holds-Barred Guide to What It Really Takes to Get Published has been well-received by readers who seek help in overcoming the hurdles faced at every step of the novel-writing process--from setting goals, researching, and drafting to giving and receiving critiques, polishing prose, and seeking publication. James Scott Bell has said of the guide, "Nourishment for the writer's soul and motivation for the writer's heart." You can follow Writer Unboxed on Twitter, and join our thriving Facebook community.
John,
Sounds like a fun read and a rewarding project for both you and the reader . . . myself soon, though not soon enough, since purpose is a slippery eel. I am particularly impressed with your intent to reach both young seekers and geezers. That alone makes it worth the read.
In discussing your process, between the lines, out pops your wisdom of ‘Squeezing Out the Stupid;’ hating it for fourteen of the fifteen months, Ha! Was that fourteen months of stupid and one month of wonderful squeezing? Sounds about right and puts you in league with Hemingway–Ah!, the beautiful rewriting. And your comments around the challenge of the setting being in the ’70’s and having to cut out everything we have learned since resonate with those of us who pen historical novels. Nice work and I enjoyed meeting you a few weeks back.
Hi John,
“Poole craves purpose.” I love that sentence. There was a time when I thought everyone craved purpose, maybe because I’m an oldster like you, who came of age during the seventies. Boy, do I sound stodgy, but I loved all those long-haired boys!
I also thoroughly enjoyed the class you gave at the UnCon: If You Must Fail, FAIL BIG. I expected you to be funny, and you were, but you were also wise and profound, with a very clear sense of purpose.
Looking forward to a trip back in time:-)
Deb
Thanks for the kind words, guys. The thing that jumped out at me when I reread my Take Five was the line “humble in service of the work.” This is something I’m coming around to, and really taking on board in my current WIP. My goal has long been to flaunt “the cleverness that is John Vorhaus.” I realize that that’s part of my brand — but only brand. My heart lies elsewhere, and the more I listen to it, and make choices that serve the intent of the work, not the intent to “shine” as a writer, the better off I am.
Enjoy the read, and thanks for your support. -jv
Congratulations on getting your book done and getting it out there for all of us. I enjoyed your answers to the 5 questions, I mean six.