Steven Jay Griffel’s new novel, The Ishi Affair, continues the saga of his popular protagonist, David Grossman. Since his debut novel, Forty Years Later, became an Amazon #1 Bestseller in two categories, Griffel has gone on to write four more novels, for a total of five, and is currently working on his sixth. A baby boomer who lost his job in publishing during the Great Recession, he turned adversity into success, first as a novelist, and soon, as a publisher with the coming debut of the first book under his own imprint, SJG – A Steven Jay Griffel Book.
Stay
Thirsty Magazine visited with Steven Jay Griffel at his home in
Bayside, Queens, New York, for this new Conversation about who David Grossman is
and the role he plays in the Griffel novels.
STAY THIRSTY: All five of your novels center around your main
character, David Grossman. Who is he and what made you decide to make him your
protagonist?
STEVEN JAY GRIFFEL: When I began writing Grand View, the first of my completed novels, I created a young protagonist
who was like me in many ways. I named him David Grossman: David for the sensitive shepherd
boy who played the lyre, wrote psalms, slew Goliath, and became King; Grossman for all that is dirty, common,
feckless, and selfish. Together, David +
Grossman was my expression of Everyman, the incarnate range of human feeling
and endeavor. Over time, David Grossman became my literary alter ego.
STAY THIRSTY: How has the character of David Grossman changed over
the course of your five novels?
STEVEN JAY GRIFFEL: I think David’s
character is consistent through all the novels, beginning with Grand View, where he is introduced as a
young teen. Some readers think David is weak and selfish. They want him to be
better than he is—to rise, heroically, to challenging situations. But most
readers applaud that David is consistently realistic: a flawed human being; a jealous
and selfish passive-aggressive … who yearns to be a hero.
STAY THIRSTY: Since you acknowledge that Grossman is your alter ego,
how do you feel about having your life play out in such a public way?
STEVEN JAY GRIFFEL: That’s a great question. Having acknowledged that my novels
are largely based on my actual experiences, some people assume that everything that David Grossman feels and
does has its parallel in my own life. That assumption is understandable, I
suppose … but it’s never the complete truth. As examples: I did spend my
adolescent summers in the Jewish Catskills, and I did join an archaeological expedition
to study a tribe of ancient Native Americans. Each of those experiences
inspired me to write a novel. But, in each case, my remembered actual experience
was just a starting point, the letter “A” in the alphabet arc of a fictional narrative.
How I went from “A” to “Z” is the miracle of literature, the mixing of fact and
imagination.
STAY THIRSTY: If you had a chance to sit down with Grossman for
coffee, what would you ask him and what do you think he would ask you?
STEVEN JAY GRIFFEL: I think we would collaborate. Since we’re in this
together, I think we would ask each other: Where
do we go from here? … Which of our personal insecurities should we explore next?
How can we embroil ourselves in another exotic situation?
Developing a narrative conflict is
like spelunking: Entering the dark and unknown, you proceed cautiously, step by
step, wary lest you bump your head or get attacked by flying bats. You never
know how these things go, until you enter the cave.
STAY THIRSTY: How have you evolved as a novelist and as a storyteller
during your journey of writing five well-received books?
STEVEN JAY GRIFFEL: As a result of positive feedback and the unwavering
support of a committed publisher, I have developed a surety of style and
purpose. With this confidence came the belief that I don’t always have to rely
on David Grossman as my first-person narrator.
Grossman’s
Castle was my first novel in which I used a third-person point of
view. In this book, there are four main characters (not counting the “ghost”). David
is still the hub, the first among equals, but the third-person approach allowed
me to explore the hearts and minds of the other characters in ways that would
not have been possible had I relied solely on David’s limited vantage. My most
recent novel, The Ishi Affair, moves
David even farther from the spotlight. While he is still the prime mover of the
plot, I think the most memorable part of the story is Ishi and the Stone Age
Indians.
STAY THIRSTY: What do you plan on doing differently as you approach
your next book?
STEVEN JAY GRIFFEL: I plan on taking a break from David Grossman. Though I
love him like a brother [laughing], I want to explore something entirely new. I
went way beyond my usual purview with The
Ishi Affair. Now I mean to go even go farther, to explore a setting that is
unmapped and unknown to me. I want to feel like a stranger in a strange land.
STAY THIRSTY: Of all the comments and reviews your David Grossman
Series has received, which ones stick with you as the most meaningful? How have
the comments from readers shaped your thinking, if at all?
STEVEN JAY GRIFFEL: To this day, even after having published five
successful novels, I still feel validated when a stranger writes a glowing
review or posts a positive comment…. On the other hand, I now find it easier to
dismiss most negative comments. It took a while, but I’ve learned that it’s simply
impossible to please everyone.
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| Steven Jay Griffel |
Thinking back, there was one
comment—made by several readers/reviewers—that I took especially to heart. I
had left the close of Forty Years Later
somewhat open-ended. Many readers loved this—feeling that the uncertainty
increased the story’s effect. But some readers objected. At first, I bristled
at the idea that I should have tied every plot string into a pretty bow … but
over time I realized that those readers who felt short-changed were asking for
the very thing I enjoyed in most novels: an emotionally satisfying ending in
which each of the major characters gets what he/she deserves…. Of course, it’s
not possible, or even desired, to craft all endings in this manner … but it’s nice
when it works out that way.
STAY THIRSTY: What three pieces of advice do you have for aspiring
writers who want to become successful novelists?
STEVEN JAY GRIFFEL: It’s relatively simple … but far from easy:
Read … as much
as you can, as widely as you can, focusing on the best authors.
Write … as often
as possible; don’t wait for thunderbolts of inspiration—write like it’s your
job, not your hobby. Also, focus on the storytelling, not the styling. You can
sharpen styling in revisions, but you can’t make a hobbled story dance. Revise … with the passionate belief that
this is the showdown, the clincher … where you make or break your story.
STAY THIRSTY: As you look back on your career in publishing and as a
writer, what moment comes to mind as critical in the shaping of your career?
STEVEN JAY GRIFFEL: Like many writers, I submitted my early manuscripts to
many agents and publishers, measuring my success by the length, tone, and
specificity of the rejection letters I received. My mantra was the popular Samuel
Beckett quote: “… Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
On one occasion, I received an
email from a publisher who asked that I call him directly. I leaped for joy! When
we spoke, he told me how much he enjoyed the beginning of my novel … and then
uttered the terrible word but. As fast
as I had soared, my crash was even more sudden. The publisher went on to
explain why he had to reject my novel … but I listened with only one agonized
ear.
We were about to end the phone call
when I said I could send him another novel to consider. He hemmed and hawed but
finally said, “Sure. The first just missed. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
The next novel I sent was Forty Years Later. He loved it. Although
it was released only as an e-book, it became an Amazon bestseller. More than
60,000 copies sold on six continents, putting my name on the map.
My persistence … and my publisher’s
willingness to give me a second chance … is the most critical moment of my
career.
STAY THIRSTY: What story is next up on your drawing board? Will
David Grossman continue to lead the way?
STEVEN JAY GRIFFEL: As I said, I think
David Grossman and I need some time apart … a trial separation. Meanwhile, I’m hard at work on a new novel, The Saltin Sea: new places, new history,
a new set of characters with new dramatic conflicts. I think this will be my
greatest challenge yet: the action takes place on three continents and features
a controversially famous person as a central character. Stay tuned.
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