I learned how to be more concise and economical with words. I think that is what I strive for in each book that I write — to say the most with the least.

Manheim Wagner – 26 July 2015

The Back Flap

A bohemian tale of attraction that plays with the concepts of memory, What a Day for a Night recounts a romantic encounter of two people, meeting for the second time, saying what could be goodbye on the streets of Paris.

About the book

What is the book about?

What a Day for a Night is a bohemian tale of attraction that recounts a romantic encounter of two artists in their late thirties, meeting for only the second time in life. James is an American expatriate who is living in Scotland, and Simone is a French woman from Normandie, living in Paris.

The story is triggered by a lingering image that James has of Simone sitting outside a Paris cafe at night, saying that she holds onto too many memories. It’s one of those if you could live one day again things. If you were in your twenties during the 1990s and into alternative music and art, this book should be right up your alley.

When did you start writing the book?

I first wrote the book as a screenplay in the autumn of 2011. Then, I decided to adapt the screenplay into a novella during the summer of 2013. I have the screenplay ready to go if anyone wants to make it into a movie!

How long did it take you to write it?

The first draft of the novella took about two months to write, but I spent a good part of two years revising and editing it. The story was there, but I had to really work on describing the characters’ body movements and facial expressions.

Where did you get the idea from?

The story is mostly based on a day that I spent in Paris with a friend. I added a twist to the ending that didn’t happen in real life. But for the most part, everything in the book happened.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Describing facial expressions were tough. There are only so many words you can substitute for “laugh,” “smile,” or “grin.” It was a challenge to keep it fresh and not repetitive

What came easily?

The story itself came easy since most of it came from real life. I used the original screenplay as kind of an outline and filled in the story to make it work as a novella.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

The characters are very recognizable to me. James has a lot of me in him, and Simone is based of a friend of mine.

Do you have a target reader for this book?

I’d say anyone who likes a good tale of attraction or anyone who is into literature, art and alternative music. The characters talk about writers such as John Kennedy Toole and musicians such as John Cale, Ian Curtis, Epic Soundtracks and Paul Westerberg.

How was writing this book different from what you’d experienced writing previous books?

I wrote my first book, Korea: How You Feel, by the seat of my pants over a year period. Then, I spent the next two and a half years whittling the book down to make it interesting for the reader. It went from 100,000 words to 50,000 words. I guess you can say it was like a block of clay that was molded into something.

What a Day for a Night was the opposite. I had the overall story outlined with the screenplay but with none of the description that a work of fiction requires. I spent quite a while adding muscle and flesh to the skeleton to make the story readable.

What new things did you learn about writing, publishing, and/or yourself while writing and preparing this book for publication?

I learned how to be more concise and economical with words. I think that is what I strive for in each book that I write — to say the most with the least. I’d also say that the value of revision really stood out to me this time around. I must have revised the manuscript about ten or twelve times, to the point where I exhausted myself.

It’s a good feeling to be able to walk away from the writing and revision process knowing that you’ve done all that you can for a book.

End of Interview:

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Get your copy of What a Day for a Night from Amazon US (paper or ebook) or Amazon UK (paper or ebook).