As my guys returned to touring in 2003, seeing them up there, back on the big stages again playing arenas, the idea hit me to explore the twilight years of aging rock stars. Literally . . .

Jill Meniketti – 30 July 2015

The Back Flap

When rock’s former biggest rebel loses everything, he’s forced to call in favors from all the rock star royalty whom he’d burned his entire career.

With a trashed comeback tour, creditors on his ass, no record deal, a health issue he doesn’t even know how to spell, and nothing but a few bucks from the sale of his last guitar, Mike Mays is destitute for the first time in his rock star life. He’s forced to crash his estranged, uptight daughter’s tidy world, and when she kicks him out, to couch-surf halfway around the world at a ragtag farmhouse in Tuscany called Groove House—home to a pack of aging ex-rock stars, who aren’t thrilled to see him.

Mike creates chaos at every turn, bulldozing everyone in his path. His raunchy offstage antics snagged headlines back in the ’70s and ’80s, but can the aging bad boy bluff his way out of his worst bungle yet and actually stage a comeback?

About the book

What is the book about?

Welcome to Groove House is about a rock star, Mike Mays, who fails at a comeback attempt and is forced to move in with his estranged, uptight daughter and her family. He forges a bond with his grandson, who didn’t even know he had a grandfather until a disheveled Mike rings their doorbell late one night. When Mike screws up there, he’s handed a one-way plane ticket out of their lives. He crash-lands at Groove House, a ragtag farmhouse in Italy that’s home to a potpourri of former rock stars, and chaos ensues.

When did you start writing the book?

I came up with the idea in 2003 when I was on tour with the rock band that I now manage. I immediately began cultivating the concept, and started writing the story in 2004.

How long did it take you to write it?

Longer than I’d care to admit, but I’ll bare it all here. Since I manage a rock band that tours the world annually, I’m constantly on the road. I don’t find a tour bus full of rock stars and road crew conducive to writing, so I ended up writing the story in fits and spurts, whenever I was home from tour. It took me ten years to write due to this wacky schedule, but it was also an interesting way to write, rewrite, and rewrite some more—touring with a bunch of rockers offers up plenty of real-world material. I’m sure I drove my wonderful editor crazy each time I had to stop for two or three months at a time to go on tour, then home for a few weeks or a month before heading off again to traipse the globe.

Where did you get the idea from?

In the ’90s grunge music kicked hard rock music to the curb, and the hard rock genre suffered during that period. In 2003, things finally turned around and hard rock music had suddenly ripened into “classic rock.” As my guys returned to touring in 2003, seeing them up there, back on the big stages again playing arenas, the idea hit me to explore the twilight years of aging rock stars. Literally . . . nearly the first minute they pranced across the first arena stage, the idea struck me, and the story unfurled from there.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

As many debut authors do, I first made the mistake of too many characters, which meant that in consecutive drafts, I had to struggle with which characters to cut. I also struggled with cutting scenes and even a pretty cool subplot. It was a challenge to ensure that no remaining threads unwittingly lingered among the lines.

What came easily?

The actual writing. Since I’m on tour so often, my writing time is precious, so when I finally settle in to write, the story cascades out of me and onto the page. Touring allows me the time to internalize and foster scenes in my mind’s eye while I’m in planes, trains, and tour buses.

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

Of course, I draw on my life experiences to mold my characters, but each character is purely fictitious. While some are amalgamations, there is no one particular character that I modeled after any one real person. On tour, fans constantly tell me (with certainty!) that character A is real-life person X, or that character B is real-life rock star Z. It’s quite entertaining! And fans have had fun deliberating which actors should play which characters in “the movie.”

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

Just as in music, movies, and everything in the arts, my taste is varied. I read a variety of genres and styles and cherish them all—from Madeleine L’Engle (my childhood favorite) and Christopher Moore to Grisham and Crichton. The list is quite varied, and I’d imagine they’ve all been influential.

Do you have a target reader?

Anyone who likes a good story, especially one steeped in rock music, Italy, wine, and chocolate. 😉 I’d initially tagged the Welcome to Groove House target audience as mainstream, but it seems the “classic rock” demographic resonates mightily with this novel—and even more so with those who actually work in the music industry. Rock stars, rock journalists, and rock fans have all really taken to the story.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

Since I’m on tour so much of the year, I use that time for jotting ideas. I contemplate scenes and characters and plotlines and expand on them while on the road. Then when I start writing, in some scenes I know precisely where the story will go, and in other areas the story wondrously unfolds itself. I do need to have visuals for my characters and locations, so I create brief biographies with a variety of images—it’s a living document that’s constantly evolving until the manuscript is finished.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

Not at first. Once I start writing and have the basic story down, then—for my own sanity—I create a brief chapter-by-chapter, scene-by-scene outline. That map gives me an at-a-glance view of the flow, and enables me to more easily see what scenes I might want to reposition (or strike) and to easily navigate directly to any scene when a new idea taps me.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

It’s too stifling for me to get bogged down with perfecting the words as they’re bursting out. I first allow myself to be creative and get the words out before reviewing. Some days I’ll be filled with writing and other days I’ll choose to revisit what I’ve written the day before. Even rewriting can be inspirational.

Did you hire a professional editor?

A professional editor is a must! I was fortunate that a movie producer had requested to read an early draft, after which she expressed interest in making a feature film of my novel. She then connected me with a story analyst from Dream Works and Tri-Star Pictures. (I didn’t even know there was such a job title as “story analyst!”) After my next rewrite, the movie producer wanted to run it by one more trusted story analyst in her network, who deemed the story well done and ready for an editor. The movie producer then connected me with another in her network, a wonderful woman who was a former VP at Sydney Pollack’s and Anthony Minghella’s company, who connected me with my awesome editor. Never underestimate the power of networking!

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

On rewrites, yes. In fact, I created an ’80s rock playlist for Welcome to Groove House, as it helped set the tone for these characters and their backstories—all relative to the genre. I found that playlist especially helpful on tour, as I’d don my headphones and close my eyes on planes, trains, and tour buses; with those tunes as my soundtrack I’d reflect on scenes and characters. For me, music with lyrics is too distracting in the initial writing, unless the volume is quite low just for the vibe. There’s nothing like a heavy guitar riff or a hyping beat to drive a scene in a rock ’n’ roll story.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Yes, and several top agents requested the full manuscript. I’d even received a direct offer from one of the major publishers. But as an artist manager who constantly deals with offers and contracts and royalty percentages on a worldwide basis, the publisher’s offer just didn’t sit well with me. In hindsight, it was an okay offer, but it didn’t feel right at the time. After that, a top agent (who I absolutely adored and strongly desired as my agent) read the manuscript and with great interest told me that it had “very strong potential.” A month later, he decided he didn’t have the time to take on a new author—I get that because I couldn’t possibly take on another artist, either, but I was still disappointed. Then three more top agents requested the manuscript, but, silly me. . .

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

After the letdown with that first agent, my manuscript was requested by three top agents, and it sat with them for roughly half a year. During that waiting period, I’d been reading about this new age of publishing, and authors had highlighted so many negatives about traditional publishing versus self-publishing—especially when it came to marketing a book. My manuscript still sat with those three agents—these were the cream of the crop, at different top literary agencies, and I would have been thrilled to have any of them represent me. Still, I waited. Then, while I was on our annual fall European tour, I reached a conclusion—you’ll think I’m insane, but when I returned from tour I withdrew my manuscript from all three agents. Crazy, I know, but after previously having my manuscript delayed by that awesome agent who was at the top of my agent wish list, and then waiting for three other agents, I just couldn’t stomach the thought of more waiting. By then it had already been a year of querying agents, and I imagined it could take another year to find a publisher, and then another year after that for the novel to be released. I certainly understand there’s a time frame involved to get a product through the marketing machine and into retail channels, but it just seemed like such a protracted, archaic system to market. As partner in a record label, I’m used to the faster turnaround that we now enjoy since the analogous music industry shakeup. As a business woman, it just made sense to start my own publishing company.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I wouldn’t dream of attempting it myself. I had a general idea, and I expressed that to the book cover artist, and he worked his magic. He nailed the house, and he created some fun elements, resulting in an awesome blend of beautiful chaos, opposites, and irreverent positioning. It’s rock ’n’ roll!

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

A marketing plan is a must! For me, though, it’s a living document that gets readjusted along the journey.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Persevere! And know that it’s a shit ton of work! You’re venturing into a business, which is second-nature to me but might be overwhelming for someone who’s not business-minded. While there’s no person more vested (personally and financially) in your business than you, know that it’s still smart to hire experts; you may be adept at many things, but you can’t adequately possess expertise in every area. Your finished book is a product, so release only the best product—that starts with a great story and carries through to the editing, the cover art, the book’s interior design, the print quality, and your marketing collateral. Don’t release to market until you have a truly professional product.

About You

Where did you grow up?

The San Francisco Bay Area. I’m that rare breed called a native Californian.

Where do you live now?

I tour so much that I feel like I live in hotels around the world. When I’m not touring, home is the San Francisco Bay Area.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I work in the music business and have been around the industry for the majority of my life; hence, why my rock ’n’ roll stories feel authentic.

What are you working on now?

Why, another rock ’n’ roll story, of course.  I have several brewing. I’m closing in on which one to focus on, and I’ll aim to start that after this year’s touring is finished.

End of Interview:

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Get your copy of Welcome to Groove House from Amazon US (paper or ebook), Amazon UK (paper or ebook), or Barnes & Noble.