Christopher J. Newman is a thriller writer. He prefers to write novels from the criminal perspective and to make readers fall (guiltily) in love with bad characters who do bad things. He lives in Raleigh, NC.
By Way of Paris plot synopsis
Luke’s life in North Carolina sucks until things start to look up when he sets off for a writing program in London, spending the month before his course exploring Europe. But his dream trip quickly derails in Paris after he discovers a body at a party and is blackmailed into hiding the evidence.
Why do you write in the genre that you do?
I write thrillers because I love to read thrillers. I specifically love writing crime thrillers because that end of the spectrum of the human psyche intrigues me.
It’s difficult for me to connect with the classic black and white, good guy vs. bad guy kind of stories because I see those as merely surface level and not entirely representative of the human condition.
For me, it’s just not realistic. I love reading and writing crime thrillers that explore characters who live in the grey middle area between good and evil. And I love making readers root for the bad guy, so I almost always frame my stories around the person who commits crimes instead of the detective who sets out to solve them.
Do you keep a notebook of ideas?
I don’t have a notebook of ideas, but I do have tons of notebooks filled with writing and brainstorming around a few central ideas that I have chosen to pursue at any given moment. I handwrite all my first drafts, so my shelves are full of beat-up notebooks that I’m certain look more like rough drafts of the Unabomber’s manifesto versus a fiction manuscript.
Do you have a muse?
If by muse you mean inspiration, then life is my inspiration. I’m not nearly as creative as I like to tell people. All my inspiration comes from real-life experiences and spending my entire life as a social butterfly.
I love meeting people from all over and, for the most part, saying yes to new experiences and opportunities as they present themselves. I believe that if you want to write good stories, then you must go out and experience a few yourself.
That’s why you’ll never catch me writing fantasy. I was not given the brain that is required to dream up worlds like that.
Are you more of a fan of plot-driven stories or character-driven stories?
I love a healthy mix of both. Why can’t we have both in the same story? I like to think that I write upmarket fiction because that’s what I want from the stories I read or films I watch: plot-driven, character-driven stories.
Fill in the blank: “People will like your book if they like stories about…”
…characters who break free from the norms of society and discover they have more in common with (and are treated better by) the “bad guys” than they ever did with the “good guys.”
What are your thoughts on typewriters?
I think they make wonderful display pieces on a writer’s bookshelf. But they are a step above chisel and stone and using one for more than novelty is a slap in the face to your ancestors who had to labor over those cumbersome things.
I have a lot of opinions on a lot of oddly specific things—typewriters included. Try me.
Would you rather own a bookstore or run a library?
No one wants me running a library. Anyone who knows me well would shudder at the thought. But I would crush it as a kind of greeter at the entrance of either a bookstore or library.
Need help looking for a book? We can struggle to find it together. Coming in to kill some time? Perfect! I went pro in wasting time ages ago and we can do it together. Wanna tell me all about some niche subject you’ve come to find books for? Lay it on me. I love learning, and for every answer you’ve got, I’ve got three more questions.
How do you name your characters?
I consider a lot of factors when naming a character. If they’re based on someone I know, if there’s something symbolic about their name, or if the name has a meaning that coincides with their personalities, what’s the cultural background of the person, and sometimes I just like a particular name.
Currently, I love the name Kieran. Read By Way of Paris, and you’ll understand why, and you’ll love it too – I promise.
What is your favorite website that you use to promote your writing?
Goodreads is great, and if you spend time connecting with that community, things can really pay off. But honestly, no matter what site you choose, the most important thing you can do to promote your work is two-fold: be genuine and be consistent.
If Hollywood bought the rights to your book, would you want it to be turned into a movie or series?
It depends—how big is the check? Because if it has a lot of zeros, then they can do as they please with my book.
But truthfully, it would make a great limited series. I’m thinking one season with 12 episodes tops. But if Scorsese or Fincher came along looking to make it into a feature-length, I’m certain I could be convinced to condense it to two hours.
Who is your dream audiobook narrator?
I am a huge fan of Tom Hardy. He’s got a great voice and can do a variety of dialects. I think he’d do fantastic with the ensemble cast of By Way of Paris.
Do you try to hit a certain page or word count with each writing session?
No – I’d probably be a lot better off if I did that. I just overwrite the crap out of everything and let future Chris worry about whittling it all down into something that makes sense later. For this reason, and many other reasons, Past Chris and Future Chris hate one another.
Do you have any writing rituals?
I sweep, mop, dust, fold laundry, brew coffee, check email, walk the dogs, snuggle the cat, check my tire pressure (and oil), then crack my knuckles. I do anything I can to procrastinate writing. This isn’t me trying to answer funnily; this is a cry for help.
What are your passions/obsessions outside of writing?
I love the act of creating, no matter the medium. Making something out of nothing for the sake of creating is such a wonderfully human thing. Outside of writing, I’m also a filmmake,r and I love the entire process of filming, from pre-production, to the laborious productions days and comradery on set, all the way to the editing bay and putting out a polished, final product that, hopefully, tells an affecting story.
Have you made any public appearances to promote your book?
Not yet! But I hope to put something together for the book launch and try to hit up as many bookstores in my area as I can. Refer to my aforementioned greeter position.
Who would you most want to read your book, living or dead?
Definitely living people – anyone with the capability to purchase a copy and tell all their (living) friends to buy a copy too. My novel has some Dickensian themes, so I’d love to see the expression on Chuck Dickens’ face as he read my book. Would he cry a little and then request to be returned to the grave? Or simply hand it back with a bunch of red pen marks and say, “It’s a great start?”
You know what, I take it back. No literary greats are allowed to read my book.
Who is on your Mt. Rushmore of greatest/inspirational authors?
It’s cliché, but I love Ernest Hemingway. Reading his work ages ago inspired me to keep reading and to write, write, write. I’m also a big fan of Cormac McCarthy, Tana French is a master of the upmarket thriller and my recent go-to is Jonathan Ames.
What is your favorite bookish possession?
To preface, I love Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, and I read it yearly. When I was in Paris and starting my own literary journey and writing the opening chapters of By Way of Paris, I bought a very old and very French paperback copy of The Sun Also Rises (Le soleil se lève aussi) from one of those bookstands along the Seine.
It’s stayed on my shelf in the wrapping ever since. It’s my emotional support book. I should get it its own little service vest so it can have a seat next to me on planes.
Have you ever mentored another writer with their writing?
Mentored is a strong word. I think that would imply that I’m something much greater than I am.
However, on my writing course at Bath Spa University I considered myself head cheerleader of writers. We’d have some intense workshopping sessions, and I hated seeing anyone’s work get torn down without any help on building them back up, so I made sure to go out of my way to help my writing friends brainstorm ways of improving their work.
People on writing courses get oddly competitive, but I can honestly say I never let myself feel that way. I got more joy in supporting my fellow writers than envying them.
Is there an idea that a non-writer has pitched to you that you have written or considered writing?
My dad is a wildly creative person, and he’s pitched a few ideas that I thought were pretty cool, but in the end, I don’t think you can write about something that you’re not absolutely in love with.
What is the most unique way that an idea for a piece of writing has come to you?
I’d say the inspiration for By Way of Paris is unique. I was in Paris, attempting to retrace the steps of the great literary American expats before my writing course in England, and I felt so overwhelmed, and frankly depressed, because I’d given myself the insurmountable task of writing a groundbreaking, original novel.
A few (days of) drinks later, I began wondering how far a writer would go to find inspiration, how depraved would they get to be original and chase a lifelong dream. What set the whole novel into motion was the final key: what would that search for a story look like if the writer was already a little unhinged from the start. Once that idea came into my head, it was like cellular mitosis with ideas and words duplicating at lightspeed into what would become By Way of Paris.
Are you a big reader? Do you own a large collection of books, or are you more of a borrower?
I might be burned at the stake for admitting that I’m not as voracious of a reader as other writers, but it’s only been in the past ten years that I began reading more heavily. I came into storytelling through filmmaking and screenwriting, but when I realized how dependent I was on others to create films and how limited I was in creating the stories I wanted to create, novel writing was my only natural course of action. With that being said, I love owning as many books as I can and filling my shelves. People hoard all kinds of dumb things, but I don’t believe books are one of those things.
Have you ever gone away to work on a piece of writing? If not, where would you go if you could?
I wish I could be one of those people who shlep up to a mountain cabin in the woods for two weeks and come down with the first draft of a manuscript, but I’m not. When I go somewhere, I’m hyper-focused on that place and that experience, and I’m much more productive once I return home to a quiet office to write—but first I’ll sweep, mop, dust, fold laundry, brew coffee, check email…you get it.
What is an annoying thing that a non-writer has assumed about writers or the act of writing?
Honestly, I don’t really get annoyed by much…but now that I think about it: I hate when non-writers assume that once you’ve finished writing a novel that you can just ‘”go get it published.” They have this 1950’s view on publishing, where you could send off a manuscript and hear back from each of the big publishers within a fortnight.
It’s always interesting seeing the look on people’s faces when you explain to them that in the past 20 years, publishers have built a thousand-foot wall around the industry and the bulk of agents are hail from one particular demographic, live almost exclusively in Manhattan, and are way too overworked/underpaid and terrified to take chances on new out-of-the-box stories from people and places they don’t understand. Other than that, it takes a lot to annoy me.
How do you measure the success of your writing career?
I don’t think I’m far enough along in my writing career to measure my success with any increment other than time. How was my writing a day ago? What about a week? How well was I writing a year ago, or hell—five?
Looking at my writing career through any other lens would be like counting my eggs before they hatch. And I can’t even think about eggs right now because my chickens are free range and I’m still chasing those suckers down.
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