Swinging by today is David Stahler, author of Spinning Out!
High school senior Frenchy has little ambition beyond hanging out at the smoking rock until his best friend, the ever-witty and conniving Stewart, gets him to try out for Man of la Mancha. To everyone's surprise, the guys are a hit. But when Stewart's antics begin to grow more obsessive he wears his costume 24/7, freaks out about little details, and displays an incessant hatred of the high-tech windmills outside of town Frenchy worries that there's something deeper going on. Is Stewart spiraling into madness, just like Don Quixote? And can Frenchy battle through his own demons in time to save his friend from self-destruction before it's too late?
Sounds good, right? Click Read More to see what David and I talked about - including indie rock and what his kids' favorite books are!
Nicole: Welcome to WORD, David! When did you get the idea for Spinning Out?
David Stahler: I got the initial idea back in 2004 as I was putting together five book proposals for my agent, George Nicholson. The first two were companion volumes (a fourth Truesight novel, as well as a short-story collection to accompany my second book, A Gathering of Shades), another was a middle-grade novel called I Wish I May (which I wrote but never published), the fourth was what ended up being my third published novel Doppelganger, and finally Spinning Out, which was originally called Sancho and Don. Rereading the proposal just now, I’m surprised by how closely the final version matches my original idea. The wind towers, along with Frenchy’s father’s suicide, were added later, inspired by what was happening in my community when I wrote the first draft in 2008-2009. To be honest, I don’t remember exactly where the idea came from—seven years is a long time ago!
N: As much as I love weird names, I have to ask - why name the main character Frenchy? Did it just call out to you or what?
DS: I live in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, which borders Quebec, and we have a lot of residents with French-Canadian roots. (I’m almost half Quebecois.) So Frenchy is quite a common nickname around these parts. I just always liked the name. Most of the guys I’ve known called Frenchy are real characters.
N: What was your favorite part about writing Spinning Out?
DS: It was interesting to write a novel that didn’t have a science fiction or supernatural element to it like my previous books. But my favorite part was Frenchy’s voice. I love writing from the first-person point of view—when you have a good character and really immerse yourself in the narrative voice it practically writes itself. It can be quite an odd, almost transcendent experience at times. I especially love his scenes with Ralph—those were certainly the most fun to write.
N: Speaking of favorite moments, do you have a favorite part in Man of La Mancha?
DS: Tough one. There are so many great moments in the play. I think I love the moment when Quixote gets Dulcinea to see herself in a new light. It’s full of love, though not in a romantic way. I’m a sucker for that moment of transformation when someone with a horrible self-image finally allows themselves to awaken to their inner beauty. It’s classic.
N: And speaking of classics! You got your B.A. in English. What do you remember most about your time in college?
DS: I was fortunate to be able to go to Middlebury College, a great school that gave me a ton of grant money during a time when my family didn’t have much. The three highlights? The nine months I spent with my future wife before she graduated two years ahead of me, the hard core band I formed with three friends, and the last two years of my education, which was almost entirely filled with English classes. Absolute heaven.
N: You have two children. What are their favorite books?
DS: My son Julian is nine and an avid reader. He loves animals and has been really into the Erin Hunter series books (Warriors, Seekers). He also loves the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Right now he’s reading How to Train Your Dragon for a second time along with The Whipping Boy. My daughter Maida is four. Her current favorites seem to be Madeline and Julius, the Baby of the World.
N: Ooo, I love the Warriors series. If you had to listen to one song every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Probably The Velvet Underground’s Candy Says. I’ve been listening to that song since I was seventeen and it still gets me every time.
You can invite one person over to your house for dinner with your family, living or dead. Who is it?
I’m an indie rock nerd, so it would have to be the songwriter Robert Pollard. The man is brilliant. For a ten year period about ninety-percent of the music I listened to was by his band Guided by Voices. I think it drove my wife crazy. My two brothers and I got to see the original line-up of the group in Boston last fall—best show I’ve ever seen.