Inside The Indie Author: A Conversation with Kristoffer Gair

Have you ever considered writing under a pseudonym, and why or why not?

I used to write under a pseudonym. The first book I wrote was with a former high school teacher, and I used my real name for that, but it ended up being the second book published. It was a historical non-fiction novel. The first book I published—the second one I wrote—fell under the LGBTQ genre, and, at the time—the late 1990s—I didn’t want there to be problems with people associating my writing from the LGBTQ genre with the historical novel. There was also a matter of privacy back then writing a novel with gay characters, and I didn’t want my personal life to become public knowledge before I felt ready.

What is your “go-to” method for working through or around writer’s block?

This is a timely question to be answering at this moment because I’m currently dealing with severe burnout. My husband has been helping his family away from home for two years, I’ve traveled quite a bit in the last year, my job has been incredibly stressful, and we have a dog we inherited from my mother when she passed who has health issues. I’m at the point now where grocery shopping is my preferred way of being social since it feels very difficult to be around people outside of work.

I’ve been binging NetFlix and catching up on shows and movies I’ve ignored over the past couple of years, and just enjoying them. Every time I try to sit down and type in the book, there’s an interruption, and I’m tired of forcing myself to find scraps of free minutes when something isn’t calling my attention away. It’s beyond exhausting. So, I’m enjoying stories other people are telling for the moment until enough chaos passes when I can sit down and start pounding away again at the book.

From your perspective, what are the most important elements of good writing?

Writing what you want, first and foremost. If it inspires you, write it, and chances are it’ll inspire someone else. Inspiration comes through. Follow your muse. Following someone else’s muse or what’s most popular out there at the moment might sell, but it feels empty to me. We’re unique…just like everybody else. I write the stories I wish I had available to me in the way I want to see them.

One of my degrees is in film, so I tend to write a story in such a way that it’s the movie I wish I was filming. I’ve also found that the stories I write tend to explore a part of me that hasn’t always been shown to even those closest to me. Themes and feelings outside my immediate life intrigue me, and writing them becomes the exploration I could never otherwise take part in.

What comes first – the location, the plot, or the characters – and why?

It varies. My first solo novel, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to My Sexual Orientation is based extremely loosely on a similar trip I took to California between my freshman and sophomore year of college. Everything in the book is completely fictional outside of that—minus a few incidents with my Grandmother and her brother and sister. That trip was my inspiration.

Gaylias: Operation Thundespell came to me after hearing the song Thunderspell by Doro. The Falling Awake books came to me after walking through the Atlanta airport, hearing the track Vortex by John Carpenter, and listening to other tracks by Tangerine Dream and Jerome Froese. The stories came together through the moods set by music, and the visuals they created in my mind. The song Stars Will Light The Way by Simple Minds became a theme in Falling Awake 2 and 3.

Butterflies I Have Known came out of musings after writing the Falling Awake series of what would happen if there was a happy ending for two people who might have known each other in a previous life. I had the two characters in my mind and created the plot entirely around them. I listened to Starlight by Westlife while writing most of that book, and Hold My Hand by Lady Gaga while writing the semi-sequel.

What are your least favorite and most favorite things about publishing a book?

Least favorite – people finding typos that my editors and I missed. Drives me insane, and I blame myself.

Most favorite – the responses from readers who’ve taken a chance on the book. People who I know are often hesitant to read my work because of whatever expectations they’ve developed based on how they know me, yet they’re often surprised by this side they haven’t interacted with. I also love seeing the cover for the first time and realizing “this is the one!”

What is a significant way your book changed from the first to the final draft?

Each one is a little different from the others, but last year’s Snow Angels in the Dust changed the most, I think. The changes were additions, not deletions. I gave very little away about the main character’s past, and the hints I did give were really, really buried. They didn’t become the “a ha!” moments I hoped for at the end of the story. Editor feedback was consistent that I just didn’t give enough, so I went back through and brought more elements to the surface.I also added a couple of scenes with another character from Butterflies I Have Known who has a presence in Snow Angels. It fleshed that character out, and added to the main character’s backstory in Snow Angels, as well as their friendship. So, win/win.

What was the inspiration for your most recent book?

I’d done some research while writing Butterflies I Have Known, and came across a reference I couldn’t get out of my head. Honestly, I was too young to remember “Children of the Dust” or to understand the significance of children born in Vietnam to American fathers and Vietnamese mothers, but the references became a wakeup call. I vowed to find a way to work their story into one of my own, and that is the basis for how Snow Angels in the Dust came into being.

There are two very broken characters born on opposite sides of the planet who past, present, and future is completely intertwined. That was the challenge of the story, and one I feel very good about exploring.

What is a “darling” you’ve killed in a book that you’d like to resurrect in a future book?

That’s a tough one because I’ve killed off several characters. However, they have been brought back in flashbacks, which gives me—and readers—a chance to revisit them in a new way. Or, as in the Falling Awake books, they’re just reincarnated.

Where are your most productive writing spaces, and what elements are important about that space to keep you focused on writing.

I can typically write anywhere at home whether it’s the living room, bedroom, or office. The hard part about writing at home is not being interrupted by the dog. He loves to nap—mostly because of his age—but the moment he suspects or confirms I’m writing, he suddenly needs to go outside, or starts sniffing the floor like he’s trying to decide if he’s going to do his business inside the house unless I take him out, or he’ll whip a toy at me he has no interest in chasing after I throw it.

I love writing while at the airport. As long as I have headphones and a decent music selection at my disposal, have laptop will travel. I used to be able to write on a plane, but with the seat reclining issues and lack of space, my laptop won’t fit properly.

If you were to give one of your side characters a novella of their own, who would it be, and why do you think they need their own story?

Oh, heck. I’ve given side characters their own books. Andrew got his story in Falling Awake II, several characters from Falling Awake II got their own story in Falling Awake IV, and a side character in Butterflies I Have Known got his own book in Snow Angels in the Dust.

There’s more to people than we ever can begin to suspect, and the same can be said about fictional characters. They came from us, so it’s sometimes intriguing to explore their world, too.

What risks have you taken with your writing that made the book better?

I went from writing three comedies—a genre I became very comfortable with—to writing stories that made me—and, consequently everyone else—cry. That was risky since not everyone came along for the ride. I did pick up some new passengers, though.

A very close friend and fellow author, Trish Gillham (who wrote under J.P. Barnaby for many years), wrote a story and one of my comments during the beta phase was that she should kill off one the characters. This character happened to be a child—something that would have added major tension and reality to the story—and she told me readers would never accept that no matter what the circumstances. I disagreed, and my entire Falling Awake Series essentially revolves around the death of a child. It can be done, but I agree it’s a risk if it’s done poorly or for no reason. Taking risks allows the author to see beyond the expectations of a genre and even readers.

Stories stagnate if we don’t take chances.

What’s the best monetary investment you’ve ever made with regard to your writing practice?

Our music and film library. Music is a huge part of my writing process and inspiration, and my books often mention music artists who I listen to. I love helping support artists through buying their music and helping get word out.

When you first began writing, what was a common procrastination trap you encountered, and how did you overcome it?

Video games. They were great for breaks, but I’d get drawn into a game to the point I couldn’t get it out of my mind until I finished it. Mostly, I stopped playing unless I had company, then it was okay to partake.

What is your writing software of choice, and what is its best feature?

I use good, old-fashioned Microsoft Word. That’s it. I have friends who still prefer to write everything out longhand. That used to be me. Not anymore. Other friends use programs that organize their work etc, etc, etc. I’ve never needed it or even wanted to use it. Everyone uses what helps them or makes them feel comfortable, and I’m the same way. Simple for me is best.

Do characters’ names come immediately to you? Do you add them in a final draft? Where do you find names, and how do you make a final decision about the names you’ll use?

Each character resonates with me like a color, feeling, or a sound, like a musical note or melody. I’ll toil over a name when they’re introduced because it’s who they become as I continue to write them. The name is established—how the name rolls of my tongue when I say it loud, and what feelings and images come to mind—and that’s who they are the rest of the story, which helps me keep them straight. It’s very rare that a name will change during the writing of a story.

Tell us one of your favorite novels, and why this book is a favorite.

I’m tempted to list Salem’s Lot by Stephen King and/or Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice because they played huge roles in my development as an author. King is prolific and I started reading him when I was maybe ten years old. He opened up my eyes to the adult world and to things in the dark. Anne Rice had a way with description and bringing a place to life in such a way that I can still only dream of ever achieving. To read a book by her was to experience a world in such detail that it brought all the senses to life.

That being said, the story that touched me the most is a short one called A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote. I read it in 9th Grade many, many times, and have read it many, many times since. There is a profound beauty and sadness in the story describing the friendship between a young boy and older family member while they make fruitcakes during the holiday season. It’s a perfect slice of life that both warms the heart and makes you ache for what was as opposed to what is.

Think of the title of a hugely popular novel. What is one major thing you would change about the book?

I wouldn’t change anything about anyone’s book. That’s for them to do, not me. Typing that makes me laugh a little because I have a ton of opinions on how I’d change something in a film I’ve watched. I’m not sure why it’s open season for me on movies, but books are sacred. Each book is the author’s dream, and I wouldn’t want to mess with that. A film is more collaboration, so it’s easier to pick things apart without it falling entirely on the writer’s shoulders.

What are you reading right now?

Prior to feeling burned out, I was continuing to read a book Edgar Froese wrote on his time in Tangerine Dream. I tend to read a huge number of autobiographies and biographies, but I needed a break from this particular book. I am now digging into one called Butterfly Goo by Rachel Burr. Rachel is a friend, a new author, and it’s about her journey. She uses a great deal of humor, and is very, very relatable.

If you could take on the identity of a character in one of your favorite books for twenty-four hours and retain the memory of that experience, which character would you choose? Tell us the title, author, character name, and why you would want to be that character.

I realize after reading this question that I’ve read far too much horror because there’s not a chance in heck I’d want to live the life of one of those characters for 24 hours.

It did occur to me after finishing writing Butterflies I Have Known that it would be interesting to spend a day in Jian’s shoes and living his life. He speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, has brothers and a sister—I have neither—and is a prankster. It might be fun to experience that life for a day. The only problem with that is he isn’t real, so if I did live his life for a day, I might actually want to be friends with someone who doesn’t exist. I’m lonely enough as it is, so I don’t need that added pressure.

If you could save five books from being destroyed in the apocalypse, what books would you choose, and why?

Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice
My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
The Complete Stories of Truman Capote
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Black Boy by Richard Wright.

These books came to me either while in high school or at university, and had an effect on me as a person, and as a storyteller.

Tell us a little something about your current WIP. When do you expect it to be released?

I’ve tried to tackle something new with each book whether it’s the genre or a theme. I’d been approached to speak at local library during Pride Week in the summer, but to young adults. I don’t have a novel that’s really suitable for the Young Adult audience, and a story finally occurred to me.

I grew up watching Ultra Man and Johnny Sokko & His Flying Robot on Channel 20 here in the Detroit area. I was also a fan of superheroes, and Science Fiction films felt—and still do—part of my blood. There never seemed to be a story I could tell that combined many or any of these things…until last year. So, I’m writing a Young Adult book that’s very much about friendship, has lots of humor, and also combines my love for shows I watched while growing up. There will also be some tears, of course, but hopefully in a good way.

When will it be released? I’m hopeful this year.

What are the titles and genres of each book you’ve written?