When I recently read and reviewed The Identity Factor, I was quite impressed by the background of the author, James Houston Turner, and the background of the book. The first chance I got I asked Mr. Turner for an e-mail interview on the occasion of the publication of his book on 1st October 2007.
The Identity Factor was finished in 2001, but the publishing was delayed due to the events on 9/11. As an author, what was your reaction to the delay, and has the story changed in the years?
I was extremely frustrated and discouraged by the delay. I had an agent in New York. I had a film company interested in the story. Then, almost overnight, I was off everybody’s Christmas card list. I was so discouraged I took time off to write a film script I had been thinking about for years. I then wrote another film script, which earned me some recognition in Hollywood because of its high placement in several competitions. I then returned to The Identity Factor and began the massive job of editing and polishing and rewriting it literally dozens of times. And what started out as a 145,000 word manuscript ended up 106,000 words. Writing two movie scripts played a big part in making me a leaner writer.
I even tried taking out anything controversial -- i.e., the tablet portion of the story -- but it was like taking out the story’s heart and soul. I hated doing it but felt I had to, although some good friends from the University of Houston badgered me into putting it back in. It was like breathing fresh air to put the story back as I had originally written it. But this time, it was a lot more efficient and powerful. It also took television shows like 24 and The West Wing to open the door on Middle Eastern issues, and so I believe the time is right for this book.
You have been credited (by Barnes and Noble) as being the first author to use video as a promotional tool for your novel. How did you get the idea?
When you find yourself up against a brick wall, it’s amazing how creative we can be. My brick wall was name recognition -- or lack thereof — and I knew I needed something different, a “hook”, to attract people to my novel, The Second Thirteen. Because much of the story was set in Australia, and knowing the appeal Australia has for much of the world, I asked one of the local television stations if they would help me make a short video about my book’s Australian settings. They loved the idea and donated a cameraman and equipment to my project. We filmed in and around Adelaide, where I live, then used stock footage of Sydney to finish it off. Next, I got two newspaper critics to offer their review comments, then enlisted Logie award-winning Australian television legend, Anne Wills, to introduce the video. Qantas Airways then offered to sponsor my promotional trip to the United States in exchange for promotional credit, and Jacob’s Creek furnished wine at several of my high profile functions. It was a fabulous experience promoting that book!
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