Author Interview – Jonathan Woods – Hog Wild

On The Table Read, “the best book magazine in the UK“, author Jonathan Woods discusses his new thriller novel, Hog Wild, and what inspired his story of super-intelligent feral hogs.

Written by JJ Barnes

www.jjbarnes.co.uk

I interviewed author Jonathan Woods about his life and career, what inspired him to start writing, and the story of his new novel, Hog Wild.

Tell me a bit about who you are.

I’m an American gypsy, having grown up East Coast, West Coast and in between. I continued the gypsy life as an in-house attorney for a multinational high-tech company, living in six different U.S. locations and frequently travelling overseas.

I have a super-talented spouse who is a fabulous painter in the fauvist style: www.dahliawoodsgallery.com, two grandchildren who are as frothy and full of life as an endless spritz of whip cream and three small dogs who rarely talk back.

I live and write in an 1896 house in Dallas, Texas.

When did you first WANT to write a book?

Since I was nine years old. I have now written five books: Bad Juju & Other Tales of Madness and Mayhem, A Death in Mexico, Phone Call from Hell and Other Tales of the Damned, Kiss the Devil Good Night and Hog Wild. I’m working on book number six, another book of short stories.

When did you take a step to start writing?

By some miracle around 2003 I had an opportunity to step away from my legal career and begin writing in earnest. For two summers after that, my spouse and I spent four months in Italy, she painting Italian landscapes, me struggling to fit words and sentences together in some sort of comprehensible way.

In 2005 I had the thrill and pleasure of attending both Bread Loaf and Sewanee writers’ conferences. After that summer I turned to writing short stories. I began to get them published on line and pretty soon I had a book of stories. The rest is history.

How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?

After attending Bread Loaf writers conference in July 2005, I put the draft novel I was working on in the bottom drawer of my desk and wrote my first short story, “Ideas of Murder in Southern Vermont.” I stole the title from a Wallace Stevens poem: “Ideas of Order in Key West.” I love writing short stories.

Two or three weeks of intense work, set the manuscript aside for a month, go back & make some final revisions and voila! a miniature masterpiece. Or at least I thought so. Then I started to get my stories accepted for publication online at literary/crime websites such as 3:AM Magazine, Dogmatic, Plots with Guns and Thuglit. Pretty soon I had a book’s worth of stories.

By sheer luck I found a publisher who loved them, Jon Bassoff at New Pulp Press. Bad Juju & Other Tales of Madness and Mayhem came out in the fall of 2010. It went on to be a featured book at the 2011 Texas Book Festival at the capitol building in Austin and to win a 2011 Spinetingler Award for Best Crime Short Story Collection.

How long did it take you to complete your latest book from the first idea to release?

Hog Wild took about four years to write. I think this was because it took a lot of time to figure out how to create the super-brainy feral hog “characters” and when to bring them into the story. Also during that period I was ill for most of a year with an infected knee replacement—4 surgeries and months of intravenous antibiotics. But Hog Wild is at last arriving on August 26, 2022, whether the world is ready for it or not.

Focusing on your latest release. What made you want to write Hog Wild?

Well, I’m not really sure. I wanted to write another gonzo tale, like Kiss the Devil Good Night, but different. Then this idea of super-hogs with all the worst traits of humans got in my head. And, well, that’s all she wrote.

What were your biggest challenges with writing Hog Wild?

The biggest challenge in writing Hog Wild was figuring out when to introduce the feral hogs. Finally, I opted to put them on page 1. I love the hogs. They deserve top billing.

Who or what inspired you when creating your Protagonist?

Ray Puzo, ex-Special Forces sniper from the hills of central Tennessee, is the perfect hillbilly from rural Tennessee. Despite having been a killer in the military for 17 years, he’s really an innocent, a Candide figure. He’s the perfect hero to guide us through the nightmare worlds of the Cross family ranch owners and the super-intelligent feral hogs.

Who or what inspired you when creating your Antagonist?

Almost everybody who appears in Hog Wild except our hero, Ray Puzo, is an antagonist. Of course, there are the feral hogs who want Ray dead, dead, dead. Then there are the ranch humans all of whom should be committed to a state institution for the criminally deranged.

First and foremost there’s Amanda Cross, ranch matriarch. She wants a ranch heir other than her queer son Ned and Ray’s chromosomes fill the bill. Then there’s her nympho daughter Loretta, who wants to screw Ray six ways to Sunday. Then there’s the ranch foreman Lamont, who hates Ray’s guts. And then there’s the house Mexican, Gomzi who also wants Ray six feet under.

What is the inciting incident of Hog Wild?

The feral hog attack on page 1. No time is wasted in kicking off this page turner.

What is the main conflict of Hog Wild?

Will our hero, Ray Puzo, survive the feral hogs? Will our hero, Ray Puzo, survive the crazy Cross family? Will our hero, Ray Puzo, survive period? Hopefully you’ll read to the end and find out.

Did you plot Hog Wild in advance, or fly by the seat of your pants and write freely?

Hog Wild was pretty much written from scratch without an outline. At some point about halfway through I figured out the ending. My biggest issue was when to introduce the ultra-bright feral hogs. I finally realized they needed to appear on page 1, so I added a short two-page scene involving the hogs that opens the novel before Chapter 1.

Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did Hog Wild need?

Other than the issue of when to introduce the feral hogs, the book only required major edits or revisions. My writing process involves editing the previous days pages before the next day before writing new pages. I did have the manuscript proofread.

What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a story?

Three things: 1) read tons of great books, 2) write your heart out, and 3) believe in yourself. I have also found being in a writers’ group that meets regularly to be very helpful—it forces you to write. No one wants to show up for the next meeting without new pages to be critiqued. The group should be small, 4 or 5 members at most, and everyone needs to be committed. Both Hog Wild and Kiss the Devil Good Night where primarily written in writers’ groups.

Can you give me a hint about any further books you’re planning to write?

Over the last six months I’ve been working on a new book of crime short stories. You can read some of them if you go to Yellow Mama or Horror Sleaze Trash and search under my name. Also, I’m thinking about a new novel set in Key West, where I lived for five years.

And, finally, are your proud of your accomplishment? Was it worth the effort?

I love writing. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing at the tail end of my life. And I love my books and stories. And I’ve been very lucky to receive great reviews.

Pop all your book, website and social media links here so the readers can find you:

Website: www.southernnoir.com

On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Woods/e/B007MQMSVE?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1655402236&sr=1-1

Recent short stories of mine can be found on Yellow Mama: https://blackpetalsks.tripod.com/yellowmama/

and on Horror Sleaze Trash: https://horrorsleazetrash.com/category/fiction/

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