Just recently I read and loved(!) Thank You For Flying Air Zoe by Erik Atwell. It was an awesome book. Seriously, folks. It’s the best $2.99 you can ever spend, although if you don’t have an e-reader you’ll have to buy that also… (but you can also get it in paperback, but not for $2.99, obviously — and you can of course head here to try and win a copy of the novel during our giveaway for Thank You For Flying Air Zoe). I loved the book and I was very pleased to chat with Erik back and forth and be able to do an interview with him. Here it is for your pleasure! Enjoy!

1. Would you please describe Thank You For Flying Air Zoe in five words?

Snapping, crackling pop music mayhem!

2. Are you currently working on a second novel? (Please say yes, please say yes!) If you are, can you tell us anything about it?

Okay, for you, I will say just that – Yes! Truth is, I already have a finished draft of another novel that’s essentially ready for its first makeover. However, recent events and kind reader feedback (and by “feedback,” I mean, “fierce demands and ferocious threats”) have me considering writing a sequel to Air Zoe. I’m still a long way from having sales justify my doing this, but I grew to love these characters, have a fun storyline in place, and would be thrilled to have enough fans to warrant a sequel. So yeah, if Zoe can stay airborne, she’ll probably get another flight!

3. You are a man. You are a man who writes women’s fiction. How did that come about? Why did you decide to write women’s fiction?

That’s easy. It was a desperate attempt to make sense out of the wild and wonderful world of womankind.

I’m totally kidding – you ask an excellent question. I think I’ve been writing female protagonists since college, and the only explanation I can come up with is this… Women are awesome. Don’t get me wrong, men are capable of great sensitivity and depth when properly inspired. But the playful nature of my accidental narrative style seems to benefit more from having a woman drive the story.

4. Your blog tells me that it took four years to write Air Zoe, I don’t mean this rudely, but why did it take so long for you to write it?

Because once I got about five chapters into it at about the one year mark, I had the nerve to fall in love, move from L.A. to Seattle, and ultimately get married. The whole dizzy adventure completely rearranged me as a writer. When I finally returned to the story about a year or so later, I realized that I was capable of more. More humor. More emotion, More affection for what this story could become. So I basically rewrote those first five chapters, then slowly pushed forward. I think it was close to three years of writing, then another year to get the novel published. But don’t hold me to those numbers. Writers can’t be trusted when it comes to simple math.

5. Can you tell us where the idea for Air Zoe came from? I think I can safely say that you weren’t part of an all-girl garage group, right? (The ‘all-girl’ kind of gives it away, sadly.)

You’re right. I auditioned for a few such bands, but I never made it past the either the musical aptitude test, or the chromosome checkpoint. It was devastating, but I tried to bravely move on.

Kidding aside, Air Zoe all started with the title, which came to me on the fly when trading emails with a literary agent who’d rejected my first attempt at publishing a novel back in 2007. She asked me what else I was working on, and I said something like, “A loopy story about recapturing one’s youth called Thank You For Flying Air Zoe.”

Well, the agent said, “Awesome title,” and told me she’d be thrilled to look at it when I was done. This was just impossibly super news, and I was thrilled to my very core. There was only one small obstacle in my way.

The story.

See, I didn’t really have one. Not even close. But I did have the awesome title, which truly came out of nowhere. I just liked the sound of it – almost at an unhealthy level. So after overcomplicating about two dozen storylines that ranged from absurd to even more absurd, I finally simplified my thought process. Convinced myself to write about the things that I hold dear - friendships, fond memories & music.

6. Zoe is one of my favourite girl characters ever. I mean, she rocks. So do all her friends. If your novel proves anything, it’s that men can easily write about girls. Did you find yourself asking your wife for help to try and get into the psyche of a girl better?

Thank you so much – that actually means a lot to a man who aspires to accurately and gracefully try to write female characters.

To answer your question, no, I didn’t really consult with my wife during the writing process. Like I touched upon briefly, I actually started Air Zoe before she and I connected. Still, even when I did have her feminine expertise and wisdom at my disposal, I stubbornly refused to ask questions. I knew that ultimately she’d be a great litmus test for a completed draft, but until then, I wanted to see where my instincts took me without directly being influenced.

7. How did you come up with the name for the girl group? Where did ‘The Flip-Flops’ come from?

So many girl bands in the 80s had names that evoked a frisky and vibrant spirit. The Go-Go’s and The Bangles, of course, were probably the signature bands of their groovy pop genre. I wanted something similarly simple. Something emblematic of the soul of the typical teenage California beach chick. Much like the characters did themselves before stumbling upon The Flip-Flops, I struggled mightily when trying to come up with a name. There were many near misses… The Popsicles, The Snow Cones, and Cherry Cola Cali Chicks all failed to pass the eye test. I gave a mercifully fleeting thought to calling the band Duran Duran’s Future Ex-Wives, but concluded that my fledgling career didn’t really need legal troubles right out of the gate.

My little epiphany hit when I was drafting profiles of the characters, specifically their respective fashions. Ginger wore heels and boots, Mel wore Birkenstocks, Lauren wore sneakers, and Zoe…

She was flip-flops kind of girl.

And there it was.

8. Is there really a thing as an organic butter saleswoman? Of all the jobs there’s been in Chick Lit, I’ve never come across that one and it’s… well, it’s unique!

I’m not entirely sure, but a good friend of mine works for a leading organics manufacturer, so he coached me through some of the specifics and possibilities. Mostly I just liked the idea of creating a convoluted title that could barely fit on a business card.

9. Contrary to my beliefs, Air Zoe is not self-published. It is in fact published by BookTrope which is an Indie publisher. Can you tell us in an easy way as possible, exactly how BookTrope differs from most other Indie/self-published publishers out there?

I can try. Booktrope is unique in that it utilizes a team publishing model. Each piece they publish employs four key players: the author, an editor, a cover designer, and a book manager who sees the book through the marketing maze. They give this team greater creative control than traditional publishing tends to allow, while simultaneously devoting considerable energy toward marketing the book. These days, major publishing houses have fewer resources available for marketing, which often leaves the writer aimless, alone, and wholly without in-house support. Booktrope aims to nurture the career of its authors. They also let readers sample all of their authors’ books in their entirely on the Booktrope website. It’s actually an incredibly simple and inspired concept – just connect books to readers. It’s all an author ever really wants – to locate an audience, and in turn have the audience discover their writing.

10. How has your experience with BookTrope been? Is it everything you expected it to be?

It’s been very good. I didn’t really allow myself to have any concrete expectations. It’s fine to have hope and optimism, but entering such a huge new endeavor with expectations is almost arrogant. No author, or artist in general, is greater than the process they’re about to begin. I expected only that I’d be given both the opportunity and the means to impress, and to that end, I couldn’t ask for more. I’m just a few weeks into this career, but I’m happy with progress so far, and I’m optimistic for the future of Air Zoe.

11. You mentioned to me in an email that you edited the novel yourself and I must admit, I was amazed. I mean, it’s incredibly rare I read a book and don’t pick up on one error in a novel, but Air Zoe gave me a big fat 0. How many times did you go through the book with a fine-toothed comb? (A lot of authors could learn from your editing techniques.)

You do realize, of course, that my response to this question is going to be completely riddled with typos and grammar gaffes.

I’m kidding, and thank you so much! This compliment also means a lot to me, because we writers are just not supposed to touch our own editing. The theory is that we’re too close to it to see the work clearly and objectively, and truth be told, I fully believe this. However, when it comes to a writer’s own work, we can get snappishly territorial in a, “If you lop off that comma, I’ll lop off your hand!” kind of way. So when Booktrope saw that I had some editing experience in my background, they let me have a shot at final edits. I knew it was a risk that I would NEVER advise a writer to take on unless they’re prepared to utterly annihilate their career before it really even takes off.

Thankfully, I was prepared for just such an annihilation! I really can’t say exactly how many times I carefully read through Air Zoe cover to cover, but I’m sure it was at least a dozen. Let’s just say I’d inadvertently gotten quite skilled at reciting my own passages from memory.

12. Did you ever think of publishing your novel under an assumed name? I mean, despite everything people say, I’m almost sure most Chick Lit readers are a bit dubious about women’s fiction written by men (me, I don’t care; as long as the story is good I don’t care if an alien wrote it). Hypothetically, what would your pseudonym be if you were going to use one?

Long ago, I mused that the name “Erika Twell” would probably be my only viable penname option, but I really only joked about it. Ultimately, I want to be 100% upfront and honest with my audience, and never misrepresent myself just for the sake of a possibly easier path. I’m like you, I don’t care who writes the story, so long as the story resonates. It’s about the message, not the messenger. In Air Zoe, I feel like I’ve not only created a story that fits well in the Chick Lit paradigm, but also can make an impact with any reader who has a soft spot for nostalgia, longing, and the pursuit of impossible dreams.

13. What books do you enjoy reading yourself? Do you read Chick Lit?

I probably don’t read as much as I should, but when I do dive into deep reading phases, I tend to be all over the library. Lately I’ve been reading memoirs written by Rob Sheffield, whose fondness for 80s music and culture really struck a chord – go figure! From the Chick Lit genre specifically, I count Lolly Winston’s Good Grief as one of my favorites. I also quite liked The True And Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson.

My favorite writers in general are Lorrie Moore and Amy Hempel, and they’ve been atop my worship pedestal for many years. They write fiction that’s far more literary than my writing, but they add just the right dash of humor to make their works truly shimmer. They succeed where I aspire to succeed – writing prose that often alternates from being on laughing gas to tear gas.

Happiness and sadness. They’re pretty much the epicenter of all our emotional earthquakes, right?

14. Do you feel any different since you’ve become a published author? Does it feel satisfying to see people reading and enjoying your book? Is it weird to have your book out there after so long of having it just as your book?

Yeah, it really does feel satisfying, especially because the road to Novel Land has been one seriously long trip! Mostly I feel the same, but there are certainly some surreal moments in my new reality. Your July review was one such moment – it caught me completely by surprise that you’d not only noticed the novel, but that you enjoyed it so much! I think I told you that my wife got teary when reading the review out loud to me, and it was truly an unforgettable moment.

Ever see the movie Almost Famous? [Ed note: I've never seen Almost Famous, but I just might soon!] There’s a scene in the film when Kate Hudson’s wild child groupie says to the intrepid young reporter kid, “It’s all happening.” Well, these words have truly been the amazing theme of my last few months. See, on top of all this other great book stuff, July also saw the birth of our first child. First baby, first book, my life has been an awesome carnival ride as of late. Anyway, your review was definitely one such It’s-all-happening moment. So too are all of those times when I see comments about Air Zoe on any one of the trillion social media sites.

It’s all happening, and it’s all happening quickly. One minute you’re swearing at your computer monitor at 3AM because you can’t think of a name for your fictional all-girl garage band. And the next minute you’re smiling at the very same monitor as you read online comments from readers who want to be a Flip-Flop.

15. Finally, what kind of advice would you give to writers out there who want to publish their novel?

I think that the most important thing is to believe in yourself without believing that you know best. I’ve found a lot of freedom in the knowledge that I am forever a work-in-progress – creatively, intellectually, and emotionally. It’s really okay to stumble and fall as you strive to get your work on shelves. If you’re able to take pressure off of yourself as a writer, you may find you’re able to communicate more effortlessly. Don’t be too concerned with the end result. If you focus on the amazing road from here to there, and if you let yourself enjoy the scenery along the way, the results will follow.

Oh, and one more thing. Don’t do your own editing. (*grin*)

Thanks so much, Erik!

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