I recently volunteered to review some books and interview some authors for a book tour coordinator. I figured it would force me to do more reading, and I could learn from the authors by interviewing them. They’d get promotion for their books and I’d get some unofficial mentoring. Why not?

My first book review (which you can find over at Writing: My Life) is of A Jolly Good Fellow, which received the Independent Book Publisher’s award, and it certainly deserved the honor.  I found it to be interesting and enjoyable, with characters that were flawed but relate-able. Once I started reading A Jolly Good Fellow, I was so glad that I volunteered to do an author interview with Stephen V. Masse, as well. I couldn’t wait to find out how these characters and this story found a life.

Welcome to Write Out Loud, Stephen. Thanks for taking time to answer some questions for us. I’m going to start out with some questions about A Jolly Good Fellow in particular and then I’ll ask a few questions about your writing process and your life as a writer. So, let’s get started. Your main character, Duncan Wagner, is a kidnapper who “works” as a Santa Claus. Where did the idea for this character come from?

I remember being under a strong passion to write a story that contrasts a man’s darker side with the uplifting influences of the Christmas season. Other than this I had no outline or plot plan. I let the characters run the story. Duncan Wagner pretty much revealed himself to me as a street-corner Santa Claus. It was actually in the re-writing that I decided to keep that disguise, because it seemed to show him as basically a decent character who is misguided because of despair.

The relationship between Duncan and his hostage is unique on a number of levels. Gabriel practically falls into Duncan’s lap and then seems impossibly attached to Duncan. It’s not your typical kidnapping story. How did this plot evolve during your creative process? What did it look like in the beginning in comparison to what it is in published form?

In the first drafts I had Duncan physically kidnapping Gabriel on his way to school. The motive was the same, but the action of the kidnapping was too sociopathic to be compatible with the rest of the story, and it didn’t leave enough room for a plausible growth of friendship between the characters. In later drafts I gave Gabriel much more participation in the story.

Beneath the outer layers of kidnapping and thievery, A Jolly Good Fellow seems to be, at its very core, a love story. Was this your intention or was it an after thought?

Absolutely my intention. The book reflects the traditional messages of Christmas in a modern urban setting. … Because Duncan Wagner’s despair is the direct result of losing his true love, his ability to love again is also held for ransom – thus Duncan is also imprisoned, also in need of being ransomed.

How long did it take you, from idea to final manuscript, to write A Jolly Good Fellow?

The first draft took six weeks during the late fall of 1976, and the final publication manuscript was presented in November of 2007. That’s a bit over thirty years, with a lot of time out for the day job.

As a writer, I often continue to self-edit long after a piece is published and out of my hands. Do you still find things in your book that you wish you had done differently? If so, what are they? And if not, how do you manage to avoid it?

I’m fortunate to have no regrets with A Jolly Good Fellow, other than a couple of minor typos which have been corrected in the later electronic version (Calderwood Books/September 2008). But avoiding the post-publication blues is largely a matter of looking ahead to other writing projects.

Tell us a bit about your writing process. What does your writing routine look like?

When I have blocks of free time, my writing day begins pretty much right after breakfast and continues until I’ve reached a natural end point. Sometimes that’s four to five hours, and sometimes it continues after a lunch break well into the evening. When I’m hot on a subject, I will write any time of the day or night.

Do you have a favorite writing place? If so, where and why?

Most of my writing takes place in my home office, which I built about ten years ago in the basement. It has custom built mahogany stained oak bookcases and a long desk, one sunny window and light yellow sponge-painted walls. It’s a consistent, comfortable and reliable work space, and any other writing I do would be handwritten notes that eventually end up transcribed onto my PC.

So far, I’ve written mostly non-fiction and my articles and essays usually start with an idea about a “character” (in most cases someone I know). Do your stories tend to start with characters or plot lines?

I’d have to say that most of my stories start with characters. There’s a general idea in mind of where I’d like to take them, but largely my writing begins in the characters and I let them lead me.

It seems writers always have a habit or vice that influences or defines them as a writer. (Think the stereotypical coffee, cigarettes and writing in cafés.) What is/are yours and why?

I’d say my one vice is gambling – I spent the first half of my adult life gambling on my writing, and the second half so far gambling on state lottery tickets. Gambling on the lottery has been far more lucrative.

Well, I hope that the tides turn and your writing brings in that jackpot you’ve been waiting for. You’re a perfect example of what it means to Write Out Loud, no matter how long it takes to get your work out there and I wish you all the writing (and lottery) success you deserve. Thank you for sharing your writing experience with us.

If you want to learn more about Stephen and his work, visit his website. You can get more information about A Jolly Good Fellow, including how and where to order it at the book’s website.