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 Sam
Enthoven’s debut novel The Black Tattoo was rejected numerous
publishers before the excitingly dark fantasy-thriller finally exploded onto
book shelves and gripped the imaginations of scores of teenage readers.
His second book, TIM, Defender of the Earth was equally well
received, and as the author raced to finish his third book, he took time
out to play a bit of e-mail tennis with The LINC; taking our
questions about writing, music and the popularity of his novels.
After receiving so many rejection letters from potential publishers,
how did it feel when The Black Tattoo was finally accepted?
I've now been grinning like an idiot for about four years straight on
end: my jaw muscles are really sore. Every so often I remember that I'm
now a published author and I find I'm unable to stop myself from
shouting 'YAAAAAAAAAAGH!' and waggling my arms in the air like a big,
black-clad, bald baboon conducting an imaginary orchestra. It's kind of
undignified, but there you go.
The book seems to have proved very popular with readers. Were you
expecting that kind of response and how does it feel knowing that people
enjoy reading your work?
You try to write the best book you possibly can, of course. But no: you
never know for sure whether anyone's going to like it! When people take
the time to write into my websites and tell me they've enjoyed my
stories, that's just… wow. I'm thrilled, and honoured. And very, very
happy.
After all the hell and demons of The Black Tattoo, Tim, Defender of
the Earth went on to feature a big dinosaur, which seems like a big
departure in themes. Was it a conscious decision on your part to move
away from the almost 'gothic' atmosphere of the first book?
I think that both The Black Tattoo and Tim, Defender of the
Earth, plus the book I'm writing now and all the ones I intend to
write actually share a lot of similarities. They're all aimed at young
people; they're all set in the present day; they're all fast,
action-packed and, I hope, thrilling.
And hey, they've all got monsters in them!
But I also like books that surprise the reader, that take you in
directions you're not expecting to go. So while the above elements are
pretty much guaranteed when you start reading one of my stories, I warn
you right now: all other bets are off. Bwah-ha. BWAH-HA-HA-HA! Er, 'scuse
me. ;)
Are there any similar themes you try to incorporate into all your
work?
I try to keep them as focused on young people as I possibly can. That
sounds an obvious thing for a children's author to say and do, but it's
not easy: the temptation to drift into looking at the events of a story
from an adult's point of view is something that I find I have to watch
in my writing, constantly. For instance: have you ever noticed how many
kids' books tend to feature adult characters who explain the plot, and
pass on wisdom all the time? I think that young people get quite enough
of that in everyday life, so adult characters in my stories tend to be
either unreliable, or absent, or (heh!) they die. As much as possible, I
make my young protagonists figure stuff out for themselves. It's more
exciting that way.
 Reading
your work, it really seems that you have fun with what you're doing. Has
there ever been a time when writing wasn't enjoyable, and how did you
get past it?
I think the writing process works the other way: most of the actual
writing – putting words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, etc –
isn't much fun at all. It's a job: you've got to put in the hours. But
like all jobs, what gets you through the tough bits, what keeps you
coming back, is if you love and believe in what you're doing. Being
excited about your work is crucial for a writer, it seems to me.
You mentioned in to us that you're currently working on a new book.
Is there anything you can tell us about it at this stage?
Like all my stories, it's a gleeful mixture of things I love. In this
particular case, that means horror novels like Jack Finney's Invasion of
the Body Snatchers, films like Alien and Night of the Living Dead, and
games like Resident Evil and Half Life. It's fast, it's dark, it's
nasty, and it'll be out in Spring 2010. That's if (it's early 2009 just
now) I can finish writing the thing properly, of course…!
You've mentioned that you wanted to be a rock star before pursuing a
career in writing. What was it that convinced you to take the challenge
of becoming a published writer seriously?
The year I realized I was never going to be a rock star something else
happened: a friend of mine died, very suddenly, in a car accident. Her
name was Mary. She was 16. We had known each other almost all our lives,
we thought we would be friends forever, then she was gone.
A couple of years after that, when I realised that writing might be
something I'd want to pursue, I took whatever steps I had to. Life is
fragile and short. If you have something you want to do, you'd better
get on with it.
Speaking of rock stars, is music still a part of your life? If so,
who are some of your favourite acts?
Music's a huge part of my life. I listen to all sorts, depending on what
I'm doing (and what I'm writing!) For a selection, check my Last FM
profile (see recommended links) if you like. As to my own dubious
musicianship, I play enthusiastically noisy guitar with a terrific
covers band called Sour Mash Daddy And His Sixty Wives. Be my guest and
hit the link to get to our MySpace, but maybe you should cover your
ears!
Throughout all the rejection letters and the hard work that goes into
writing a book, was there ever a time when you felt like quitting, and
how did you get through that?
Sure. The temptation to give up is something you have to face with any
big project.
I remember one time while I was writing The Black Tattoo. This was
before I had a book deal or any money from my writing: I was supporting
myself (sort of!) by working part-time in a bookshop. After a long shift
dealing with a lot of rude customers I came home to discover a hole in
my ceiling: there was a large coffee-coloured stain with one of those
big, bulging wallpaper blisters, and rainwater was leaking in. It was up
to me to get it fixed and I knew I didn't have the money, so that was
one thing.
I was tired and hungry, so I went next door to the kitchen. I opened the
fridge door and saw there was nothing in there but some past-their-best,
wizened-looking parsnips I'd picked up at the supermarket because they
were going extra cheap. Now, I'm fine with parsnips. But like any
individual food, they suddenly become a lot less appetising when that's
all you've got to eat.
At this point I'd been working on Black Tat for something like two
years, and I'd been chasing my dreams of being published for something
like six. All I had to show for it were three failed novels, a bunch of
short stories, and a folder full of over a hundred letters from
publishers, and literary agents, and magazines, all saying No, they
didn't want anything to do with me. My relatives thought I was mental.
They were probably right.
I stood there looking at the parsnips, and thinking about the rain
dripping into my bedroom. I thought, 'I could get quite upset here.'
But I didn't. I started smiling. Then I started laughing. Then I
realized I was the happiest I'd ever been in my life.
This was because, at the time, I was working on a part of Black Tat
called 'The Akachash'. It's a seven-way gladiatorial fight to the death,
set in Hell. Esme, my teenage kung fu superheroine, had just pulled back
the hood of her red top, her sword was drawn, and she was about to go to
work on six terrifying, demonic opponents. And by this point in the
story, you're not worried about Esme: you're worried about the monsters.
I was having so much fun writing and thinking about that scene, all the
other stuff just faded into the background.
Like I said: what keeps you going is if you love and believe in what
you're doing.
And finally, what's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
YOU CAN DO IT. I'm not just talking about writing now: if you're
prepared to make the necessary sacrifices, and to work hard enough, you
can do anything you want.
By Chris Skoyles
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