interviews
Mark Sullivan knew he wanted to be a
writer at age seven when he got in a fight in
parochial school that was broken up by a
formidable, six-foot-plus nun named Sister
Mary Joseph. She was vice-principal and
holy discipline incarnate. Every kid in the
school feared her. Mark was scared toward
terror because she was his mother’s good
friend. Sister Mary Joseph picked him up by
the collar from the fight, and Mark figured
hell was to pay. This was back when
swatting with rulers was sanctioned by God.
But instead, the nun told him that in
atonement for his sins he was to enter the
grade 1-8 fiction writing contest. To
everyone’s amazement, except Sister Mary
Joseph’s, Mark Sullivan won that contest.
Fifty-one years later Mark is still writing. He
has published eighteen novels of mystery
and suspense by himself and with James
Patterson. His books have won the WH
Smith Fresh Talent Award, been nominated
for an Edgar, and appeared on New York
Times Notable Book lists and the L.A.
Times best of the year lists. Beneath A Scarlet
Sky is his first work of historical fiction.
How do you feel about the eBook/Kindle revolution?
Well, obviously, I’m in big favor of it. When
my agent and I set out to find a home for
Beneath a Scarlet Sky, I wrote down that I wanted
an editor who was as passionate about Pino
Lella’s story as I was, and a publisher who
could put the book in front of as many
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I could list five hundred tips I’ve gleaned
from Patterson’s process, but two stand out.
Outline: Before Patterson, I was like a
crazed sailor of moderate skill with no maps
eager to be out at sea. I’d just start writing,
and see what came out, an approach that
demanded endless revisions. Patterson taught
me to think less like a sailor and more like a
house builder, or boat builder as the case may
be. Like an architect, you figure out the
skeleton of the story before putting down
word one of the narrative. I balked at the
process at first, but quickly came to
understand his reasoning. If you knew the
rough plot, you could set sail, writing as best
you can, knowing there’s land out there.
Follow the emotion: Novels are dramas
in prose. Even though we write thrillers with
many actions scenes, twists, and reversals,
Patterson is constantly reminding me to
probe the emotions underlying any scene.
That doesn’t mean that there has to be some
kind of explosive cathartic revelation going
on all the time. But even if it’s unstated in
the narrative, the reader should be able to
sense the emotions at stake like compass
bearings through the story.
What is the secret to becoming a New York
Times or USA Today bestselling author?
Write a lot. Study fine writers. Believe you
have something to say, and say it. Write an
unforgettable character. Tell a kick-ass story, or
one we’ve never heard before. Make me laugh.
Move me in ways that bring me to tears.
For the independent bookstores who may be
struggling in today’s market, are there any
Become a hub, a destination, a place
people want to go. Country Bookshelf
does this well by virtue of its downtown
location, and the ambiance of high,
hammered tin ceilings and shelves of
books everywhere.
What’s the most important thing a bookstore
can do for an author, in your opinion and
experience, to promote sales? Obviously,
every book cannot be front and center.
If I’m coming to your store, help us
get local coverage for the appearance.
I’m almost as coherent on camera or
into a microphone as I am on the
page, so I will make for a great
interview, which will in turn help bring
in readers. With the story of Pino
Lella, I can almost guarantee that.
INTERVIEW WITH #1 NEW
YORK TIMES BESTSELLING
AUTHOR MARK SULLIVAN
You’ve said that James Patterson “gave you a
master class in commercial fiction.” What are
some of the lessons you’ve learned from him?
marketing strategies you've seen booksellers
use that stand out as particularly successful?
readers as possible. Thankfully, after many
legacy publishers in New York passed on the
draft manuscript, Danielle Marshall, an editor
at Amazon’s Lake Union imprint fell in love
with Pino’s story and championed it into the
Kindle First program, which assured me that,
at a minimum, hundreds of thousands of
readers would learn about Pino. Under that
program, the book immediately shot to #1
across all e-books and pre-orders for books on
the Amazon site. That said, I love books,
bookstores, and libraries, and hope they
embrace Pino’s story as well.
INTERVIEWS
Do you have advice for independent bookstores
on how to effectively organize in-store events?
Make it a habit with authors of all stripes.
The more your store becomes a hub of such
events, the more successful you’ll be.
Do you enjoy visiting independent bookstores?
If so, do you have a favorite you’d like to plug?
I love visiting independent bookstores.
I’ll plug my hometown store, the Country
Bookshelf in Bozeman, Montana. Run by
passionate, friendly hand-sellers, the
Country Bookshelf is everything you
could want in a mountain town venue for
books: cozy, western setting, great
selection, and a staff that cares about
writers and readers.
Have you ever been part of a writers’ workshop?
Was it helpful or a waste of time? Any advice for
bookstores or writers looking to start or join one?
I have been part of two. Both were good.
It’s important early on in your career to
get competent feedback. If you can learn
to discard the reactions of whiners and
know-it-alls, you can get excellent notes
on your work as well as find camaraderie
in these kinds of settings.
Read more of our interview with Mark Sullivan:
www.TopShelfMagazine.net
TOPShelf magazine
JUNE2017 19