literature

Jonathan Selwood: Who he is and why I interviewed him

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Mr. Selwood is an author who I had the pleasure of interviewing via email after I read his debut novel The Pinball Theory of the Apocalypse. One Amazon review said, “In short, this isn’t just a satire: it’s a portrait of a world in constant flux” and I would tend to agree. His work is humorous and slightly bizarre. The book itself is a very quick read – it is under 200 pages and it features a mid-sized font and margins one could consider generous so you should be able to read it in a few trips to and from work on the subway. Maybe you’ll want to pick it up after you read the 10 questions that I asked him along with his answers:
JL: Since you are a male, did you find it difficult to write the novel considering it has a female protagonist and the story is told from her point of view?
JS: Oddly enough, no. At the time I started writing the book, all the artists I knew personally were women, so it just seemed natural to have a female protagonist. It wasn’t until after I finished the first draft that it even occurred to me that it’s considered odd for a man to write in the first person as a woman. But by then, it was too late.
JL: Why does Isabel’s father’s Pinball Theory of the Apocalypse play such a small role in the story considering it is the title of the book?
JS: It might only be referred to a few times in the novel, but I think it does play a big (if less obvious) role in showing the absurdity of thinking that art—or anything else, for that matter—can be “timeless.” Of course, for anyone who wants more, the whole theory is explained at his website, pinballapocalypse.com.
JL: What type of statement are you trying to make about modern society, especially as it relates to the arts and the artist?
JS: Basically, I’m trying to show that we’ve moved as a society way beyond the simple concept of “selling out.” How do you maintain your integrity as an artist in a world where everything has already been “sold?”
JL: How much of the book mirrors your ascent as a full-time artist, especially as it relates to the support Isabel’s family provides and the questions her father asks her and she asks herself?
JS: My parents have been very supportive of my choice to be a writer, but Isabel really isn’t my mirror. You can draw a few parallels, but the art world and the literary world are pretty distinct.
JL: If you were to describe your writing style, what three word term would you use? For instance, I have termed my friend’s paintings to be “Chunky Abstract Realism.”
JS: Lapsed Evangelical Absurdism.
JL: Are there future Isabel Raven novels planned? This one seemed to end abruptly and it wasn’t just due to the story’s length – she entered the gallery I could just hear the director somewhere yelling “scene.”
JS: With a Hollywood novel, there’s always room for a sequel (or even a prequel). Haven’t planned one yet, though.
JL: Having grown up in Southern California, are you looking forward to raising a family there?
JS: Right now I’m really loving Oregon, but I do tend to get footloose, so you never know. I had a lot of fun down there on my book tour.
JL: Turning our focus back East to your time in New York City, what do you most fondly remember about New York? What do you miss the most now that you live in Portland? What do you miss the least?
JS: I think the thing I loved the most about living in NYC was the energy. Whenever I felt creatively exhausted, I’d just walk around for an hour or so, and feel recharged. I miss that. I don’t miss the heat and malt liquor piss stench of a subway station in the summer.
JL: What are your future plans over the next five years? What projects are in the works? What other books / stories do you have on the way?
JS: I have another novel I’m working on, but I’m also working on some personal essays. I sorta switch back and forth depending on my mood. Every time I make a five year plan, it goes all to hell. Writing is not the most predictable profession.
JL: Since you are a writer, what would you like to be written as your epitaph?
JS: Good riddance to bad rubbish.