Interview with Jason Heller Author of Taft 2012

I love to read. I read about every kind of book I can get my hands on. Most are enjoyable but when I read one that gets me wanting to talk to others about it and to look beyond the book and learn more, its a winner. That is what I found when I read "Taft 2012".

Have you heard of it? It's the talk of many reading groups and has just been released.

What if William Howard Taft came back to life 100 years after he was in office? What if the voters found a man they could get behind? What would that do to the political world of American in 2012? Read it and find out. It's a delightful read. It's not heavy. It can be read quickly and with loads of fun.

I was honored to have an interview with the author of "Taft 2012", Mr. Jason Heller. His responses were enlightening and enjoyable. Read the interview with Jason Heller.

Where did the idea for Taft 2012 come from?

My editor, Stephen H. Segal, approached me with the seed of an idea: What if William Howard Taft came to life in 2012 and ran for president again? I must give him full credit for that; from there, though, I took the idea and did my best to craft a plot, a cast of characters, and a satirical voice that hopefully did Stephen’s brainchild justice!

Why did you choose Taft as the president for the novel?

I think Stephen and I were drawn to Taft for the same reasons: He was president exactly 100 years go, which is a nice, round number to work with, and he was also a man who’s been largely forgotten by history—which gave me plenty of room in which to tell bald-faced lies (ahem, I mean, fictionalize his life).

How did such a unique way of presenting the story come about?

The main story of Taft 2012 is broken up by a lot of interstitial bits: Secret Service reports, talk-show transcripts, eBay listings, even Tweets. I thought this was a great way to underscore just how different our world is to the reawakened Taft—and it also was a fun and surprisingly efficient way of handing information to the reader. I suspect that’s because we interact with the world in a similar way these days: through a combination of mass media, social media, various other websites, and (hopefully!) real life.

How long did it take you to write it?

About nine months. The book needed to come out just as the primaries and caucuses were heating up, but that the same time, it couldn’t be written too far in advance; the satire needed to be as relevant as possible, given the difficult proposition of satirizing the year 2012 before it actually happened.

Did you find yourself stuck at any point? If so, how did you get over it?

I did get stuck from time to time, and that’s where I count myself lucky that I wrote Taft 2012 with an editor already in place. Many first-time novelists don’t have that luxury. It also gave me some invaluable insight into the whole process that might otherwise have taken me years to gain. When writing other things, though, I try to get over the hump by carefully combining my two main motivations, caffeine and sheer panic.

Did you have a particular place that you wrote to help the creative juices flow?

Speaking of caffeine: I like writing in coffee shops rather than at home. All the bustle and babble helps jolt my brain. The cappuccino doesn’t hurt, either.

How did you go about getting your first book published?

Technically, my first book was The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook, a really fun Pirates of the Caribbean tie-in that was published by Quirk (Taft 2012’s publisher) last year. That was the result of freelance writing I had previously done; in turn, Captain Jack led directly to the offer to write Taft 2012. The lesson, I guess, is this: You never know where opportunity is going to bite you, or how hard. It’s best to just strip naked and run through the forest, screaming.

Was it nervous going through the process of getting it published?

Very much so. Then again, I get nervous going to the supermarket.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

Indeed! I’m in the midst of writing another book for Quirk that will be published under a pseudonym. It hasn’t been announced yet, so mum’s the word! I’m also trying to keep up on a couple other novel-length projects that I’ve been working on here and there… Both are much darker and weirder than Taft 2012, and I hope I’ll be able to find a home and audience for them someday! I suppose actually finishing them might be a good first step.

What piece of advice would you give an author working on their first piece?

Throw yourself in the deep end, put your ass on the line, and stay hungry.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Hunched over a laptop, writing my twentieth book and grateful that I finally learned how to do it.

Are you excited about what 2012 holds for Taft 2012?

Definitely! I really hope the book catches on—for selfish reasons, of course, but also because I think people might research Taft on their own because of my book. Whether you would have agreed or disagreed with him, he had a lot of wisdom, humility, and perspective to offer.

If you had the most perfect writing environment, what would it be?

The only perfect writing environment is one’s own head. If you want to be a writer, you have to learn to work there. On the plus side, it’s a pretty short commute.

I would like to thank Mr. Jason Heller for taking the time to answer the questions of a fan. I thoroughly enjoyed his book and his interview. I'll be looking forward to more of his work.

Please check out "Taft 2012". Even if you don't like politics, do it. I hate politics and loved it!

Check out my review here.