Spyder
By- David Fingerman
Genre- Suspense
Meet Spyder-a street-wise antihero of inner city society. Experience his strange wisdom, and his twisted sense of humor.Thirty-year-old Spyder doesn't waste time thinking how much lower he can sink. When he finds his girlfriend dead as the result of drugs he supplied, Spyder contemplates his life and decides it's time to do what he's avoided most of his days-join mainstream society. All he needs to do is kick the drug habit, find a job, a place to live, and earn some money. Easy. He's done it hundreds of times, but never all at once. As always, Fate steps in and knees him in the groin. All the dregs he's ever known want their say. George won't stop his pestering, Sal needs a huge favor, Coon is hunting for a certain arachnid, and Spyder's dealer doesn't want to lose one of his best customers. As things spiral out of control, Spyder tangles himself in a web so tight that even he might never be able to escape.
Author Interview-
What inspired you to write Spyder?
Short answer ~ a woman.
Long answer ~ a very irritating
woman in one of my writers’ groups. When it came time to critique someone’s
work, most everyone would comment on the writing. Not this woman. She always
compared the reading as to how it related to her life - and then some. As
tactfully as people would try to cut her off, she’d ramble. She was quite old
and felt it her right to talk as long as she wanted even though it meant some
people wouldn’t be able to read because time ran out. My goal was to write
something so offensive she’d be speechless. That was chapter 1 of Spyder. It
worked. (And yes ~ I did thank her in my acknowledgments.)
When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?
No idea. I’ve always enjoyed
writing stories. I didn’t actually get serious and start sending out stories
until my thirties.
What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?
I think I was in third grade
(give or take a grade). I wish I could remember the title, but it was a book
about a cougar. The first book I read in one sitting.
What genre of books do you enjoy reading?
Bunches of ‘em. Mostly
speculative fiction, horror, mystery, with occasional historical and
biographies (only biographies of people who are dead, otherwise it feels like
reading a book with no ending).
What is your favorite book?
Shatterday by Harlan Ellison
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite
author and why?
Harlan Ellison. College zapped
away all of my creativity. After graduating I had no interest at all to read
anything, let alone write. About five years later, a friend tossed a book to me
and asked if I read it ~ told me it was a must-read. It was Shatterday. I thank
Harlan Ellison and that book. It got me
back into reading for enjoyment again, which in turn got me back into writing.
If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time.
Where would you go
and why?
Probably the roaring twenties.
I’ve always been fascinated with that era, especially the gangsters. St. Paul
is just across the river from where I live and I’ve visited a lot of the old
gangster haunts (at least the ones that still exist). What a treat it would be
to see them in their glory days. I’ve also been intrigued with the early days
of Hollywood. I’d love to see ‘Cleopatra’ starring Theda Bara (1917). It’s my understanding there are no longer any
copies still in existence. Another plus of the twenties is it’s not so far back
in time ~ they have indoor plumbing.
When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is
it a difficult task?
I usually know how I want to
start a book and I know how it’s going to end, so the beginning and the end are
easy. It’s the middle two to three hundred pages that connect the two that are
difficult.
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
A cat named Monkey
What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?
Pepperoni and sausage pizza. Key
lime pie for dessert.
Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?
I can give you the name of a good
shrink who should be able to talk you out of it.
If writing is part of who you are
and there’s no hope of talking you out of it, I offer the following:
Write every day
Join a writers’ group
Develop a thick skin
About the Author-
During the summer months when the sun is shining and birds are singing, David is perfectly content to sit in his office, with blinds drawn, typing away at the computer. His favorite day of the year is the first day toward the end of summer that's cool enough to pull a flannel shirt from the closet.
As a student at the University of Minnesota, David realized that if he switched his major from journalism to speech, he could graduate that quarter. It was a no-brainer. After 24 years of working in the court system, he walked away to write full time - another no-brainer.
Two Degrees Closer to Hell will be his second collection of short stories. He has also written three other novels.
David is married and lives in Minneapolis.
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