Ask the Author: Joe Yogerst
Answered Questions (4)
Joe Yogerst
Believe it or not, the idea for NEMESIS took root during a trip to Borneo. I got sick from (stupidly) eating at a roadside stall and spent several days recovering in a remote jungle lodge at the base of Mt Kinabalu. My travel companion handed me a book to read while he climbed the mountain — "Black Dahlia" by James Ellroy. I couldn't put it down, had the book finished by the time my friend was back down the mountain. And I remember telling him that I wanted to write a book like that — a murder mystery that reflected the politics, culture and history of a particular city in ways rarely seen before.
The plot went through several iterations before NEMESIS emerged — a version set in Hong Kong, another in the San Francisco Bay Area and finally one set in San Diego, the place where I was raised and knew best in the world. Somewhere along this road, I read The Alienist by Caleb Carr. Fell head-over-heals for that book too. It was highly influential in having me set NEMESIS in 1880's San Diego rather than contemporary times.
It was an exciting time in San Diego, perhaps the most exciting. When the place exploded from what was basically a one-horse town into a miniature version of San Francisco. People tend to forget that California was also the Wild West. As much as Deadwood or Dodge City, San Diego of the 1880s was a rough and ready boom town. The commodities were land and sunshine rather than silver or gold, but it was boom town all the same. Where the Wild West ran smack dab into the Pacific Ocean. An incredible blend of people and personalities — cowboys and sailors, card sharks and shady ladies, and living legends like Wyatt Earp (who ran three saloons and gambling houses in San Diego).
The final ingredient was growing up in San Diego and my own history with so many of the places that appear in the book. Ocean Beach, Sunset Cliffs, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, the Embarcadero waterfront, Balboa Park, Old Town, the Gaslamp Quarter, Mission Valley. Many of my stomping grounds as a kid or high school student.
That's the canvas that underlies NEMESIS, the terrain that my characters march (ride or sail) across in pursuit of love, justice, riches and their other motivations. The San Diego of long ago that most people nowadays don't know about. It's a bit of a stretch to say I wanted to write the "Great San Diego novel." However, I did want to create a story that illuminates the rich history of my hometown. And hopefully I succeeded.
The plot went through several iterations before NEMESIS emerged — a version set in Hong Kong, another in the San Francisco Bay Area and finally one set in San Diego, the place where I was raised and knew best in the world. Somewhere along this road, I read The Alienist by Caleb Carr. Fell head-over-heals for that book too. It was highly influential in having me set NEMESIS in 1880's San Diego rather than contemporary times.
It was an exciting time in San Diego, perhaps the most exciting. When the place exploded from what was basically a one-horse town into a miniature version of San Francisco. People tend to forget that California was also the Wild West. As much as Deadwood or Dodge City, San Diego of the 1880s was a rough and ready boom town. The commodities were land and sunshine rather than silver or gold, but it was boom town all the same. Where the Wild West ran smack dab into the Pacific Ocean. An incredible blend of people and personalities — cowboys and sailors, card sharks and shady ladies, and living legends like Wyatt Earp (who ran three saloons and gambling houses in San Diego).
The final ingredient was growing up in San Diego and my own history with so many of the places that appear in the book. Ocean Beach, Sunset Cliffs, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, the Embarcadero waterfront, Balboa Park, Old Town, the Gaslamp Quarter, Mission Valley. Many of my stomping grounds as a kid or high school student.
That's the canvas that underlies NEMESIS, the terrain that my characters march (ride or sail) across in pursuit of love, justice, riches and their other motivations. The San Diego of long ago that most people nowadays don't know about. It's a bit of a stretch to say I wanted to write the "Great San Diego novel." However, I did want to create a story that illuminates the rich history of my hometown. And hopefully I succeeded.
Joe Yogerst
I've just finished writing "100 Parks, 5000 Ideas" (my 34th book project for National Geographic. I'm gearing up to launch my murder mystery novel "Nemesis" in the fall, and I'm busy writing the scripts for my 24-part video series on American state parks, a joint venture between Nat Geo and The Teaching Company.
Joe Yogerst
You need to have a certain level of talent, for sure. But I have long believed that determination is the key to success in writing and any other creative endeavor. And this probably goes without saying, but you also need to dive into real life -- exploits, experiences and adventures beyond your desk or office that stoke your imagination and creativity.
Joe Yogerst
After a lifetime of writing (I started at the age of 14) I rarely experience writer's block anymore. But when I do, I fall back on two solutions that usually work. My first response is skipping ahead to what comes next -- after the section of a book or article that I'm struggling with -- and see if that writing comes easier. It normally does. And eventually I circle back around to that part that was giving me trouble. If that doesn't work, then I make like Edison or Einstein and take a short nap before resuming the brain work.
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