Official Interview: Bonz Buonopane

[kandscreeley]

Today's Chat with Sarah features Bonz Buonopane author of Catching a Bird.

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1. What do you do when you aren't writing?

I work a lot, so I have very little free time. I teach at a local high school, and my wife and I own a salon. I'm also finishing up my doctorate in behavioral science. When I'm not writing - if I can make the time - I try to read or relax at the beach. I like to fish.

2. What does success in writing look like to you?

Success in writing is being able to capture your thoughts and ideas in prose. I write for me – not for an audience.

3. Let's discuss your book Catching a Bird. Can you give us a short synopsis for those that don't know?

A few years ago, I created an antihero from a compilation of real people I'd met in my past. I wanted to write a story about a superhero with no real powers, and I wanted him to be hate-able – despise-able. (But likeable.) I dug deep into my own alter ego and created Badman, a blue-collar vigilante – a regular guy's Batman, but he has no gadgets and he's no billionaire playboy. He's gritty; he's a scrapper. I made him a gangster so he'd be believable with his knack for street fighting and familiarity with weapons. I gave him CTE because it made sense. Years of fighting and injury give him both his kryptonite and his superpower, so to speak: he has blackouts and dizzy spells, but he's got a huge tolerance for pain. He's a sociopath because he needs that detachment to successfully navigate interactions without being weighed down by a nagging moral compass. But he has a code, and he follows it pretty closely.

4. A gangster chasing a serial killer? How did you come up with that idea?

I watch these crime shows on TV, and I think to myself, "How easy it would be if cops didn't have so many rules to follow!" So we have this character who is comfortable around death and violence. He has no real attachments to the perpetrators nor the victims. He's just a machine who's like the Terminator or a dog with a bone. He has an objective, and he stops at nothing to complete his mission. I see him stumbling into all sorts of mysteries and conspiracies. This is just the beginning.

5. Your main character, Bonz Buonopane, is described as "sociopathic." Was it difficult to write this kind of character?

It's not easy to build a connection with the reader unless the reader is feeling the characters' feelings, so yes, it's a bit difficult to write something that makes the reader want to cheer for our antihero. However, I write these stories through the eyes of the character; I try to anticipate how he would feel or act, and I write accordingly. The rest falls into place. I rely a lot on his connections to others and how the reader interprets those relationships. I like it to be a bit unpredictable. You love to hate him sometimes.

6. What was the biggest challenge in writing this book, and how did you overcome it?

I got to a point where I was ready to tie this thing up and put a bow on it, but I was never happy with the climaxes I gave this story. I sat it down for about a year or two before I scrapped the whole ending and rewrote it – I went wild west with it.

7. What is your favorite scene (or line if you have one) from your book?

There is a scene in the book where, after completing a contract killing, our protagonist goes back and knocks on the door of the victim's girlfriend. I like how that turns out.

8. What's next for you? Do you have any more books in the works?

I'm always doing something, for sure. I have started another Badman book, which picks up right where this one leaves off, and I have other ideas, too. I'm working on a series of kids' books with a similar goal: children's tales for those "other kids" who don't like children's books. Maybe a gangster-themed cookbook.

I like to end on lighter questions.

9. What authors do you enjoy reading?

In my youth, I read a lot of Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. Then, I moved on to Stephen King. I later fixated on Jo Nesbo and Lee Child. Right now, I'm trying to get back to the classics. I re-read some stuff from my youth, and I hated it, so I'm exploring books I told myself I'd never read: young-adult books. So, my last few books were: Frankenstein, Lord of the Flies, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Things Fall Apart, I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. Oh, yeah, and everything by Seth Grahame-Smith or Alma Katsu. I teach English and history, so I just have to read anything my students are reading or any historical fiction.

10. What does your writing environment look like?

I typically write at my desk at work after hours or while on break – in small doses. Once I've gathered traction on a project, I write wherever I can. In a perfect world, I'd sit at home at my desk by the window, and, with a cup of coffee, I'd write peacefully and uninterrupted forever. But that's a fantasy.

11. Would you rather travel to space or travel to the bottom of the ocean?

I know space is the final frontier and all, but I'd be much more at home at the bottom of the ocean. It sounds less boring. There are probably lots of things going on down there.

12. If you were in trouble, what fictional character would you want to rescue you?

I guess it all depends on what kind of trouble I was in, but if I had to just blindly choose one, I guess I'd go with Jack Reacher. He's a big, tough, fearless guy with lots of tech contacts, military training, and critical-thinking skills. And, most importantly, he enjoys coffee and beer – and I can't hang with anyone who doesn't.

[Sara Castaneda 1]

Great interview! Thanks for sharing.