Burn This City to the Ground by N. Daniel

Please welcome  N. Daniel author of Burn This City to the Ground

N. Daniel will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Burn This City to the Ground

byN. Daniel

 

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GENRE:   Memoir/Creative Nonfiction

 

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INTERVIEW:

1.             What or who inspired you to start writing?

 

            This is going to sound kind of out there but I was feeling suicidal. I literally felt like I was at the end of my life. I started writing the story of how I came into such an intense and threatening situation. Little by little I realized that I wanted to live and see how the story ended. I ended up having a psychotic episode and landed a court ordered mental health civil commitment. I finished writing the book in a mental health hospital and it was published as “Corners Untouched by Madness” in 2019. My first book boasts a 4.7 out of 5***** on amazon with thirty-one reviews. Yes, I am proud.

 

2.         What elements are necessary components for this genre?

 

            Memoir is a slippery genre. On one hand you're trying to be as realistic as possible. On the other hand you are trying to show people what you learned from the experience in an effective and efficient way, using the narrative as a vehicle for education. How can we describe our memories other than day-dreams? Never quite real. Never quite exactly how it happened or rarely how it happened. A good memory would help but as generations of story-tellers can attest, tell an effective story and you will create a sense of wonder and understanding that can last generations. The more real you can make it in the most interesting way the better. That's the challenge of memoir.

3.         How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

 

            Honestly, I lived through the events of my novel and thought they were interesting in their trauma. I will tell you a little story about this book. I began writing this book during National Novel Writing Month in 2018 and 2019. I was trying to tell a story about living with my disabled client in Downtown Minneapolis. We had intended for it to be about living life poor and disabled since a lot of media about quadriplegics has them wealthy. I sat on the story for awhile but revisited it in the winter of 2021. From 2017 to 2019 I worked as a volunteer at the Salvation Army Harbor Lights Homeless Shelter in Minneapolis. I wrote about my time volunteering there. Obviously, the events of 2020 saw George Floyd's murder and he was also there with me. He was a character in my original manuscript. I rewrote two-thirds of the book which is now “Burn This City to the Ground.”

 

4.         What expertise did you bring to your writing?

 

            I have always had a natural ability to express myself with literature. I can say grammar was never my strong suit. I used to write papers for my sociology teacher. They weren't assignments but just to show him how I thought. I remember the last one I wrote I slid under his door but I never found out what his opinion was. Recently a reviewer compared me to Kurt Vonnegut's Jr's son. My teacher had introduced me to his father's books. That's how I knew I had come full circle as not just a writer, but a person.

5.         What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

 

            You know, I don't think anyone has realized this yet. There are several pop-culture easter eggs in my new book and I am a chronic video-game nerd. I only play one game though. It's called Final Fantasy XIV. There is a passage in the book where I am checking my Quadriplegic client's bed linens and find she had an accident in bed. I say “Such Devastation.” True fans will know the rest.

 

6.         As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

 

            My plans as a writer are to keep writing! Continue to grow and mature as a writer. I am not sure where my career will go but I feel after writing a book about my young adult and mature adult life I want to write more about my childhood. Perhaps not a memoir but something based on my experiences. I grew up at a time where kids knew more about the internet than their parents. I will let you fill in the blanks. Actually, I will give you a hint. Hacking, pornography and conversations with complete strangers. Couldn't be more divisive. 

 

7.         If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

 

            Since it is a memoir I could say that I would want to be myself. The second main character is a quadriplegic, my roommate Sam. God bless her I think being her character would completely devastate me. The anguish, the frustration and the anger she went through. It's the stuff of saints that we even made it through the way we did. Sam might not be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, but for putting up with me? Well, we both deserve a pat on the back if only for getting through. We survived. Enough said.

 

8.         Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?

 

            Well, the way I typically describe my roommate Sam is Will Traynor from “Me Before You” meets Marla Singer from “Fight Club.” It is an odd couple pairing with my playing the “White Savior” who meets George Floyd at the homeless shelter. Needless to say I was not successful in my efforts to save anyone and that is the real meat of the story. Why do white people feel the need to help and that their effort will save the human race or make a difference? I know some heed the call but does it really help? Food for thought.

 

9.         Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

 

            I don't actually belong to a critique group and my criticisms have been few and far between. I don't struggle as much as I should as a writer and everything seems to flow a bit easier with a couple stiff drinks. Hemingway is my guru. Jesus is my savior. Everything in-between is just balderdash.

 

10.        When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

 

            I mean, I hate to say this but I was pretty much on my own through 100% of the project. I was a mental patient, committed to a hospital by a court. No one thought I would get this far. I never even thought I would get this far. My debut novel has done well critically and won some honorable mentions in writing competitions. My second book is in contention for the MN Book Awards. It's safe to say that my insane scribbling was not just a flash in the pan. I am here to stay. The only question is what will I say next?

 

11.        What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

 

            God, if I could only have received the advice I have given people. I had no contacts in the writing community when I began. I have a degree in graphic design and my one writing course in college was hardly something that bore fruit. I can't even remember who the instructor was or what he looked like. I learned the ropes on my own with no encouragement. The few people that did enjoy what I had written were scarce and their voices hardly strong enough to move me forward. Willpower is a thing and it doesn't work for everyone. I think I was driven forward by a desire to not be seen as a crazy person. My feelings are valid.

 

12.        Do you outline your books or just start writing?

 

            In the past I have just written. I make a formal outline but I have never once used one. To me writing is like a dance, each step revealing a truth or comforting one. You may wonder why I didn't say hiding one. I feel there are ways of making peace with these revelations, to ease the blow so to speak. Some say kindness is a weakness but in memoir, it is like the holy grail. Give context. Be real. Use sympathy. We are all the way we are for a reason. Most of the time it isn't our fault.

 

13.        How do you maintain your creativity?

 

            I was Zen Buddhist for several years. Now I am Christian. The one thing I learned from Buddhism that has really benefited me in my writing is the knowledge that we are not our thoughts. They kind of just float through our heads and then float out. When our minds are clear we can kind of grasp onto these deeper concepts and use them in our art. Some call it a gift. Others call it divine inspiration. I don't know what I have done to have a deeper understanding but I attribute some of it to my father. He encouraged me to read Shakespeare, Ayn Rand, Khalil Gibran, Victor Hugo. To study the arts, the great epics of humanity. The vein of our civilization runs deep and once we tap into it, everything is possible. Invest in the arts, in art history. Everyone says it. Just do it.

14.        Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

 

            Of course my favorite character is Sam. How could it not be? The person who taught me what it truly means to have faith, to laugh at myself and to not be bothered by those on a different path. Samantha is not who she seems and I don't know if I will ever fully reveal what that means to anyone. However, I will say she was a muse, a type of macguffin or a zeitgeist for the disabled community as a whole. She changed my life for the better. I hope she can say the same but that is entirely on her.

 

15.        Are your plotting bunnies, angels or demons?

 

            I am more partial to angels. After volunteering for the Salvation Army for a couple years I definitely feel more partial to them. I used to walk to a parking ramp on the street outside the shelter in the dark. It was a little scary because of all of the homeless people around. My friend Janet, who is mentioned in my book, once told me they don't mess with staff and that they knew who I was. I am not sure I took a lot of comfort in that. Once as I was walking outside on a particularly cold night, I felt a huge set of wings on my back. I am not saying I am an angel but I think one was definitely looking over me while I was at that shelter. I actually think George Floyd deserves all the credit in the world for his work with those homeless individuals. Instead he is seen as pariah by many. It seriously isn't right. He was a good man protected by the same “angels.”

 

BLURB:

 

As Daniel recovers from a psychotic episode and months long mental health civil commitment, he befriends a youthful quadriplegic named Samantha who is dealing with life-threatening health problems. When cohabitation becomes necessary for Sam, caregiver and client both move to downtown Minneapolis to begin a new life together. Before they can get settled in, Daniel is diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and must undergo multiple surgeries. The two navigate the American healthcare system and work towards Samantha's eventual independence, however, their relationship becomes toxic when a global pandemic shakes the nation and George Floyd is murdered by Minneapolis police officers.
Based on the author's life, this endearing platonic love story is the gooey center of a turbulent world set aflame. Through the laughter and the tears, Samantha and Daniel play off each other like a tragic comedy duo that's hell bent on finding humor within the most savage aspects of their everyday lives.

 

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EXCERPT:

 

I pulled into a gas station and had some trouble figuring out which side the tank was on. With some maneuvering I positioned the van next to the pump. Suddenly I realized that I didn't have any money for gas. I paged through the three-ringed binder holding the mileage log and found what looked like a debit card in a pencil pouch. 

 

“That's the gas card, dear. You type in the mileage and the user code when you start the pump.” 

 

“Oh, I get it. What's the code?” I asked. “Look at the back of the card.” There was a tiny piece of paper fastened to the back of the card with clear plastic tape. It read “3742”. Sam put her limp left hand on her forehead as though she was doing a facepalm. I entered the information into the pump and opened the side door so I could talk to her while it filled up. 

 

“So, you have had problems with these sores before?” 

 

“Yes,” she replied, callously. 

 

“They can be pretty serious business, huh?” 

 

“You know the guy that played Superman? Christopher Reeve?” 

 

“Yeah, everybody knows him. He fell off of his horse and broke his neck, right?” 

 

“Exactly,” Sam continued. “He broke his neck at the base of his skull, so he had even less function than I do. Poor Bastard. Do you know how he died?” 

 

“No, how?” 

 

“Just like this. He got a pressure ulcer. Felt fine, just peachy. He went into sepsis and before they could give him antibiotics he dropped dead.” 

 

Sam pointed her hand at me in the thumbs up motion. 

 

“I wish I had the balls to just refuse treatment, but I am too chicken****.”

 

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

N. Daniel works as a medical caregiver in the greater Minneapolis/Saint Paul Metropolitan area in the Winter and as a landscape laborer for his father in Winona, MN in the Summer. His debut writing effort, “Corners Untouched by Madness: A Personal Journey of Overcoming Mental Illness,” has enjoyed modest success in certain writing circles. The Author lives with his wife and two dogs just outside of downtown Minneapolis."


Website: www.ndaniel.us
E-Mail: author@ndaniel.us
Twitter/Instagram ID: MyUnsafePlace
Facebook: NdanielAuthor

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Burn-This-City-Ground-Daniel-ebook/dp/B09MBPV4K7/

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

 

N. Daniel will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4077