Vital Crime Fiction: 101 by Tom Pitts
First time for me at Bouchercon this year—one of the real pleasures was meeting Tom Pitts. Back when I was still trying to get a piece of flash published in Shotgun Honey, I came across Tom’s book, Knuckleball. Long story short, he was one of the writers who gave me the courage to keep writing, even when it was pure hell to get a couple hundred words published. In fact, his work made me WANT to get published in Out of the Gutter and over at Shotgun Honey. It’s a great honor to interview Tom—his new book, 101, is a wild ride through the underworld of California’s weed industry. Gripping narrative. Intriguing characters. Stellar settings. In short, 101 is a helluva read. But I wanted to hear a little bit from the man behind the stories…Streets will talk, people. The streets will always talk…
Tom Pitts received his education on the streets of San Francisco. He remains there, working, writing, and trying to survive. He is the author of AMERICAN STATIC, HUSTLE, and the novellas PIGGYBACK and KNUCKLEBALL.
Down & Out Books | Amazon | Website
You’ve been all over the indie crime scene and published by the likes of Shotgun Honey and Down & Out Books. Tell us about what drew you to crime fiction and noir — how’d you get into this racket?
I guess I was pulled in by non-fiction. True crime books, especially the mob books, were an obsession of mine in the early nineties. Those were the John Gotti days, so I didn’t realize it, but it was kind of a golden era for Mafia bios too. I was knee-deep in ’em when I read TJ English’s The Westies, which told a far more interesting tale than the typical arc of the informer-turned-author books. The Westies was a story of a gang of fuck-ups and drunken Irish thugs that rang true to me. More human somehow. That’s when I realized there was more to the story, and only fiction could fill those gaps.
After reading 101 and American Static, it strikes me that you’re one of the rare novelists who can combine plot, characterization, and setting into an engrossing, fast-moving story. I know that’s supposed to be the point, but I often feel like writers depend heavily on one of these craft elements or the other. How have you gone about refining your craft? I’d like to know about some of the hard work you’ve done to get this damn good — give us your trade secrets.
There’s no secret. It says right in the bio, I got my education from the streets. I don’t give a lot of thought to what’s “supposed” to be on the page, only how it feels to me. It’d be easy for me to say some writers get weighed down by their MFAs — by the knowledge that there are certain ingredients or themes in every tale — but what do I know? I don’t have an MFA, or a BFA. You have to play the hand you’re dealt, and I just try to build the best story I can using what experience I have. That’s all I can bring to the table: me.
At Bouchercon in St. Pete, FL., we happened to be the beneficiaries of David Nemeth buying us a drink (thanks, for the whiskey, David!) and there were a bunch of other crime people around. Rex Weiner, Ro Cruzan, Chris Rhatigan, Ron Earl Phillips, the D&O crew… You started talking about how the noir community is doing something important, though many of us may not realize it. I think you brought up punk music as an example of what you meant…I want to know: What do you think folks will be saying about contemporary noir a few decades down the road? What is it that we’re doing — in your mind — that’s meaningful, revolutionary, unforgettable?
I don’t know about revolutionary, but I do believe we’ll look back on the early teens of this decade and see it as kind of a golden age of neo-noir. And that has to do with social media. I think in 2010 to 2015 many of us assumed social media was going to be around a long time, and — no question — it was absolutely a great way to get your name out there and connect with other writers. So this whole social circle was created with authors who may have never crossed paths. Well, social media jumped the shark, but the connections made were — in many cases — already cemented.
And I do believe the indie crime circle is similar to the indie punk scene in the late ‘80s. There’re so many parallels. The ability to get something out there uncensored, to have a say in your artwork, to be able to market yourself how you wish. And just like the indie labels, crime presses started getting swallowed up by each other or going under entirely. A natural distillation will happen and I guess we’ll see who’s left standing.
Give me a Tom Pitts rule (or three) for writing:
Forget the word count, forget what everyone else is doing, just lay it down one scene at a time. Me? I write a scene, then I have to ponder its ramifications and figure out what happens next. Second rule, don’t take any rule too seriously. Rules are, after all, made to be broken.
Alright, give us the goods on 101. To me, the book is a page-turner with engrossing characters. Plus, you know, weed. But what makes you proud of the book? Why should my crazy wino friends buy and read the dang thing?
I’m proud of the book because I think it’s a progression for me as a writer. I wanted to create a certain pace by using multiple POVs and I think it worked. Why would your friends buy it? With characters like Meth Master Mike, Ripper, and Vlad the Inhaler, how could they go wrong? My books are the perfect gateway drug for non-readers to back into reading.
Thanks for the wisdom, Tom. It’s a damn pleasure to speak to you.
Buy the book, people: 101 is available at the Down & Out Books website or on Amazon.
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