iUniverse Blog

iUniverse talks with author Michael Dean Kiggans, whose book, The Funeral Plain, is a finalist in the 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

Please briefly describe your book . . .

The Funeral Plain is a modern reinterpretation of I Samuel 1:1, and a small portion of verse 2. It covers three paternal generations instead of the five mentioned in the original Bible verse, though the five paternal names are mentioned (in the book). It is about the long, slow disintegration of a family after the death of a first son and the subsequent aftermath.

And can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am currently 64 years of age, retired now for 14 years and I am married over 41 years with Deborah, who is a harpist and a retired elementary school teacher.

I worked 25 years for a municipal power utility in southern California, as a senior power dispatcher, and was responsible for the dynamic operation of a relatively small part of the vast electrical power grid which interconnects us all, so that my fellow American citizens were—and are—able to enjoy the life-style to which they are currently accustomed.

Book collecting (mainly modern literary fiction and 16^th– through 19^th-century antiquarian books) is my main hobby—as is writing—and listening to classical music and arcane European jazz rock. The current modern (pop) culture is undergoing a slow, vicious downward spiral of decay and decadence (including what is presently passed off as “relevant” modern mainstream literature of today, sold in dying chain bookstores), and I cheerfully ignore it, as it is irrelevant to my life.

I am a member of The Thomas Wolfe Society and the Northern Ohio Bibliophilic Society (N.O.B.S.). I am also a member of the Buckminster Fuller Institute.

I have been certified in alternating current and transformer theory; certified in Latin; and certified in the Gregorian chant. I hold a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.

Do you have any particular literary influences?

I have read much literature over the course of my life and have met and talked with many mainstream authors whose works I have read. I have always wanted to be a writer. Thomas Wolfe (Look Homeward, Angel, etc.) has been a major influence. There are too many other contemporary (and past) authors who have been an influence also—because of the style and flavor of their writing—and it would take too much time to list them all, and I do not want to leave an author out—but here are a few: William T. Vollmann, Alexander Theroux, Paul Theroux, Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Michel Houellebecq, Roberto Bolaño, Javier Marias, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Thomas Sanchez, Charles Bukowski, T. R. Pearson (the Neely trilogy), Carolyn Chute, Evan Hunter, the ancient classical Greek and Roman authors (see the entire Loeb Classical Library), Fyodor Dostoevsky, Washington Irving, William Faulkner, R. Buckminster Fuller, Marshall McLuhan, Timothy Leary, Robert Anton Wilson, Michel de Montaigne, Algernon Herbert, and lastly—the most important—the greatest work of literature ever written: the Holy Bible.

What inspired me to write The Funeral Plain? It is based on an early incident in my own life, and I thought it would make a great story. I fictionalized it, because I instinctively knew that this was the best path to take. I had written the first paragraph and the last sentence of the novel in November, 1987, and let it stew and slowly build internally for 13 years before putting pen to paper in 2000. Reading I Samuel 1:1 covers at least 100 years by listing 5 paternal generations, and I often thought, what was behind the story of these paternal families’ lives? I thought of my own ancestry and the story started from there. When I finished, I knew I had written something good, because while writing, I had finally found my voice. (And I knew it had to be good when iUniverse anointed The Funeral Plain with the Editor’s Choice selection, which surprised me nonetheless.)

What is the one message you would like to convey to your readers?

The late, great Scribners editor, Maxwell Perkins, told his authors, “Write what you know.” At this particular moment, that is probably what I would convey to any reader.

Are you working on a sequel to your book?

There is no sequel to this book. It stands on its own. Originally, The Funeral Plain was to be the first of five parts of a larger novel, but the other parts did not work out, and I gave it up. The Funeral Plain took me 6 years to write, off and on, and 2 years to get it published after contacting iUniverse.

Are there any events, marketing ideas, or promotions planned for your book?

Lauren Dickerson is my publicity agent with Lavidge. Originally, The Funeral Plain was to be publicized in October, 2017, but I had to deal with family issues (which is still ongoing) and at my request, we put the publicity on hold; as of now, it is still on hold. Then in February, 2018, a friend of mine told me about the 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and I looked into it. I decided to participate and entered The Funeral Plain into two categories: FIRST NOVEL (60,000-80,000 words) and GENERAL FICTION/NOVEL (Under 80,000 words). I found out, on May 19, 2018, that I am currently a finalist in both of the aforementioned categories. I had told Ms. Dickerson that I wanted to start the publicity campaign near the end of June. I told her about the Finalist positions that I currently hold with N.G.I.B.A., so that now we can deal with the publicity from a new angle.

I would like to have a few book signings within the state of Ohio (I have not yet contacted any bookstore yet). I have in my possession 40 book stubs from iUniverse and have not yet distributed them. I thought that if I can get the addresses of 40 of the best independent bookstores across America, then I can mail them a press release from Lavidge and a personal note from me, along with a book stub, so that the owner/manager(s) can judge on their own whether they would like to stock The Funeral Plain.

Truthfully, I do not know anything about marketing or promotion or publicity; I have never had to deal with this particular side of the looking-glass; I am ignorant, and I think I am going to be educated very soon, whether I like it or not.

What was your favorite part of your publishing experience, overall and with iUniverse?

I was impressed with the various editors who, with diligence, improved my book, by completely marking up the manuscript and offering suggestions, whether I wanted them or not. I would say that I followed 99% of the suggestions.

And finally seeing my book in print.

Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring authors?

If you want to write, then write. But if you want to be a truly great writer, familiarize yourself with grammatical infrastructure, and above all, read great literature.

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