I’m happy to welcome author Jon Ketzner. Today, Jon shares his creative journey and new release, Coincidence.
Interview
What was your inspiration for this book?
Like many American Baby Boomers, I have always been drawn to the particulars of the assassination of President Kennedy. The actual cast of real characters involved in the decades long journey to that sad day in Dallas are almost unbelievably bigger-than-life. I had written and published a few short stories that tangentially touched on the Kennedy saga…so using them as building blocks, I constructed my meta-fiction overlay on the well-known historical events.
What is the best part of being an author? The worst?
I was a consulting actuary for 45 years. When I retired, I goofed around for a few years, happy to give the left side of my brain a rest, but didn’t really pursue writing except for the occasional Letter to the Editor. I read a lot and knew that I had some writing skills, and a snarky voice that I find amusing (unlike, say, my poor wife). I had a friend who is a small independent publisher to whom I wrote, inquiring if he might consider publishing another friend’s book…my publisher friend said no to that, but said he’d love to publish a book by me.
So I wrote a series of short stories, just stretching my authoring legs, and published an anthology. It was enjoyable and gave me something more productive to do than goofing off. Another short-story anthology followed, and now two novels…one book per year since 2023. I enjoy taking an almost tropey narrative and sexing it up with odd ball characters and smart ass to witty dialogue. I enjoy the storytelling more than the mechanics of writing, but sometimes I get into a zone and very much enjoy the buzz of the creative process.
The worst part of writing is, no surprise, when you find you’ve painted your narrative into a corner with no way out except a ridiculous plot device like in a bad soap opera, or going far enough back to re-write and create a plausible new journey for your story. I don’t like writing tiresome expository explanations and often, maybe too often, count on my readers to use their own brains and imaginations to connect the dots of my plotting.
Describe your writing space.
Not sure what you’re looking for here. I physically do most of my writing in public…a bookstore where I am the artist in residence, and coffee shops and saloons. I like the energy of passers-by checking in with me, sometimes challenging me but always making me feel like a literary busker working at my craft and like a ham head, showing off. If by space you mean genre or whatever, I only write fiction. I like writing dialogue; the snappier, the better, so that probably condemns me to writing action/mystery and historical novels like my most recent “Coincidence.”
Which authors have inspired you?
“Inspired” is probably too strong a verb to describe the effect other authors have had on me. Authors who I have read and enjoyed and wished I could ape in my writing are Henry Fielding, Joseph Heller, Gregory MacDonald, Gore Vidal, Christopher Buckley, E.L. Doctorow, Carl Hiasson, Elmore Leonard, Robert Crais and Tim Dorsey. Distinctive, funny characters and snappy dialogue carry their narratives. Agatha Christie types and ponderous John Irving types glaze over my brain.
Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?
I enjoy hiking, skiing, golf and bs-ing in bars and coffee shops. My wife loves traveling and drags me along in full curmudgeon mode…But I actually enjoy traveling too. I am a great admirer of the skill and mind-boggling cleverness of old to ancient infrastructure…buildings, roads, canals, railroads, tunnels, aqueducts, etc. and traveling allows me to admire that skill of those long dead builders much more intimately than just watching someone else’s YouTube visit.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
I have little to offer non-fiction writers other than the obvious…sit down, begin, write and realize when you are done. Finding an audience for whatever you have written is a challenge…it might cost you some money. But get it written first and have some folks you respect read and honestly review your work.
For fiction writers, have a compelling story to tell…worry about plausible plot twists, interesting characters and entertaining dialogue before worrying about flowery, obtuse, and annoying prose.
Tell the damn story.
What are you working on next?
I have a beginning about a rock-and-roll groupy who is impregnated by a member of the “27 Club.” Her child grows to become a Police Detective in the Philadelphia Police Department who, when his mother finally reveals his birth father, looks into his father’s death and then stumbles onto something hinky and oddly similar about the deaths of the members of the “27 Club.” The detective’s name is GK Hardace, whose nickname within the PPD is “Hardass,” which is the working title of my novel.
Blurb
On the eve of President John F. Kennedy’s final trip to Dallas, an irreverent narrator from the Ether begins to reveal the hidden chain of events that history never recorded. Spanning decades and weaving together Hollywood legends, political dynasties, secret affairs, and forgotten tragedies, Coincidence imagines how seemingly unrelated lives become entangled in the most infamous assassination of the twentieth century. From Joseph P. Kennedy and Gloria Swanson to Jackie Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer, and the young Lee Harvey Oswald, every choice, passion, and betrayal sends ripples through time. Behind every headline lies another story, and every story hides a secret long buried. As the strands converge on November 22, 1963, the line between fate and accident begins to blur. Rich in historical detail and provocative speculation, Coincidence asks: was it really coincidence at all?
Excerpt
President Kennedy huddled with Dave Powers and Kenneth O’Donnell in the sixth-floor small conference room. Secret Service agents circled unobtrusively among the men. Vice President Lyndon Johnson orbited the group, along with miscellaneous officials and politicians.
At 8:45, the assembled high muckety-mucks elevatored to the lobby and strolled into the light rain. A large crowd had assembled in the parking lot. A flatbed truck served as a makeshift stage.
After unremarkable remarks by two of the locals, President Kennedy climbed onto the flatbed with a steroid enabled limber, made more uncomfortable by his back brace. He wore no protection against the rain. He spoke without notes.
“There are no faint hearts in Fort Worth, and I appreciate you being here this morning. Mrs. Kennedy is organizing herself. It takes longer, but, of course, she looks better than we do when she does it.”
Kennedy spoke extemporaneously for five minutes congratulating Fort Worth for its contributions to America’s defense and Texas’ efforts on behalf of the Space program. His youth and easy confidence stood in stark contrast to the buttoned-up, old farts who surrounded him atop the flatbed.
The parking lot crowd applauded with, as JFK might say, great vigor. The President smiled, waved and, with Dave Power’s discreet assistance, eased down from the flatbed. Still on schedule, the posse of politicians, assistants and security strode to the large ballroom of the Texas Hotel for breakfast.
Author Bio
Jon Ketzner was born in Cumberland, Maryland in the lovely Appalachian foothills. He grew up in Baltimore then graduated from Towson University with a degree in mathematics and went on to a long career as a consulting actuary. For many years, Jon and his family lived in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania before moving back to Cumberland in 1990.
As a recovering actuary and inspired by the Maryland Writers Association’s “Notable Authors” monthly challenges, Jon decided to try his hand at writing and give his left-brain side a rest. He cites as influences: Henry Fielding, Joseph Heller, Gregory McDonald, and Tim Dorsey.
Giveaway
Jon Ketzner will be awarding a $25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.
Follow Jon on the rest of his Goddess Fish tour here.
