Book interview - The Newspaperman by Sal Nudo

Please tell us a little about the book

"The Newspaperman" is a novella about a guy named Seth Kesler who is thrilled to discover that the defunct C-U Journal is making a comeback. He loves newspapers and believes it is his--and society's--civic duty to read them. But something is deeply off about the new publication in Champaign-Urbana, starting with the oily paper-hawker he dubs the Newspaperman, who hand-sells the C-U Journal for a mere dime on a downtown street corner. Seth's delight soon turns to dismay when he sees the bizarre stories printed as fact and mysterious goings-on at the once-esteemed paper's main office. He makes it his goal to put a stop to the whole shady operation, even though it means battling news titan Richard W. Fields, a multimillionaire who represents the worst of an exploitive corporate world.

Where did the inspiration come from for your book?

The image was Cedrick, a.k.a. The Newspaperman; the scene was Cedrick selling newspapers on a downtown Champaign street corner. Selling the dang things for a measly dime at a time, and doing so in his 1930s-style get-up while hollering "Extra, extra, read all about it!" How could that be in this day and age of cellphones and online stories? I wasn't sure, but I liked the feel of the whole thing. So I went with it.

How did you find the experience of writing this book?

The story was written fairly quickly, about a month or so, but I worked for a year after that with an editor by snail mail to improve the story and polish it up.  

Did you draw any inspiration from any real life people with any of your characters?

The characters are kind of whacky in this book, so no. But I did draw from the experiences of what local newspapers have been going through these past several years. 

If you could say anything to readers of this  book then what would it be?

With "The Newspaperman," I wanted to write a novella that author Bentley Little would be proud of. Maybe one day he'll read it and let me know if it's worthy.

The book does, after all, have some Little-esque things about it: the evil, bizarre characters and their strange actions and way of talking; the temporary suspension of a belief in reality; shocking moments of horror that you almost have to laugh at. Looking back, I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking when I wrote this book. All I know is that it started off with an image of a bedraggled guy and an unlikely scene.

The image was Cedrick, a.k.a. The Newspaperman; the scene was Cedrick selling newspapers on a downtown Champaign street corner. Selling the dang things for a measly dime at a time, and doing so in his 1930s-style get-up while hollering "Extra, extra, read all about it!" How could that be in this day and age of cellphones and online stories? I wasn't sure, but I liked the feel of the whole thing. So I went with it.

This book does have a message amid the absurdity, and many who have read it have commented on the sincerity of the main character, Seth Kesler, and his quest to give his town honest journalism in the face of corruption. I may have been pushing a bit too hard when I had Seth say to his wife, toward the end of the book,"I'm telling you, Meghan, if everyone read a quality newspaper from front to back, every single day, we'd live in a much better, more informed country," but that's where my head was at the time. And for the record, I still do believe in the power of a good newspaper.

Several months prior to writing this novella, I'd earned a master's degree in journalism. Writing a from-the-heart book was a new and exciting project after the slog of four years of school. I wanted to share with the world some of what I'd learned in the classroom, but in a fun, scary way. I wrote The Newspaperman rather quickly in December of 2016, not long after Donald Trump became president, and then spent the next year editing it with the assistance of a good editor. The result, I believe, is a sharp and concise book that says a lot within its pages and manages to entertain.

I should mention the "Five Years Later" ending of the book, which many have told me left them shocked and mad. I don't blame people for saying that. My inspiration for the abrupt, jaw-dropping conclusion of "The Newspaperman" was inspired by the late great horror author Richard Laymon, whose ending in the disturbing novel The Cellar left me, a mere freshman in high school when I read it, stunned for days. Laymon went on to write a few sequels to his horror classic, so maybe someday I'll write "The Newspaperman II." In retrospect, it's not fair to leave people hanging from thirty thousand feet in the air.

Are there plans for more from these characters, or is it a stand alone piece?

I should probably write a sequel, given the abrupt ending.

Where can we purchase your book?

Amazon.

Please tell us where readers can connect with you and find out about any new book releases too.

Please connect with me on Twitter at @NudoSal.