BookView Review

Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we interviewed Richard Kiehr about his writing and soon-to-be released novel, The Tell Tale Lie, an ambitious historical thriller with brains, heart, and plenty of surprises (Read the review here.).

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? 

I did a massive amount of research for this book, far more than I initially anticipated. But I love history, and the research revealed many fascinating mysteries. I did general research before starting, but the bulk of it came between the first and second drafts, when the research detail became essential to the character’s journey. I had to research Canada (French and English), France, and Turkey from the point of view of both 1968 and the years leading up to and through World War I. Weaving the various historical elements together in some essential way was quite satisfying.

How often do you base your characters on real people?  

I’m sure I borrow elements from real people, but I don’t see the point of basing a character on a real person. For me, a fictional character serves the theme of the story and contains types that I’d likely never find in any one real person. Funny note: One secondary character was inspired by a Tintin comic book character. I won’t say who, but fans of the series will probably guess. But I did this to suggest a mask of superficiality that I could reveal as the story progressed. 

What are common traps for aspiring writers? 

A common thing I see in a lot of mass-produced stories – whether they’re movies, TV series or books – is that they might have suitably well-constructed plots, but without appropriate characters to drive them. Or else they’ll force character molds/tropes to fit into their plots. I generally find this type of story boring, and I assume it might be a sign the author ran out of time or was rushed by some executive. Considering how few great stories there are in any given year, I think it’s safe to assume that a good story is really hard work and takes more time than most people would think. 

What is your favorite childhood book? 

I remember being a 6 or 7-year-old kid, stuck at home with the flu. My mom went to the local flea market and picked up a tattered copy of Tintin in Tibet, my very first Tintin comic book. I read that thing more times than I can count. I loved the idea of a globetrotting detective on big adventures. I still have that tattered copy, and it probably inspired the globetrotting in The TellTale Lie.

If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?

I really wish I’d learned story structure and character development when I was young. Even though I was a fan of good stories, I probably assumed telling a story was just good instincts. I took story for granted. Sometime in the late 90’s, I attended a Robert McKee Story lecture, and it blew me away. It was the first time I gave serious thought to the intricacies of story and character. Since then, I’ve read and watched countless lectures and tutorials on story. I’m not really a fan of Brandon Sanderson’s style and genre, but he’s a really great teacher. I’ve watched his BYU lectures on YouTube more than several times, and I highly recommend them.

What’s more important: characters or plot?

Some will say that you can have great characters without a great plot. Maybe that’s true, but I don’t typically like loads of character development with a thin plot. In my perfect story world, the characters are inseparable from the plot they drive. In other words, the characters inhabit a world that challenges the very things they need challenged in order to drive them toward some kind of transformation.

What inspired the premise of your book? 

Searching for or defining one’s identity is a pretty universal theme. You could say it defines the journey of our lives, from toddlers, through our teenage years, and beyond. We always seem to be trying to define who we are. I thought it would be fun to explore this as a tangible identity mystery. I love history and digging into the past, especially places with a rich, mysterious past that spark the imagination – places that connect and define us in profound ways. 

How many rewrites did you do for this book? 

I wrote about nine drafts, maybe more. Obviously, the first few were significant rewrites, and the last few were polish passes. The first draft is unreadable to anyone but me, but it was a chance to organize the basic bones of the story. It felt good to get it down, but it was a lot of heavy lifting to get it to a place where I could let people read it. My daughter was my early sounding board, and I’m very grateful that she let me give her some truly mediocre chapters to review.

Tell us a little about how this story first came to be. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma or something else? 

I’ve been tinkering with this idea for at least 25 years. I’d read early historical accounts of Russian reconnaissance planes during WWI, and I found the idea of lost or forgotten information really intriguing. The deeper I dug, the more tangents I found. I realized there was a history that most people had never heard of. That was the spark of this story.

Which character was most challenging to create? Why? 

My protagonist, Treyton Chase, was by far the most challenging character. He’s severely flawed, and this comes out in some brutal ways – he can be a real jerk. So the challenge was to create a character who was an appealing jerk. Humour tends to soften the edge, so I used it where appropriate, while still ensuring there was something darker lurking below the surface.

Are any of your characters based on real people you know? Not really. Many of my protagonist’s childhood reflections are loosely based on my own memories. Not for any reason other than that it was convenient to recollect the emotions I felt at the time, and apply them to moments in my protagonist’s journey of self-discovery.

Which scene or chapter in the book is your favorite? Why?  

I suppose I have a few favorite scenes, like the climax, but the chapters leading to the dark night of the soul moment (ch 62 – 64) played out in my head in vivid detail for half a year before I finally wrote them down. I was genuinely excited to get to those chapters. They are atmospheric and devastating, and I felt strange satisfaction in destroying my character in the most brutal and appropriate way for my theme of identity. 

There are several action scenes in the novel, and for some reason, I found those difficult to write. I decided to keep them succinct and focused, and just keep my eyes on the end goal. 

I see faith and identity as two sides of the same coin. I’m Christian, and this story helped me explore some of the unique aspects of my faith that help shape my identity. It is subtly central to the story, and I hope readers find this as fascinating as I do.

What makes this book important right now? 

We live in a time of social unrest. We feel a deep need to define ourselves as left or right, and we find strange comfort in a community of what we think are like-minded folks. We compartmentalize and simplify, and fuel it all with anger and, many times, with contempt, overlooking the nuance and conflicting motivations within ourselves. This story doesn’t try to solve these issues, but perhaps it steers some to contemplate the various forces that influence us. 

Where do your ideas for this story come from? 

I’ve had this story percolating for many years. I’ve also been reading, watching, and absorbing everything about story for half my career as a development executive, so I guess I decided it was about time to prove to myself that I could implement what I know. This novel represents my knowledge and love of storytelling.

What sort of a relationship exists between you and the characters you created in this book? 

My characters have become surprisingly real to me. I’ve been living with them for many years, so I think of each as a fully formed person. Treyton makes me smile a lot, often reflecting my own inner sarcastic jerk. 

How did you decide on this title?  

The title is part of the mystery. Obviously, it invites the reader to discover the lie (hint: there are many, but one that is key), and it also serves as a double entendre that I can’t explain until you’ve read it. 

How crucial is it to have a working title before you begin a project? (answer this if you decide on your title very early in the writing process) 

I don’t know that it’s important to have a definitive title, but I think there’s value in having a placeholder. It’s like a mini logline that keeps me focused. My original title was This Same Sun, which was meant to reflect the generational aspect of the story and the ancestral place the protagonist retreads, but I replaced it early on with the present title as the story became more focused.

What’s next for you? 

I have several projects I’m currently tinkering with, including a sequel titled The TellTale Trap and an epic children’s/family story titled The Unfolding Story.

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