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John St. Clair started his career as a novelist after spending 25 years battling fraud and abuse in the cyber realm. John lives with his wife Nancy in the northern Virginia suburbs—along with a very hyperactive Redtick Coonhound named Grover.
Stalin’s Door is his debut novel.
What was your inspiration for writing Stalin's Door ?
I’ve always been intrigued by all things Russian! Several years ago, I recall watching an esoteric Russian history documentary on Joseph Stalin. A small chunk of the film focused on a luxurious apartment complex in the middle of Moscow named The House on the Embankment—which is where the former Premier ordered all his elite government functionaries to live in during the late 1930s. This was not done out of an abundance of gratitude, or as a reward. It was done out of convenience, so that Stalin’s secret police could spy on all his political rivals—all of whom were now living in one place. Many hundreds of individuals and families living at The House on the Embankment were arrested, executed, or exiled during this time, which is now known as “The Great Terror.” I thought this would make an excellent starting point for a novel, and one that is generally unknown to most people.
I imagine that you completed an enormous amount of research to write this book. Can you tell the readers a bit about that process?
Writing historical fiction always necessitates copious research, to ensure the maximum amount of authenticity for readers. I certainly set the bar high for my debut novel in choosing Russian historical fiction. I’ve never been to Russia, I don’t speak the language, and I didn’t live during the time my novel takes place: the 1930s and 1940s. Thankfully, I already possessed a great library of research material and books dedicated to a regional facet of World War II called “The Eastern Front.” This is where the epic battles between Germany and the USSR were fought, which ultimately shaped the outcome of the entire war. What I needed to do was immerse myself within the traumatic period just before WWII when my novel takes place.
A huge reign of political repression swept through Russia, called “The Great Purge” or “The Great Terror,” and was initiated by Joseph Stalin to eliminate any last vestiges of political opposition to him, thereby cementing his absolute power over the entire nation. So, I dug into all the primary sources that I could find. Luckily for me, there are some excellent books on this period that I was able to draw my research from. I thanked the three most helpful of these sources in the acknowledgements of my own novel. To add flavor and authenticity to my book, I also had to research the Russian culture. I included nuances like cuisine, idioms, local landmarks, and customs to make my story as real as possible.
What made you write the story from the perspectives of Zhenya, Sava, and Lera?
I knew from the beginning that I wanted to tell my story from the first-person perspective. It’s my opinion that this point of view (POV) allows an author to present the clearest and most authentic story possible—where you experience what the character experiences while also being attuned to their thoughts, desires, and fears. When writing in the first person POV, the author is only able to impart specific information to the reader—if it is already known to the main character. Conversations, events, key-information, or anything else that the main character doesn’t directly witness, or is told to them, will be unknowable. This is particularly appealing to me as a writer. I feel that the main character and reader will discover things together, as the story unfolds. Because I chose to use the first person POV in telling Stalin’s Door, I knew that the core of the story was going to be more than that of the main character, Zhenya. The neat thing about moving perspectives to the other characters in the novel, that of Sava and Lera, is that we can witness some of the overlapping events from their perspectives too. Because all three characters are at different points in their lives, and have different roles to play, I think this sets up a unique dynamic that pays off handsomely for the reader. I’ve been complimented for my approach.
The woggle is a significant aspect of the book in that it threads its way through the story. What did the woggle represent to you?
[SPOILERS] The Young Pioneers neckerchief woggle that Zhenya gains possession of from the start of the novel, and which is featured on the cover of Stalin’s Door , is a classic literary object known as a talisman. A talisman is defined as “an object, typically an inscribed ring or stone, that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck.” While you’re reading Stalin’s Door , pay attention to which specific characters have possession of the woggle, what temperature the woggle is radiating when handled, and what ultimately happens to those characters based upon that temperature. Personally, I view the woggle as a symbol of resilience and hope. Ultimately, I’ll leave it up to my reader’s what the woggle represents for them.
At what point in writing Stalin's Door did you realize how special the book was going to be?
The writing history of Stalin’s Door evolved over a period of five years. When I first started, Stalin’s Door was merely a short story, which is approximately the first 20% of the novel, and only focused on the character Zhenya. Once I decided to write another short story from the perspective of the character Sava, who interacts with Zhenya in a special way, the thought that I could turn it into a novel—my debut novel in fact—started to form within my mind. Of course, the decision to even attempt writing a novel is a serious one, so it was only when I began to focus on the second half of the book, from the POV of the character Lera, that I really knew for sure that a novel was going to be a reality. When I wrote the last 20% of the novel, I was convinced this was going to be a special book. Everything just clicked for me, and I couldn’t wait to get it edited and published so that my novel could find new readers!
As time marches on and our modern society is removed from these horrific moments in history do think there is a tendency to forget or perhaps minimize the atrocities that have occurred? Do you think we run the risk of repeating these past mistakes?
This is a terrific question—a timeless one. At our point in time, today, there’s never been more history available, to practically anyone, for practically no monetary cost. With the vast amount of documented history—literally a click away on our handheld devices—I find it sad that the painful lessons learned throughout history are indeed being swept under the rug or willfully forgotten or repressed. The saying “those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it” has never been more appropriate than in today’s world. Regrettably, at this very moment, there are documented cases of atrocities still occurring against innocent civilians. This is inexcusable.
I’ve received this question across multiple author interviews, and I am delighted to give the same answer. I very clearly recall a short story I wrote in the second grade entitled Star Gate 9. For an 8-year-old at the time, it was an ambitious little space opera! What I wouldn’t give to find and read that story again! In one way or the other, I’ve been writing ever since.
What’s next for John St. Clair? Any future projects you are working on or even thinking about?
I am working, slowly, on another novel. And I can reveal that it’s completely different than my debut! It takes place in Boston in the year 2007 and revolves loosely around the local Irish mob there. The title is Lucky Dainéil McElheney and will be classified as literary fiction. I hope to have this novel published sometime in 2022! Writing and editing aren’t easy, however I’ve got one great novel under my belt, along with a lot of hard learned experience. All these lessons will be applied directly to my second endeavor.
I also take part in short fiction writing contests, on average once per month. These are terrific and rewarding—especially when the genre and actions are assigned at random!
I can also report that I’ve been invited to contribute to an anthology of short stories, which should be published in 2022. Even better—it’s a paid gig!
What advice do you have for other indie authors?
I get this question a lot, and honestly, it’s a delight to answer! I would say there’s never a wrong time to begin! Whether you’re a teenager or a senior citizen, I think it’s great that you want to write your stories. So—just go and do it. Believe me, once you start getting your thoughts on the page, the rest will take care of itself. Don’t worry if it’s good enough—just write for yourself. If you’re passionate about your story and take the time to hone and craft your work, then it’ll find an audience! Just keep in mind that like anything else, it takes time. The more effort—blood, sweat, and tears you invest—the bigger the payoff will be with your readers. And if your work never connects with anyone else, just remember that it connected with the most important reader of all—yourself! If you’re thinking of writing—remember the adage about planting a tree. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is right now!
What is the one question I didn’t ask, that you wish I had?
There could be any one of a hundred more questions to this interview—that I could easily fill out with thoughtful replies. Here’s one that should provide a little insight towards me, and could be helpful to other authors, or soon to be authors.
“How do you process and deal with negative book reviews?”
These negative reviews are bound to happen, as your novel is read by a large swath of people. My advice is simple: if there’s anything constructive you can take away, then apply it to your next piece of writing. If the review is simply trying to be hurtful, or has no redeeming value, or is attacking you as a person, then the best course of action is to just ignore it. If the reviewer is being a “troll,” then the worst thing you can do is to feed it. I know that won’t be easy, not to defend yourself, however it’s for the best. You can take any commercially successful author, say Stephen King, and I guarantee that within their 20,000 positive reviews on their latest work, that 200 of them are negative 1-star reviews. I don’t believe for a second that King loses any sleep over them. You shouldn’t either!
Do you have any favorite authors? If so, who are they and what draws you to them?
Here are some of my favorite authors, in no particular order. You may notice that the bulk of them are from the science fiction genre, a preference of mine. This isn’t to say I only read SF. I also happen to love non-fiction, especially true crime or events centered around financial crime.
Ursula K. Le Guin, Frank Herbert, Orson Scott Card*, Vernor Vinge, Ray Bradbury, Joe Haldeman, and Jon Krakauer
*Not an endorsement of the man’s personal beliefs
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