Getting to know T. Jefferson Parker

Lucette Moramarco

Associate Editor

Instead of its annual Community Read event, the Friends of the Fallbrook Library hosted the book launch of local author T. Jefferson Parker's 27th book, Jan. 22 at Pala Mesa Resort. The event sold out and with "A Thousand Steps" hot off the presses, dozens of copies were sold to his many fans.

As a thank you for attending, it was announced that all attendees could sign up for a free membership to FOFL for 2022. After a fantastic lunch of chicken salad on croissants and fresh melons and pineapple, FOFL member Mary Jo Bacik introduced "Fallbrook's very own celebrity author" who moved here 23 years ago with his wife, Rita.

With a 75-step commute to his home office, Parker has produced 20 of his 26 best-selling books here in Fallbrook. He said, "it is an honor to be chosen for the Community Read...I like the Mom and Popness of this place. There is a respect for privacy and I'm happy to be here."

He told how his mother started reading to him when he was a baby, to stop him from crying. So, he is fond of the story of "Marjorie Morningstar." Growing up, his favorite book was "Shag, Last of the Buffalo," which he had his mother read over and over again. In high school, he ended up reading "Catch-22" which opened up a whole new world to him; "it was better than "Shag, Last of the Buffalo," he said.

He now tries to give his readers the same pleasure and joy that reading "Catch-22" gave him, he explained.

His first career was newspaper reporter, but he wanted to write books so he wrote at night; his first book was about a father and son mystery that took a year to write but it was a bad imitation of Hemingway, he said. So, he rewrote it over the next year, then decided it was a bad imitation of another writer. He ended up rewriting it five times before he found his own voice to write in. He sent that sixth draft to an agent who sent it to several publishers.

The first letter he got said they loved the characters, not the plot; the second rejection letter said they loved the plot but not the characters. The third letter said the plot was too simple while the fourth letter said the plot was too complicated; they couldn't figure it out. The sixth letter, however, said they couldn't put the book down! That publisher, St. Martin's Press, bought the book.

When Parker was trying to decide what to write about next, in March 2020, COVID was just starting; "it was dark, grim stuff," he said. He drifted back to 1968, remembering that summer when his mother took him and his siblings to Laguna Beach where he saw drug deals and people in crazy clothes and big hair. He chose to write about that pivotal year as seen through the eyes of a 16 year old. So, "A Thousand Steps" is a coming of age book and a thriller at the same time, he said.

"The book wrote itself, " Parker said. At 750 pages long, though, he had to cut out characters and a lot of pages.

He is often asked what the "T" in his name stands for; he said his parents gave him just a "T" because "his name would look good on the White House door," they said.

When asked for advice for new writers, Parker said, "It's a lot easier now; every agent has a website with specific instructions on how to submit manuscripts."

He also said, "It is important for authors to read a lot, real good stuff, classics. And to write one hour a day; one page a day, double-spaced, so at the end of a year, you will have a 365 page manuscript; it's doable."

He was asked what he reads for pleasure; Parker said, "Everything." Right now, he is reading Joan Didion'a "Where I Was From" and Elizabeth George's new mystery. He glances at reviews in the LA Times and New York Times to pick books to read, mostly fiction.

As for his writing process, it starts with a moment of inspiration. For his next book, number 28, the inspiration is the Mexican street dog he adopted from the Fallbrook Animal Sanctuary a little over a year ago. The main character is a young reporter, a woman, who lives in Laguna Beach and adopts a little dog from an animal sanctuary in Tijuana.

When asked, he said the endings of books are the hardest part to write. He sometimes writes long outlines for his books which sometimes help him keep on track with the plot. He always has the end in mind, he said but it often changes before he finishes the book.

While he has "zero control over the title," his publisher will send him ideas for the cover art. "They are stubborn on titles, generous on covers," Parker said, adding that he loved the cover for "A Thousand Steps" right away.

After the question and answer session, it was time for the book signing which was held outside on the patio with a crowd waiting to get an inscription from T. Jefferson Parker.

The funds raised from this event will support the library's community initiatives. For more information, visit https://fallbrooklibraryfriends.org/.