Interview With San Miguel Resident And Writer, John Scherber

I'm pleased to interview San Miguel de Allende resident and writer, John Scherber. John has written “San Miguel de Allende: A Place in the Heart," “A Writer”s Notebook,” and a murder series set in San Miguel. I started with “Twenty Centavos and my next read will be “The Fifth Codex.” Here’s that interview:

When do you write?

I write every day, since I had writer’s block for 37 years and I feel like I need to take advantage of having the ability to work once again. I usually have more than one project going at a time, since if I hit a bump on the road I can just switch to another manuscript.

How long does it take to write a book?

It has taken me as little as six weeks to a write a first draft of one of the eleven mysteries, and now I’m working on a book about the expat experience in out of the way places and I’ve been on it for 14 months—that’s the longest. But that is a book that has me traveling back and forth across Mexico.

Do you outline the book before writing it?

This book is based on interviews, so no outline was necessary. Each town has its own story. When I started the mysteries I did chapter synopses, running about 5-6 chapters ahead of where I was and I always knew the ending. Now, because I know the characters in these books so well I’m ready to start when I know the first scene, the ending, and three or four high points along the way.

I, also, was a stockbroker for almost 30 years. How long for you and why did you quit?

I was a Paine Webber broker for 3 ½ years in the nineties. I left because I didn’t like the tension between the clients’ interests and that of the company. After that I became an unsuccessful portrait painter, but I had fun doing it.

Tell us what you like about SMA.

I moved to San Miguel in 2007. Nine earlier vacations there told me I loved the weather, the culture, the people, the historical overtones as expressed in the architecture, and the importance of cultural activities. I had always thought I’d end up living in Europe, but it became so expensive that San Miguel seemed like an exotic, but much less costly alternative.

How do you go about marketing your books?

I use Twitter and Facebook to promote titles and stay in contact with fans. I always man a table at the San Miguel Writers Conference to ‘meet and greet’ and sign books. I am currently revising my website to draw more traffic and am about to start using Google adwords.

I love A Writer’s Notebook and I could read it again and again. Why did you write it? What’s the best piece of advice in the book?

That book is really from the heart. I wrote it to help keep people from making all the mistakes I’d made over many years. Writing is a long lonely journey and in that book I tried to be the person I would’ve wanted standing by my side during that process.

Someone to whom I could turn and ask a question. I think the most important chapter is called Voice and Tone: Who is the Writer? Finding your true and confident voice is vital in getting out your message or telling your story in a believable way. People need to see and feel your humanity and vulnerability.

In “San Miguel de Allende: A Place in the Heart," Anna B. speaks about lost teenagers in America. Do you see any evidence of that in Mexico?

I don’t see it nearly as much. The family structure and values here keep the teens more connected through that difficult period.

Tell us a bit about the murder series. I enjoyed the first, but I have so many books to read. Which should I read next? Should I read them as they were published?

They came from my own reading of mysteries, thinking about what worked and what didn’t, and when I had my breakthrough back into writing, it was in thinking about how I would make a mystery for myself. I wanted a main character who had something more going in his life, so I made him a painter. He gets pulled into the mysteries because it’s thought he might ‘see things differently.’ He says that while he can see the color in shadows and the relationship between two curves, he doesn’t believe he can come into a crime scene and see anything that the police missed.

Of course he’s wrong about that. I set them mostly in Mexico because I wanted an exotic backdrop with a lot of color and history. One of the principal characters is Mexican. The villains are flawed people, not demons or monsters. I’m interested in the way they rationalize the crimes they commit.

If you started with Twenty Centavos, you should pick up The Fifth Codex next.

Are you fluent in Spanish? Should one learn the language?

My Spanish could be better. It’s good enough for day-to-day interactions, but if I have to talk to a plumber or an auto mechanic, I need help. Good language skills are a definite plus.

Anything I've missed that you'd like to write about?

I would only like to add that I’m living the life down here that I always wanted to lead.

Thank you so much John. I hope to meet you in San Miguel in February, 2014 during the San Miguel Writer’s Conference. You can read more about John Scherber and his novels and writing at www.sanmiguelallendebooks.com