Non-Fiction
Date Published: January 2016
Publisher: Bobtimystic Books
: I’m not a political person by nature. Most of the time, it seems the political world plays out more like a lame ‘70s sitcom with all its predictable characters and routine storylines. However, last spring, I got tired of hearing friends and family complain about the lack of exciting, innovative candidates for president. Everyone seemed ready to vote for "None Of the Above." So, I decided to take a 10,000-mile road trip across America in May 2015 to meet several of the more than 1600 "real people" who are legit candidates for the presidency. Including a couple in New England.
The Can’t-idates is about dreamers -- not all of whom are tin-foil hat crazy -- who just want to fill a hole in their lives by running for president. And as I drove to meet them all, I realized a lot about not just my life but also about the country. If we could all take time to believe in what our parents always told us -- "Someday you can grow up to be president" -- maybe we wouldn't be in the shape we're in.
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Interview
Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
The message is simple –
“Do Your Crazy Thing.” We all have something in us that we want to try but
seldom do because we worry what everyone else will think. I worried that
writing a book about real people who run for president would get laughed out of
the room. But then, as I met these extraordinary ordinary people who were doing
something everyone said they were nuts to try, I realized what I had in common
with them all. We all just want to go for our dreams, no matter how weird they
seem to the outside world. And the book shows that ultimately, that’s okay.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
There are really two
things, which occur on opposite ends of the process. The first is finding and
refining a story or book idea. There are countless things that might be
interesting for a graph or a chapter but ultimately, they flame out. You need
to find something that will keep you as the writer engaged for as long as the
project takes and sometimes that means churning through dozens of ideas before
finding one that resonates. The second thing is what happens once you settle on
your story. It’s always very tempting to second-guess yourselves as we sit
there thinking up what to say. We’re writers. That’s what we do. But the only
way to actually see your project through is to ignore those voices in your head
that insist you rewrite even before you’ve finished a first draft. It’s far too
easy to get caught up in the cycle of doubt and become paralyzed.
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I have done three books over all, but the first two don’t really
count in my view. They were like “starter” books, the first a quickie biography
of Alanis Morrisette and the second an as-told-to tome about the life and times
of a B movie actress. I don’t count them because they weren’t “my” books. I
couldn’t put my thoughts and feelings into them. So my current book, The Can’t-idates: Running For President When
Nobody Knows Your Name, is my favorite because I was able to dig deep and
explore any and all themes I wanted to.
If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
My
book is non-fiction, so it doesn’t really count. Although I will say that the
characters I met are so vivid and engaging, I would love to see a reality show
created out of the book.
When did you begin writing?
There
are times I’ve assumed I was already writing in the womb. By the time I knew my
alphabet, I was trying to create stories. In the fourth grade, I was so
desperate to be a writer that I actually create my own superhero “books”
featuring a trenchcoat-clad rodent named Marmaduke Mouse. I’d handwrite a few
pages of story, illustrate them and then use the carbon copier (yes, that one
that smelled great) to make copies to sell for a nickel. That led to a new
series about a team of animal heroes, named The Foogaloon Foursome. And after
that, I was writing my own sports newspaper for the school. I don’t recall
selling a copy to anyone I wasn’t related to, but I actually still have copies
of those projects. Fingers crossed they’ll make their way to eBay someday!
How long did it take to complete your first book?
I’ll use The Can’t-idates as the example here
because I really do see it as my debut. The idea to explore the world of real
people running for president had been with me for a few years, ever since I
worked as a producer on a talk show and met a vampire pro wrestler who was
a candidate. Then, in the winter of 2015, pretty much everyone I knew was
unhappy with their mainstream choices for president. I discovered that 193
others had filled out their paperwork to run (the number has grown to 1800 at
this point), and it occurred to me that we have far more choices than we
realize. So, in early May, I drove 10,000 miles across the country in three
weeks to meet my “Can’t-idates.” I began
writing my first draft in early June and was finished with it by mid-October. I
immediately started revising and finding a publisher, and by Thanksgiving, I
had a finished product.
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
The
writer who has always moved me was Spaulding Gray. I knew little about him till
I’d seen the movie Swimming To Cambodia,
a documentary that perfectly captured one of his readings. After that, I
devoured all of his books and never missed his live shows. I’ve never read a
writer with such an incredible ability to look deep inside himself, find things
we can all understand and relate to and then share them in an amusing but
enlightening way. I like to think the best writing is the writing that acts
like a mirror. And Gray was the best at that.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Well, I’m tempted to
say “the END of the writing process.” There is a sense of relief that happens
as you type the last period on your first draft. It’s hard to describe until
you feel it yourself but trust me, it is great. However, as a non-fiction
writer, my favorite part of the book-creating process is the interviews. I’ve
been a journalist my entire life, and I love sitting down with people and
discovering who they are. While working on The
Can’t-idates, I spent about five hours talking to all my interview
subjects. It was in those hours that I could literally see my book taking shape
before my very eyes. Which is a very exciting process to be a part of.
Describe your latest book in 4 words.
Fun.
Relatable. Personal. Different.
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the
future for your writing?
I am still developing my next project. All I can say at the
moment is I want to explore my lifelong battle with depression by getting out
into the world and finding people and places who might help me put it all in
perspective. I know, I know…..doesn’t sound like anything right now but 18
months ago, my desire to drive cross-country to meet real people running for
president didn’t seem like anything either.
Craig Tomashoff is a freelance writer/producer based in Los Angeles. His blogs appear regularly at Huffington Post.com. Most recently, he was a producer for The Queen Latifah Show. Prior to that, he served as Executive Editor of TV Guide, and has also worked as Associate Bureau Chief for People. In addition, he has written for the Hollywood Reporter, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and Emmy Magazine. Prior to The Can’t-idates, he was the author of You Live, You Learn: The Alanis Morissette Story and co-wrote I’m Screaming As Fast As I Can: My Life In B-Movies with Linnea Quigley. He has also worked as a television writer/producer for such series as VH1’s Behind the Music, The Martin Short Show and The Late Show With Craig Kilborn.
Contact Information
Twitter: @The_Cantidates
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