Q: What is Over the Hills and Far Away about?
A: It’s a memoir of how I got caught in the current of my parents’ desperate attempt to save my brother from himself, how I dealt with the circumstances I found myself in as a result and, ultimately, my realizing that things were not always as they seemed – that in order to move forward I had to let go of the past.
Q: You seem to have a heavy emphasis on the boarding school aspect. Is it just another boarding school story?
A: No. I spent the bulk of those years at boarding school so, of course, there is going to be an emphasis on that, but I wanted something way beyond the typical doom and gloom because there was so much more than that. Juxtaposing Alaska with Ireland with Saudi Arabia and ending up passing on an appreciation for everything to my family. Unexpected and very cool.
So the story explains what was going on with my family that I ended up in boarding school, what happened during those years, and how I dealt with it all
Q: Many fiction books are based on real-life experiences. Spud and Spud: The Madness Continues are two such examples that share a certain parallel with Over the Hills and Far Away. Why did you choose to use your real-life identity, when so many experiences may be difficult or embarrassing to share with the public?
A: I thought about writing my story as a fictionalized account. There is a certain flexibility and safety in the story telling that’s just not available in a memoir, and I would have had the freedom to just make stuff up if I wanted to. But I had something else in mind. I needed to set the record straight for myself, and in the process let others know what the experience was truly like for me.
As for being difficult or embarrassing, I simply tell it like it was. We’re now thirty years past the time this takes place, and I’ve nothing to feel bad about what happened back then.
Q: What was the inspiration for your memoir?
A: My kids, for a number of reasons. Back so many years ago someone asked me if I’d ever consider sending my future kids to boarding school. I was shocked that my immediate answer wasn’t a resounding hell no, and I wanted to know why. After all, boarding school had been an unpleasant experience that permanently affected me to where I’m caught between worlds, so to speak. I thought if I faced that past head-on, I could identify what was hanging with me all these years, deal with it, and move on so I’d be able to enjoy my kids and life that much more.
Q: Why do you feel now is the right time for your memoir?
A: From a marketing standpoint, now is the time because these stories are breaking out of the slush pile. Boarding schools may not be common knowledge to most Americans, but thanks to stories like Dead Poets Society and Harry Potter, most Americans at least have some idea what a boarding school is even if the vision is somewhat clouded.
More recently is John van de Ruit’s very popular “Spud” series, the first of which has been made into a feature film – it’s an exciting time to have such a story to tell. Unlike so many stories where there’s the original followed by an exhaustive collection of exploitive copies, each of the boarding school movies is unique. My story is no exception.
Q: Is it really all true? Come on, you must have embellished somewhere along the way, right?
A: Over the Hills and Far Away is as accurate an account of those years as I can make possible. My memoir is based on hundreds of original pages I created in 1994, dozens of letters from me to home and vice versa written between 1976 and 1983, some very rare tape recordings, and a treasured collection of photographs taken during the time.
As an added measure, because my memory is imperfect, I have had several people from the schools read the manuscript and provide feedback. This was invaluable to me as I wanted to make sure my personal feelings didn’t overly taint what I was trying to say.
Q: How do you feel now?
A: Still not a hundred percent, but working in that direction. I think it’s like alcoholism or smoking – you always think about these things. For me it’s the constant reality of how things that should go right so often don’t, and after a while I begin to think it’s me. Then I shake it off and say “screw it” and turn my attention to something else.
Q: Do you have any worries about how some are characterized?
A: Not really. I’ve matured the manuscript since the original version. A lot of the emotional baggage went away because there was so much more interesting story to tell I didn’t really need it. There were a few people who I had problems with back then and that’s never been any secret to anyone, not then and certainly not now. I have had some people who knew the parties involved at the time read the manuscript and comment, and I’ve made adjustments if and when necessary.
The bottom line is simple – I can’t please everyone. I have tried to be fair and that’s really all I can do.
Q: What’s been the greatest challenge?
A: Getting the word out. I knew from the beginning that marketing what could easily come off as a boarding school story in America would be a challenge. That’s one reason why I was so pleased to discover, with my wife’s help, that the story really wasn’t about boarding school but about family. That gives it broad appeal, and I’ve taken a lot of steps to figure out what I need to do for marketing.
What’s surprised me the most is how some of the difficulty has come from where I least expected it. I’m not sure what to make of that.
Q: Every memoir has a lesson, a change, a growth in it. What’s yours?
A: Open your eyes before old age robs you of your sight. It’s good to stick your head out the door from time to time – you might be surprised.
