Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is pleased to interview Ward Wood, who is here to talk about his new book “The Auteur.”

Award-winning writer Ward Wood likes to travel and cook and often writes about both. Almost by chance, he spent three years researching various aspects of this book and then had the luck to make friends with people in the adult video industry. “The Auteur” is his twelfth novel.

Tyler:  Welcome, Ward. I’m curious to learn more about your book. For starters, will you explain the title to us? I’m not sure everyone will know what an “auteur” is, and can you tell us about the main character the title refers to?

Ward:  An auteur is generally someone who does it all. In filmmaking it’s someone like Hitchcock who oversees the writing, the producing, the casting, the editing, and then directs so the end product becomes an Alfred Hitchcock film. Orson Welles was probably the ultimate American auteur with “Citizen Kane.” In the case of this book, it’s sort of a “coming-of-age” novel about a young man who lives his life through his camera and then discovers he has a special skill to reveal the secrets in other people’s lives with that same lens. Of course, because he discovers this while involved in the on-line video industry, the secrets tend to be sexual and, in most cases, the films he makes are as outrageous as they are titillating.

Tyler:  Will you tell us more about the situation between Scott, Max, and Cody and their filmmaking?

Ward:  That might be giving too much away. Let’s just say Scott, the auteur, meets Cody, a filmmaker, who works for Max, an on-line producer. Scott and Cody fall in love and that introduces Scott into this electronic world.

Tyler:  How does Cody disappear, and why does Scott think he can find him by going on a cross-country trip?

Ward:  There’s something in Cody’s past that he has to deal with and he leaves. Max asks Scott to help find him and Scott follows the clues. His journey becomes a series of film stops as he meets, literally, a cross section of America on his journey to the Rockies:  country-western cousins in Tennessee, an Oklahoma Indian, fundamentalist Mormon outcasts in Arizona all become part of the auteur’s journey.

Tyler:  Your promotional materials talk about how there are enough interesting characters in “The Auteur” for several novels.

Ward:  I love the secondary characters. In most cases they all come back after they’re introduced. They have their big scenes and then find their way into the story later on. They were such fun to write; I couldn’t let them go. Their voices were so distinct to me and then, when they made their big movies for Scott, they were just bigger than life. I don’t know if it’s possible for something to be hysterically funny and erotically charged at the same time, but I think the country cousins may come as close as anything I’ve ever written.

Tyler:  Ward, how would you say your book differs from other “road trip” stories?

Ward:  I’d say the surprises, the twists things take. When Scott leaves the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and stops for gas at that little country station, you just don’t expect the next step.

Tyler:  Why did you decide to include a road trip in the book?

Ward:  Scott’s entire life had been “on the move.” The book begins with his celebration of the twentieth in a long line of relocations because of a military father. So, I had what was essentially a closeted, lonely young man who had seen a lot, but experienced very little. When he met Cody, he began to “experience,” and I felt to come-of-age he had to re-see in conjunction with that experience. The road trip was an effort to give him that opportunity to put it all together.

Tyler:  What about filmmaking did you find so interesting that you thought it would be a good topic for the novel?

Ward:  When I started researching adult filmmaking I have to admit I was a complete novice. I knew nothing about the subject. When I was younger I'd seen the requisite number of 8mm movies at college parties and a few VHS tapes but nothing more. The people and the industry were a real mystery. I had to assume that Paul Thomas Anderson got it right in “Boogie Nights.” Then I met several people in the industry and found how far from true that picture was. These are, for the most part, honest hard-working people who think of their jobs as careers and are serious about their product. In many respects, Scott is based on a young man that we now consider a member of our family. He’s intelligent, charming, and involved in a very serious relationship. I just thought a book about coming-of-age in an environment where we would ordinarily consider everyone having grown up too soon, would make an interesting story.

Tyler:  There is a lot of sex in “The Auteur.” Did you include it just for fun, or did you have a purpose in including it? Does it make a difference that it is homosexual rather than heterosexual sex?

Ward:  No. Yes. No. It’s about the adult film industry so they couldn’t play patty-cake when the cameras were turning. My last book was hassled a little because it didn’t have enough overt sexuality. I knew this one was going to the other extreme, but felt it needed to. As to the “fun” part—oh, my God, yes—some of the scenes, the barn in particular, have to be viewed as slapstick. As to the type of sex, it didn’t really start out that way, but the people I met in the industry were involved in that venue and the characters assumed that position. It just seemed a natural fit. Was that a pun?

Tyler:  What did you find most surprising or interesting about the adult film industry, and what misconceptions do you think most people have about it?

Ward: The biggest misconception is that it’s always a sordid, bottomless pit. There are those parts of it that are. Others aren’t wholesome; it’s not the Boy Scouts, but it does offer honesty and integrity.

Tyler:  Beyond the money to be made in the adult film industry, how do the people you’ve met in the industry feel about their work? Do they take it seriously?

Ward:  For the most part, the ones I spoke to, do. One young man is intent on making it his career. He is moving from performer to director. He works at learning the profession. Particularly impressive about him is the respect he shows those who brought him into the business and the respect they show him. There is no sign of any what one might call “shenanigans” existing between them—it is strictly business. I can’t help but admire their willingness to teach him and his willingness to learn. Another young man is pursuing a difficult degree in University. He schedules his filming around class breaks and holidays. I do not doubt he will achieve his goals. Just from general comments, I don’t believe his parents have any idea how much the degree is costing or where his funds are coming from. His extraordinary looks are paying off, you’ll forgive the expression, handsomely. Will he continue after graduation? I’d be amazed if he did. These are not people scraping the bottom of a sordid barrel. They show up for work on time, they have goals, and they follow through.

Tyler:  Our reviewer, Paige Lovitt, said that she thought the book might actually help young people dealing with their sexuality. Do you think that’s true? Would you say it is easier now for young people to “come out” than it was even twenty years ago, or is it still a traumatic experience for people to realize they are gay and accept their sexuality as teenagers and young adults? And how might the depiction of the characters help young people struggling with this issue?

Ward:  Two comments, then a conclusion:  Gay youth don’t have the opportunity to fail at dating and sex. A heterosexual couple can go from one bad relationship to another throughout their teen years and fumble around in the back seat from 10th grade to 12th grade and learn a lot before they really get serious. Gay youth are denied that privilege. They learn what goes where from dirty jokes and bad ink drawings on rest room walls before being thrust into life. Secondly, there is a built in aversion for boys to talk about sex with boys in high school because heterosexual boys just don’t understand the attraction just as there is a built in aversion for girls to talk about sex with girls because heterosexual girls just don’t understand the attraction. Gay boys are therefore drawn to heterosexual girls because they share a common attraction, but what can they learn from them? The equipment isn’t the same. I think what Paige may have meant, and I do appreciate her comments deeply, is that there just may be a need during those last months of struggling to “come out” for an instruction manual that goes a little bit beyond naming the parts. I hope that makes sense.

Tyler:  But what about the emotional end of “coming out”? Do your characters feel shame, or fear of rejection because of their sexuality?

Ward:  Here I painted myself into a corner. The world in which they exist doesn’t offer much in the way of these stumbling blocks. I debated putting a character in, in order to incorporate this element, but it didn’t work. I also considered expanding two minor characters, Cody’s mother and Scott’s father, in order to play off them.  Again, it proved artificial and tended to drag the story down. I ended up having to allow Scott and Cody to live in a world where that fear existed but from which they were far removed.

Tyler:  Ward, “The Auteur” is also a romance. What if anything did you find difficult about writing a romance novel between two young men as compared to a heterosexual romance?

Ward: Juggling pronouns! That sounded facetious, but I didn’t mean it to. Gertrude Stein might just as well have written “a romance is a romance is a romance.” The hardest part is getting in the middle of a sentence and making clear which “he” or “him” you’re talking about. You’re talking about two people falling in love. Be honest, if you grew up in the south, you knew at least a dozen male Scarlet O’Hara’s. Personalities court each other, not genders.

Tyler:  The book also touches not just on the porn industry, but the characters are teenagers—do you expect people to be offended by the book? What would you say to people who do find it offensive?

Ward:  I’m certain some will. My first reaction is, if you strongly feel it’s inappropriate, say no. If you’re unsure, let the teenager decide. It’s been my experience over the years that teens know considerably more at any given time than they are given credit for and quite often when we think they are learning a major lesson, they are merely filling in a few blanks.

Tyler:  Who do you think is your audience and why would they enjoy the book?

Ward:  I think anybody with a sense of humor will enjoy it. I intended large portions of the book to be funny. I think Paige’s comment that it is not for the faint of heart is important.

Tyler:  When people finish reading “The Auteur” what is the reaction you are hoping they will have?

Ward:  There’s a light streak of romance in the book. I hope it leaves a little warm spot and a big smile.

Tyler:  Ward, would you say there are any books, authors, or films that have influenced you as a writer?

Ward:  Definitely Armistead Maupin. Nobody makes me laugh like him. David Leavitt tells a great story and uses words like a chef.

Tyler:  Ward, I mentioned in your biography above that “The Auteur” is your twelfth book. Can you tell us a little about a few of your other books?

Ward:  The other books are written under another name. With this one I’m changing horses in midstream and looking to see what happens.

Tyler:  Do you have plans to write any more books, and will you tell us about those plans?

Ward:  I’m working on a murder mystery set in a brothel. I found while writing this one I enjoyed working in a lighter comic vein and I enjoyed the younger voices. This mystery features a homeless runaway who gets a job in the kitchen of Jason’s Rendezvous. I’m having a blast and I’m on page 92.

Tyler:  Thank you, Ward, for the opportunity to interview you today. Before we go, will you tell us where people can go online to purchase copies of “The Auteur”?

Ward:  “The Auteur” is available at iUniverse.com, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and can be ordered through any bookstore.