Five Questions -- Jason Johnson

JASON JOHNSON'S novels focus on people facing extreme situations over short periods of time.

His latest is ALOYSIUS TEMPO (2015), the tale of an unkempt, maverick assassin recruited by the Irish government. It's published by Liberties Press, Dublin.

Previous works:

WOUNDLICKER (2005) - a serial killer's confession - set in Northern Ireland.

ALINA (2006) - the hunt for a vanished sex worker - set in Romania.

SINKER (2014) - where drinking alcohol is a professional sport - set in Majorca. (SINKER extract available for free in 'HERE'S THE STORY' - Download from this page)

The Irish Independent describes blackly comic SINKER as "a lean, nasty, tripped-out shocker... a cracking book, a jolt to the senses like a line of flaming shots."

ALINA, says US author and critic Frank Sennett, "delivers a climax as harrowing as one might hope to find in contemporary crime fiction."

And WOUNDLICKER is "dark and gritty", says The Sunday Times.

Jason's from Enniskillen and lives in Belfast.

Gerard: I've only just finished Aloysius Tempo and I feel like there's a hell of a lot of potential for further adventures featuring this protagonist. Maybe because he seems better built to handle his self-destructive nature than your previous characters. Any chance of a sequel?

Jason: I think so. I’m hoping to write another one next year. Ideally I will write four or five adventures for Aloysius.

In each he will lose a body part or two and become a few percentage points more insane and haunted. Basically, he’s spiraling downwards, deconstructing himself. Chapter by chapter he’ll grow weaker yet more dangerous and end up being ground into the dust. This book, I hope, has teed that up.

Next year I plan to write the second installment, to send him to join ISIS on effectively a suicide mission for Ireland just on the cusp of the state’s centenary.

As a character he is going to move further beyond living and operating within established moral frameworks, so Syria seems like a good place for him to be next time around.

Gerard: Nationalism was very much a theme in the first book. Looks like that'll be the case for the future instalments too. Is this your way of wrestling with your own national identity?

Jason: You know, it probably is. My roots are Irish, English, Scottish, Maori, Protestant, Catholic and atheist. Anyone who wants to insult me has a lot of material to work with. A few of my characters have been mongrels in the Northern Ireland sense of the word, so you’re probably right.

The thing I wanted to touch on in the novel was patriotism, which is at the heart of a lot of our gut reactions here. Patriotism can be intoxicating, joyful, positive, negative, childish and laughable all at the same time, and it’s always around.

Aloysius grew up hating Irish society – the Troubles, the church, the ethos – so he’s a bit stuck when he gets asked if he will kill for his country, yet he can’t help seeing some nobility in it.

The book explains how he isn’t sure who his father was, that Aloysius was born to a woman who had been with both a ruthless member of the IRA and a ruthless UDR soldier.

That lack of clarity, lack of category in Irish terms, interests me. It suggests betrayal may mean something different to him than it does to the rest of us. It hopefully creates unexpected friction or unexpected ease in some of his decisions.

Aloysius’ journey basically involves him falling in love with the modern, smart, reinvigorated Ireland to which he is being introduced, but he may stop in with a mistress along the way.

Gerard: So you yourself are hard to classify. What about your writing? To me, Aloysius Tempo is a terrific black-comedic thriller. Your previous novels (Woundlicker, Alina and Sinker), while all quite different animals, contain crime elements of varying degrees, though they might not be found in the crime fiction section at a local bookshop. Do you consider your work literary fiction, crime fiction, comedy or some sort of mongrel?

Jason: Some sort of mongrel. It's about trying to cram relatively big ideas into the heads of people who don't always want them.

I always find I’m trying to write the thoughts of characters who realise they are discovering truths.

For some reason they first seem to end up finding some purity outside of themselves – great works of art, people of beauty, people who possess or who have achieved great things – and I bounce them off that. That helps give them something to compare themselves too, and generally helps them realise how far they have to go in their journey. If there’s literary lingering in my novels, that’s the only sort of thing the characters linger on.

That sounds so wanky that it may, in some small way, suggest the hue of literary fiction. But that would be unfair to the majority of the text which is, more or less, the written equivalent of dropping characters down lift shafts and seeing what happens.

There is always crime, which may suggest some hybrid of crime fiction, but I do think if I called myself a crime writer then crime writers would whisper that I didn’t really understand the genre. The same goes if I called myself a writer of literary fiction.

What I know for sure is I’m never going to write a great novel in the grand sense of the word, but hopefully I am going to entertain.

The stories are usually a bit dark, with a bit of a laugh, with some dirt and violence and hopefully a few off-road plot points. I try to be brave when I write and usually urge myself forward when I hear the voice of the self-censor in my head. I deal with the resulting shame and cringing after the book is published.

All I really want is for my books to shove people a wee bit.

Gerard: Through your four novels you've created a fascinating universe. Do you think Aloysius could ever run into Woundlicker's Fletcher Fee on a future adventure, or do you see your other titles as quite separate?

Jason: Only a writer who knows the craic could ask that question. You too, Gerard, must have entertained the idea of having characters from different novels impact on each other. (Yup! gb)

It’s fun to think about it, to see if you can come up with a plot to reanimate and connect unconnected characters you’ve enjoyed writing before.

But it would be too indulgent at the seriously low level I’m on as a writer. It would likely bypass just about anybody who read it and probably fall flat.

Characters are created at specific times with a specific job to do, so I don’t think it’s a road I’d go down. I’ve plenty of other scumbags and fools I want to write about without bringing any back.

Gerard: Any plans for a reprint of Woundlicker and Alina? Loved those books and I think more people should have the opportunity to read them.

Jason: That’s very kind of you, and no. I think they’re effectively goners, arriving just before the e-book thing did. Neither sold very many so making an argument for reissue would probably fall at the first hurdle.

Anyway, that was then and this is now.

Woundlicker was very local and set during the horrible birthing pains of the peace process. It’s far out of sync with today.

I did once look into the idea of Woundlicker as a one-man stage show, with a real Mercedes Benz on the stage (it’s set in a Merc), but no theatre people were interested.

And when I think back to Alina I think only of it being some kind of half-arsed, mis-developed statement about the cruelty of pleasure when rich meets poor or some such bollocks, so I hope it’s unavailable forever.

It’s all about looking ahead.

Jason Johnson is published by Liberties Press, a house that had the good sense to sign a band of particularly talented Northern Irish writers that includes Tara West, Jan Carson, Kelly Creighton, Bethany Dawson, Moyra Donaldson and Jason himself. Keep 'er lit, lads!

You can follow Jason on Twitter, and if you're lucky, he might even be your friend on Facebook.

Jason Johnson Returns!

In 2008 I discovered Jason Johnson. CSNI was a thing back then, so of course I reviewed both of his novels and tracked the fella down to ask him to take part in a Q&A. You can see some Johnson related content here. In the following years I saw Jason Johnson's name appear as a byline in some newspaper articles (I vividly remember him writing about a man who climbed the departed Belfast Wheel at Belfast City Hall), but I wanted more of his fiction.

Well, guess what! He's back with a new novel according to this Culture Northern Ireland article. And I am very much looking forward to reading SINKER when I get my hands on a copy. And I must revisit ALINA in the near future, His use of POV in that novel was highly innovative when compared to the books I'd been reading previously (and especially in comparison to what a lot of creative writing websites and/or workshops considered to be bible in their articles about POV).

Good to see you back, Mr Johnson. And I'll join you in downplaying the Irvine Welsh references in the future (which I did mention in that Q&A in 2008 - soz).

An Interview - Jason Johnson

Jason Johnson, born in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, has been often described as the Irish Irvine Welsh. He is the author of two novels published by Blackstaff Press; Woundlicker and Alina. CSNI tracked him down and asked him some questions. Here’s what he has to say for himself.

Q1. What are you writing at the minute?

I've just finished flushing a third of a novel I'd written down the toilet because I got so bored with it. It was badly planned and I ran out of enthusiasm. The world doesn't need any more books like that, so I'm starting again.

A friend and I have been working on an idea for a futuristic TV drama series about a failing business park in rural Ireland. We've got the plot down and an episode written and we're happy. We've caught up with people who might be able to help, and the feedback is very strong so far - and how many times have you heard that line before?

Also I've been working on a longer term project too, a sort of self-help book for atheists who just can't take any more of the madness.

Q2. Can you give us an idea of Jason Johnson’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

Not really. Ideas show up unannounced whenever they like. Sometimes I have to drop everything and send a text to myself or I'll forget what it was. A few days later I might look it up and have no clue what it meant, so that's not an exact science.

I need full, clear days to write. It's hard for me to tune in for an hour here or there with other things going on around me. It's best if I basically stop communicating with the rest of the world and just force myself to get stuck in after breakfast. That's when I try to build on the ideas I'd had.

It's a mystery to me why it can sometimes be so difficult to start writing. It's like going to the cinema in that it's a pain in the arse to get organised and go but you never regret it when you're there.

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Mostly the things that pay the bills. Beyond that, I go to as much stand-up comedy as I can, play muted trombone, practice hakas and play poker with dodgy bastards.

There's a fair bit of reading, but not with any particular pattern or direction. I like anything that is funny, smart or bold.

Time at the gym is now history because I just couldn't create the habit. I always felt like I was in some kind of Orwellian factory. I walk a lot these days as penance.

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the crime fiction scene?

If you know you're a decent writer, then that's your ticket. Develop an idea that means something important to you, work on it with passion and forget about planet earth in the meantime. Self-belief is your diesel. If you become fixated with an idea, you're in luck. Your instinct knows there's something with potential going on there and instinct is a great guide. Relish any criticism you get along the way because whatever they say, they're saying you're fighting. And remember, there's a lot of shit writers making money out there so take comfort from bad books.

Q5. Which crime writer(s) have impressed you this year?

I want to tell lies here but the truth is I haven't read any crime fiction or any novels in a while. I'm not often in a literary loop. The last novel I read was Tourism by Nirpal Singh Dhaliwal which damn near blew me off the toilet. It's a wild, free-rolling feast for anyone who's ever been in London or been drunk. In the last few months I've been reading about life coaching, addictions, religions, the Scissor Sisters (the rodent-faced Dublin murderers, not the band) and a book on the art of war.

Q6. What are you reading right now?

The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene.

Q7. Plans for the future?

In terms of novels, polemics and other literature, it's just to develop the ideas I have. The only thing in the way is getting the time and space I need to do that, so really that's the main plan - to get more freedom and use it well.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

Not really. I'd maybe have started taking it more seriously a bit earlier, but that's all. So not really. My writing so far has turned out as planned.

Q9. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

No.

Thank you, Jason Johnson!

A Wee Review - Alina by Jason Johnson

Alina -- you say Aleena like this xx – is the second novel from Jason Johnson. And it’s much more ambitious than his excellent debut, Woundlicker. The story takes us to Belfast, London and Romania. Henry, a nice guy weighed down by a tough childhood and bipolar disorder, inherits an internet chat site (woundlicker.com – see what Mr Johnson did there?) that caters to the... lonelier individual. Shuff, a hard Belfast man fresh out of jail, teams up with Henry as a bodyguard on his trip to Romania to meet Alina, one of the girls working for the adult chat site.

Meanwhile, Frank “the Fess” Cleary is trying to figure out why he’s not in his nursing home bed and who put him in the strange steel box without food, water or light but containing an abundance of mystery gunk.

The story moves fast and packs a lot of insanity. Again, Johnson lives up to the title awarded to him by the critics -- The Irish Irvine Welsh – and refuses to flinch as he deals out shocking internal dialogue and harsh violence. You may need to take a moment every few chapters, draw a good deep breath and remind yourself it’s all just a story.

I can’t put my finger on the why, but both of Johnson’s novels were very easy and gripping reads for me. He’s got a voice that appeals and uses it well. The style of the book is quite sprawling as there are multiple POVs and tenses put to use. It seems a little messy in places, but it works. I got to know Henry, his fears and hopes, and liked him for knowing his weaknesses, even though he hadn’t worked up the nerve to tackle them. Shuff is a tough character to put across. At times he’s likeable and great fun, but the more you learn of him, the more disturbing he becomes. And Alina. Poor Alina. If you don’t feel for her, you’re just not human.

Bleak as it is, the story depends heavily on Johnson’s brand of black humour to help the reader through the grisly bits. I laughed out loud a few times. Proper surprised laughter that sounds a bit weird. And it was mostly Shuff, the grisliest character, who inspired the sniggers, chuckles and snorts.

So, Alina, a book of chaos, violence and desperation, will take you to a gritty world, freak you out and linger in your thoughts. I think it’s a winner.

Now, would somebody talk the man into writing another fiction novel? I’ve heard he’s writing a self help book at the minute. If it’s anything like the philosophy Shuff Sheridan adopted in Alina, I’m moving to Peru.

The Berlin Trip

Me and the missus just got back from East Berlin. We both enjoyed the trip, though were a little surprised by the less than glamorous state of the buildings and the quality of graffiti attempting to liven them up. The artists have pretty good English, but awful dirty minds. Also, we had a good gawk at an insane amount of Goth-type neo-punks. These guys were the real deal. None of these attention-seeking, middle class emo-kids that pose around Belfast City Hall. We’re talking death-in-their-eyes nihilists of the highest order. Tall, gaunt, unnerving anarchists. Drinking on the train, on corners, in shops. We were fascinated. I wonder are there any good books featuring these interesting miscreants?

Anyway, what’s this got to do with CSNI? Well, when we were sneaking glances at potential apprentices for the Grim Reaper, we were doing the tourist stuff. Sight-seeing and shopping. And just for the craic, we stopped into a bookshop called Thalia. Very nice place. And the krimis section was among the biggest within the shop. Filled with all the names we know translated into German. McDermid, Rankin, Gerritsen, Child, Walters et al. And they seem to have a real thing for John Connolly. A lot of his books on the shelves.

So, says I, “Where’s the NI crime fiction contingent?”

Well, I found two copies of Brian McGilloway’s Borderlands in shrink-wrapped hardback. Good thing too. If there’d been nobody to represent us in that krimis section I’d have made my way to the nearest employee to voice my concerns in slow, loud English. As it was, I was able to shout across the shop to my spouse, wave a copy about the place and generally draw attention to it. Then I put it face out on the shelf. I missed Mr McGiloway’s signing at No Alibis last Friday so it felt good to promote him in such an unorthodox manner. I wanted to wait around and see if any of the German readership would bite, but the missus wanted to look at shoes.

I couldn’t find any Bateman, McKinty, Millar, Johnson or Bailie books in the German translation section, which bugged me a little. Crime seems to be pretty big over there. Maybe you boys should have a word with your publishers? I did find some of the above in the foreign language section though. Saw Irvine Welsh there too. Imagine trying to read his stuff with English as a second language. That’d be a head trip.

It was indeed an educational journey. I also learned that Cecilia Ahern’s German release, P.S. Ich Liebe Dich, loses something in translation. I tried the phrase on my better half a number of times in varied tones and cadences over the weekend and got nothing more than a dirty look.

As well as shopping, I finished reading Brian McGilloway’s Borderlands and read Jason Johnson’s Alina. Reviews of both should follow soon in quick succession.