The Jonathan Stone-David Rothman Q. & A.
Jonathan Stone, the reporter in The Solomon Scandals, grilled me for this Q. & A.—uncut. – David Rothman
STONE: Why’s Scandals copyrighted in your name? Those are my newspaper memoirs.
ROTHMAN: Er, faux memoirs. Without me, you wouldn’t even have been born…or have worked for the Washington Telegram…or have struggled to avert an IRS-CIA building collapse…or lived through those quirky sex scandals…or the corruption and blackmail from the Oval Office…or the gossip columnist’s suicide…or the death of the sharklike editor in a car bombing…or your Hollywood directing career or—
STONE: Thanks, but I’ve already read my book. Now what about the talking Afghan Hound at the Cosmos Club? Sure it doesn’t detract from my dignity?
ROTHMAN: But you’ve been dead for decades. Scandals is set mainly in the 1970s, but looks far beyond—via reflections from your great-grand niece at the Institute for Previrtual Studies. Besides, Afghans are dignified. I didn’t put this detail in the book, but Thackeray II speaks in a wonderful baritone with a mid-Atlantic accent. I wish he could do my radio interviews for me.
STONE: For latecomers, who’s this guy Solomon? And what’s he doing on my book cover with a building in his hand?
You might also enjoy:Solomon Scandals paperback to be on sale via B&N, plus Amazon and partner stores
The trade paperback of The Solomon Scandals, the D.C. newspaper novel, will be on sale at Amazon and some partner stores, as well as the Barnes & Noble site.Scandals lists for $16.95 but discounts will be available.
Who’ll like Scandals: People who would enjoy not just suspense but also satire, mixed with a plot inspired by history. The H word in this case means a powerful senator’s illegal and secret investment in a building occupied by the CIA, as well as the apathy of the Washington media toward his “accident.” So what about the satire? Scandals is to newspapers what the movie Network was to broadcast journalism: a mix of absurdity and authentic details. James Fallows, in a blurb, calls Scandals “mordantly entertaining.” The humor is dark; the general approach, often noir. Scandals includes an IRS building collapse, a gossip columnist’s suicide and the death of a sharklike editor in a car bombing. Cheery, eh? But many of my faves are that way. My favorite Hollywood novel is probably The Day of the Locust. Hollywood? Yes. It’s another center of celebrity worship and hierarchy, just like D.C.
Who should NOT buy Scandals: Fans of shoot-‘em-ups and SF and fantasy and other escapist genres who aren’t open to other categories.
Nothing wrong with those novels! It’s just that Scandals isn’t that kind of a book, despite the foreword and afterword written in the late 21st century.
The deepest secret of Scandals: Psst! Despite all the gloom, the ending in the afterword is actually rather upbeat in many respects.
The e-book edition: Information here.
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