Bestselling Author Christopher Moore Signs New Book “Secondhand Souls” at Crescent Ballroom
With his unique blend of the supernatural and humor, author Christopher Moore surprises his readers and makes them laugh in the same novels.
A New York Times best-selling author, Moore released his fifteenth novel “Secondhand Souls” on Aug. 25.
The author is also known for his international bestseller “Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal” and his comedic vampire series.
Moore returns to Phoenix to present and sign his new book on Aug. 31 at the Crescent Ballroom.
The sequel to the 2006 novel “A Dirty Job,” “Secondhand Souls” follows protagonist Charlie Asher, a former bookstore owner and death merchant, as he tries to uncover who is stealing the souls of people in San Francisco.
The author picks up where he left off in the first book, with Asher stuck in the body of a 14-inch-tall“meat puppet.”
Asher faces his adversary with a team of returning characters, including seven-foot-tall death merchant Minty Fresh, former police officer and bookseller Alphonse Rivera, former goth Lily and the Emperor of San Francisco and his two dogs.
Moore also brings back Asher’s daughter Sophie and Buddhist nun girlfriend Audrey for the sequel.
Although the second book comes nine years after the original, only a year has passed for the characters.
“They’ve adjusted to the events in the first book. Things have settled down, so it’s time to mess with them again,” Moore said in an email interview. “I left my character trapped in the body of a fourteen-inch meat puppet with an enormous dong, and it didn’t seem fair to leave him that way.”
After introducing readers to the characters and world of the first book, Moore was able to delve right into the story in the second book.
“In this book, everything is up and running, and I even add a new plotline about the Golden Gate Bridge,” Moore said. “So, the challenge was to keep all the balls in the air, all of the characters moving, and make decisions without losing the story line.”
Moore grew up in Ohio as the son of a highway patrolman and appliance salesperson. He started writing at age 12.
As a child, Moore enjoyed reading science fiction and horror from Ray Bradbury, Jules Verne, Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. He also perused “James Bond” books and his father’s Alistair MacLean thrillers.
Before publishing his first novel “Practical Demonkeeping” in 1992, Moore worked a series of odd jobs as a hotel night auditor, deejay, photographer, waiter, insurance broker, grocery clerk and roofer.
Moore’s jobs and his father’s experiences as a patrolman have helped to shape details in his books and his unique brand of humor.
“It’s always been natural to me. I grew up with Mad Magazine, and my father was a pretty funny guy, so humor is sort of my default setting,” Moore said. “I’ve learned comic timing over the years, but I haven’t had to learn to be funny.”
Moore’s forte has proven to be combining otherworldly elements and humor in a convincing way.
“I don’t think about how to balance the real and the supernatural. I write believable characters, I hope, and I put them in extraordinary situations and try to make them respond in a credible way,” Moore said.
Moore said writing likeable characters to which readers will respond can pose a challenge.
“If you are going to ask people to believe in extraordinary things, you have to make the characters relatable. I do it by asking myself, ‘What does this character want, and what is he willing to do to get it?’” Moore said.
Throughout the years, Moore’s fans have expressed to him through e-mails and letters how his books have helped them in their lives.
“The thing that gratifies me the most is when people say that my books helped them get through a tough time in their lives, a death of a loved one, a bout with disease, a divorce. It’s a great feeling to think that you helped someone find their smile again,” Moore said.
Inspiration comes from everything the author sees and reads. He said outrageous themes and ideas can come to him at any time.
“That sort of thing usually occurs to me when I’m running or doing household stuff, maybe falling asleep. If it makes me smile, I write it down and plug it into the book later,” Moore said.
Authors such as John Steinbeck, Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Bloch, Tom Robbins, Douglas Adams and Richard Matheson have influenced Moore in different ways.
Moore’s daily process involves writing in the morning and reading and doing research in the evenings. Usually, he spends a year or more writing a book, depending on the amount of research required.
Even after completing fifteen novels, Moore finds sitting down to write every day and finding new word choices to be difficult at times.
Over the years, Moore’s writing process has changed.
“I’m a little more self-indulgent than I used to be because I can afford to be. When I started, I had to write, regardless of the circumstances of my life, and often they were less than ideal,” Moore said. “I wrote my first three books in a diner, the first because I had to because I had no room for a desk in the place where I lived. Now, if I have to go to the dentist, I’ll take a whole day off. If it’s noisy outside, I’ll growl and complain and go up to the Redwoods to write.”
Event Details:
Christopher Moore “Secondhand Souls” book event
Aug. 31
Doors open 6 p.m., event at 7 p.m.
Crescent Ballroom
308 N. 2nd Ave., Phoenix
$35 for one signed book and one seat, $40 for one signed book and two seats
crescentphx.com/event/906771-christopher-moore-secondhand-phoenix
Guest Writer
