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| David E. Shaolian, Author HAPPY CAMPERS |
David E.
Shaolian brings HAPPY CAMPERS to us—a thriller inspired by his experience as a
photographer at a summer camp and books such as William Golding’s Lord of the
Flies. Shaolian depicts his villains as “corrupted” and his
protagonist as ‘a fish out of water.’ Although the story is a thriller with
some “potent messages,” he adds humor to “lighten the mood.”
Originally from
Ottawa, Shaolian currently lives in Toronto with his wife and two children.
When he’s not writing, he serves as a high school English teacher, and enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He takes pleasure in pursuing photography,
swimming, dining out, and traveling, and despite his book he still likes to go
camping.
Q: What drove
you to write HAPPY CAMPERS? How did you conceive of the story? Did you have an
experience on which you based the novel?
David E.
Shaolian: A
number of summers ago, I was the camp photographer at a great camp, and some
staff members were consuming alcohol and/or drugs, something that occurs, to
some degree or other, at all overnight camps. After all, everyone is there to have a great time, so it’s
inevitable. This issue, which is
highly exaggerated in the novel for dramatic effect- and the safety concern it
poses, inspired the novel. However,
I should mention that while the camp in this novel could be virtually any camp,
in reality, it’s completely fictional, as are all characters and events.
HAPPY CAMPERS was also inspired by some classic works of
literature, especially William Golding’s Lord of the Flies; although the
two novels are quite different, my novel deals with some of the same
issues. Once the story came to me,
it got stuck in my head, and I kept getting flooded with more and more ideas,
until I decided to begin writing the novel.
Q: A reviewer
applauded your ability to “hook” readers and describes HAPPY CAMPERS as a “thriller.”
Would you characterize the book as a thriller? How do you “hook” readers?
David E.
Shaolian: It
is befitting in the sense that there are many surprises, things that you would
never see coming in the story. In
fact, some of these events, which were never in the original draft, would have
surprised even me. There is one
event in particular that’s really ‘out there’ later in the novel, and I had
never considered including it originally.
It was included in the final draft since it is crucial to the
protagonist’s character development and the story’s progression.
Q: How do you
get readers to care about your protagonist? What makes us engage in his story?
David E.
Shaolian: Simon
Green, the protagonist, could easily be considered ‘a fish out of water.’ At camp, he’s considerably older that
almost everyone, so he doesn’t relate well to many staff members, and his
values differ greatly from theirs.
As a result, some of these relations are highly antagonistic. He spends
a great deal of his time there alone. Even back in the city, he’s a bit of a loner,
since all his friends are married and busy with their families, while he’s
still single, so he rarely sees them. I think many people can relate to feeling
out of place or lonely at times.
Also,
Simon experienced a break-up a few years before the novel opens, and has not
recovered, so he is still discontented, and feels a great deal of regret as the
novel opens. Most people have experienced this at least once, so this is
another way readers will connect.
David E.
Shaolian: I
found it very helpful. I wanted
readers to understand what Simon Green is all about, what makes him tick. He’s
basically a good person who tries to do the right thing, but he has some
character flaws, which are an impediment.
No other perspective would allow readers to access the character, his
thought process, actions, and the impact of his decisions like the first person
point of view.
Q: Does the
concept of heroes vs villains apply to HAPPY CAMPERS? If so, can you identify
your villains? What makes an effective villain?
David E.
Shaolian: Yes,
this concept definitely applies to HAPPY CAMPERS. There are three main villains in the novel, namely Miranda
Divine, Haze (Jake Hazelton), and Ted Savage. Miranda is the camp director, who turns out to be extremely
cruel and corrupted. It is also
largely due to her weak leadership that the situation is so chaotic at
camp. There are some fascinating
revelations about her as the story unfolds. Haze is the camp program director, who is often high on
drugs, and unconcerned about his responsibilities, or anything else, except
having a great time. Ted Savage is
a very violent counsellor, who is also often high, and blindly obeys his close
friend, Haze.
A
good villain is someone who is evil or corrupted, someone the reader dislikes
more and more as additional information is revealed in the story. The reader hopes that the villain gets
what he or she deserves by the end of the novel, that there is a sense of
justice. In HAPPY CAMPERS, although
Miranda Devine is quite loathsome,
she is briefly humanized too, through an account of her back story.
Q: Do you like
to go camping? Just curious! Have you had any interesting experiences you’d
like to relate?
David E.
Shaolian: I
do enjoy camping a great deal. I
had a wonderful time as the camp photographer, roaming around the campsite as I
worked, meeting lots of great people, and enjoying the facilities, especially
the lake. I also enjoy pitching a
tent at a campsite with friends or family. I did that a few times many years ago, and it was lots of
fun too.
Q: I really appreciate your cover. The
sign with its broken chain link tells me immediately that there is more to
HAPPY CAMPERS than, well, “happy” campers. Did you intend to deliver a message
when you wrote the story, or were you writing strictly to entertain?
Q: How helpful
is humor to telling your story?
David E.
Shaolian: Although
HAPPY CAMPERS is a serious story with some potent messages, there is some mild
humour throughout the novel. It’s
not all doom and gloom, but I included some humour to lighten the mood,
especially before some very intense scenes.
Q: What’s next?
Will you write more novels?
David E.
Shaolian: Hopefully,
I will write more novels. I
absolutely love writing, but I need the right idea to be inspired.
Q: Tell us
about David E. Shaolian. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
David E.
Shaolian: When
I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, photography,
classic literature, swimming, dining out, and travelling.
About
David E. Shaolian
David
E. Shaolian, who is originally from Ottawa, Canada, is an experienced high
school English teacher. He is an alumnus of Tel Aviv University (Overseas
Student Program), Carleton University, and the University of Windsor.
This book, his debut novel, was inspired by his experience as camp photographer
at one camp, issues of alcohol and drug abuse at overnight camps generally, and
classic works of literature. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two
children.
About
HAPPY CAMPERS
Simon
Green, high school English teacher and photography enthusiast, is offered the
camp photographer position for Camp Black Pines, an overnight camp attended by
campers from mostly wealthy families in one of the most prestigious cottage
areas in Canada. Following a thorny period in his life, Simon accepts the
position, attempting to escape his woes by immersing himself in his passion for
photography. However, the natural beauty of this locale masks weighty
issues: a prevalence of an 'anything goes' attitude concerning widespread
drinking, illicit drug consumption, and promiscuous sexual activity among
staff, eclipsing concern for the safety and well-being of the children
attending the camp. It's a volatile recipe for disaster, where anything can
happen at any moment. How long will this situation persist before
everything boils over and disaster strikes? Will Simon, an innate procrastinator
with a commitment phobia, act altruistically, or will his reluctant
nature prove an impediment? And how would such a situation impact on him
and others?
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