J.P. Lacrampe

J.P. Lacrampe received his MFA in creative writing from Saint Mary’s College. His short fiction has been published by Glimmer Train, McSweeney's, Instant City, and in Howl: A Collection of the Best Contemporary Dog Wit. He is a professor at Santa Clara University & SJSU, where he teaches courses in composition, fiction, and screenwriting.

Lacrampe's new novel is Valet.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

A lot, I hope. Valet is an acronym within the story, the occupation of the main character (a robot butler), and a homage to Wodehouse's Jeeves. My aim was that the title would set up the dynamic between the narrator and his human ward.

What's in a name?

I love this question! And my answer is: it depends. Sometimes you just need a name. You don't need to overthink or over complicate it. George. Emily. Jake. Other times, you want to play against type (i.e., give a character a name that seems ironic or unique in light of the characteristics you've established). Other times you want a name that helps establish those characteristics. I usually decide on this by feel: how important is the character, how many times will the reader see the name, what work have I already tried to do with the other characters' names, etc. One thing I learned from successive rounds of edits for my forthcoming novel is: don't make the names similar. It's needlessly confusing for the reader.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

I was a cynical, pretentious teenager, so I think he'd mostly be surprised that it took me this long to write a novel.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

Much harder to write endings, I think. Finding something that feels believable within the story but delivers a satisfying sense of closure to the reader is a tricky balance to strike! And I typically want an ending that extends the story outward just a little. So it's tough to get right. But I change the beginning more. Not just the exact moment that opens the story, but the details that help establish the world, characters, and conflicts for the reader.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

I see a lot of myself in my characters: their flaws, their ever-failing efforts to hide those flaws from the world, their ambitions, etc. I primarily write in first-person, and it would be very hard, for me, to do that without connecting my personality to theirs in some way.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

So many! I grew up watching British comedy on PBS every Saturday night -- Are You Being Served?, Keeping Up Appearances, Fawlty Towers, etc. -- and those had a major influence on my sense of humor and tone. But I draw inspiration from so much: basketball, TV/film, music, etc. Marveling at what other people can do inspires me.

Visit J.P. Lacrampe's website.

The Page 69 Test: Valet.

--Marshal Zeringue