Ten Questions Wth Matt Raubenheimer
Wienerblut
Matt Raubenheimer is one of our talented writers here at AJB -and his latest offering Wienerblut is a fantastic contribution to the Fan Fiction library.
I took the opportunity to ask him ten questions about his latest offering whilst partaking in a glass of something red -but not quite as disgusting as the drink Bond samples in one of the two tales provided by Matt. -Sadly there is a large divide between the two of us whilst this conversation takes place -for Matt is residing in South Africa whereas I live in the English Riviera so I do not know whether Matt is sampling a similar beverage -however with the age of technology distance is immaterial and I hope you dear readers find this brief interview interesting and insightful. Cheers!
1) Hi Matt your latest Fan Fiction for ajb007.co.uk is in the form of two vignette's or brief episodes in 007's life - the first has 007 going to Vienna for a short break after a mission. What inspired this?
This episode was inspired by a short trip I took to Vienna in September last year. I had always wanted to go to there. My interest was generated by Vienna being used as a location in two of my favourite films: ‘The Third Man' and of course, ‘The Living Daylights'. While I was in Vienna I did things like ride on the Riesenrad ferris wheel at Prater Park, which was featured in both these films. In my opinion, Vienna makes a great setting for a thriller. The noir atmosphere of ‘The Third Man' was also an inspiration in this tale. My goal was to try and write a tale set in an interesting European location, and include as much local detail as possible - Fleming himself was noted for his ability in this regard. I tend to prefer European locations, and being from South Africa, my two previous fan fiction pieces were set in places that I have never been to, so I was excited about basing the location on my own personal experience. Almost everything, from some of the people mentioned in the tale, to the inclement weather conditions, are based on my own experience of the city. I hope that it adds an extra level of believability and realism to the story.
2)Do you plan -write a rough outline -and research before you start writing - or just start and research as you go along?
It varies from tale to tale, but I never really have a clear picture of the story before I start writing. I tend to start with a concept and build on it as I go along. Often I will start with a just a single scenario or a character and add layers onto that to create the final plot and narrative. With a short story it is often just a case of fleshing out one single idea, such as in ‘A Chance to Die', which is the second short story in this fan fiction.
3)How much of Fleming's own style influence your own style of writing?
My fan fiction has varied in style from piece to piece. My very first novella, ‘Sidewinder' was not based on Fleming at all. At that stage I was only just reading my first Fleming Bond novel, so it was totally inspired by the films, and one or two other non-Bond books. For instance, there was a scene in which Bond works with the SAS. This particular bit was inspired by a Chris Ryan book that I had just read. My second novella, ‘The Queen's Pawn' was a hybrid between the literary and cinematic Bond styles. I tried hard to make it as close to the tone and style of the books as possible, but obviously elements from the films creep in. The character of Q, for instance - Even though he never appeared in that tale, it is very hard to avoid any reference to him. With my latest work, I chose not to try and replicate any other Bond author's style. I was basically trying to find my own narrative voice, although I did use certain elements of Fleming, such as his eye for detail in locations, drinks etc. Stylistically, especially in ‘A Chance to Die', I was also inspired by a bunch of short stories I was studying at university.
4)These days the 007 Movies have imprinted the character of Bond more firmly into the minds of Joe public -do you think that the movies influence the literary tales now written than Fleming's original stories? I'm alluding to not only official continuation novels by John Gardner and Raymond Benson and to a lesser extent Charlie Higson but also the plethora of Fan fiction that is out there these days?
The movies are certainly an influence on almost all Bond literature written since Fleming's death. Sometimes it is difficult to remember whether certain elements of Bond's character, for instance, come from Fleming or from the screenwriters. The Bond novels written post-Fleming are a mixed bag when it comes to literary and cinematic influences. They are usually a hybrid, but with most of the novels I feel that the literary influences form a considerable part. I'm not very familiar with Benson having only read one of his books, but Gardner's books were fundamentally literary thrillers rather than copies of the films, even though he did include many gadgets and other things generally associated with the films. As for fan fiction, we are obviously talking about a huge range, but I am always delighted when I read fan fiction that clearly has a basis in the literary Bond. ‘The Vanguard Secret' by my friend Neal Kydd is a perfect example of a fan fiction written in a literary style, with a lot of influence from Fleming even though it is a modern thriller.
5)In Wiennablut -Great title by the way - you go for a tale that is not too far fetched - and criminals that are not the over exaggerated master criminal we come to expect 007 to face. Was this a deliberate decision to break with formula?
Yes, it was. I like to write realistic stories, whether I'm writing prose or for the screen. I always strive to create believable situations, characters and of course dialogue. With ‘Wienerblut', I had an idea to tell an unusual story in that we see Bond after a mission, recovering physically and mentally. Then he finds himself encountering a petty small scale drug business, and criminals who find themselves out of their depth when they get involved in the drug business. It is not a scenario familiar to Bond readers, which is why I was attracted to the idea. I also tried to make the characterisation of Bond more realistic and human. He has emotional weakness, which is essentially the basis of both the short stories in my new fan fiction.
6) In your second vignette A Chance To Die We see 007 on a dinner date with a French female agent Danielle Lacroix - it is an intigueing short tale made even more so by the personal nature of the story. I don't want to give too much away for those that haven't read the stories yet so I will not go into too much detail but dealing with Bond's emotional state -did you find that challenging?
I would say that this was the least challenging story I have written so far. I basically had an idea, sat down to write and the thing emerged in almost its final state. So I would say that the challenge was not so much in writing the tale, but I feel that the main difficulty is making the story appeal to Bond fans who are used to Bond remaining emotionally cold and detached. Once again I used the exhaustion felt directly after a tough assignment as the reason for Bond's emotional fragility. But at the end of the tale we see Bond manage to slip back into the shut off emotional state that he needs to maintain in order to do his job properly.
7) You have chosen the DB5 as 007's car in these two tales - is this because it is your favourite of 007's vehicles -or because of the association this particular car has with Bond makes your tales more a part of that world for your audience?
I use the DB5 in my fan fiction (it appeared in The Queen's Pawn as well) as a kind of replacement for the Bentley in the original books. Fleming described that car as Bond's only hobby, and I wanted to create something similar in my own work. However, it is difficult to see a modern Bond driving a 1930s Bentley, so I chose the DB5 instead. And also, it is my favourite Bond car from the films.
8) To Get back to Ian Fleming and the original source material - this year is very big as it sees the centenary of Ian Fleming's birth and also the release of the latest James Bond novel -Devil May Care written by Sebastian Faulks and of course the release of the latest movie Quantum of Solace starring Daniel Craig as James Bond. So 007 is still very much in the public eye - can you actually pin down the appeal of 007's creation and as to why he is still relevant today?
That is a very difficult question because Bond means many things to different people. However, I think the great attraction of Bond, and this applies to both the novels and the films, is that they are exciting thrillers, sometimes slightly bizarre and spectacular, which have a strong basis in reality, but also an element of the fantastic. Also, the pacing of the stories means that you are taken for a fast, roller-coaster ride of intrigue, danger, sex and stylish living.
9) You also created the artwork for this Fanfiction -so your creative skills seem to know no bounds do you have any particular artistic ambitions - Which do you enjoy most writing or drawing?
I am basically attracted to any art form which can be used to tell an interesting story. My main creative ambition is actually in film-making. I am studying Film and Media Production at the University of Cape Town. Visual arts like design and drawing are things that are basically just hobbies. Writing and film-making are both areas that I am interested in pursuing professionally. Although my main focus is on film in my studies, I definitely would like to publish some fiction in the future. I basically just love telling stories.
10) Finally your last question- Can we expect any more James Bond fan fiction's from you in the future?
Well, I usually say at the end of writing a fan fiction that I have had enough of writing Bond and would rather pursue developing my own original characters and stories, but I am always unable to resist the temptation to go back into the world of Bond once again. In fact I already have ideas which are nagging at me for the next one. I also want to write a fan-fiction set in my own country, South Africa, so you can never say never!
I'd like to thank Matt for letting me ask him these ten questions. His Fan Fiction is available to download on the AJB007.co.uk Fanfiction page.
Jason Disley April 30th 2008.
