Interview: Delphine Pontvieux

Author of ETA — Estimated Time of Arrest

by Randy Richardson

Delphine Pontvieux seems to have walked out of the pages of classic fiction. A striking figure – tall, athletic and blond – topped off with a French accent. She could be an Ian Fleming temptress. Or perhaps a Raymond Chandler femme fatale. 

Even her life plays out like that of a modern-day Ernest Hemingway. In fact, she’s almost followed – in reverse – the famous novelist’s footsteps. While Hemingway was born here in Oak Park, Illinois, and took his well-chronicled travels to places like Cuba, Africa, Spain, France and Italy before returning back to the states, Pontvieux was born in France, in Versailles, and has since lived, studied and worked in Australia, the United States, Spain, and the Netherlands. She now calls Chicago home, after settling here in 1998.

 

 

She even seems carved out of the Hemingway larger-than-life mold. While Hemingway was known for running with the bulls, big game hunting and deep-sea fishing exploits, Pontvieux is a rock climber, scuba diver and actress (look for her in Miley Cyrus’s 2011 film, LOL, in which she plays Joan of Arc’s mother).

 

 Now Pontvieux is, like Hemingway, also an author. In 2009, she published through her own press, Miss Nyet Publishing, her first novel, a political thriller titled ETA – Estimated Time of Arrest, winner of the Indie Excellence Book Award 2011 in the Thriller category.

 

ETA, like Hemingway’s classic The Sun Also Rises, takes place in Spain. Pontvieux’s debut even has an early scene in which her main character, Lartaun, runs with the bulls in Pamplona, the festival Hemingway made famous in The Sun Also Rises.    

 

In ETA, Pontvieux tries to bring meaning to the polarizing Basque political struggles through Lartaun, who has been wrongly charged with the fatal bombing of a police station in his home town. Living under an assumed name in Mexico, he is given a chance to return by his childhood friend, Patxi, but with a price.

 

In this interview, Pontvieux describes her motivations for writing ETA, as well as her experiences in writing and self-publishing her first novel.  

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Randy: What inspired you to write ETA? 

Delphine: It is quite interesting because I have no roots or family originating from the Basque country at all, other than the fact that my mother lived there for a couple of years when she was a child, but for some reason, I have always been fascinated by the language, the culture and the social and political history of the Basque people. It stems back from my first trip to Spain, (near Barcelona) during a summer camp organized by the youth center I used to belong to when I was in my young teenage years. A friend gave me a tape. On one side, there was this band called La Polla Records. On the other, Kortatu (the self-titled LP). Kortatu was a musical revelation for me.  It is THE band that got me into listening to punk rock and ska at large. Both of these bands were at the forefront of the Rock Radikal Vasco movement. 

When I was a teenager growing up in France in the mid-eighties, the Basque struggle for independence was in full swing. The Basque paramilitary group ETA was very active and they often made the news on national television. We also listened to the word on the street, at shows and in fanzines. Looking back today, I guess these times marked me more than I thought they did, because they inspired me to write this book. 

Yet, when I started writing the novel in 2007, I realized I knew very little about Euskal Herria (the Basque Country), so I started reading a ton of books on the subject: ancient Basque history, the oppression of the Basques during the Franco era, and the creation and development of ETA over their 50 years of existence. These books helped me understand the circumstances that led to the socio-political struggle in Euskal Herria, but I was missing the human connection to get a better understanding of the situation. That was when I got in touch with Fermin Muguruza (critically acclaimed Basque radical musician, singer, songwriter and award-winning film director whose artistic career spans well over two decades), who went above and beyond the call of duty to reply to my million questions with patience and good humor. I am very thankful for all his help. Then of course, I traveled to Euskal Herria to get an intimate feel for the places I am describing in the book, and as a result, got to love this place even more. 

Randy: Is there any of you in the female heroine Faustine?

 

Delphine: Yes of course, but not necessarily more or less than there is of me also in the characters of Lartaun or Patxi.  None of the characters were based on one particular person (public figure or not) I have ever known or read about in my life. They are rather the result of an interesting patchwork of bits and pieces of people’s minds, lives, struggles and beliefs I weaved together inside my head to create each one of these characters. I find there is part of me in all of them, even though their personalities are very different from one another. Of course, readers who know me as a person tend to think that Faustine is based on me because we physically look similar, we were both rock climbers, and maybe I made her character like that on purpose, but that’s where the similarities end. If anything, I would say that I relate more with Lartaun’s personality and character rather than Faustine’s.

 

Randy: The title of your book has a double meaning, as ETA also refers to the Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The United States and the European Union considers ETA a terrorist organization and blames it for killing hundreds of people, injuring thousands and undertaking dozens of kidnappings.  The ‘hero’ of your book, Lartaun, is linked with this Basque separatist movement and falsely blamed for a terrorist act. You portray him in sort of a sympathetic light as a means of giving some understanding to the history, politics and culture behind the Basque separatist movement. At the same time, you pull no punches in decrying the group’s terrorist activities. What motivated you to tackle such a polarizing issue?

 

Delphine: Perhaps because there is such a stigma about the whole Basque struggle. No one feels comfortable talking about the subject, also because it is still a very current issue. There aren’t that many books that have been written, including nonfiction, about the history of ETA.

 

My intentions were to not express my own opinion about the situation, but rather to let the characters expose all sides to the conflict, and to give us a better understanding of their beliefs and actions by being who they are. Each character thus plays an important part by letting the reader know why the Basque conflict is such a complex situation, with no ready answer to end it anytime soon. I tried to put myself in the characters’ respective shoes, and to talk their talk and walk their walk the way they would according to their respective beliefs and the events that shaped their lives to become either police officers, secret agents, fascists, non-violent activists, disabused militants or even terrorists.

 

Randy: Have you marketed the book in Europe, and, if so, what has been the reaction to it there?

 

Delphine: Not much, because of the language barrier. A book written in English won’t sell in France or Spain (or anywhere for that matter other than in the UK). There is definitely interest for my story from editors in Spain and France, but they would need the book to be translated into their respective languages before they can publish it and I have not come around to getting it done.

 

I have, of course, had Europeans - who felt courageous enough to tackle a full book written in a foreign language - read and review my work (mostly French, Spanish and Basque) and the reaction to it has been very positive. Even though I must confess that everyone looked disturbed and uncomfortable at first upon seeing the title on the cover. Where in the US, people assimilate ETA with timetables, French and Spanish people immediately think of the terrorist group, and it is a very serious and scary matter over there. They all wonder: why would you write about such a touchy subject?

 

Randy: The rock climbing scenes in the book seem incredibly realistic. The reader feels like he’s on top of that mountain with the characters. How did you write those scenes and did you draw upon actual experience? 

 

Delphine: I used to rock climb extensively when I was a teenager. Thus when it comes to technical descriptions of rock climbing, I feel comfortable writing about it because I have done it myself (at least as far as techniques used in the 80s and early 90s are concerned), so it comes naturally to me to explain how it works. Same goes for the descriptions of the strong sensations (of fear, pain, excitement and pure joy) one experiences when climbing, because I have also experienced them. I depicted the rock climbing scenes from La Mature from memory because I have climbed there for real (only the cavern does not really exist, at least not of the size depicted in the book, I changed it for the story’s sake). As for the climb of Pic du Midi, I relied on accounts from friends of mine who have climbed it and who helped me with the exact details of the route etc, I also spoke to the real refuge keeper (now retired) on the plateau, who provided me with a lot of important details, especially when it comes to the scene where Lartaun and Faustine try to escape the mountain.

  

Randy: Will we be reading more adventures involving Lartaun and Faustine?

 

Delphine: I certainly hope so, because I fell in love with the characters and, apparently, the same thing happened to many of my readers. Invariably, the first question I get from them is “So when is the sequel coming out?” I take this as a great compliment and while I have started on a sequel, I may write something else first, or in parallel, I am not sure yet. Lately, I have written a few short stories for various anthologies, which should come out sometime in the fall of this year. Now that these are completed, I am going to return to my full-length manuscript soon. I need to be more strict with myself when it comes to securing time for writing.

 

Randy: You’re a professional scuba diver. Will there be any future books that draw upon your underwater experiences?

 

Delphine: In fact, I am currently working on a novella in which the hero, a young fearless woman, happens to be an expert cave diver. So the answer is yes, there is a scuba-related thriller in the works.

 

Randy: You’ve lived sort of a Hemingway-esque life, having been born in France and lived, studied and worked in Australia, Spain, the USA, Spain and the Netherlands before settling in Chicago in 1998. What brought you to Chicago and what has kept you here?

 

Delphine: Love, what else???

 

 

 

Randy: You started your own publishing company, Miss Nyet Publishing, to publish ETA. Did you first try to sell the book to other publishers, or was it your intent all along to launch your own publishing company? 

Delphine: I have worked for 10-plus years for two very successful, 100 percent independently-owned record labels in the past. As a result, the independent model of doing business has always been very much engrained in me, especially when working for an industry largely dominated by ‘major’ companies. I always took it upon myself to get the work done without relying on anyone but my sound judgment and experience. It can be risky at times, but it is also rewarding. Thus, when my novel was nearing completion, I never really thought about shopping my manuscript to agents and so forth. My editor, who used to work for a big publishing company in New York, advised me to try the ‘traditional route’ first, because she thought I had a good chance of finding an agent. So she took it upon herself to query my book to four of her prominent agent friends in LA, which is seldom heard of. I got a reply the very next day from one of them. She liked my writing, but thought the story was far too political for her liking. I did not hear back from the three others. I told myself, ‘OK, so we tried that. Now it’s time to really get to work.’ 

While I was putting the finishing touches to my novel, I laid the foundations for Miss Nyet Publishing, LLC. I always wanted to create my company one day, just as much as I wanted my book to see the light. I am lucky I could put the experience and expertise I acquired while working in the music industry to the book-publishing business, even though I would not recommend it to anyone without prior experience in the business. Now, will I shop my next novel to an agent or release it again right away on Miss Nyet? I cannot answer that question just yet. I have come to realize it takes a tremendous amount of time and energy to wear both the hats of a publisher and writer at the same time. 

 

Randy: ETA is beautifully designed. Who is behind its design?

 

Delphine: Well, thank you! I will be sure to let Double J know you said so! Also, the eyes on the cover belong to an old friend of mine, also French, who lives in Chicago. His name is Fabrice Calmels. He is the lead dancer at the Joffrey ballet in Chicago. Of course, we had to rely on a bit of Photoshopping to alter the eye colors for the cover!

 

Randy: Starting your own publishing company can’t be easy. I assume there have been ups and down along the way. What, for you, have been the biggest ups and the biggest downs?

 

Delphine: Biggest ups: To be able to see my company’s website go live on the Internet, with its own logo etc., and tell myself: “You did it!”

 

Biggest downs: When it seems that regardless of all the work I put in it, it is not growing fast enough.

 

Randy: Would you recommend starting a publishing company to others?

 

Delphine: Probably not, especially if the goal is to make a substantial profit.

 

Randy: Is Miss Nyet currently accepting submissions, and, if so, what are you looking for?

 

Delphine: Yes. Looking for fiction, preferably thrillers, adventure and/or horror. If nonfiction, the only thing I would be interested in at this time are accounts of adventures and expeditions that read like fiction. I am not interested in poetry, religion or children/YA literature.

 

Randy: What do you see down the road for Delphine Pontvieux as an author?

 

Delphine: If only I knew, it would take all the fun out of it.

 

Randy: What do you see down the road for Miss Nyet Publishing?

 

Delphine: Ditto.

 

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Read an excerpt of ETA – Estimated Time of Arrest here.

Hardcover format available at www.missnyet.com, amazon.com, borders.com, barnesandnoble.com and more. 

Also available in Ebook format at Amazon.com, as well asBarnes and Noble.