Zach Tate is a highly praised storyteller who spans genres. He’s written classic novels, No Way Out, Lost Turned Out, Gambling with Hearts and Johnny Hustle and has been dubbed the “Ghostwriters Ghost Writer.” The Bronx, New York, native believes narratives must be crafted foremost with substance and quality. A writer of screen and stage plays, poetry, songs, novels and television shows, he is building a legacy.
Read what he has to say.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I was inspired based on the lack of books that spoke to people like me. We love crime fiction, but don’t like to be associated with the “hood book” mentality so I wrote what I wanted to read.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I challenge myself with every project, however, I like several sub plots going in all directions and then tie it in at the conclusion. It is a wonderful challenge that I intend on mastering.
What books have most impacted your life (or life as a writer)?
The books that have impacted my life are Autobiography of Malcolm X; Manchild in the Promised Land; Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, and the Holy Bible.
What books are you currently reading? Why this author?
Currently reading film books. I intend on bringing my stories to life in a very real and unconventional way.
What new authors have piqued your interest?
I like the manipulation of words. Like to see how someone has taken our vocabulary and the rules of grammar on as a task to entertain and entice. No one new has been able to do that in my genre.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything about your latest work?
Oh yes. [I’m] always rewriting the same story obsessively. In my head it’s one, long narrative of the lives of some very different people. I have to be forced to stop writing and would prefer to write 800-page novels.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging about writing or coming up with a concept for your book?
Time! My challenge is that I don’t have the time to write what I want to write in one lifetime. My day job, real life and sleep is an unwanted distraction.
What was the hardest part of completing this project?
Determining that it’s finished. It’s never finished to me. I want to keep going with all my projects, but of course the end must come.
What advice would you give other writers?
My advice to all writers is to get out of your own way. Get out of your own head and allow your passion to take over. If one is confused about what to write, I daresay that they are not true writers. Writers write because we have to. The craft is attached to our sanity so allow your passion and sanity to live free.
Describe the process of getting published.
The process of getting published used to be a heavy task for some of us. Now with the benefits of the Internet, I suggest everyone self publish.
What were the literary, psychological and/or logistical challenges in bringing your work to life?
My greatest challenge is that I don’t know grammar; I mean, for me it just comes naturally and I generally edit my own work. The grammatical structure must have come from writing papers in school, but if you ask me to break down the technical names of each sentence structure I’m not that skilled, so I used to allow that to get in my way until I was encouraged to just write and write and write until I got out of my own head trash.
Everyone’s process for writing is different. Explain yours.
My stories are character driven. I watch people the way bird watchers watch birds. Then I question who they are; what are their sex lives and obstacles in life, and then I weave a story of how they overcome their obstacles and tell it in a way that no one has thought of, because with my characters I get to peel back their skin and show you who they really are, instead of the false image that people show each other in real life.
What are five of your favorite books and why?
Favorite books: The Bible — It gives me nourishment to deal with the evil that breeds in men.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X — It showed me how to leave the streets behind and transform my thinking.
The Alchemist — My treasures were always right between my ears.
Acts of Faith — Daily meditation is reinforcement of good ethics.
Atlas Shrugged — I’m not crazy, I’m actually an innovative genius who is gifted in many ways that the world just may not be be ready to comprehend right now. Those are the reasons these are my favorites.
Please provide three “good to know” fact about you. Be creative. Tell us about your first job or the inspiration behind your writing.
It’s good to know that:
1. I rebel for the sake of grabbing life by the horns and letting it buck me until I fall off, or I domesticate it.
If the world was ending and an army was surrounding you and I was by your side, I would NEVER surrender. I will fight until they become my army, until they are defeated, or we will die smiling knowing we were brave because that’s what men should do.
3. My foolishness has been my greatest teacher. My ambition is greater than any obstacle, and polygamy is the answer. I am Zachristotle.
What is the mission you set out to accomplish with your voice in this book?
I’m unequivocally a romance writer. My mission with this book is to remove the myth that our socio-economic conditions determine who we love and how we should conduct ourselves when in love. It is to also show Black males that there’s a whole world out there that’s much greater than your hood, and it’s waiting for you.
Who are the writers you reread and why?
The authors I reread are Andrew Vachss, because his soul speaks to mine in a language that only a very few can understand. Walter Mosley because he has earned my respect and I want to earn the respect of my readers. And Terry McMillan. She was never loved the right way, and neither were my female characters.
A great book has what?
A great book forces you to conjure some complex questions that seem unanswerable. And then it answers every single one while educating you and leaving you smarter at the end.
You develop character and ideas by …
Exposing the lessons that come from suffering.
Where would you travel if you could to write your next book?
Greece, or the South of France. Then and only then will I be able to start writing what I really want to write.
What is the gift of reading and how does it open up a new world?
If your imagination was an abandoned lot, reading allows it to create an architectural wonder that will become a landmark. Reading opens doors to the imagination and the residue is an educated and constructive phenomena that one can rely on as a reference to create a blueprint for a new world. Reading is the key that opens the doors of the most powerful weapon and constructive tool — your mind.
