Ask the Author: Ray Celestin
Answered Questions (4)
Ray Celestin
Thanks Daniel! It was a great honour to win them.
Ray Celestin
Hi Lee,
Thanks for your question. It's great to hear that you're enjoying the series so much.
So, I keep a tally of what daily work I do, because I'm a massive nerd, so I'm in a position to answer your question in great detail. Prepare yourself for way more info than you expected:
I started work on Sunset Swing on 5th June 2018, and finished on 8th July 2021, writing nine drafts in total.
Over those three-ish years I spent 303 work days on the book. (The rest of the time I worked on other projects.)
Apparently I spent 25 days solely on research. I was really surprised by this, it seems WAY too small, I had to read so many books, websites, articles, etc. But I guess the stats don't lie.
I spent 29 days organising notes (both research notes and feedback from readers).
53 days outlining.
And 185 days actually writing.
So, that's the breakdown across all nine drafts. Which was probably more interesting for me to put together than it was for you to read.
In response to your other questions, yes, I'm a massive jazz fan, which I came to by being a teenage hip-hop fan and tracing all the samples used in my favourite tunes, which got me to jazz via funk.
I was never really into the mafia as much as I was into detective films and books and mafia movies / TV shows. It was only when I started working on the books that I really got into the actual, real-life mafia history.
I hope that answers everything. And thanks again for getting in contact.
Cheers!
Ray
Hi Lee,
Thanks for your question. It's great to hear that you're enjoying the series so much.
So, I keep a tally of what daily work I do, because I'm a massive nerd, so I'm in a position to answer your question in great detail. Prepare yourself for way more info than you expected:
I started work on Sunset Swing on 5th June 2018, and finished on 8th July 2021, writing nine drafts in total.
Over those three-ish years I spent 303 work days on the book. (The rest of the time I worked on other projects.)
Apparently I spent 25 days solely on research. I was really surprised by this, it seems WAY too small, I had to read so many books, websites, articles, etc. But I guess the stats don't lie.
I spent 29 days organising notes (both research notes and feedback from readers).
53 days outlining.
And 185 days actually writing.
So, that's the breakdown across all nine drafts. Which was probably more interesting for me to put together than it was for you to read.
In response to your other questions, yes, I'm a massive jazz fan, which I came to by being a teenage hip-hop fan and tracing all the samples used in my favourite tunes, which got me to jazz via funk.
I was never really into the mafia as much as I was into detective films and books and mafia movies / TV shows. It was only when I started working on the books that I really got into the actual, real-life mafia history.
I hope that answers everything. And thanks again for getting in contact.
Cheers!
Ray
Ray Celestin
Hi Adrian,
Sorry for the late response.
I'm afraid I spent no time at all in New Orleans. In fact, of all the cities the quartet books are set in, I've only spent significant time in New York (where I lived briefly). So pretty much all the books have been written from the comfort of my bedroom back in London.
I always feel like when I mention this fact, I'm going to be disappointing people, so sorry if that's the case. But, yeah, all my research was second-hand, based on historical sources I found via the internet or at the British Library. I did run the original book by a couple of New Orleans readers to make sure it felt authentic and they asked me to make some small changes and then okay-ed it. So that's the process, I've been going by. So, yeah, sorry if that's not the answer you hoped for.
As to how it's changed, obviously I can't answer that first-hand, but from the books I read, it seems like one of the biggest changes was the town-planning in the 40s and 50s, when lots of the historic parts of the city were ripped up so that freeways could be laid down. So much of the history and character was apparently lost back then in the rush to make it a 'modern' / car-friendly city. It's a real shame, and unfortunately, a situation was has been repeated across countless cities and decades.
Sorry for the late response.
I'm afraid I spent no time at all in New Orleans. In fact, of all the cities the quartet books are set in, I've only spent significant time in New York (where I lived briefly). So pretty much all the books have been written from the comfort of my bedroom back in London.
I always feel like when I mention this fact, I'm going to be disappointing people, so sorry if that's the case. But, yeah, all my research was second-hand, based on historical sources I found via the internet or at the British Library. I did run the original book by a couple of New Orleans readers to make sure it felt authentic and they asked me to make some small changes and then okay-ed it. So that's the process, I've been going by. So, yeah, sorry if that's not the answer you hoped for.
As to how it's changed, obviously I can't answer that first-hand, but from the books I read, it seems like one of the biggest changes was the town-planning in the 40s and 50s, when lots of the historic parts of the city were ripped up so that freeways could be laid down. So much of the history and character was apparently lost back then in the rush to make it a 'modern' / car-friendly city. It's a real shame, and unfortunately, a situation was has been repeated across countless cities and decades.
Ray Celestin
Hi Renee,
Sorry for the late reply!
It wasn't something I came up with, I uncovered it while doing research. There's this weird parallel history with the music industry and the mob and Louis Armstrong, in particular.
The 'mafia' first came to prominence in New Orleans, just before jazz was born. Then in 1920s the focus of jazz shifted to Chicago, just when Al Capone and the Chicago outfit was at its height. Then the centre of jazz moved to New York in the 30s/ 40s at the same time the New York mob was in control of the underworld. Then, if you look at Louis' career, he started working in LA and on the west coast just as the Mob was at its height in Vegas and LA in the 50s and 60s.
It's really strange how they went hand in hand through the 20th century.
Prohibition was a big part of it. Back during Prohibition the gangsters controlled the speakeasies and they employed the jazz musicians to play in them. When Prohibition ended, a lot of those gangsters got into the music industry as legit / semi-legit businessmen / record label men / bookers / agents / managers. Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday's manager was a former Capone stooge who used to run a speakeasy for Capone. The guys who started MCA (the largest talent agency in the world for many decades) were former Capone guys, too. All these mob-affiliated guys were huge in the entertainment industry for decades and they only really got ousted in 70s and 80s when Disney and all the other corporations took over the industry.
And here ends the history lesson!
I'm so glad you like the books. And you are officially the only person to ever like any of my blog posts, so thanks for that!
Sorry for the late reply!
It wasn't something I came up with, I uncovered it while doing research. There's this weird parallel history with the music industry and the mob and Louis Armstrong, in particular.
The 'mafia' first came to prominence in New Orleans, just before jazz was born. Then in 1920s the focus of jazz shifted to Chicago, just when Al Capone and the Chicago outfit was at its height. Then the centre of jazz moved to New York in the 30s/ 40s at the same time the New York mob was in control of the underworld. Then, if you look at Louis' career, he started working in LA and on the west coast just as the Mob was at its height in Vegas and LA in the 50s and 60s.
It's really strange how they went hand in hand through the 20th century.
Prohibition was a big part of it. Back during Prohibition the gangsters controlled the speakeasies and they employed the jazz musicians to play in them. When Prohibition ended, a lot of those gangsters got into the music industry as legit / semi-legit businessmen / record label men / bookers / agents / managers. Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday's manager was a former Capone stooge who used to run a speakeasy for Capone. The guys who started MCA (the largest talent agency in the world for many decades) were former Capone guys, too. All these mob-affiliated guys were huge in the entertainment industry for decades and they only really got ousted in 70s and 80s when Disney and all the other corporations took over the industry.
And here ends the history lesson!
I'm so glad you like the books. And you are officially the only person to ever like any of my blog posts, so thanks for that!
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