BEHIND THE BOOKS: Fred Guilhaus on Road Rage

In this edition of Behind the Books, Fred Guilhaus answers all of our burning questions about his new novel, Road Rage.

Close friends cycle to escape the pressures of big city living. A vehicle cuts them down from behind, causing serious injury. Is this road rage, car versus bike? Or is it a copycat terrorist attack?
Road Rage challenges notions of 'them and us', right and wrong. In the revelations of each life's journey, Fred Guilhaus paints a gripping tale of modern life, with remarkable twists and turns.

Road Rage was inspired by an article by Greg Bearup that appeared in the Weekend Australian in 2014, about a mass cycling accident that was the result of a car hitting a group of riders from behind on a Sunday morning. What was it specifically about this story that inspired you to write your book?

The article was a bombshell for all cyclists. It was a mass collision of a group of riders callously taken out as they cycled on a bright, clear Sunday morning in Sydney, with little traffic. How could this happen? The four-lane expressway had a wide verge. They were not even cycling on the road!
The media outpouring was dramatic. Many commented that the cyclists deserved it. A shock jock said that cyclists were cockroaches.
This sounded like war. Them and us.
So, given the general carnage on roads involving cyclists, it took me a few years at coffee stops with friends to gestate a plot.
Add the massive increase in the number of cyclists, the government’s spending on bike lanes, the public health benefits, cycling isn’t going away. Nor is road rage. It’s getting worse with the heightened level of social anxiety. So, the plot evolved to contemplate how a catastrophic event affected the friendship dynamic. How otherwise bonded, close friends grapple with the perpetrator. Revenge collides with forgiveness.

The media feeds us constant images of disasters. When these disasters affect our own lives, how do we cope?

Being inspired by a true story, did you have any trouble working out which parts of your novel to base on fact and which to fictionalise?

Not really. I do use actual locations, but none of the characters are in any way modelled on any involved in the original accident. The accident is entirely fictionalised, other than it happens somewhere near where the original accident occurred. I always use real places to set my books.
And the plot is always an outcome of me getting the essential themes and characters right in my mind. It then writes itself.

Do you ever draw on real people for your fiction?

Now this is a curly question for all writers. Of course I am inspired by the people who colour my life. In my case I never model a character on a real person, other than by way of generalities. For instance, if someone is truly funny in real life I may take attributes of the physical person and then use poetic licence, embellishing like crazy. It’s a truism that the created character has to be much larger than life; if bad, then really bad.
There is one caveat to this rule I apply to real people. In Road Rage there are two chapters set in the Pacific Islands. The setting is actual. The people real. I was there. However, the people are written about with love and esteem, and their situation demands understanding. The settings are used to inspire the life stories of the fictionalised characters in the book. An author’s real-life experience is the toolbox that informs all writing.

Do you have a favourite character in your novel? If so, please tell us why you chose that particular character.

I love my characters. All of them. Road Rage is centrally concerned with the sense of entitlement that seems to infuse western society. Yet, our judgement is that everybody else seems unduly entitled, never ourselves.
So, I love my “bad guy”. From a life of wreckage he manages to lift himself up and overcome his desperate circumstances. Norman is my hero. Yet, the narrator is the protagonist. Of course he has to be my favourite. But, then I love the strong women. Each conveys determination, love and personal growth. In case it is thought that everybody is just too good, there are indeed really bad actors.

What other aspects of your story were drawn from your own experiences or real life? You are an avid cyclist yourself, so that must have helped, considering cycling, and cycling culture, is such a big component of your book?

Absolutely right. In fact so much is drawn from my real life experience that some readers who know me think it to be autobiographical. The amusing thing is that all fiction is partly autobiographical. The novel is actually crafted around the idea that our essential similarities far outweigh our differences. There is a bit of each of us in each of us. Why do we ever allow the minor differences to divide us when we often have the basis of deep enduring friendship?
Cycling happens to be the catalyst. It could be any activity that brings people together. The coffee culture that we can all observe is remarkable in allowing men in particular to bond through great conversation. Men need an activity around which they feel they can open up. Women just talk naturally. Each gender gravitates to itself.

What does a typical writing session look like for you? Do you prefer to write in the mornings or evenings, or do require a special writing environment? Tell us a bit about your routine.

I love the writing. I’m very lucky in that once I have my themes, plot and main characters I’m away. I then write daily, mostly in the morning and revise, revise, revise. It strikes me, in trying to help others, that creative endeavour of any type is mostly a product of our subconscious. We know when we are engaged in a creative endeavour, the passion that gives us meaning and real satisfaction, be it painting, gardening, woodworking, we are in the “zone”. Time evaporates, our minds released from the daily collision of bad and good thoughts, and we just want more of that feeling.
I never have writer’s block. The writing is its own reward and as long as I’m happy with the outcome the rest is a bonus.

You have had a long and successful career as a novelist (with some of your books being optioned for television or movies). Do you find each book easier to write, or does every new story bring its own challenges?

This is a great question. I choose to write about very different themes. I cannot imagine writing endless sequels. Each book is a personal journey of discovery. It is the most rewarding experience to allow the imagination to graft itself to a plot that has meaning for the reader. I have written thrillers that have attracted movie producers. I have also written a comedy that is perhaps my favourite. But, I must confess a strong story is essential. Each book has to be a page-turner.
So, absolutely the worst thing is to get the initial theme and protagonist wrong.
I chose to write two of my books with female protagonists. That, indeed is a risky undertaking. But, oh my, what a learning curve, to force the empathy that comes from identifying totally with a female point of view. I don’t know if it’s for everyone.

Are you working on any other projects we can look forward to?

I would love it more than anything if there were readers who actually indicate that they look forward to a new book, just based on their love of what has gone before. How do you know this as a writer?
Once the bug is inside you don’t lose it. So, yes I will soon embark on another.

About the author:

Dr Fred Guilhaus has a background in academia, business and wayward adventures. Two of his previous four novels have been contracted for movies and television series. He lives in the Adelaide Hills, and spends time volunteering for various causes.
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