Interview with
James P. Othmer

Q: Your book is described as a satire. What was the target of that satire?

A: It wasn’t a send-up of the ad industry or the marketers. I didn’t want this to be an ad guy writing a novel that skewered the ad industry. I think it’s just a satire of the times and a certain kind of attitude that has set in amongst Americans everywhere. It’s a satire of a society where the future has become paralysed by the present.

Q: How did you get the idea for the book?

A: I had the line, ‘The futurist never saw it coming’, and I had a character of a futurist that I had been playing with for quite awhile. I like the idea of playing with a futurist as a protagonist because, as you know, in advertising you are often so absorbed in what’s next. I was sitting on him for quite awhile. Then, I had this insight that he shouldn’t be good at what he does but still be championed anyway, so he was this kind of sham. I thought that would be an interesting premise. I played around with that and wrote the first chapter. Not until Sept. 11 hit did I start to realize that it would be interesting if this futurist missed one of the biggest events of our time. I wanted him to be a metaphor for America. 

Q: Do you believe it is impossible to predict the next big thing?

A: No. I think there are people who are incredibly good at it and are able to track trends and have their finger on the respective pulse of society, but I think there are a lot of people who are getting paid large sums of money to blow hot air. I got a kick out of that. 

Q: Why did you choose to use some real names, such as Faith Popcorn?

A: It lends an aspect of authenticity. People like to hear pop culture touchstones sprinkled into certain types of fiction. It adds to the vibe of the book. 

Q: Is the city Bas’ar a reference to Baghdad?

A: It is and it isn’t. It’s a recent democratized nation. I have a nephew in the Marine Corps, my brother is a New York City fireman, and I understand there are a lot of passionate opinions about all this. I really didn’t want to offend anyone. 

Q: Is it a metaphor for Iraq?

A: Absolutely. It’s definitely inspired by and influenced by what Iraq is, but I took liberties to make it my own country. Plus, my wife wouldn’t let me go there to do research, so I had to invent my own country. 

Q: Why did you leave Y&R in November?

A: Things crystalized for me when my agent was calling me to say he had three offers for the book within 24 hours. I was in my office and there was an account executive waiting outside the door to tell me about 17 millionth proposed change for a small packaged goods commercial. I closed the door and called my wife and actually started to cry when I told her what was going on with the book. I realized that as much respect as I had for advertising, as much as it helped me get ahead in life, I had to make the move and I had to switch and write fiction for a living. I would never say never to advertising. I’m leaving myself open to everything because I know there many not be another book. This book may not be successful. Advertising has always been good to me. 

Q: How do you get past a creative block?

A: I go to bookstores. I go to galleries. I try to use the kind of original thinking of others. I would look for unpredictable sources, from a paper by an MIT media lab person to a strange novel where a strange voice was used. 

Q: What do you consider the greatest accomplishment of your life so far?

THE FUTURIST
ISBN: 1-84688-026-2, Paperback, £10.99, 296 pp.
Publication Date: March 2007