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Change of genre, change of personality for Gethers

Peter Gethers writes under the pseudonym, Russell Andrews
Janis A. Donnaud

'Aphrodite'
Author: Russell Andrews
Publisher: Mysterious Press
Price: $23.95

Writers Read

Peter Gethers

He's reading ... "Motherless Brooklyn" by Jonathan Lethem. "I think 'Motherless Brooklyn' is some of the best writing I've read in several years. ... As a writer, I was in awe of the way he writes."

He's listening to ... "Let It Be: Naked" by the Beatles; a Blossom Dearie jazz album, "Back from Rio" by Roger McGuinn; Loudon Wainwright's "Grown Man"; and Cyndi Lauper's "At Last."

He just saw ... "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." "It blew me away completely. I don't like fantasy, and I tend not to like huge epics, but I thought all three (films) were so brilliant."

By Regis Behe
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, January 4, 2004

By his own admission, Peter Gethers adopts a different persona when he writes fiction. An editor and writer of best-selling nonfiction books about his cat, Norton, he tends to drop the playful tone of that series in favor of a more hard-boiled approach when he adopts his fictional pseudonym, Russell Andrews.

"It really is like being an actor. It's not such a different process," says Gethers, who notes he will often isolate himself for weeks at a time to work on his novels. "You just disappear into a character's mood, especially since I'm writing about bombs and killing and sort of dastardly stuff. You have to get into that hard-edged mode. ... I definitely find myself drinking shot glasses of whisky, smoking cigars and sitting at the computer unshaven."

Gethers' new novel, "Aphrodite," marks the beginning of a new series that, like many thrillers, features a character on the rebound. Justin Westwood is 37 and has been reduced to writing parking tickets and directing traffic in a ritzy Long Island resort town. He drinks to salve the wounds caused by a tragedy that occurred to his family when he was a respected homicide cop in Providence, R.I. A series of murders serves as the mechanism to yank Westwood from his languid stupor.

It sounds formulaic, and to a point, it is. But Gethers' execution is such that "Aphrodite" transcends the genre via sharp dialogue and pacing and a keen knack for storytelling.

Given the author's background, it would be surprising if the novel didn't have those qualities. Gethers has worked as a staff writer for the sitcom "Kate & Allie," has written pilots and television movies for all the major networks, and has worked on scripts for directors Rob Reiner and Garry Marshall.

His biggest literary influence, however, comes from his work as an editor at several major publishing houses. Among the writers Gethers has worked with are Walter Mosley, Anna Quindlen, Roy Blount Jr., John Feinstein, William Goldman, Pete Hamill, Carl Hiaasen, Robert Hughes, Lewis Grizzard, Susan Issacs, Jonathan Kellerman and Kitty Kelly.

"It's one of the reasons I've stayed in publishing for as long as I have and one of the reasons I still enjoy it," he says. "I learn something about writing in every book I edit."

"Aphrodite" involves a series of murders that are linked to a pharmaceutical corporation's quest to develop a drug that extends lifespans almost indefinitely. Westwood is sucked into a maelstrom of corporate intrigue when he tries to protect a murder witness.

Gethers says he's been assembling the novel's plot elements for a while. Goldman, a close friend who wrote the screenplays for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "All the President's Men," told him about a New York Times obituary for an actor that had numerous errors about the man's screen credits. Gethers clipped it, saved it and re-created it as an element in the novel.

Working with former President Jimmy Carter on the book "The Virtues of Aging," Gethers learned that the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population is octogenarians, which will put the resources of the Social Security Administration in jeopardy as baby boomers grow older.

"I then wound up doing all this research into growth hormones, and met with financial people and analysts of the industry," he says. "It's just a huge, huge business. I had no idea when I wrote the basic premise, but I really think that everything I wrote about could be true."

If there's anything of Gethers' personality that seeps into Westwood's character, it's a love of music. Throughout "Aphrodite," the author references songs by Nick Cave, Elvis Costello, Randy Newman, REM and Loudon Wainwright III. One of his proudest moments -- in his life, let alone as an author -- came when he requested the use of lyrics from one of Tom Petty's songs. A representative called and said it would not be a problem as long as he sent a couple copies his books. Gethers was confused -- Tom Petty liked "The Cat Who Went to Paris"?

The woman also was confused. Cat books? Wasn't this request coming from the author of "Gideon" and "Icarus," two books that Petty had read and enjoyed?

"I told her, 'you have to understand, I love Tom Petty,'" Gethers says, laughing. "She said, 'Well, Tom Petty loves you.' I called every single person I knew within five minutes of hanging up the phone."

Regis Behe can be reached at rbehe@tribweb.com or (412)320-7990.