You are a human animal. You are a very special breed, for you are the only animal, who can think, who can reason, who can read.

Hi, this is Michael Silverblatt. Welcome to Bookworm. I'm here today with Mark

Lappin, the author of Pledge of Allegiance, a book recently published by Dutton. And it's a first novel,

and I thought it would be interesting to go through the saga of first novelists with its author, because many of my

listeners call in and ask me in the way that I'm asked how a bill becomes a law, how a first

novel gets written. This is an interesting case, because you started writing when?

This novel?

I think the novel probably began 1986.

Uh-huh.

And you had already begun several careers, both in Japan and here, before publishing this book?

Well, the only thing I ever really wanted to be was a writer.

However, I found it kind of difficult to find my story and find my voice,

so I found various ways to support myself,

all of which involved writing, but not fiction, alas.

Having been in that particular circle of hell as well, I've worked in public relations,

which I've read, you've worked in.

I always was afraid that doing that kind of writing would somehow blunt my ear or my soul

or my voice.

Did you have that fear?

Well, it certainly crossed my mind.

On the other hand, it was the only thing that I could do part-time for a couple of hours a day

and still have enough time to write.

...