Interview with Patrick Andendall: 'The key is having a good editor and listening to him or her'

Patrick Andendall has always had an interest in politics and, being multicultural, he views issues from a more international perspective. In 2004, five days before the election, he flew to Cleveland and pitched in to help with the political process. What he discovered was the dissolution of the American Dream, which he writes about in his book, Stupidparty.

Educated at English boarding schools from the age of seven, Andendall went on to graduate from Lancing College. He started by sometimes working three jobs at once, trainee Underwriter/claim broker at Lloyd's of London, his own one man cleaning Company (cleaning the very offices of a Reinsurance Company he would transact business at) plus doing seasonal work on various farms.

Having made some windfall profits by borrowing money in order to be a "Stag" to take advantage of opportunities created by Margaret Thatcher's de nationalization policies of the mid 1980's, Andendall evolved into an entrepreneur with a core specialty in Reinsurance in London and New York where he looks for patterns in numbers. Self-employed in a field not normally conducive to self-employment, he is able remain in control, juggle different jobs, travel and pursue his various interests.

Ending up in New York via romance in the African bush, Andendall now lives on Long Island with his wife, two children and two dogs.

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Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? Where did you come up with the idea to write your book?

I volunteered for the 2004 presidential election campaign as a door-to-door canvasser. As much as I valued the face-to-face interaction I soon realized the difficulty of trying to

change a voter’s mind, one by one. Post-election I turned to Twitter, only here I was contributing to an echo chamber of people who agreed with me. All this time I had been collecting examples of what I call political “myths” promulgated by important Republican Party influencers. So in 2013 when I heard Bobby Jindal say “We’ve got to stop being the stupid party.” I knew I had the answer: a book that brought all the myths and facts together in one place would be the ideal way to make my point.

Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

Be prepared to invest considerable time in the process. In my case I had much of the content but it had to be written and rewritten, ordered and reordered before it was in a coherent chapter by chapter format. It requires patience from you the writer and criticism from others before it can be actualized. The key is having a good editor and the good sense to listen to him or her.

Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

I was engaged in discussions with one of the larger publishing firms, but the senior individual I was working with was let go just as I was getting significant interest. I was also concerned that their legal department might not approve parts of the book, and my book was time sensitive. So I established my own publishing company and used it to fund and manage the publishing process.

Q: Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

The publication process was more time consuming and complex than I imagined it would be. Since the goal of the book is to point out certain myths and then counter them with facts, I wanted to include links to both sides of the debate. Obviously this is straight forward with an eBook which can include hyperlinks but it presents challenges in print. To accommodate the two delivery mediums we used color coded links. This required we produce a color print book, which is expensive. That’s why we decided to make the eBook free for anyone that buys the print book. (By the way, it has 1,500 hyperlinks.)

Q: What other books (if any) are you working on and when will they be published?

I’m not working on any other books but we are launching a newsletter. This will allow me to publish my findings in a more timely way and could form the basis for a follow-up edition.

Q: What’s your favorite place to hang out online?

I enjoy news outlets which put a great deal of emphasis on data and data visualization. Whether it’s FiveThirtyEight.com, VOX, or the New York Times’ “The Upshot”, they each publish stories on topics, or covering angles, you won’t find elsewhere. For example, I recently read a story about parental leave for fathers and general household tasks on Vox.

Q: Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to get across with your book?

The message of the book is to listen to what politicians tell you with a more critical ear. My hope is that sporadic voters will be inspired to vote more regularly and that conservative voters will nominate more reasonable people for office. Having two quality parties is important for a healthy democracy.

Q: Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?

Your readers should know that I come from a conservative background. I was an advocate for Margaret Thatcher and deregulation and profited as a result. I gleefully crossed trade union picket lines. Of course I would like to pay less income tax and I have a libertarian streak. But in this new era of unlimited campaign contributions and Super PACs, it is important to pay careful attention to who is paying for the advertising, doing the talking, or supporting a bill.

These are complex issues and I hope my book helps readers see the issues more clearly. I invite you to learn more at StupidpartyMathvMyth.com and please join our mailing list.

About the Book:

Title: Stupidparty Math V. Myth: Unmasking the Destructive Forces Eroding American Democracy
Author: Patrick Andendall
Publisher: Fact Over Fiction Publishing LTD.
Pages: 408
Genre: Politics
Format: Paperback/Kindle

Stupidparty Math v. Myth: Unmasking the Destructive Forces Eroding American Democracy relies on publicly available facts, resources and tools to deconstruct and relentlessly drill down on the numerous misconceptions held by too many Republicans. Substantiated by more than 1,500 hyperlinks to authoritative resources, readers will find:

Stupidparty positions defrocked on: the "Moochers", the economy, climate change, environmental stewardship, racism, religion, "Freedoms", guns, and ignorance-based humor.
The fallacy of Fox News facts exposed, documented, and explained.

Also included are 1,055 full color images and 121 graphs and charts.

Once thoughtful, discerning Americans understand the destructive forces manipulating their views, they will begin to call for a stop to the stupidity that has invaded our politics and poisoned our political process. The eradication of Stupid from the Stupidparty is the first step.

This book does not set out to destroy the Republican Party. The U.S. needs at least two parties. But by exposing the abundance of Myth with the relentless use of Math and facts, the problems and then the solutions become self-evident.