DAILY PILOT - COSTA MESA, NEWPORT BEACH Being the character: Novelist and UC Irvine graduate took steps into the life of the subject in 'The Color Midnight Made' By Mary A. Castillo Across the table at the Coffee Pub, UC Irvine graduate and novelist Andrew Winer admitted that the first time he saw his debut novel, "The Color Midnight Made," on a bookstore shelf, he was too exhausted from the editing and promotional work to get excited. "I thought it would be this huge moment," the Laguna Beach resident said, leaning back in his chair. "I was so involved in the behind-the-scenes work that it was anticlimactic." But as Winer prepares to embark on a reading and book-signing tour that will take him through the West Coast, he is anxious to interact with his readers. Many have already contacted him through his Web site, surprising him with their insights into the book. "During the composition, it's a completely private endeavor, and then suddenly it's out in the world," he said. "It's an exposure, but it's nice to see those characters, especially Conrad, out in the world." Winer refers to the smack-talking yet sensitive 10-year-old narrator, Conrad Clay, who absorbs the tragic realities of adult life between his parents and his best friend's mother. The character first emerged in a short story Winer wrote when he first moved to Los Angeles from New York, moving from life as a painter to that of a writer. "I was still an artist, but I began living a double life writing short stories and screenplays," he said. Eager to be part of a community of writers, he applied to UCI in 1996 unaware how slim his chances were of getting accepted. The program accepts six students per year, three men and three women. When Winer traveled to the campus to interview with the program director, Geoffrey Wolff, he walked in without any letters of recommendation and a copy of "Men's Lives," by Peter Matthiesen. Wolff overlooked the former and honed in on the latter. "It was obscure enough and up Geoffrey's alley that he let me in," Winer remembered. The experience changed his life. Winer found a haven in which he worked with fellow students -- all of whom are published novelists -- including Aimee Bender, Charmaine Craig, Glen David Gold, Alice Sebold, Maile Meloy and David Benioff. It was a place where he could develop his writer's voice rather than try to emulate his favorite authors. "I went from living in L.A. writing short stories in isolation to a safe place where I could really believe I was a writer," he said. After settling in Laguna Beach, Winer dived into Conrad's adventures, taking trips to the Alameda, where the novel is set. When he couldn't get up to the Bay area, he spent a lot of time hanging around the Circle K on North Coast Highway, where he became addicted to soda and junk food while befriending skateboarding kids. "My diet mimics my novels," he quipped. Although it seems ironic that an author could create an authentic working-class experience while taking walks on the beach in between writing sessions, Winer said the distance freed him in a sense. "Living away from Alameda allowed me to imagine it and create a world from the point of view of the character," he said. Although Winer and Conrad share some experiences in common -- both are red and green colorblind and were raised in African American communities by single mothers -- the author maintains that this is not a straight autobiography. His mother hasn't read it yet nor is he particularly looking forward to that event, he admitted. "I didn't start with a clear idea of what I wanted to do with this book," he said. "The pain of learning the frailty of adult love and the experience of growing up around some pretty wild characters found their way into the core of the book." As Winer hits the road with "Midnight" and gets back into the head of Conrad for his readings, he anticipates the fall when he can begin his second book. If anything, he'll bring a greater understanding of not only the nuts and bolts of the publication, but the single driving force that makes writers do what they do. "You need a lot of faith to write a novel," he said.