In place of my regular monthly Blood & Whiskey roundup (coming next week), today I’m introducing a new off-cycle author interview feature called Interrogations. I’ll be sharing more of these — probably twice a month — in addition to the regular monthy Blood & Whiskey newsletter.
I’m thrilled to kick things off with a Q&A with Megan Abbott, author of the fantastic new book, Beware the Woman (which I’ll review next week).
But first, some housekeeping…
I’ve done a few of these interviews before on Blood & Whiskey — with Michael Connelly (here); Laura Lippman (a mini, here); Lisa Unger (audio interview, here). Some have been email Q&As, a couple have been audio podcasts. In years past, I’ve conducted scores of author interviews in various roles (including my time running Amazon’s Best Books of the Month). I love the format. Love getting into the heads of other writers, learning their routines, quirks, habits, phobias, influences, favorite songs, pens, notebooks, and drinks. I’ll be digging up some older interviews and featuring a few oldies here, too.
These interviews, and other occasional off-cycle posts, will appear in a new “Interrogations” section on the Blood & Whiskey homepage.
Because these interviews take time (and cuz time is money, amirite?) I’ve decided to launch a paid subscription option for “bonus” content like this, plus other special posts and archived interviews. Subscriptions are $5 a month (that’s a cuppa coffee) or $50 a year. Free subscribers will still receive the regular Blood & Whiskey newsletter each month. (June’s post is coming soon.)
Subscriptions help support my writing here, but I know what it’s like to be “over-subscribed” these days… If you can’t afford a subscription, email me and I’ll waive the fee. But for those interested in going a bit deeper, learning more about writers, their process, their favorite books and cocktails? If you can afford to, please consider subscribing. I’ll love you forever. To prove it, I’ll give new subscribers a shoutout by name each month.
And if you know others who might enjoy these interviews, please:
Okay, now on with the show…
I’ve known Megan Abbott for more than a decade now. I first interviewed her in 2012, for her book Dare Me. I’ve since watched her career explode — five more books (now a dozen in all); writing for David Simon’s HBO series, The Deuce; co-creating, producing, and show-running her own series based on Dare Me. She’s a force, a friend of the literary community, fan of a well-made cocktail, and an all-around lovely human. We conducted this interview over email.
The first words of the book (“We should go back”): at what stage did you write that line and what does it say about the story?
I think they were the very first words I wrote, or close to it. I just kept hearing the character, Jed, saying it in my ear. It had this kind of haunted feeling, almost like an incantation. In some ways it’s one of the few times he speaks openly about his feelings so all the more significant.
I appreciated the restraint you exercised, the slow reveals and brutal teases — a hitch in a voice, a glance, a strange smile... As an impatient person, I’m curious to know if it comes naturally to hold back on us eager readers.
I guess for me that’s part of the dance of suspense, and so much of the pleasure. There’s that famous Hitchcock quote: “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it. ...” So you want to prolong that, all the while giving clues along the way, engaging the reader in the game. At least that’s what I hope!
The three main characters — Jacy, husband Jed, and Jed’s dad Dr. Ash — did you cast them in your head in advance? Or use real people as inspiration?
No. In some ways they’re all composites of people I’ve known as aspects of myself. I always compare it to dreams — in some ways, all the people in our dreams are ourselves because that’s the material we have to work with. The joy, though, comes from when they start to take on a life of their own and surprise us! All three of these characters surprised me!
Did you learn anything in your research that especially surprised you? And what’s the weirdest thing you googled for research?
I loved researching the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where the book is set. I knew a bit since visit as a child (eating the pasties, etc.), but there was so much more, like the whole Cornish population, descended from miners who came over from England in the 19th century to work in the mines. And the wildlife there! Like the animals that disappeared during those industrialization and are starting to return.
Boy, I have Googled a lot of whacky stuff over the years. A lot about body disposal. Or one book I had to write an injury to the neck and ended up having to watch some pretty gruesome YouTube videos of hockey players getting blades to their throat. Eesh!
Now that the book’s out in the world, what’s been the most interesting or surprising reaction?
That people can read it in different ways on different levels. A lot of early readers respond to the gothic elements, while others focus on the ideas about female bodies and bodily autonomy.
You write a lot about relationships, trauma, fear, violence, deception, secrets... How have your topics/themes evolved? Mainly: Why do you write what you write?
Boy, an impossible question! I write about what I’m afraid of and what I want to understand better. I write about subcultures that fascinate me (cheer, gymnastics, dance, science). But in the end certain fixations re-emerge across books. As they say about writers, “We’re all just trying to solve one case.”
What are you writing these days and what's the weirdest thing in your writing space?
A new book! Once the WGA strike is resolved, I’ll dive into the feature script for Beware the Woman. I’ll also be adapting Todd Haynes’s Safe for a TV series. Weirdest? So many, but one is a Victorian-era eyeball (!).
What’s the last great book you read? What’s next on your list?
Laura Lippman’s Prom Mom and Wendy Corsi Staub’s Windfall, both of which come out in July. Next up: Sarah Weinman (newsletter: The Crime Lady) new crime reportage anthology, Evidence of Things Seen.
Do you have a favorite all-time writer or three?
Raymond Chandler, forever.
You’re about to go on tour: what’s your go-to cocktail at a new bar? At home?
I’m already out on the road and wish I could report that I’ve been experimenting with local cocktail specialties, but mostly I stick to beer and wine while touring. My favorite is a gimlet, but that can be dangerous when you have a flight you need to make!
Two bonus Proust-y Qs… When and where are you happiest?
At Film Forum here in NYC, watching a great old movie (preferably a film noir) with a friend.
And what’s your motto?
“Real is good. Interesting is better.” –Stanley Kubrick
*Bonus: read my 2021 interview with Megan for The Turnout — HERE.
*And: Megan’s literary agent, Dan Conaway, last year wrote a Blood & Whiskey tribute to Walter Tevis, author of The Hustler and The Queen’s Gambit — HERE.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy these interviews. I’m keeping this first interview post free, but the rest will be for paid subscribers.
Again, please consider supporting my work by subscribing:
Love it! I always get so much fodder to look up and keep me occupied from reading your stuff Neal!
Listening to Beware the Woman now.