What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
I’m fascinated by the subtexts of noir, and for years I’ve dreamed of writing something as cruelly probing of the human psyche as the work of James M. Cain, as well as what I find in modern fulfillments of the noir promise by authors like Gillian Flynn and Megan Abbott. I love most fiction genres, depending on my mood or interests of the moment, but I think of noir as transcendent—truly where genre fiction intersects with, and often surpasses, what we call literary fiction. The engine of noir is only nominally the Big Crime around which the story swirls. In actuality, it’s what is awakened when the frailty and hubris of everyday people meet some dark, egoistic dream. When I mentioned this to Vigilante Crime editor Matthew Louis, who accepted a short story of mine for his pulp fiction anthology, he all but insisted I give it a try. I sent him the concept and an outline of what I imagined as a classic noir tale—but centering the feminine, for obvious reasons—and he enthusiastically approved it and applied his “OCD” attention to detail (his terminology, not mine!) every step of the way.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
For Will Cousins, this is easy. He’s a textbook narcissist and a rock star who never quite arrived. I wrote a number of songs for him, and fragments of them appear in the novel. For him, I would choose one that ended up on the proverbial cutting room floor called “Why Me?” In it, Will ironically laments being bored with life because his looks and talent make success effortless, and consequently seeks completion in self-harm. For Kat, I might choose “Turning Tables” by Adele. It perfectly describes her relationship with Will, and it embodies the raw emotion she’s determined to avoid in her life. But if Kat were as honest with herself as Adele is, there would be no novel! Elaine McCauley, who is Will’s mother and who might be seen as the novel’s true villain, would definitely be represented by Nirvana’s “Come as You Are.” She’s an aging ’90s party girl who wears a Nirvana T-shirt in the book, and the song is fitting both as a double entendre and because of the refrain, “I swear that I don’t have a gun.”
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I’ve always been an omnivorous reader, so that’s difficult to answer. As a teen, I was obsessed with Jane Austen, and *Anna Karenina* and *A Tale of Two Cities* are all-time favorites. I also love the masculine whimsy of Robert A. Heinlein, and it would be a sin not to mention Ray Bradbury! I used to think of crime thrillers as “bubble gum for the brain,” but I’ve become fascinated by their true social import. After all, *Crime and Punishment* is the seminal crime thriller. My ambition at the moment is to find synergy between the layers of meaning in our timeless classics and what is typically seen, by certain types of readers, as mere diversion or escapism.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
My formal training is in psychology, and a friend recommended The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, which is next in the queue. On my nightstand (and on my Kindle) is a mix of nonfiction focusing primarily on behavioral psychology, and books that I collect for the sheer thrill of reading, such as Agatha Christie’s Death Comes as the End and The Killer Next Door by Alex Marwood.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
There’s a scene in which Marty Bolton, the sleazy defense attorney, makes a sexual advance, and Kat responds by crushing his hand in her grip. It began as a suggestion from Matthew Louis, but I found it one of the most cathartic and nuanced episodes because of the contorted gender dynamics, and because Kat is simultaneously taking control and surrendering her dignity.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
My quirkiest habit, probably typical of many writers, is that I can only write well after nine p.m., as the rest of the world finally falls silent and the theater of the mind is able to come alive. This began in childhood, when I would secretly stay up to all hours reading or filling notebooks, and my dad would catch me and become furious because he knew I would be a zombie the next day. Luckily, my current work schedule makes this possible, and since my kids are no longer small and my husband is very tolerant of my eccentricities, I’ve been able to keep “vampire hours” when I become immersed in a project.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
I used to be extremely anxious and self-conscious, but as I’ve grown up, perhaps belatedly, I’ve come to appreciate the Biblical advice to cultivate an untroubled mind and let tomorrow take care of itself. The wisdom of this is far more profound than most people realize, because it doesn’t tell us not to prepare and make our sincerest effort, but only to not be governed by fear. Worrying can be a form of narcissism because it’s rooted in a desire to elevate ourselves by attempting to control what we simply cannot. Kat’s descent is a rather dramatic illustration of this. She’s commanded directly, by a priest, to give up her control over her fate. This would arrest her downward spiral, but she remains defiant, and those who read the book will see the result.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
All fiction contains endless layers of preconceptions and the biases and assumptions of cultures and microcultures, and what people bring to it is more than half of what they take away from it. My hope, therefore, is only that it’s challenging and interesting enough that readers will want to finish it and read my next novel!
F.T. Grant is the author of the new book Everything on Black (Vigilante Crime & Pulp)
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