Ask the Author: Megan Abbott
Answered Questions (28)
Megan Abbott
Hey, Helen! No one planted it there--at least not literally. But I do think it was somehow meant to be there to help her save herself. Does that make sense? Like her body trying to warn her she was in danger, the book reminds her of that childhood warning.
thank you so much!! xo
thank you so much!! xo
Megan Abbott
Katrina--It's available in Australia as a paperback from Pocket Books (Simon and Schuster), so you should be able to get it anywhere you buy books.
https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/a...
Have you tried your local bookstore? They could order it for you too . Thank you for your interest!
https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/a...
Have you tried your local bookstore? They could order it for you too . Thank you for your interest!
Megan Abbott
Boy, I don't remember a time when I wasn't encountering it! It's always been a part of my life--and of most of the women I know. And so it all happened very naturally to me. But your question is the highest compliment! (and CAT'S EYE remains a master class for me in this regard). Thank you!
Megan Abbott
Oh, boy, I suppose I've already done that!
Megan Abbott
Oh, I'm so glad!! I had such a wonderful writers' room on DARE ME and we talked in such detail about the characters and world. These were the same kind of conversations that Gina (my coshowrunner) and I had with the episode directors and everyone else. So much of it with book-to-film/TV is about finding visual ways to tell the story and in some ways it's easier with all these tools are your disposal -- music, camera movement, costume, production design and foremost the brilliant actors. But the hard point is making sure to stay true to the tone and characters. That required vigilance! Thank you so much for asking!
Megan Abbott
Thank you so much! I do read a lot about psychology, but I can't say I ever consciously use it in my books. It's more instinctual. I guess, at heart, I think we'd all probably sound like psychopaths if our private thoughts were made public! ;-) And when we're in our teens, we're still figuring out so much, so our brains are even more knotted, murky places.
Thank you for such a great question!
Thank you for such a great question!
Megan Abbott
Hello!! Oh, just seeing "Ann Arbor" makes me nostalgic! My dissertation was on hardboiled fiction and film noir and eventually became my first book...
https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9780...
Reading all the wonderful novels from the midcentury, esp. Raymond Chandler, led to my writing my first novel.
And I'm so eager to hear what you, as a dancer yourself, think of The Turnout!!
All warmest, Megan
https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9780...
Reading all the wonderful novels from the midcentury, esp. Raymond Chandler, led to my writing my first novel.
And I'm so eager to hear what you, as a dancer yourself, think of The Turnout!!
All warmest, Megan
Megan Abbott
I have thought of this! Perhaps down the line. It's a fascinating world.
Megan Abbott
Yes! My next book, out in 2021, is set in a ballet school.
Thank you for asking!
Thank you for asking!
Megan Abbott
I have, yes. Unfortunately, there's not a huge readership for those books, so they present a challenge for publishers. But maybe one day!
Megan Abbott
Given my lack of athletic skills or a science-minded brain, not really, no! But whenever I do immerse myself in a world for a book, I never stop being interested in that world. I continue to follow cheer stories, gymnastics headlines, etc. I keep collecting new fascinations.
I hope you do write about field hockey players--I'd love to read about them!
I hope you do write about field hockey players--I'd love to read about them!
Megan Abbott
Thank you so much, Victoria! And what a great question. I think about this so much. And, yes, I do think --- in broad, generalizing terms -- women do have a specific way of interacting. Because, historically, various social expectations about girls and women have made it hard or unacceptable for girls and women to express certain feelings (ambition, aggression, desire, ambivalence about traditional maternal roles, etc.), I think women do often speak (unconsciously) in a kind of code. Gestures stand in for open expression. Aggressive feelings get triangulated, etc. So much is furtive, unspoken. (Not for nothing, I think about this any time I watch the Real Houswives---social codes are all!).
Megan Abbott
Hey, Jonathan!
Boy, TV writing is pretty different than novel writing and I actually think it's a little dangerous to carry the TV writing experience into one's novels because novels are essentially interior experiences---intimate ones--and TV is so much more expansive. That said, I think there's a reason they often hire novelists to write for TV---especially crime novelists--because we do believe strongly in story and plot and usually know how to see the big picture in a complicated story.
STILL, I've learned so much from The Deuce writers--most especially about avoiding cliche, about POV and about the power of potent TV on an audience. Your audience is so wide with TV and creators like David Simon, George Pelecanos and Richard Price--they can really be a substantial force in the culture through their work. I so admire that.
Boy, TV writing is pretty different than novel writing and I actually think it's a little dangerous to carry the TV writing experience into one's novels because novels are essentially interior experiences---intimate ones--and TV is so much more expansive. That said, I think there's a reason they often hire novelists to write for TV---especially crime novelists--because we do believe strongly in story and plot and usually know how to see the big picture in a complicated story.
STILL, I've learned so much from The Deuce writers--most especially about avoiding cliche, about POV and about the power of potent TV on an audience. Your audience is so wide with TV and creators like David Simon, George Pelecanos and Richard Price--they can really be a substantial force in the culture through their work. I so admire that.
Megan Abbott
Great question! I think I love the glamour and mystery endemic to noir--a dark glamour, to be sure, but a glamour nonetheless. The mood is so captivating to me in those books and films--the sense of high stakes, passions run out of control, desire and greed and guilt dominating the characters. The intensity knocks me out. How about you?
Megan Abbott
Yes! My first four novels are all set in the mid-20th century. I've always been in love with that era--I think from growing up watching Golden-Age Hollywood movies. I still write short stories pretty regularly in that period (most recently for IN SUNLIGHT AND IN SHADOW, an anthology based on Edward Hopper paintings). Maybe a novel again some day!
Megan Abbott
Boy, these are great questions. I think if you've been working on a novel for a substantial period of time, including revision, it's worth sending query letters to agents that represent authors with books that seem in the vein of yours. (A bit of research here is important! http://aaronline.org/Find)
An agent who believes in your work can be invaluable and it may take time, but I think it's important to have an advocate who knows the publishing world, knows books, knows how to work successfully with authors. Here's a useful guide: http://www.sfwa.org/real/
I hope this helps--and good luck!
An agent who believes in your work can be invaluable and it may take time, but I think it's important to have an advocate who knows the publishing world, knows books, knows how to work successfully with authors. Here's a useful guide: http://www.sfwa.org/real/
I hope this helps--and good luck!
Megan Abbott
For my upcoming book, GIVE ME YOUR HAND, I was compelled by the notion of the burden that sharing a secret can be on the person hearing it. The notion that, when someone confesses a secret to someone else, then the person who hears the confession has to carry the weight of that darkness with them. It fascinates me! It's almost like, by confessing, the confessor feels better, but the recipient feels worse...and faces a moral quandary!
Megan Abbott
Hmmm... if I'm struggling, music or a movie can help. Or a long walk or bike ride. Usually it means getting away from the computer and getting excited about something--then running back to the computer!!
Megan Abbott
I'm getting ready for the publicaton of GIVE ME YOUR HAND, out in July, and working on my next book. And, lately, I've been working hard on the TV adaption of my novel DARE ME. We shoot the pilot in a few months--exciting!
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/liv...
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/liv...
Megan Abbott
Thank you, Emily!!
I guess I feel like so many of us (myself included) are always deeply connected to our adolescent selves. It's such a critical age--when we really find our voices, find out who we are, who we want to be. Maybe it's the most important time of life, but also such a precarious one (that desire to experience, which can lead to danger, risk). That combination is irresistible!
I guess I feel like so many of us (myself included) are always deeply connected to our adolescent selves. It's such a critical age--when we really find our voices, find out who we are, who we want to be. Maybe it's the most important time of life, but also such a precarious one (that desire to experience, which can lead to danger, risk). That combination is irresistible!
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