What We're Writing--all kinds of stuff from Hank

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Can you launch a book in a pandemic, and a tropical storm?

This year, the pandemic year, I was trying to look at the bright side. People could come to my launch party for THE FIRST TO LIE lie, virtually, from the comfort and safety of their homes, and we could still celebrate, and the bookstore had drop-shipped me books to sign personally. We were going to make the best of it.

Then I heard the weather report. A huge tropical storm was coming up the coast and was about to batter New England. I know the world is not about me, but in one crazy self-centered moment of launch night, I thought, oh good! People will not have to drive to my book event in a in a tropical storm! Everyone can be home, watching the rain, and being cozy and safe, and not have to decide whether to slog through downpours and puddles lugging clammy umbrellas into my event. Everyone will be safe and cozy.

As I said, I was madly trying to look at the bright side.

Then I started getting emails from my pals, saying that they had no power, and no Internet, and they would not be able to come.

Can you launch a book in a pandemic, and a tropical storm and a power outage?

I have to say–it was an event to remember. (SO many people came, aw, and we sold LOTS of books.) And I hope it’s the only one where I’m at my computer in lipstick and flipflops.

So onward with the launch!

 THE FIRST TO LIE was chosen by the POPSugar as their number one pick for August, and the fab THE REAL BOOK SPY chose it as the August thriller of the month! Oooh, Life goals! And since THE FIRST TO  LIE is partly inspired by my undercover reporting,  the Book Spy asked me to write more about my adventures undercover.  

So I listed the rules for using a hidden camera, which you can read here, including once where.. well, it did not go so well.

Here’s just a taste of that.

"And in writing THE FIRST TO LIE, I realized that these days, hidden cameras do not have to be hidden! There’s nothing more common than someone carrying a cell phone. Simply (and brazenly) holding a cell phone, taking pictures just like everyone else is, draws absolutely no attention. The key then is to hide the fact that you are using it! Don’t brazenly point it at your subject. Pretend you are taking a photo of something else. Or act like you are using it as a phone. And when no one notices: roll. 

Real life sidebar: I once went into a skeevy auto body shop, accompanied by a photographer who had the hidden camera. I had told him to keep it out of sight. 

The plan was that I would go in first, to distract and talk to the proprietor, and then the photographer would come in, as if her were a separate customer, to shoot what was going on. Apparently the cameraman did not understand the concept of “hidden” camera. 

He’d tucked it under a clipboard he was carrying. Which meant, of course, that it was completely hidden—but only from him. The autobody shop proprietor, however, could instantly see it. When the photog walked in, the first thing the guy behind the counter said was: What are you doing with that camera? At that point, I had to hide the fact that I even knew him! I turned, all upset, and said “Hey, what’re you doing with that camera? I do not want to be photographed!” The photographer skedaddled, and, I have to say, we did not work together again."

  

Another great moment was being interviewed by the terrific April Snellings for The Big Thrill, with magazine of the International Thriller Writers. I was on the cover of the mag for the Murder List, so I worried it might be too much Hank, but yay!  April did a brilliant “Up Close” feature—and it’s so much fun to read. Sometimes I think—I said that? 

She asked me:

Do you have a certain type of reader in mind when you write?

I think my readers are smart and savvy and intelligent, and they’re also diabolically good. They try to figure out my stories before they get to that point in the book, and they crow when they do. And so my job, with my author’s sleight-of-hand and misdirection, is to prevent you from figuring out what I’m about to do. My books are cat-and-mouse thrillers, and that’s sort of how I look at my relationship with my darling readers: this is a cat-and-mouse game, and let’s see who’s going to win. I love it. I was just with a big book group last night on Zoom who had been wonderful early readers for THE FIRST TO LIE. They took me through their thought processes in how they read the book. And after a couple of minutes I said, “Can’t you just read the book and have the joy of surprises on every page?” And they said, “No, we have to figure it out.”

  

(And I know, the background is gray, but I can’t fix it.) She also asked me a very thought-provoking question.

Twelve books later, has it gotten easier or harder?

I still wonder if I can make stuff up. There are days that I sit at my desk and I think, I don’t know how to do this. How did I ever do this before? I have no idea how to write a book. I don’t even know how I wrote those other books. No matter if I did or not, I can’t do it now. I mean, absolutely just a complete brain-not-working situation. And what I do at those moments is I say, Okay, you can’t do it. Too bad, honey. I feel bad for you. Just write one sentence. If it’s terrible, you can fix it later. So I write one sentence. And I think, Well, that’s terrible. Now write another terrible sentence. And I just keep writing terrible sentences. And at some point, I’ll have an idea. And then I think, Oh, this is what I’m meant to be writing. And somehow those terrible sentences aren’t so bad. And then at some point, with a little tweaking, they’re kind of good. And then I go ahead. You know what I’ve learned to do? I’ve learned to embrace the panic. That’s a good way to put it.

The AMAZING Brenda Novak chose THE FIRST TO LIE as the September Book Box Selection. I signed FIVE HUNDRED books (in our dining room)  for that.

And lucky readers get a box with a signed book, and an incredible array of goodies chosen by Brenda. I mean, incredible. Whoa. It's like--a party in a box!   Check it out here! 

  

My audio book? Macmillan audio is going wacky over it. here are two terrific things they did. First, they created a puzzle that you can do on your computer, and put it together while listening to the beginning of THE FIRST TO LIE.  (It’s read by the amazing Cassandra Campbell, who’s the reader for Where the Crawdads Sing. (Nice neighborhood.)

The puzzle is diabolical. And not so easy! I think the average time is about 20 minutes. (It’s best on a laptop or desktop, not on your phone.  Here it is! 

And if you’re feeling lucky, they’re also giving away some audio books!

Here is the link to the sweepstakes: https://read.macmillan.com/promo/firsttolieaudiosweeps/

And as for the topic du jour, What We’re Writing? Ahhh, yeah. I am absolutely right on time for my new book. If this is June.

Let’s turn the tables today, reds and Readers! What are YOU writing? A book, a short story, a to-do list? Let us know!