Greg Herren and I could be twins. Well, okay, except that he identifies as male while I’m female, he’s gay and I’m straight, and his ridiculously fun Scotty Bradley mysteries feature a protagonist who is all of the above, as well as in-depth looks at New Orleans, his home. But I recently found out that we’re both the same age, and, since I love his hometown too (as a visitor), I figure I’d start off with this ridiculous claim. At any rate, with the eighth Scotty book out, Royal Street Reveillon, out this month, I’m proud to introduce this Lambda Literary Award winner. Take it away, Greg!
How does a book start for you?
Well, it depends on the book, really. But as insane as it sounds, I can’t write anything unless I know it’s title. I usually—almost always—come up with the title first; the title encapsulates the idea. Sometimes I change the title during the writing of the book—Jackson Square Jazz, for example, was originally Mississippi River Bottom—but that’s rare. As for the story itself, I usually have some disparate things I want to pull together into a book. I was asked once on a panel if I would write another Scotty book; I think I was five books into the series at that point, and didn’t really think there was another one in me. I answered the question this way, “If I can figure out a way to work Huey Long, his long missing ‘deduct box’ and Mike (the live tiger mascot for LSU) into a book, that’ll be next Scotty book.” About three weeks later it came to me how to do precisely that, and it became Baton Rouge Bingo.
Who in your latest book has surprised you most – and why?
Everyone in a Scotty book surprises me! I really can’t answer this without giving away spoilers, but one of Scotty’s lovers—he’s in a three-way relationship—gets involved in, and by extension, involves his two partners—into something out of nowhere that is not only dangerous but might involve operating outside the law. That possibility, of course, has always been there throughout the entire series, but it finally happened in this book. It’s certainly going to present a challenge for me as a writer moving forward with the series.
When and/or where is your latest book set and is there a story behind that setting?
Well, it’s a Scotty book, so it’s set in New Orleans. I write a lot about New Orleans because I love this city whole-heartedly, and the city’s problems only make me love it more. I tend to set the Scotty books in an ambiguous now, but both of my series were fixed in time thanks to Hurricane Katrina—which I couldn’t ignore. But since that time…yes, the ambiguous now. The story is built around a reality show—The Grande Dames of New Orleans, which is my own take on reality television, which I unashamedly enjoy.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently in the middle of about three novels that are in some stage of completion; I’ve also written the first chapters of two more. I am primarily focused on finishing the first draft of a ghost story set in rural Alabama; that deals with issues of poverty, class, homophobia and race. It’s probably the most ambitious thing I’ve ever written. When I finish this first draft, I’m moving on to write the final draft of a rape culture novel.
Which question didn’t I ask you that I should have?
I’m going to use this opportunity to talk about some amazing writers and books I’ve had the pleasure of reading lately—and some I am looking forward to. This year I’ve had the distinct pleasure of reading Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha, Miracle Creek by Angie Kim, My Darkest Prayer by S. A. Cosby, Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett, The Hidden Things, by Jamie Mason, Never Look Back by Alison Gaylin, and They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall. I’m looking forward to reading Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman and The Poison Garden by Alex Marwood. There are also new books coming from Lisa Lutz and Elizabeth Little I’m really looking forward to, and I am very impatiently waiting a new book from Megan Abbott.
GREG HERREN is an award-winning author and editor who lives in New Orleans. He has won many awards, including two Lambda Literary Awards and an Anthony Award, and has also been shortlisted for a Macavity and a Shirley Jackson Award. His story “Cold Beer No Flies” is currently an Anthony finalist for Best Short Story. He published a short story collection, Survivor’s Guilt and Other Stories earlier this year, and his next novel, Royal Street Reveillon, is out this month.