Thrillingly Exclusive Author Interview: Anton DiSclafani and The After Party | 2016

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"It's the women who still ask me about Joan. Young women, who have stumbled upon her story and my part in it. Old women, who used to admire her photographs in the gossip columns: Joan the jewel, a glimmer on some man's arm. Frank Sinatra's, Dick Krueger's, Diamond Glenn's. They want to know who she was. First, I tell them, she was Furlow Fortier's little blond darling. From the very beginning, she was adored." - The After Party, Prologue

We are basically swooning with excitement to share below a little interview with amazing author (and professor at Emily's alma mater, Auburn University #wareagle) Anton DiSclafani #suchanhonor #blogfeelssolegit! The interview was born out of questions we debated after reading her most recent book, which she was kind enough to discuss with us. So first, a bit of a summary of The After Party, followed by our discussion in the YOA Treatment section. 

The Sum of It:

On a recent rainy getaway weekend at a pretty fabulous house on the water, I (Emily) had a chance to absolutely devour Anton DiSclafani's newest novel, The After Party. Audrey and I both read The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls a couple years ago during the first year of the two-person book club that eventually evolved into The Year of Agatha and LOVED it, so when we heard Ms. DiSclafani had a new title (with this absolutely gorgeous cover), we were 100% in. 

The After Party is a sumptuous depiction of the high life in Texas in the mid-century, painting pictures of the clothes, hair styles, home decor, and cocktails that period of time immediately conjurs. More significantly, though, the book is an intricate study of the many depths each person holds, and the way those layers impact personal relationships. As with The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, the characters in the book are linked not just by friendship but by more than one secret, which ties the action and narration together and is gradually revealed throughout the story. This book will make you want a stiff cocktail and a chaise lounge, and will also make you think and bring you to tears. Can't recommend it enough. Get thee to your local bookshop today!

The YOA Treatment:

This year, as our faithful readers know, now that we've completed our reading of the entire Christie canon we are trying to explore the broader world of crime and mystery fiction. However, as we dig into our "to be read" stacks, we've run up against the question of what exactly is the line between genre fiction of that nature and just the use of elements of it in literary fiction. The After Party is one of the books we've read this year that raised that question for us, so we were really pumped to discuss that very thing with author Anton DiSclafani! Without further ado: 

YOA asks: Books like The After Party have led us to ask ourselves where the line is drawn between the crime fiction/mystery genre and great literary fiction that uses some element of mystery or crime to advance the plot. What are your thoughts on (as you've so eloquently posed) where this line is drawn, how authors straddle or cross it, and what type of books result when the line is crossed or blurred? 

AD answers: I think interesting, vital books result whenever a line is crossed or blurred. I teach creative writing, and I talk to my students a lot about the difference between literary fiction and genre fiction. I don't care if they write about zombies, or a broken marriage, or the dissolution of a marriage brought about by zombies; I care about being surprised by their stories. I want to not know what's going to happen next. For me, that's genre fiction--turning a page and knowing, more or less, what's on the next page. So any fiction that combines certain elements of genre fiction--in my case, mystery--and then the hallmarks of literary fiction--a character-driven story: well, that's my sweet spot, as a writer and a reader.

I appreciate a good plot. Plot is difficult, but it should also be simple. If I'm not able to explain to you in a few sentences what the plot of my book is about, then it's too convoluted. 

     

YOA asks: Both of your most recent books (The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls and The After Party) have elements of secrecy and crimes that add to the compelling plots and are part of what keeps readers turning the pages to get to the bottom of what really happened in the characters' lives. From where does your inspiration come for these elements in your work (i.e. any authors you're inspired by, stories in the news, photos, strictly your imagination)?

AD answers: I love Kazuo Ishiguro, and his unreliable narrators. I love Kate Walbert, for atmosphere and sheer beauty of prose. (And both these authors are interested in secrets, in their own way.) I'm not inspired by real-life events per se, but I am interested in all the ways women were compelled to keep secrets, historically-speaking, especially when the secrets involved sexuality or children. A friend told a story about a a great-aunt who came of age in the 30s. She had a child out of wedlock when she was a teenager, and that child (a boy) was raised as his mother's brother by her parents (and his grandparents). That's convoluted, I know, but the lengths women (and their families) went to, or were forced to go to, in order to hide children were, well, convoluted. And deeply sad. I suppose THE AFTER PARTY was inspired by a story like that. 

YOA asks: Based on our research over the course of the last year in learning more about Agatha Christie and her peers in the mystery/crime fiction genre, it has seemed that historically, writers of genre fiction such as this have perhaps not received the same level of respect as writers of literary fiction. Do you feel like that has changed/is changing in recent years? And if so, why do you think that might be? 

AD answers: I think I am perceived as writing women's fiction more than I am perceived as writing mystery/crime fiction, though I am flattered by the categorization! I really admire writers who can do plot. I hope the perception is changing, and there are certainly authors who are doing both: John Banville, who writes under the pen name Benjamin Black when he's doing mystery. Sarah Waters is genius at plot, and I don't think anyone could argue with her literary merit. People want to read a good story; I like to believe, as a writer, that readers want to be surprised, not just engaged. Or that their engagement depends on a book doing something interesting, something different. 

YOA asks: Our final question: Have you read Agatha Christie's work in the past, and if so, could you tell us your favorite of her books? 

AD answers: Sadly, a long time ago, and I remember enjoying it but I definitely need to revisit her work. Especially after hanging out on The Year of Agatha!

Well, we are #flattered to hear that, and so, so grateful for Ms. DiSclafani's willingness to share her brilliant thoughts here at The Year of Agatha. We hope you've all enjoyed it as well! 

- E. 

The Year of Agatha: Phase Two | What Comes Next

Hello all,

Because we have enjoyed delving into the world of books and mystery so much, we aren't really going to let the Year of Agatha end! Here are our plans for The Year of Agatha, phase two, in 2017:

1) More reading, blogging, and social media about mysteries and thrillers!
Agatha is the Queen of Mystery, and at this point is widely regarded as one of the absolute greatest writers of crime fiction of all time. She has inspired legions of fans, and many of those fans have gone on to write their own intricate, clever, fascinating mystery and thriller novels. In 2017, we've decided to dig further into the genre. We'll be posting about our reads each month here on the blog, and on our other accounts, just as we've been doing with Agatha's work this year. We plan to read contemporary as well as classic mysteries so we can learn more about the genre and continue to explore what it is about a good mystery that continues to draw people in. Though we've appreciated the challenge, the pace of a book a week has been intense, so while we'll still remain just as active on social media, we are planning to shoot for each of us reading at least one mystery or thriller a month.

2) Our very own mystery novel!
The project has also required both of us to write on the regular. Obvi, we both love words, and through graduate school and our careers, there's a professional outlet for that, but little of that writing is particularly creative. The blog has given us a reason to think about how what we read gets our wheels turning, allowing for analysis, jabbering about our opinions, and thinking through and attempting to express what has made Agatha's work special and lasting. This works out well, considering we pledged to ourselves at the beginning that after devoting ourselves to every bit of the Queen of Mystery's canon for a year, we would try our hands at writing our own mystery novel in phase two. So, that's part two of what's happening in 2017, which we'll share updates about here on the blog and social media! We are super excited and super nervous to see if we've learned anything from the Queen, and to see how it goes. Feel free to send us some good vibes.

3) A Survey: THIS PART IS FOR YOU - YES, YOU!
We've learned a lot through reading and thinking about Agatha's books, writing about them, and hearing from new friends across the world about their opinions and insights on each one. We'll also be writing more in 2017 about our thoughts on Agatha as we digest the completion of the project, and this is part of it. To wrap up this year of immersing ourselves in Agatha's work, we are creating a survey that we will REALLY APPRECIATE your participation in. It will help us gain a fuller and more nuanced understanding of why today's readers still read, chat about, and love Agatha Christie's work. Stay tuned for more on this soon - don't worry, we won't let you miss out on it!

We can't wait to keep in touch with the #bookstagram community - it's been such a pleasure to get to know you all better this year!

Cheers to 2017!

- E. & A.

Wrapping up: The Conclusion of the First Year of Agatha | Our Thoughtz & Feelingz

Hi everyone,

First of all, if you're out there, THANK YOU for reading the blog, following us on social media, buying tshirts, sharing your thoughts, opinions, and photos, and generally being there. The experience of The Year of Agatha has been fascinating and fun and enlightening and empowering and so much more, so we wanted to share some of our #THOUGHTZANDFEELINGZ after this epic year!

Broadly speaking, though we're both admitted bibliophiles, this project has forced us to prioritize reading despite our busy lives working full-time jobs, finishing graduate programs, teaching classes, and (for one of us) planning a wedding! The way we divided the books allowed us each to read a little over one book a week for the entire year, sometimes both reading the same mystery at the same time, sometimes reading different books during the week. We both realized that a lot of the time we spend in boring meetings, riding public transportation, waiting for a friend to meet you for dinner, etc. (which these days we all often spend scrolling mindlessly through our phones) can instead be put to good use as little nuggets of reading time. While we both love television (especially the streaming variety) and would never malign it, making so much time for reading also had us being more mindful of our other media consumption as well. Not to mention an all-consuming project such as this one has been a great ice breaker at parties and in job interviews!

Obviously, reading all of Agatha's mysteries between the two of us in itself has been a really delightful experience. Her books are timeless, the plots engaging, the characters funny, terrifying, clever, alive, and the twists are brilliant, even a hundred years later. We each wanted to share some thoughts about Agatha's books after this year with her work, as well as an oft-requested list of each of our five favorites.

Emily
I was a little less familiar with Agatha's work than Aud going into this year, so many of the books were totally new to me. Knowing Agatha was so renowned as an author, I went into the experience expecting to be impressed. However, after reading 52 of her books over the course of the year, I am just straight-up bowled over by her mind. She has such a talent for creating an engaging plot that hooks you like a melody and keeps you turning the pages that in the few books that aren't quite as catchy, you're totally shocked to be underwhelmed. She is the Queen of Mystery because she has a gift like none other for creating tale after tale with so many quality red herrings and plot twists that even her most avid readers are still kept guessing. I think one of the things I've enjoyed the most about the books, though, is Agatha's skill with dialogue. Creating dialogue between characters that sounds natural and not stilted is terribly tricky, and so many of Agatha's books contain funny, or chilling (or both!) conversations that really advance the plot. She knew people, and how they would interpret situations or conversations or clues. She knew how to explain motives, as well as painting a picture of settings and scenes that could be as cozy as a little, flower-covered English cottage or as bleak as a windswept seaside cliff. She knew what would matter to readers, and what readers would believe mattered to characters. Getting to know her through her work this year has been really something.

After an agonizing narrowing down process, here are  my five favorites, in no particular order: 
1) The Secret Adversary (Tommy and Tuppence at their finest, the witty dialogue bubbles like champagne and the action races along, I read this one in one night, staying up way past my bedtime to find out what happened!)
2) 4:50 to Paddingdon (This one is such a good solid mystery, and I loved Lucy Eyelesbarrow, Miss Marple's adorable, clever, brave sidekick who can make dinner for the landed gentry and track down a dead body all in one night without batting an eye #girlboss, plus this is a great Miss Marple, whom I now seriously adore)
3) Endless Night (IT'S SO GOOD AND CREEPY!! I love how deep into character Agatha went to get into the narrative of this story, and what a great sneaky plot it is. Terrifically well done. I'm not a big Halloween person, but I think I'll read this one around that time every year!)
4) And Then There Were None (There is seriously no two ways about it, in my mind, this book is brilliant. I've already shared it with so many friends who have different tastes in books, but they all race through it and proclaim it great. The character development is top notch, the setting is ominous and terrifically well painted, and the reveal is oooh, excellent. An absolute classic.)
5) The Seven Dials Mystery (This was one of  my earliest reads, and a story I was totally unfamiliar with. It's a very interesting set-up, with a mysterious secret society, and its more of a caper, which I really enjoy, but what I liked most was the plucky heroine Bundle Brent, who didn't mind what any man told her was her role, and did as she pleased with calm and cunning. Another #girlboss I adored.)

Audrey
As I've said time and time again (sorry, #brokenrecord), I've been an Agatha Christie fan for a long time now. The thought did cross my mind for a quick second back at the beginning of last year whether or not I would be bored re-reading books I had devoured as a teenager. I couldn't have been more wrong. Spending this year revisiting my favorite author has been the most delightful experience - even more so to share it with one of my dearest friends! There's nothing quite like having a good friend to discuss books with! Not only have I loved my midnight text marathons with Emily about that ending to Sparkling Cyanide I forgot about or Hastings' latest crush, but the Agatha Christie community we have found here on the blog and on social media has given me an even deeper level of enjoyment of Agatha's works. I've loved reading reactions from our #bookstagram pals as they've reached the end of Roger Ackroyd or shared their love for some of my more obscure favorites. Reading is one of my deepest joys, and it warms my heart to no end to have dedicated this year to a genre and an author I have admired for so long!

And now on to my favorites: (Like Emily, this took me FOREVER to decide! I ended up sharing some of my more surprising favorites, because honestly, they're just all so great.)
1) The Murder at the Vicarage (I can't say this enough: go read this book pronto. It has some of the funniest lines I think Agatha ever wrote. And Griselda Clement is literally my hero.)
2) A Pocket Full of Rye (A surprising favorite for me! This year taught me I am more of a Marple fan than a Poirot fan when it comes to the books [even though I adore David Suchet's Poirot performances more than I can say!], and I thought this portrayal of Miss Marple avenging her murdered maid was one of her best!)
3) Crooked House (This book is just terrific. Like And Then There Were None, this was a case where a standalone novel without Agatha's usual crime fighters was a home run. Agatha does creepy/dysfunctional families well, and this was, in my opinion, perhaps her best. Add to that one of the most mind boggling endings and you have a true classic!)
4) Cat Among the Pigeons (Even though Poirot has basically no page time in this later Agatha novel, I really loved the angsty and very realistic teenage girl characters that made up the majority of the story.)
5) Murder in Mesopotamia (This was always one of my favorite Poirot TV adaptations, so I was primed to love this book. While the mystery itself isn't necessarily earth shattering, the Middle Eastern setting is so much fun, and you can tell it was very dear to Agatha's heart.)


People have asked all year if we're "tired of it" yet, and perhaps surprisingly (aside from short story droughts, oof) the answer has always been no. This project has been a joy and an inspiration, for reals, from beginning to end. Which is why we aren't really going to let it end! Our next post will offer our plans for The Year of Agatha, phase two, in 2017. We hope you'll continue to follow us as we make our way further through the world of mysteries and crime fiction!

- E. & A.