Megan Abbott

Yeah.

I'm always surprised at where I end up, you know, a mystery, domestic suspense.

I don't even know what that is.

A thriller, you know, noir.

I agree with you.

I think noir is more of a mood than a genre, but you know, I think of it as when I'm being, you know, giving someone a shorthand, if they require the designation, I just say it's a crime novel because

There is a crime.

That's a good one.

You know, and it sort of keeps it simple.

Yeah.

And I really only say that because I just can't conceive of myself writing a book without a crime in it.

Though often the crime is not, usually the crime is not really my interest.

It's what the crime is.

elicits in the characters yes you know that's really my interest when it brings out in them yeah yeah and that's thank you for saying that it's not the heart of your novels like it's so essential yes but yes like there's murder but right but it's sort of the engine you know it's a plot you know you know in your work that you're always looking for that plot engine to keep the story going and to you know and i always tell people when i used to teach um writing students you know

I said, the benefit of a crime novel is you have an engine.

You don't have to figure out the plot solves itself by and large, because if you do certain things, certain things are going to happen, you know?

So, but then you put your character situation and then you see how they're going to respond.

I figured that out for the most part before I start really writing.

Interesting.

But you know, there's still.