IndieView with Evangeline Jennings, author of Riding in Cars with Girls

Te B

 

Music is a huge part of my life. And there are myriad musical references in my work – most of which are too obscure for most readers to notice, I’ve dropped several during this interview. But when I am actually writing, I need silence.

Evangeline Jennings – 16 April 2015

The Back Flap

A transgressive and cauterizing crime fiction collection with more twists and turns than a high mountain road Riding in Cars with Girls is a hard, fast, and beautifully dangerous read. Consider the evidence:

Firebird — A small town cocktail waitress. A glamorous stranger behind the wheel of a stolen muscle car. A raging forest fire. What could possibly go wrong?
Escort — A high class hooker fucks a Mafia Don to death and the fallout forces an undercover Fed to make the toughest call of her career. Should she do her job or the right thing?
911 — Alex is doomed. Nikki’s along for the ride. Something about fjords.
Audi— South London’s finest teenage car thieves stake their lives on an illegal road race.
Trans Am — A widow hunts her husband’s killer across America. Route 666.
Crown Victoria — Two young runaway lovers with a steep price on their heads take a savage road trip through every kind of crazy.

Riding In Cars With Girls – Dangerous Curves Ahead

About the book

What is the book about?

Riding In Cars With Girls is a themed collection of six essentially feminist and very noir stories. Behind the guns, the knives, the fabulous sex, and the mostly marvelous cars, it’s all about issues close to what passes for my heart. Violence against women, sexuality, gender, disability. That kind of thing. There’s also the occasional roaring rampage of revenge.

When did you start writing the book?

About a year ago. But its roots go back further than that. Almost two years ago, I edited and published a collection called Cars & Girls which featured stories by four different writers. It was well received and we had a blast with it, so I decided to produce a follow-up which was always going to be called More Songs About Cars & Girls. At one point, I had six writers lined up to participate but one by one they dropped out and I kept writing stories until eventually I realized I had a book of my own.

How long did it take you to write it?

Six months on and off. And then another three to edit and proofread before I felt comfortable sharing it with the world.

Where did you get the idea from?

As best I can remember I got the original idea halfway through writing a story called Crown Victoria. My writing friends and I had been talking endlessly about doing a project together without ever coming up with any firm ideas. Then I started writing ‘Crown Vic’, and I had a lightbulb moment, Cars and Girls. So I put the idea out there and everyone saluted and it all fell into place after that.

I’m a huge fan of noir, pulp fiction, and kick ass heroines, and once I had that initial inspiration, it seemed entirely natural to take those forms, push their boundaries, and subvert them by writing contemporary hard-boiled stories that said something to me about my life.

In that context, Riding In Cars With Girls is kind of like my solo album after we broke up the band.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

No. It was a joy to write.

There were some areas that required intense research – one of the main characters in the story Audi is Deaf and I was determined not to completely mess her up through my ignorance. That was challenging, but not a struggle.

And then there was a moment during the final proof-reading when I suddenly had an idea for a whole new story that would have fitted perfectly into this collection. I came close to putting the book on hold while I wrote that story but I looked at the calendar, looked at the stories I already had and the way they hung together, and told myself no. For once.

What came easily?

The ideas. I have a lot. More than I will ever finish writing. I’m learning to be more ruthless. More focused on delivering to readers than indulging myself. But it’s hard.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

My characters and their stories all come out of my head so one way or another they’re all pieces of me. The one exception to that is Katie, the killer in Trans Am. She looks exactly like the very lovely Verena Kosheen who was our cover star for Cars & Girls and has now come back to repeat for this new book. They’re both beautiful and like to wear leather but I’m sure they have nothing else in common beyond that.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

When I was younger and confused about all kinds of things, it was a rare pleasure to discover a writer or character I could feel a real connection to. Val McDermid’s Lindsay Gordon was one. Mary Wing’s Emma Victor another. However, the literary roots of Riding In Cars With Girls come from two more of my favourite series.

Andrew Vachss’s Burke was a supreme creation. Along with his cast of supporting characters – or Family of Choice – most especially Michelle and Mole, Burke has been a huge inspiration to me. As has the uncompromising and appropriately brutal minimalism of Vachss’s writing. So I was enormously pleased when another writer I admire greatly, Mike Ripley, compared me with Vachss and basically said I didn’t suck.

Lauren Henderson’s Sam Jones series is another that I cherished growing up. The first lady of Tart Noir – yes, it was a thing – Sam was a dirty, dirty girl and she’d punch your lights out if you dared call her feisty. Willful, irrepressible, razor sharp, and far too damn cute for her own good, she stood in stark contrast to the typical mystery-crime-thriller female of her day. Who was invariably love interest or victim. Sometimes both. Along with Lindsay, Emma, and Modesty Blaise, Sam showed me things didn’t have to be that way.

Lauren – better known today as bestselling author Rebecca Chance – is now my Facebook friend – which only goes to show how ridiculous the world has become. She *likes* my posts from time to time and we chat about shoes and TV. Sometimes Laura Lippman joins in.

Do you have a target reader?

I want everyone to read everything I write, but the easily shocked probably shouldn’t read Riding In Cars With Girls.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I start with a phrase. It becomes a voice. The voice becomes a character. And then I discover their story.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

Not in the traditional way.

I set off writing based on my opening phrase – which sometimes gets deleted before I’m halfway through – and then as I read and revise, I begin to course correct. But basically I’m making it all up as I go along.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I edit as I go. Every time I finish a section, I go back to the beginning to edit and revise.

That’s how I produce my first draft. Then I open a spreadsheet and outline the story then, map the whole thing story out – usually chapter by chapter, sometimes scene by scene. Then I read it again, questioning everything, and make a list of all the things I don’t like, those that don’t work, and those that are missing.  And then I use my spreadsheet to plan all the fixes I need to put in.

And then when I’ve finished “fixing everything”, the really serious editing begins and I discover how many other things I’ve got wrong.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I am an editor. So I edit the eff out of my own work and then I work with a very talented friend who is also a professional editor. Her role is critical. No matter how clever you think you are, you can’t do this alone.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

No. Music is a huge part of my life. And there are myriad musical references in my work – most of which are too obscure for most readers to notice, I’ve dropped several during this interview. But when I am actually writing, I need silence. This is why I don’t get enough sleep. The best time for me to write or edit is in the middle of the night when the rest of the house is asleep.

The music that inspires me and gets my ideas flowing ranges from … well … here’s my playlist for Firebird, the first story in Riding In Cars With Girls.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

No. I will when I grow up and write something I think they would like, but there’s not an agent in the world today who would want to try marketing this book. And anyway, it’s mine. My obscure punk rock classic. When I’m a massively successful commercial author with a Scottish castle and my own private plane, when people are desperate to see where I came from, then I’ll be glad I own all the rights to my early rebel phase.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

This is a calling, not a decision. But Indie is a difficult word for me. My understanding of the term comes from the music industry and that’s how I align myself as a writer and publisher – with 70s punk rock and 80s indie music, with the DIY ethic that gave us the Buzzcocks’ “Spiral Scratch” and hundreds of other great records. I’m trying to do something different out of love and passion and hate. Not a second or third rate version of some populist bestseller.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

It’s a hybrid. The cover photograph was professionally shot – as I’ve said, Verena was the model – but I did the rest. I make a lot of covers. I enjoy the process. I also enjoy formatting for paperback and Kindle. I’m pretty weird that way.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

All I know about marketing is that I don’t know how to do it. So my plan is very simple. I’ve written a really good book and I’m giving myself three months to reach bloggers and reviewers with it before it publishes. I’m going to hope that enough of them notice and read it, and that those who read it like it enough to help me out. At my level, all you have is word of mouth. That’s why I’m grateful for sites like this and your support.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Writing is a lonely pursuit, but you can’t do it alone. Find friends you can trust to be honest with you. Be honest with yourself. Be original. And don’t be scared of making mistakes.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Liverpool in the UK.

Where do you live now?

Austin, Texas. It’s a long story.

What would you like readers to know about you?

That I love them. Both of them.

What are you working on now?

I’m beginning to focus on long fiction projects. I have four finished novels, each of which requires beaucoup revision. I also have new ideas I desperately want to explore. But I am learning to prioritize.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of Riding in Cars with Girls from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

For more from Evangeline, visit her website, follow her on Twitter, or friend her on Facebook.