This author interview series has now been running for over a decade (though perhaps we shouldn't really count the last year), and today marks the 218th overall edition. Thanks for reading over the years. I've had tonnes of fun chatting to some amazing writers and bringing their thoughts and stories to you.
My plan is to to publish 40-50 new author interviews in the 9mm series this year. You can check out the full list of of past interviewees here. Some amazing writers.
If you've got a favourite crime writer who hasn't yet been featured, let me know in the comments or by sending me a message, and I'll look to make that happen for you. Even as things with this blog may evolve moving forward, I'll continue to interview crime writers and review crime novels.
Today I'm very pleased to welcome Philadelphia author John Vercher to Crime Watch.
Last year I had John's debut THREE-FIFTHS recommended to me by British reviewer Paul Burke, after I'd raved about SA Cosby and David Heska Wanbli Weiden's books. Paul was bang on the money: THREE-FIFTHS is an extraordinary debut, a swift upper-cut of a novel. As I wrote for a 'best of the year' roundup for a top New Zealand magazine, John's debut is "a taut, compulsive urban tale of a young biracial man in Pittsburgh who ‘passes for white’ but must confront his own identity and bigotry after he becomes an accomplice to a savage hate crime. Brutal and brilliant."
THREE-FIFTHS went on to be nominated for the Edgar Awards, Anthony Awards, Lefty Awards, and The Strand Magazine’s Critics’ Awards. Published in 2019 in the United States, it featured on plenty of major 'best of the year' lists there (eg Chicago Tribune, Booklist, CrimeReads), and after its UK and Commonwealth publication last year it nabbed many more spots in other publications.
For me, John Vercher is one of those writers that makes you sit up and take notice. His prose has flair and punch, and he's unafraid to take readers into some tough places. His crime writing is thoughtful and powerful. After one book, he's on my must-read list and I'm very much looking forward to his second novel AFTER THE LIGHTS GO OUT, which will be published next year.
But for now, John Vercher becomes the latest crime writer to stare down the barrel of 9mm.
9MM INTERVIEW WITH JOHN VERCHER
1. Who is your favourite recurring crime fiction hero?
Easily Darren Matthews from Attica Locke’s Highway 59 series. He’s tough without being a tough-guy trope. He’s committed to justice but is also realistically flawed. She creates a constant tension that’s always hovering in the margins by having the failings of his personal life spill over into his professional work in a way that never feels contrived or cliché.
2. What was the very first book you remember reading and really loving, and why?
Has to be BUNNICULA, the vampire bunny who drains all the Monroe family vegetables of their juices. I loved the following books, HOWLIDAY INN and THE CELERY STALKS AT MIDNIGHT. I’ve recently introduced the series to my sons who love them almost as much as I do. It’s so much fun to revisit the misadventures of Harold and Chester through their eyes.
3. Before your debut crime novel, what else had you written (if anything): unpublished manuscripts, short stories, articles?
I was a contributing writer for Cognoscenti, the thoughts and opinions page of NPR affiliate WBUR in Boston. I’ve written a number of articles for them focused on race and family. I’m very proud that two of them were picked up by NPR. I’ve also written Flash Fiction for Akashic Books’ website, and had a long-form non-fiction piece published in Entropy.
4. Outside of writing and writing-related activities (book events, publicity), what do you really like to do, leisure and activity-wise?
Until the pandemic, I trained regularly in jiu jitsu. We were fortunate to have some exercise equipment in the house that allowed me to stay active, but I’m itching to return when it’s safe. Other than that, my answers are pretty boring—the standard reading, music, and television. We’re also a beach family and love to visit as often as we’re able.
5. What is one thing that visitors to your hometown should do, that isn't in the tourist brochures, or perhaps they wouldn’t initially consider?
Sorry, I don’t really have a good answer for this one.
6. If your life was a movie, which actor could you see playing you?
I’d love to see Keegan Michael-Key of Key & Peele fame take it on. He’s also a biracial black man and I’ve read articles where he’s shared some similar life experiences.
7. Of your writings, which is your favourite or a bit special to you for some particular reason, and why?
The long-form piece in Entropy was pretty special. It was a very personal piece about being mixed-race and bullying, told through the lens of my martial arts experience. I was very proud to be published in that magazine.
8. What was your initial reaction, and how did you celebrate, when you were first accepted for publication? Or when you first saw your debut story in book form on a bookseller’s shelf?
Disbelief! I was sure that manuscript would never leave my computer, but I was committed to having everyone tell me “no.” Some alcoholic beverages may have been consumed that night.
9. What is the strangest or most unusual experience you have had at a book signing, author event, or literary festival?
My launch was held at a local independent bookstore and a woman came in from the street and took a book from the table as I was answering questions from the audience. She thumbed through the pages and then asked why I decided to write a book about healthcare (hint: I didn’t). Well I told her I hadn’t, she returned the book to the table and left.
Thank you John. We appreciate you chatting to Crime Watch.
You can find out more about John and his writing here, and follow him on Twitter.
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