And now it's time for comedic noir!

Lisa: Tonight, in the penultimate post as my lovely stint as WIR here at Open Book, we are chatting with fellow Inanna author, Sky Curtis. Thank you very much for joining us, Sky! I am categorizing Sky's latest novel, Flush, as comedic noir for reasons which I hope will become apparent along the way!

Let’s begin with an excerpt from the book:

 “I had heard about a book on the subject of aging with a funny title about necks disappearing and now it had happened to me. And no, it wasn’t funny. Somewhere in the last decade I had completely lost my neck. I wasn’t quite sure where it had gone, but it was no longer connecting my head to my shoulders. In its place was an odd structure that looked like layered folds of meringue. Attached to this sagging mélange were overripe papayas where my upper arms used to be. I twisted my body to look at my back only to discover that splotches of chocolate and been splattered all over it, willy nilly, a dermatologist’s delight. I had become a parody of an exotic dessert." 

I think this is when I fell in love with your book! And this perfect example of the self-effacing, hilarious, brutally honest conversation-with-self is why I love Robin MacFarland. Did you have as much fun writing her as your readers have, reading about her?

Sky: I have a great time writing the Robin MacFarland series. Some mornings, when I'm writing away, I'm glad I have no near neighbours because I'm laughing my head off. Imagine what people would think. Of course, it takes me longer to write some scenes because I can't stop laughing. 

Lisa: You infused a bunch of ‘women of a certain age’ with such energy and lust for life!

Sky: Granted, they are flawed – Robin does love her wine and although she takes steps to curb her drinking and she develops a level of self-acceptance, she’s quite traditionally noir in that she really likes to drink. Do we have a somewhat atypical but nevertheless traditional hardboiled detective in Robin, reminiscent of the male detectives of the 1920-1950’s? Only, hilarious, of course! I never think of Robin as a detective, more of as a defective. She doesn't really set out to solve anything. She's just smart and has great common sense. She really likes to drink. 

Lisa: Is Flush the first of a series of Robin MacFarlane books? I hope so! 

Sky: FLUSH is the first in the Robin MacFarland Mystery Series. 

Lisa: Tell us a bit about how you developed the plot.

Sky: To be honest I really don't think much about the plot in advance. It just evolves. I get the fundamental ideas for plots by reading the news. If something makes me angry, I incorporate it into a book. The theft of Canadas fresh water and homophobia are two things that make me angry, and from these two issues the plot of FLUSH evolved. All the books in the series have their plot roots in environmental and social issues that make me angry. 

Lisa: You have an unusual murder weapon, an endangered species. How, and when, did you think of using it as your murder weapon?

Sky: I have always been fascinated by the concept of the perfect crime. It seems that murderers are caught because they are linked to a gun or another weapon. It's difficult to manipulate an animal to kill the right person, but if done, the perfect crime is possible. Fortunately, Robin can figure out connections that others don't see. I have picked animals as my murder weapons because it seems fitting that someone who ostensibly destroys the environment is killed by an animal. Of course, the plots are more complicated than just this, but that's the drift. 

Lisa: You (successfully) pack a lot of elements into your novel; middle-aged angst, families, love, insanely funny sexual musings, careers in crisis, environmental issues, sexual identity, marriage and the various struggles in life. And each of these dark topics is treated in a marvelously funny way. Was this your intention when you set out to write the book? Tell us a bit about why you wrote this book, in this style, with these characters.  

Sky: It was definitely my intention to write with a light touch. I feel people are far more open to receiving challenging information if it is presented in an accessible and humorous way, rather than in a rant. There are issues which concern me greatly and I feel they need to be exposed. If an audience is receptive to the material, there is a higher likliehood of change being created. I like to create characters that everyone can relate to in that they have the same struggles and hopes. 

Lisa: Can you let me know three songs you would like to add to a Noir Album?

Sky: I would like to add Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’ from the Blue album, Elton John’s ‘I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues’ and Joan Armitrading’s ‘Water with the Wine’.  

Lisa: Thank you for joining us today, Sky!

https://www.inanna.ca/catalog/no-fury/

http://www.lisadenikolitswriter.com

https://49thshelf.com/Books/N/No-Fury-Like-That

https://49thshelf.com/Books/F/Flush

P.S. The pic of the delectable pear and chocolate Pavlova is courtesy @instagram @noproblems1107