Update: What a fantastic panel! Thanks to Andrew, Dan and Jacob for sharing their insights. If you missed it, you can watch the recording here. Passcode: v^0z0CQ&
Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 21, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. EST for a virtual meeting via Zoom. RSVP to buckeyecrimewriters@gmail.com.
Join panelists Jacob Klop and Buckeye Crime Writers’ members Dan Stout and Andrew Welsh-Huggins as they talk about their spin on noir, moderated by Eileen Curley Hammond.
Noir as a genre often eludes definition. For some, it conjures up flawed characters with a mysterious back story (and a questionable dame in the background), ranging from Humphrey Bogart as a hard-bitten detective in 1941’s “The Maltese Falcon” (based on Dashiell Hammet’s 1930 novel) all the way to the humorous “Guy Noir” of Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion radio show. For others, it encompasses any dark or violent book or movie, such as the Mel Gibson film Payback based on the Donald Westlake Parker books. For still others, noir is what happens when characters make questionable decisions in misguided attempts to better themselves — think James Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice. A crime novelist Laura Lippman puts it, noir is ”When dreamers become schemers.”
Tackling the definition of noir old and new are three mystery writers who juggle their own versions of the genre. Andrew, author of the Andy Hayes private eye series featuring a former football star with the weight of the world on his shoulders, also shepherded several noir stories as editor of the Columbus Noir anthology. Dan writes a noir/fantasy mash-up in The Carter Archives series set in the fictional city of Titanshade, which follows a homicide detective (Detective Carter) and his non-human Mollenkampi partner. And Jacob Klop writes noir/science fiction with his book Rusted Lies, in which the detective is a genetically modified human with an estranged family.
Among other topics up for discussion:
- What is the definition of noir? Is it simply dark and violent, or do a character’s motivations come into play?
- Which tenets of the noir genre do our panelists adhere to and how have they stretched the boundaries to fit their stories/worlds?
- How did they decide on their protagonists’ backstories?
- Their philosophies on the women in their stories.
- How they keep their dialog true to noir.
- And more.
If you’re a fan of noir no matter how it’s defined, or are considering writing in that style, you won’t want to miss this informative session.
Jacob Klop lives just outside Toronto, Canada, with his wife, two kids, and a friendly cat. An accountant by trade, Jacob has been writing in some form or other throughout most of his life. Jacob has three published novels: two stand-alones, and his latest, Rusted Lies, is the first in a planned series. Jacob has also released a horror anthology, Crooked Souls, and his work has appeared in several other anthologies. Jacob’s website: https://jacobklop.wixsite.com/home.
Dan Stout writes noir with a twist of magic and a disco chaser. His prize-winning fiction draws on his travels throughout Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim, as well as an employment history spanning everything from subpoena server to assistant well driller. Dan’s stories have appeared in publications such as “The Saturday Evening Post,” “Nature,” and “Mad Scientist Journal.” His most recent novel, Titan Song, is the third volume in The Carter Archives from DAW Books. Dan’s website: https://www.danstout.com/.
Andrew Welsh-Huggins, a reporter for the Associated Press, is the author of the Andy Hayes private eye series, featuring a former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns quarterback turned investigator, and the editor of Columbus Noir. Andrew’s short fiction has appeared in “Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine,” “Mystery Magazine,” “Mystery Tribune,” the anthology Next Time For Sure, and elsewhere. His nonfiction book, No Winners Here Tonight, is the definitive history of the death penalty in Ohio. Andrew’s standalone suspense thriller, The End Of The Road, arrives in 2023 from Mysterious Press. Andrew’s website: https://www.andrewwelshhuggins.com/.