HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Lev AC Rosen is such a rock star! And he has a new book coming out October 7--MIRAGE CITY. And truly, you will love it.
Lev is hilarious, brilliant, and a terrific writer. He's written award-winning YA novels, clever and witty and wise, but he also writes historical detective stories. Think The Big Sleep and Laura--moody, noir and with layers of story under the surface. And that shining a light on reality can change people's lives.
His Andy Mills series stars a queer detective in San Francisco in the 1950's--a time and place where being queer is enough to get you killed. He's said: "The sort of vibe I want people to feel at the end...is that we, as a community, can stand together against the darkness. Which is a message that’s more relevant than ever these days, as library protestors, school boards and politicians try to force queer people to hide themselves and their stories again. So I hope people see that and come away more willing than ever to stand together against the darkness."
Well, yes indeed. And the books are gorgeous, twisty, riveting and--hurray--you can read the series in any order.
His newest--like I said, out October 7!--is Mirage City. Private Investigator Evander “Andy” Mills’ newest takes him out of his comfort zone in San Francisco—and much to his dismay, back home to Los Angeles. After a secretive queer rights organization called the Mattachine Society enlists Andy to find some missing members, he must dodge not only motorcycle gangs and mysterious forces, but his own mother, too.
Ooh. And there's more. First, here's more about Lev and Mirage City. And at the end, there's a question for you--and one lucky commenter will win a copy of this terrific book!
What’s the title of your book—and was that always the title?
Mirage City, and no! Originally it was called The Long Ride, because Andy drives down from SF to LA, and because it's about the ways relationships can change over time. But we decided that didn't have quite enough punch, so I went back and there was this passage I'd written about LA not being quite the city of Andy's youth, and how the whole city itself was like a mirage, and decided that could be a cool title. My team agreed! But, hilariously, we had a cover without a city on it! So we asked the amazing cover artist, Colin Verdi to go back and add in a city in the corner to pull it together. He did that corner section of the Los Angeles Theater in one day!
Who’s the main character of your book—and was that always their name?
Evander "Andy" Mills - yes, it was always his name, even in the first book, Lavender House. I found it by calculating the year of Andy's birth (1917) and looking at the most popular baby names that year. Evander leapt out because it felt both vintage and it had a more modern nickname. Mills was because I wanted a fairly common surname that felt like it had to do with physical labor. I almost went with Miller, but shortened it because I didn't like how Evander Miller sounded, rhythmically, and with the double ending R.
Again, you can read the Andy Mills books in any order, but at the start of this book, what’s the character’s goal?
What’s the title of your book—and was that always the title?
Mirage City, and no! Originally it was called The Long Ride, because Andy drives down from SF to LA, and because it's about the ways relationships can change over time. But we decided that didn't have quite enough punch, so I went back and there was this passage I'd written about LA not being quite the city of Andy's youth, and how the whole city itself was like a mirage, and decided that could be a cool title. My team agreed! But, hilariously, we had a cover without a city on it! So we asked the amazing cover artist, Colin Verdi to go back and add in a city in the corner to pull it together. He did that corner section of the Los Angeles Theater in one day!
Who’s the main character of your book—and was that always their name?
Evander "Andy" Mills - yes, it was always his name, even in the first book, Lavender House. I found it by calculating the year of Andy's birth (1917) and looking at the most popular baby names that year. Evander leapt out because it felt both vintage and it had a more modern nickname. Mills was because I wanted a fairly common surname that felt like it had to do with physical labor. I almost went with Miller, but shortened it because I didn't like how Evander Miller sounded, rhythmically, and with the double ending R.
Again, you can read the Andy Mills books in any order, but at the start of this book, what’s the character’s goal?
This one opens with Andy getting a case from the mysterious Mattachine Society - a real historical gay rights organization that operated in secret, using pass phrases and fake names to keep anonymous. They had a split in 53, and the founders were ousted. Myrtle, the woman who comes to hire Andy, is worried that a few members who have since stopped showing up to meetings have actually been taken by the founders in some kind of revenge - even though she has no proof of that. But how do you find missing people when you don't even know their real names? Andy's case puts him on the trail of a gay biker gang (inspired by the real life Satyrs) and down to LA.
What was the core idea for this novel—a plot point? a theme?—and where did it come from? Why is it important to you?
A song kept running through my head as I thought about this book: Lady's Gaga's Bad Romance. I wanted the book to touch on a lot of queer history but also at it's heart to be about relationships, and how they change over time - as I said, the title was The Long Ride, originally - and relationships are often that; two folks on a motorcycle together going over the same bumps in the road - how do they work together or respond? And that's not just romantic relationships; thats friendships, and in this book, also the mother-son relationship.
At what point did you come up with the final version of the first line? Why does it work?
What was the core idea for this novel—a plot point? a theme?—and where did it come from? Why is it important to you?
A song kept running through my head as I thought about this book: Lady's Gaga's Bad Romance. I wanted the book to touch on a lot of queer history but also at it's heart to be about relationships, and how they change over time - as I said, the title was The Long Ride, originally - and relationships are often that; two folks on a motorcycle together going over the same bumps in the road - how do they work together or respond? And that's not just romantic relationships; thats friendships, and in this book, also the mother-son relationship.
At what point did you come up with the final version of the first line? Why does it work?
I always try to open by comparing the bar to church. For Andy and the queer community of the 50s, these gay bars were their homes, their gathering places, the center of their lives. So making them churches always feels like a great way to center us. But I knew Myrtle was going to stomp in, a representative of the "new" Mattachine, which felt queer community wasn't really a thing. So the opening paragraph is all about that.
Did you know the ending of the book when you started?
No! There was even a version where Andy died at the end, but my agent and editor talked me out of it and I'm really glad they did because I do want to tell more stories for Andy. I think I just was trying to threaten my editor - "if this is the last one, I'm killing him!" Maybe I'll put it up online at some point. But I really do hope it's not the last one.
What’s something in this book that you’ve never done before? Your research is always so incredible and careful.
I wrote something really distressing in this book. It's period accurate and real, but writing it was pretty awful.
Oh, you are such a tease--but we are grateful you aren't giving anything away. Happy pub day coming up! What part of your launch week are you most excited about?
Oh, you are such a tease--but we are grateful you aren't giving anything away. Happy pub day coming up! What part of your launch week are you most excited about?
I always love my launches in NYC - it's where I live and grew up, so my launches tend to be a way for a lot of friends I haven't seen in a while to come and see me.
Who in your #writingcommunity deserves a special shout-out for supporting you in writing this story? Why?
Um, Hank, obviously. For everything.
Ha ha. But hey, you know I think you are incredible, and astonishingly talented. But the book-- how do you want readers to feel at the end?
Oh this is a tough one, especially for this book. It ends - not on a real cliffhanger, like there's no sudden twist, no one is in peril at the end - but it ends with a question, let's say. And I want readers to think about the answer to it and what they think the answer is, and maybe put that in the context of today. Not the answer they want it to be, but the real answer, and how it someone today might be in a similar place. That's very vague but I'm trying not to spoil it. So yeah I want them to feel that, and I want them to feel empowered to really change things. To make the answer the one that they want.
Again, no spoilers for us! But what about you--what did you learn from this book? About writing, or life, or the writing life?
Hmmm. I think I learned how to take a character over four books and really evolve him, make him someone new. When I think of who Andy was in Lavender House compared to who he is here, it's such growth, and I hope I've done that naturally. I think I have.
Um, Hank, obviously. For everything.
Ha ha. But hey, you know I think you are incredible, and astonishingly talented. But the book-- how do you want readers to feel at the end?
Oh this is a tough one, especially for this book. It ends - not on a real cliffhanger, like there's no sudden twist, no one is in peril at the end - but it ends with a question, let's say. And I want readers to think about the answer to it and what they think the answer is, and maybe put that in the context of today. Not the answer they want it to be, but the real answer, and how it someone today might be in a similar place. That's very vague but I'm trying not to spoil it. So yeah I want them to feel that, and I want them to feel empowered to really change things. To make the answer the one that they want.
Again, no spoilers for us! But what about you--what did you learn from this book? About writing, or life, or the writing life?
Hmmm. I think I learned how to take a character over four books and really evolve him, make him someone new. When I think of who Andy was in Lavender House compared to who he is here, it's such growth, and I hope I've done that naturally. I think I have.
HANK: And yay, we are celebrating with you--happy pub-day-to-come! So let's talk about the 1950's, Reds and Readers--we know Lev loves Laura and The Big Sleep--what are your favorite fifties movies?
And one lucky commenter will win a copy of MIRAGE CITY!
LEV AC ROSEN writes books for people of all ages, including the Evander Mills series, which began with the Macavity Award-winning Lavender House and continues with The Bell in the Fog and Rough Pages. His most recent young adult novels are Emmett, Lion’s Legacy, and Camp. Rosen’s books have been nominated for Anthony and Lambda Awards and have been selected for best-of lists from the Today show, Amazon, Library Journal, Buzzfeed, Autostraddle, Forbes, and many others. He lives in NYC with his husband and a very small cat.
Photo credit Rachael Shane
Congratulations on your new book, Lev . . . I'm glad you didn't kill Andy!
ReplyDeleteFavorite Fifties movies? "The Day the Earth Stood Still" . . . Singin' in the Rain" . . . "The Ten Commandments" . . . "Ben-Hur" . . . .