Tall Oaks is out on the 8th September which is either today or tomorrow or 10 years ago depending on when you read this – if you are reading it – I hope you are. ANYWAY my good friend (and now bestselling uber author) Lisa Hall and I had a fair few bonding moments over our love for Tall Oaks so we decided to interrogate the lovely Chris Whitaker on all things Manny. Erm Tall Oaks. But mostly Manny. Here are the results of that in full with no filter. Sorry Lisa – you can blame Mr Whitaker for that one.
Details on the book follow and I’ve thrown in some information on Lisa’s book too because BOOKS so I hope you are encouraged to try them out. In the meantime apologies for the madness…
Talking Tall Oaks….
Liz : Better late than never! Here we go – first of all whilst Lisa and I are huge fans of Manny, probably one of the best characters invented in fiction EVER we should I suppose get to him a bit later and start by talking about Tall Oaks as a whole – whilst it does have a mystery element its all very small town drama with a hint of Twin Peaks and a touch of hilarity. CHRIS tell Lisa and I what originally inspired you to write it?
Chris: Firstly, thanks for having me, it’s my first three-way!
I’ve always been a crime reader and had a go at writing a straight crime novel but it didn’t feel quite right/was absolute shit. So I took a step back and began to think about the effect a serious crime might have on the wider community, especially in a small town like Tall Oaks. Life is strange, we can flip through a local newspaper and be horrified by one story then laughing at another. So it was with that in mind that I first sat down and wrote the characters of Jess and Manny. One is a mother whose child has been abducted, the other is a teen going through a bit of an identity crisis. At first it appears they have nothing in common, but their lives, and the those of the other characters, intersect throughout the story. I wanted to capture all of their emotions over one summer, the highs as well as the lows.
Lisa: Ok, I’m jumping in here re: characters….I LOVE Manny and he is definitely my favourite fictional character of the year so far! I know that I feel differently about my own characters – Out of all the residents that show their faces in Tall Oaks who was your favourite one to write? Was there a particular character that you didn’t take to or do you love them all equally?
Liz Oh come on Manny MUST have been the favourite to write – he’s just so funny and stroppy and gorgeous. Ok ok I didnt write the thing I’ll let Chris answer. And probably say that I had a bit of a fondness for Manny’s mum too – her exasperation made me smile but she was brilliant. I was taken with Jess as a character I felt intensely sorry for but also often didnt really like much. So I will actually be interested to hear from you Chris on just which one of the MANY vivid Tall Oaks characters really lives in your heart…
Chris: I’m so glad you both liked Manny so much as he’s easily my favourite too. He was SO much fun to write. I wanted him to appear quite aggressive and cutting, though never with any genuine malice. His appearance helped with this – he looks totally ridiculous in his pinstripe suit and fedora (on top of a bandage-wrapped head). I have two young children so am never allowed to swear at home, Manny became my outlet! I may have to bleep it when Grandma Whitaker gets hold of the audio book though.
Jess was the most difficult to write. I tried to imagine what life was like for her following what happened to her son. It was difficult. She’s so messed up and vulnerable.
As for my least favourite that would be a toss up between Jerry’s mother and Max (Jerry’s boss), both are particularly nasty characters.
What’s been really lovely is that I’ve had lots of messages from readers telling me who their favourite characters are, and whilst Manny is a clear winner there’s been a real mix, from Jim to Jerry, from Elena to Jared.
Lisa: You really capture the whole “small town” feel – that was something that I really loved about the novel. How easy was it to do that? I find I tend to write about what I know hence the reason why Between You and Me is set in South-East London/Kent and Tell Me No Lies is set in Blackheath. Are you a small town boy? Or did you need to go out there and research it all? HOW did you research it all, if so? I think I need to set a novel in the Bahamas, purely for research purposes 😉 (Sorry, I have gone question crazy there haha!) x
Liz: Blimey thats a lot of questions all at once. Ha ha typical Lisa this is why we love her. I agree the small town vibe was classic and it truly did remind me of the whole Twin Peaks ambience – for once the taglines getting it right. Twin Peaks had that “something weird resides in this ere town” thing going on and so does Tall Oaks. So I’m also interested in how you put that together – and equally I’d like to know – did Twin Peaks inspire and influence? Were you a fan? Cherry pie. Honestly.
Chris: I loved Between You and Me! My wife is reading it at the moment and keeps asking me what the twist is, but I know if I tell her she’ll shout at me. You’ve put me in a really difficult position, Lisa.
I live in Hertfordshire now but was born and raised in London, a long way from California! As a reader I quite enjoy escaping into a story set a world away from my own life, and as a writer I’ve found the same to be true. I’ve always been a fan of the ‘small town America’ setting but actually didn’t watch Twin Peaks until after my agent made the comparison. I’m now a huge fan, it’s so wonderfully weird and it’s a massive compliment that Tall Oaks has been likened to it.
I’m so pleased you both thought I’d managed to capture the small town feel as making the story feel authentic was really important to me. I started by mapping out Tall Oaks and working out who lived where and how they were likely to interact. Main Street is very much the hub of the town so lots of the action takes place there. I wanted to give the town a really glossy facade, but then when you start to dig beneath the surface you find the residents harbour these huge secrets.
As for research, I did a huge amount online and used photographs and maps, but also found that a lifetime of reading American crime novels had honed my plagiarising skills nicely. Also, my editor arranged for an American proof-reader and they made sure there weren’t any glaring errors, though I still live in fear of someone finding one!
Lisa: Hahaha thank you so much! Definitely don’t tell her the twist..she’ll love you for it in the end! So, I’m finding it really fascinating that two books I’ve read this year that have been MEGA FAVES are set in small town America but written by English fellas (Tall Oaks, obvs, and Black Night Falling By Rod Reynolds) – who do you find your writing is influenced by? I find myself really influenced by other British crime writers, which is why I don’t think I could ever set a novel in the US…maybe a research trip though haha! X
Liz : YES I’m with Lisa, both Tall Oaks and Black Night Falling have that small town vibe and both are brilliant (I’m currently hatching a plan now where we get Rod and Chris to discuss small town America for another thing on my blog – sorry Rod I know you already have a list a mile long) so I’d also be interested to hear about influences and indeed which writers do you turn to if you are feeling a bit flat or uninspired which I know happens to us all no matter what our job/life. I guess you don’t bound out of bed full of the joys of spring feeling insanely creative every day of the week so yes. Motivation! Where does that come from?
Lisa Just butting in to say…OMG Mr H ignored me for the ENTIRE FLIGHT from Portugal to NYC…so much so that I had to faint to get his attention (whole ‘nother story) He read Tall Oaks in a day which is completely unheard of…he is crushing on Manny big time (please don’t put this on the blog haha) xx
Liz Ha ha BRILLIANT. No it won’t go on the blog because you broke protocol :p Its Chris’ turn!
Lisa I’m sorryyyyyyyy hahaha I’ve had a bottle of champagne…I’m going rogue
Liz: Actually maybe we WILL put this in the blog. It is very funny.
Chris: Lisa was the first to go off-piste! I can relax now. I want to know about the fainting incident, and I want to meet Mr H. This is easily the most fun interview I’ve ever done.
I loved The Dark Inside, it’s so insanely authentic I began to panic that I hadn’t done enough research before writing Tall Oaks. Rod’s a very talented guy.
With regard to motivation, I’m acutely aware of how lucky I am to be published. Not only do I feel indebted to my agent and publisher, but also to anyone that picks up Tall Oaks. It’s my duty not to let them down, so Don’t F**k It Up has become my mantra, it’s a great motivator. I love writing. I love telling stories. I love creating characters. Being an author is my dream job, I try to never lose sight of that fact.
Also, G.J. Minett (author of The Hidden Legacy) moonlights as a drug dealer. If ever I’m really struggling he’ll come over and we’ll eat some magic mushrooms. That usually gets the creativity flowing again.
I think in some way or another I’m influenced by every book I read. I’ll always look for something an author does particularly well and try learn from it. I love John Hart, The Last Child is a master class in how to build tension, getting to the end is sheer agony (in a good way). Stephen King’s characterisation is second to none. Cormac McCarthy grabs you by the throat and drags you straight into the story, which is a very difficult thing to do. Humour is tricky to get right, Hunter S. Thompson manages it with ease in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Girls on Fire is one my new faves (thanks, Liz) and I loved The Year of the Runaways. I’ve just discovered Noah Hawley, he’s a bit of a genius. I’ll read absolutely anything, which probably reflects in Tall Oaks in that it’s quite tough to categorise.
Though I’m influenced by other authors I don’t want to write like them. I want my voice to be my own, I want people to read Tall Oaks and find it original. I know that’s asking a lot when you consider there’s two million books on Amazon, but it’s what I aim for.
Liz: Yes you are both rebels. Seriously I can’t get the staff!
And yes its probably not my turn I think its Lisa’s but you know. If you can’t beat them…
Oh I LOVE John Hart, he is an amazing writer and I think most people know of my love for Mr King. Rod is extraordinarily talented yes, although he doesnt like it when I say that and looks at me as if I might have actually lost the plot. But then you know the best ones always think they are not as good as they should be. Ahem.
I think Tall Oaks was INSANELY authentic, I don’t think you need to worry about that. The town came alive as much as the characters and that is not always easy to pull off, quite often even in very good books setting is sacrificed for character or vice versa so you know. Pat on the back there!
I think we could bang on forever but maybe we’ll start to come to a finish – although to be honest I feel like I’ve lost ALL control over it so we’ll see. I think we DEFINITELY now need to focus on Manny for a bit – he is the character that everyone adores and I genuinely think he is one of the best in fiction ever. Lisa will agree I know!
So my question is, what was the inspiration for him specifically and did he end up being more than you imagined? Perhaps we’ll wait until Lisa can add her thoughts then you can tell us everything. **puts Chris in spotlight**
Lisa: Is it me? Is it my go? Sorry gang, I am alllllll behind! YES – Manny! I love him SO MUCH and definitely want to know where the inspiration came from for him….please tell me he’s based on a real-life Manny….
Liz: Yes it was your turn! I stole your turn! But now I think the final word should belong to Chris – TELL US ABOUT MANNY. Enquiring minds want to know.
Well Lisa and I want to know. This is very important.
Chris: I don’t want this interview to end! It’s so nice to check my inbox and find messages from the two of you and not just from penis enlargement clinics (how do they know??)
It’s really tricky to know where the inspiration came from. Manny isn’t based on anyone I’ve ever met (sadly), though I am a huge fan of The Sopranos so some of the gangster stuff came from there. I wrote his opening scene without any pre-planning, without thinking about where he was heading or how he’d fit into the story alongside the crime investigation. Once I’d started I knew he was a character that I had to make work. I have him interact with almost every other character in the story. He pins them together. I really loved writing the scene where he helps Jess put up posters of Harry around the town. I think it’s the first glimpse the reader gets of how aware he is, not just of the pretence he keeps up but of what other people are going through. He likes to live in his bubble, but that doesn’t stop him caring about those outside it.
He did end up being more than I imagined. I knew he’d steal every scene he’s in, but to be honest I wrote him with my sense of humour in mind, and didn’t know how others would react to him.
I needed him to have a reason for acting the way he does. I couldn’t bear him to be seen as in it solely for the comic relief, one dimensional and ‘wacky.’ That’d be awful. So I dug deep, thought about what it felt like to be a teenager and not really know your place, and to have a parent leave. It’s hard, Manny just finds a coping mechanism that works for him.
In the end Tall Oaks turned out exactly as I wanted it to (thanks to my editors Joel and Claire), a snap-shot of life over one summer. I think Manny worked so well because we get to watch him fall in love, stand up to a bully and go to his senior prom, rites of passage made all the more sweet by the tragedy unfolding elsewhere in the town.
I’ve read tons of books where I haven’t wanted them to end, where I felt down afterwards because it’s all over and I’ve left the characters behind. I didn’t think it would happen when I wrote my own book, they come from my imagination so I know they aren’t real. But in truth it was so much worse. I lived Tall Oaks for a long time. It was wrenching to say goodbye to Manny. I know I might sound really lame (for a change) but when I signed off on the last edits I thought this is it, I’m losing a friend.
I’ll revisit him one day. I can’t not.
Lisa: YESSSSSSSS this is amazing news, that there will be more Manny later! I’d like to know if he ever ends up getting married etc (just sayin’) and imagine if Manny was your dad Such a brill interview! See you BOTH at Harrogate (hopefully, I know I already have a date with my Liz) X
Liz: We will stalk Chris around Twitter until Manny returns!
Chris: Thanks so much guys best fun ever.
About Tall Oaks:
Everyone has a secret in Tall Oaks . . .
When three-year-old Harry goes missing, the whole of America turns its attention to one small town
Everyone is eager to help. Everyone is a suspect..
Desperate mother Jess, whose grief is driving her to extreme measures.
Newcomer Jared, with an easy charm and a string of broken hearts in his wake.
Photographer Jerry, who’s determined to break away from his controlling mother once and for all.
And, investigating them all, a police chief with a hidden obsession of his own . . .
Read my review of Tall Oaks HERE
Follow Chris on Twitter HERE
To purchase Tall Oaks clickety click right HERE
They say every marriage has its secrets.
But no one sees what happens behind closed doors.
And sometimes those doors should never be opened …
Sal and Charlie are married. They love each other. But they aren’t happy. Sal cannot leave, no matter what Charlie does – no matter how much it hurts.
Follow Lisa on Twitter HERE
To Purchase Between You and Me clickety click right HERE
Happy Reading!
