Crime fiction writer J T Siemens talks to Debbie Bateman about his latest book.
DB: Your novel, To Those Who Killed Me, is a fast-paced and compelling story. I knew bad things were about to happen and might keep happening until the very last page. It was agonizing to read vivid descriptions of the horrors people inflict upon each other, and yet the tension pulled me forward at a breakneck speed I was helpless to resist. The injustice of events hit all the harder because of the speed of impact. Was this part of what attracted you to crime fiction? For those who might want to try working in this genre, could you share your thoughts on the challenges and possible rewards of writing crime fiction?
JTS: The stakes tend to be higher in crime fiction. You can tell a good story, but also illuminate the darker fringes of society and take a hard look at social issues. The crimes in my novels usually stem from real incidents that I read about, and which affect me on a visceral level. The attempt to truthfully portray complex issues, while creating an entertaining story with a satisfying resolution can be both a challenge and a balancing act. A great mystery is probably not going to solve any of the world’s problems, but for me it’s somewhat cathartic to see justice done, if only in a fictional sense. In real life, if justice is served following a heinous crime, it often seems hollow and insufficient. I think readers of crime fiction crave a fitting—though not always conventional—resolution. As a reader I’ve always been drawn to the unconventional, and as a writer my goal is to wrap up a story in a memorable way, while at the same time maintaining plausibility.
DB: Addiction is an unwieldy and ever-present force throughout the novel. It shows up in a full range of forms, from compulsive exercise and sex, to the day-to-day struggles of people living through the opioid crisis. This is fiction and yet it is real because these things are happening in our world right now. How do current events affect your imaginative process? Do you read news while you are writing and incorporate ideas based on what is happening?
JTS: Living in downtown Vancouver, it is obvious that addiction in varied forms is clearly on the rise. There is an ever-widening gulf between the rich and poor, and in a post-pandemic world, the desperation on the streets is often palpable. Mental illness is rampant, and many are hanging on by a frayed thread, if that. I think I’ve always been attuned to that desperation, and although I do pay attention to the news, I believe it’s more important for me not to turn away from what I observe every day.
DB: Sloane Donovan is a fascinating and complex protagonist, one part champion of the oppressed and an equal part messed-up human barely able to function. Her personal story forms an undercurrent that adds depth to the issues this novel explores. You mention in the Acknowledgements that she showed up in your imagination more or less fully formed. Would you like to talk about how Sloane helped to shape this story, particularly her personal struggles with her sister’s suicide?
JTS: Sloane is haunted by her past, and the guilt she feels over her perceived failure to prevent her family’s tragedy drives her attempt to solve the mystery surrounding the death of her friend Geri. For a time, she also views Darci—and to a lesser extent, Eva—as surrogate sisters. On some level she feels that if she solves this case and sees justice done, it will help to atone for her past failings. Sloane also has a mental illness that lends itself to obsession, one that many times makes her reckless and puts her in harm’s way, but conversely becomes an asset in giving her the raw tenacity to get to the bottom of things, come what may.
DB: The crime story offers a convincing forum for confronting misogyny and the oppression of sexually diverse people. We see the impacts of prostitution and other forms of objectification, all of it pushed forward by the ruthless pursuit of profit. Crimes happen on many levels, sometimes even in organizations set up to help those in need. Many of the character arcs form around this struggle. The narratives intertwine and culminate in a satisfying if unsettling conclusion. How did these interwoven threads form? Was it a deliberate part of your structure incorporated in the outline? Did it also evolve as you were writing?
JTS: At the time of the very first draft, I did not outline. I merely had a story idea and a strong feel for the main players. Yet the beginning and the end of the novel have remained largely intact from then until now. I can say that the strongest and most important scenes were not planned in advance and seemed to organically belong there, disturbing as they may be. I also wrote the first draft pedal to the metal, with almost no tapping of the brakes, which I think paid off in the pace of the narrative. But this process left plot gaps in the second act, and those interwoven threads were enhanced and brought to light with the help of the second-draft outline and subsequent drafts.
DB: The setting of Vancouver operates like a character of its own, an often-malignant force that subjects the occupants of the city to harsh weather and oppressive skies. What are your thoughts on the importance of setting? Do you have any advice for other writers on writing emotionally resonate descriptions of place?
JTS: Setting matters a great deal to me. Vancouver is a city of extremes, containing both West Vancouver, the country’s wealthiest enclave, as well as the Downtown Eastside, which has been dubbed Canada’s poorest postal code. Much of the book jumps back and forth from those two areas. I also happened to write the first draft in the latter three months of the year, when the weather transformed from a nearly balmy autumn to suddenly oppressive skies and torrential rain, and an abnormally cold and inhospitable (by Vancouver standards) winter. This was fitting, for as Sloane slips deeper and deeper into her obsessive and self-destructive tendencies, the events within the story grow darker and more menacing, in tandem with the weather.
A bit of advice I have for writers is that if you’re writing about the place where you live, get out and explore that place, really observe and absorb your surroundings. Another thing is to find authors who handle setting masterfully, and study how they do it. I’ll sometimes re-read passages written by other authors half a dozen times, marvelling at their ability to capture a sense of place. Observe, read, and keep striving.
DB: Was there a specific incident that inspired this piece of work?
JTS: A number of years ago, an actual murder occurred outside my workplace. A colleague of mine stumbled across the body when she arrived for work that day, and in the ensuing weeks, I watched her become visibly unhinged by the discovery. It inspired me to write a short story, and the character of Sloane Donovan was born.
DB: Are any characters in the book based on people that actually exist in the world as we know it? Can you talk a bit more about the compositing process you followed in selecting and accumulating character traits from real people that may have inspired the fictional characters?
JTS: Sloane is a physical composite of several really strong, dynamic, and extremely athletic women I worked with at the time of the writing. But her voice and personality are distinctly her own. Wayne is a bit of an homage to the wisecracking, non-politically correct tough guys I grew up watching in films and TV shows of the ’80s and ’90s. In my mind, he’s always looked like a heavier-set version of Woody Harrelson. Other characters, such as Eva and Pope, were based on individuals I observed but one time on the streets. They were distinct enough to stick with me. I often steal aspects of physicality or perhaps a character trait, but leave the actual person and their history alone. Part of the fun of being a fiction writer is that you get to create the ideal person for the part.
DB: How long did it take you to write the first draft? What was the core of the developmental process between drafts? As you moved through drafts, were you working mostly on the structure, the story world, aspects of style and language, or something else?
JTS: The first draft took a little over three months. The beginning and end were strong, but the “muddle in the middle” was significant. Subplots were left unattended or completely forgotten. Several months later, I attended a workshop put on by the legendary crime writer William Deverell, who advised me to go back, draw up a thorough outline, and then do a full rewrite. After some procrastination, I did as he suggested, and the novel really came together, with much of the bumbling second act being tidied up. For my two follow-up novels, I’ve done the outline first, then I’ve powered through first drafts. My current process is research, outline, character sketches, then three drafts, plus a final polish. I take short breaks between drafts to let the work marinate. Much of the really vital content tends to make it into that first draft, and I use the follow-up drafts to beef up weak spots, clean up the prose, and tighten the manuscript.
DB: In terms of sheer length, what did the book look like after the first draft? Did the length change?
JTS: The first draft was a bit bloated, at just over 100,000 words. The big chase scene/climax in the woods was twice as long as it is now. As dialogue is my favourite thing to write, I had conversations that went on forever. But with each draft I did, I became less precious, less emotionally tied to the manuscript, and had no problem ruthlessly “killing my babies”. As a result, the final work came in at a lean and tight 88,000 words.
DB: What kind of research did you have to engage in order to create the story world?
JTS: I spent a great deal of time in and around Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. I’ve spent time in the bars, diners, and establishments listed in the novel. I’ve been inside some of the single-room occupancy hotels down there. I told people what I was doing and many were very forthcoming with information. I interviewed police officers and private investigators, as well as people with bipolar disorder. Of course, I read a lot of articles on pertinent subject matter, but for me there is no substitute for getting out on the street and just observing my surroundings. I really enjoy it, and it pays off in the writing. Google will only get you so far.
J.T. Siemens moved to Vancouver to become a personal trainer, but feels fortunate to have discovered his true love: writing crime fiction. After studying screenwriting at Capilano University, he followed it up with creative writing at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. To Those Who Killed Me, his first book in the Sloane Donovan series, was nominated for the Arthur Ellis Unhanged Award, and was published by NeWest Press earlier this year. The sequel, Call of the Void, will be published in spring of 2024, and he’s currently at work on the third Sloane Donovan thriller, Blood Alley.