Welcome Zoje! I’m excited to be talking about your latest release DEAR HANNA.
Hanna was seven in Baby Teeth; what made you decide to make her twenty-four in Dear Hanna?
For years readers were asking me for a follow-up novel—but I had grave reservations about writing “Baby Teeth 2.0” even though many people wanted more disturbed child antics. I’d already written that book and considered it complete, and revisiting Hanna as a child seemed likely to be derivative. Of much more interest to me was imagining who Hanna would become a little later in life—has there ever been a sequel where the “bad seed” was all grown up? Mentally ill children are real, and they’re likely to become mentally ill adults—adults who have jobs and relationships and hobbies, just like anyone else. That was the angle that intrigued me, exploring how everything we learned about Hanna as a child would manifest in her as a more mature young woman.
Is it daunting to release a follow-up when so many readers have had time to ponder what they think should happen to Hanna after Baby Teeth?
It was apparent whenever I was asked if there’d be a sequel that many readers were already imagining Hanna’s future chapters—and I loved that! I loved that Hanna existed in readers’ minds beyond the last page of the book. But it also meant that some readers might only be satisfied with a sequel that spoke to the images they’d consciously or subconsciously conjured. Yes, that was daunting, but as a writer I have to listen to my characters and adhere to my own intuition—that’s my process for everything I write. Really, every book is a little daunting in its own way, as each reader brings so much of their own experience to how they process a book.
Is there any chance you’ll continue Hanna’s story in a future book?
Now that I’ve imagined Hanna in her twenties, it seems natural to contemplate who she’ll be in her thirties, so…Maybe??
What are some recurring themes in your work?
I have long been attracted to the dualities that exist within every human being—very few of us are pure evil or pure good. Rather, most of us go through life doing the best we can given our circumstances and what we understand about the world. I like playing with these shades of gray in my characters, where no one is a true hero or a true villain. This may also be why I’m attracted to the concept of redemption, as very few people are truly irredeemable.
What made you switch from screenwriting and film to writing novels?
When I was a teenager film seemed like the outlet that would encompass all of my artistic interests—writing, acting, photography, music, dance; it felt truly comprehensive in a way that nothing else had. My dream for decades was to be a writer/director—preferably following in the path of people like Lars Von Trier. At that time people didn’t talk about gender disparity in the film industry, and it was normal to hear things like, “Women just aren’t visual.”
In the couple of years before I walked away from film two pivotal things happened: my health and finances tanked, and gender bias in film started to become a hot topic. Unfortunately, it was too late for me at that point to keep fighting for my teenage dream. With a bit of mental gymnastics, I found parallels between the hats I’d worn as a DIY filmmaker and the needs of a novel. With my first couple of (unpublished) books I thought consciously about directing scenes and actors, the look and mood of the visuals, editing and pacing, and eventually those parallels became second nature. I discovered that writing novels was the missing piece of my personal puzzle, allowing me to create a truly complete narrative in a way I’d never had the opportunity to do with filmmaking. And my storytelling interests remain the same: telling realistic stories about complicated people in strange situations.
Who are some authors who influence your writing?
In truth, no authors influence my writing—I think that’s a slippery slope—but there are authors who have influenced how I think and what I think about. Most notably, Ursula Le Guin’s work— her fiction and nonfiction—really delves into some profound ways of thinking about our society. As a younger reader, The Long Walk by Stephen King burned a hole in my brain, and My Antonia by Willa Cather was a revelation to me. In more recent years I’ve been awed by books such as The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Bewilderment by Richard Powers, The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan, and Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy.
What about psychological thrillers appeals to you as an author?
I’m a reader first and an author second, which means I decide what to write based in part on what I want to read. Reading thrillers of any kind is so damn fun! When I was a teenager, I sought out—and slogged my way through—literary “masterpieces,” so maybe it’s ironic that as a more mature reader I’m now attracted to page-turners. The human psyche and what makes people tick is endlessly fascinating to me, so thrillers with a psychological component are *chef’s kiss*.
Thank you so much for joining us today. DEAR HANNA releases today! Here’s a quick look:::
Hanna is no stranger to dark thoughts: as a young child, she tried to murder her own mother. But that was more than sixteen years ago. And extensive therapy—and writing letters to her younger brother—has since curbed those nasty tendencies.
Now twenty-four, Hanna is living an outwardly normal life of domestic content. Married to real estate agent Jacob, she’s also stepmother to his teenage daughter Joelle. They live in a beautiful home, and Hanna loves her career as a phlebotomist—a job perfectly suited to her occasional need to hurt people.
But when Joelle begins to change in ways that don’t suit Hanna’s purposes, her carefully planned existence threatens to come apart. With life slipping out of her control, Hanna reverts to old habits, determined to manipulate the events and people around her. And the only thing worse than a baby sociopath is a fully grown one.
With its dark humor and chillingly seductive protagonist, Dear Hanna is a standalone sequel sure to thrill returning and new readers alike.
