Episode 196 with Rachel Howzell Hall, Painter of Worlds Both Familiar and Unknown, Creator of Psychological Thrillers, Master Crime Writer, and Author of What Never Happened

Episode 196 Notes and Links to Rachel Howzell Hall’s Work

 

    On Episode 196 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Rachel Howzell Hall and the two discuss, among other things, her devotion to reading throughout her life, her love of crime writing and thrillers, the draw of her favorite writers, and ideas raised and dealt with in her writing, including themes of loneliness, identity, racism, traumas both historical and individual, gentrification, and fear.

 

   Rachel Howzell Hall’’s debut novel, A Quiet Storm, was published in 2002 by Scribner to great notice, and was chosen as a “Rory’s Book Club” selection, the must-read book list for fictional television character Rory Gilmore of The Gilmore Girls.

   She is the critically acclaimed author and Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist for And Now She’s Gone, which was also nominated for the Lefty-, Barry- and Anthony Awards. A New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister with James Patterson, Rachel is an Anthony-, International Thriller Writers- and Lefty Award nominee and the author of They All Fall Down, Land of Shadows, Skies of Ash, Trail of Echoes and City of Saviors in the Detective Elouise Norton series as well as the author of the bestselling Audible Original, How It Ends.

   Rachel is a former member of the board of directors for Mystery Writers of America and has been a featured writer on NPR’s acclaimed Crime in the City series and the National Endowment for the Arts weekly podcast; she has also served as a mentor in Pitch Wars and the Association of Writers Programs.

   She lives in L.A. with her husband and daughter.

 

 

 

Buy What Never Happened

 

Rachel's Website

 

Review of What Never Happened from Kirkus Reviews 

At about 1:20, Rachel talks about her mindset in the days leading up to the publication of What Never Happened on August 1, 2023; she also 

 

At about 4:20, Rachel talks about the realism she seeks in her writing, particularly the book’s ending

 

At about 5:30, The two discuss the book’s bold opening

 

At about 6:15, Rachel gives background on her early reading and writing and love for LA, as well as her lifelong fascination with crime

 

At about 8:55, Rachel talks about the power of Stephen King’s work, particularly It

 

At about 10:20, Rachel talks about her experience at UC Santa Cruz

 

At about 11:00, Rachel discusses representation in the work she read growing up, and her desire to reflect different realities in her work in her specific way

 

At about 13:30, Rachel cites Laura Lippman, Megan Abbott and Gillian Flynn as writers whose treatment of “complex female characters” inspires her and her own work; she also cites Dennis Lehane and his “twists”; Eric Larson (telegraphs) and Jon Krakeur, too, are nonfiction writers who have influenced her 

 

At about 16:30, Rachel responds to Pete’s question about how she sees genre and she highlights “sense of place” by Jordan Harper and Tod Goldberg

 

At about 19:20, Rachel talks in general and specifically about What Never Happened regarding writing the balance between plot/theme/allegory, etc.

 

At about 22:05, Rachel discusses the book’s setting and seeds for the book, including the draw of Catalina Island for someone who grew up in Los Angeles 

 

At about 24:15, Rachel talks about the pandemic and obituaries and their effects on the books

 

At about 25:15, 

 

At about 26:40, Pete and Rachel discuss Southland and their shared love for the show, as Pete connects the show’s in medias res to the book’s beginning

 

At about 29:00, The two discuss complications in the book and important characters in Coco’s life, including her spurned and threatening ex-husband

 

At about 31:55, Rachel talks about how the tragedies that Coco experienced affects her as a “people pleaser”

 

At about 33:45, Rachel and Pete give a little historical background on Catalina Island, its landscape and unique social climate; Rachel shares some interesting historical anecdotes and trivia based on her research and some of her rationale in building upon themes in the book with regard to the island

 

At about 39:50, Rachel vouches for the historical veracity of the racist wording used in the Avalon newspapers in the archives Coco searches in the book

 

At about 42:00, The two shout out Gwen, who Rachel calls “everyone’s sassy aunty” 

 

At about 43:00, Pete quotes a great line from Gwen

 

At about 44:00, Rachel characterizes Noah, and how he views Coco

 

At about 46:30, Pete lays out a series of crimes that terrorize the island in the book, in tandem with the beginning of the Covid epidemic; Rachel expands upon ideas of the despicable things done in quarantine

 

At about 49:00, Pete highlights the cascading problems and scares that complicate Coco’s life as the book goes on

 

At about 50:15, Pete recounts an early scene with a cab driver that is prophetic

 

At about 51:30, Pete outlines some key themes of the book-racism, gentrification, etc.: and Rachel expands on ideas of classicism and ideas of loneliness, as well as Garden of Eden

 

At about 54:10, Pete and Rachel

 

At about 55:40, Pete asks Rachel about writing in different voices-obituary, narration, etc.,-as well as the genesis of the book’s title

 

At about 58:50, Rachel imagines who would play Coco if a movie of What Never Happened took place

 

At about 59:35, Rachel talks about exciting future projects

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   Check out the next episode, which airs on August 1 Chloe Cooper Jones is a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine; She is also a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Feature Writing for “Fearing for His Life,” a profile of Ramsey Orta, the man who filmed the killing of Eric Garner, and the recipient of the 2020 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant and the 2021 Howard Foundation Grant from Brown University, with both grants in support of her 2023 book, Easy Beauty.

   The episode will air on August 1.