To read an informative interview where I discuss many elements of M in the Abstract, check out The Bookshelf’s Blog From the Bookstore.

 

**SPOILER ALERT**

I don’t recommend scrolling down until after you’ve read the book!

 

 

Q: Are Mary’s shadows real or is she imaging them?
A: I don’t know.

Q: What happened to Mary’s dad?
A: I don’t know. I have some ideas though.

Q: What happened to Mary after the end of the book?
A: I don’t know. Something cool I hope. (see below)

Q: How can you not know any of this?
A: One of my intentions when I wrote this book was to create in the reader the same sense of unknowing that Mary was experiencing. To do that I had to leave several answers unknowable, both to the reader and to me as well.

Q: Will you write a sequel?
A: I hadn’t planned on it, but at the moment I’m creating some short stories/novelettes based on different possible outcomes following the end of M. It’s been fun. There’s a funeral, a party, some therapy sessions, advice on how to trick your parents into thinking you were at the movies when you were really somewhere else, and something called Routine X.

Q: What inspired you to write this story?
A: Um… lots of things, I guess. My own life, people I know, or knew. Books by Joseph Conrad, Roald Dahl, James Joyce, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (not that I could possibly consider myself in their respective leagues.) And Christ Claremont, too. Don’t know who he is? Check out M, The Comics Connection

Below is a detail of a class picture of Kate Bush, a fascinating British singer who was popular (especially in England) in the 70’s and 80’s but continues to make interesting music. I think this picture speaks volumes as to her mindset at the time it was taken and was my visual touchstone for creating M:

And now here’s a link to her song “Under The Ivy” one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful songs I have ever heard. Think you’re too cool to like it? Well, consider that Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols called her “f#$%ing brilliant”. That’s tall praise, coming from him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRTGFP4Mtf0