Jeff Macfee

Jeff Macfee is the author of the superhero noir Nine Tenths.

His latest crime novel, The Contest, is about a former puzzle prodigy who returns to the contest of her youth.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

The Contest wasn’t the first title I landed on, although it’s the title I’m happiest with. In earliest forms the book was called Wonka Crime, a handy shorthand given the concept of a widely known event run by an eccentric character. However that title, aside from legal problems, didn’t speak much to the protagonist. I considered Gillian Charles, but Gillian evolves throughout the book and is somewhat of a moving target. The Contest was the only title that spoke to me on multiple levels. It refers to both a literal contest and also the sense of competition within Gillian. The idea of Gillian competing against herself being the most consistent theme throughout the book.

What's in a name?

My character names are definitely more art than science. They need to “feel right”. In very old drafts—idea sketches, really—Gillian was a man named Spencer Charles, which sounds like a billionaire who solves crimes. Once I gender-flipped the protagonist, and made a number of other changes to ground the character, Gillian was always Gillian. There’s energy in the name and a suggestion of trouble, all of which encapsulate her pretty completely.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

Very surprised. One, that I actually finished a novel. Two, that the novel was published. And three, that the novel was crime. Teenage me was very into fantasy, and a number of terrible fantasy proto-novels (hand-written) sit in folders somewhere in my house. Ultimately I found I didn’t have anything to say in fantasy, and have found speculative fiction and crime “more my jam.”

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

I enjoy writing both, and each has a particular challenge. Beginnings you worry about entering the story too soon, before the energy is there. Endings you worry about going on too long, but also failing to wrap things up enough. If forced I’d say endings are harder. I err on the side of leaving a number of things unresolved—without spoiling the end of The Contest, I can say I certainly don’t tie up every loose end. I typically need (and did need, for The Contest) editing or an outside viewpoint to push me toward more resolution.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

Given I’m creating the characters, there’s a bit of me in all of them. There is a stubborn streak in me, no doubt, so Gillian’s character drew on that aspect. But I rely on different facets of my personality for other characters, such as the smartass know-it-all that is Ellsberg. I also pull and mix from people I know. No character is a direct one-to-one to a living person.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

Movies, certainly. Another way I described The Contest was if the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was directed by Sidney Lumet. (Not that I’m Lumet by a long shot.) I think very visually when I’m writing. As I’m editing I sometimes imagine blocking, shots, character motivation, how the characters play off each other, etc.

Visit Jeff Macfee's website.

--Marshal Zeringue