Copyright © 2007-2009 Writers Together
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J.B. Kohl is an avid reader of all fiction, especially noir.  She began writing professionally in 2006. Her first book, The Deputy’s Widow, is available at all online bookstores. In October of this year, she completed her first co-written novel, an urban crime story set in 1939 Kansas City. The book, entitled One Too Many Blows To The Head, was co-written with writer/producer, Eric Beetner, who lives and works in L.A. 

The sequel to The Deputy’s Widow, entitled A Finger Too Few, is near completion. 

J.B. is a member of Chesapeake Bay Writers, Gloucester Writers, and the online group, Deadly Prose, founded by Kunati Publisher, Derek Armstrong. 

J.B. lives in Virginia with her husband of 17 years, her three children, and three dogs.  When she’s not writing, she can be found reading books, taking long walks, or folding the mountains of laundry five people make on a daily basis. She maintains a website at www.jbkohl.com. She loves to hear from other writers. 
INTERVIEW
J. B. Kohl
CLF:Have you always wanted to be an author?

JBK:I listed “author” on a “What I want to be when I grow up” picture in the fourth grade. I later
changed that goal to “doctor,” followed by “President of the United States.” And when I
was sixteen I decided to be an organ donor. College brought reality and I went into
medicine. But I always loved writing in school… I don’t think I ever thought about it
seriously as a profession until adulthood.

CLF:Did you always know this is what you wanted to do?

JBK:Like I said, I never considered it until I was an adult. I’ve always written, always had a
novel in the drawer, so to speak, but I didn’t start to really push to do it full time until I was
entrenched in the daily grind of a job…and I figured if I was going to spend my life doing
something, I should probably consider doing something I love rather than something I can
just tolerate…

CLF:You write in my favorite genre: Noir. Has you always wanted to write Noir, and why?

JBK:HA…No.  I started writing noir accidentally…I tried to write cozies first. But that turned out
to be not my style. Plus I have a sick love of tough guys…me trying to write a cozy is like
a Metallica fan going to an Air Supply concert…it just isn’t natural. So I just decided to
stop pushing myself and start writing stuff I wanted to read…and that ended up being Noir.

CLF:What is your position on the age-old mantra that writers should write everyday?

JBK:For a writer, writing every day is like brushing your teeth…it’s hygienic, it keeps plaque
from building up, and it makes your breath fresh…. It becomes way too easy to
procrastinate if I don’t write every day.  Maybe there are writers out there who can write
once a month or once a year, working on that novel whenever they feel like it. Good for
them. I’m not one of those writers. If I don’t write every day, I lose ground fast.  And I get
bad breath.

CLF:How long does it take you on average to complete a novel?

JBK:That’s like asking me how long it takes to eat a bowl of pasta…depends on how hungry I
am, I guess.  I just finished a book with Eric Beetner…a great writer from L.A. We started
our book in June and it is now with an agent…I’m working on the sequel to The Deputy’s
Widow which is now in month number 12…The co-written book with Eric Beetner was
about the easiest thing I’ve ever written…the plots and sub-plots just bounced off one
another, almost like the planets were aligned just right for us. My solo project is a little
lonelier to write. I don’t have anyone I’m responsible to…no one “in on it” with me, so
there’s no accountability. It gets a little frustrating sometimes, so it takes me longer. 

CLF:Noir is very distinct in its lingo, something it's particularly famous for. How much
research do you typically do for your genre?

JBK:I have a couple of great books on noir. “Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir” by Eddie
Muller and The Art of Noir, also by Muller. These are great just to browse through. But I
also read Erle Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason author), Dashiell Hammett, and Raymond
Chandler before I start a project. I also watch 2-3 noir flicks a week to listen to language
and study camera angles and listen to the music used. The lingo is neat, but noir is so
much more than that…it’s terribly depressing and sad and hopeless at times. But it is also
beautiful…films are like photo exhibits…one amazing black and white photo after another.
It’s like bare bones cinematography but with strange angles and stark lighting. There’s
layer upon layer of stuff in noir films, from music to lighting, to camera angle, to emotion of
the characters…the language, for me, is the icing on the top. The language floating on the
surface of a noir piece works because of everything layered beneath it.

CLF:There are not that many Noir writers out there today. Why would you say that is?

JBK:I think noir is being reborn in urban crime novels…books where everyone is corrupt and out
for themselves. Everyone is flawed. The difference is that…in true noir, readers tend to like
and identify with the main character and want him to succeed, suffering right along with
him as he flounders and fails. That isn’t necessarily the case in urban crime novels. 

Thrillers carry an aftertaste of the noir genre…there’s usually a corrupt business man or a
deranged scientist or a terrorist posing as a housewife somewhere in there…but in thrillers,
there tends to be a happily ever after or a “world put right” type of ending. In true noir,
there’s not necessarily a “happily ever after.” The struggle continues, the marriage fails, or
the bad guy wins, or everyone dies...the bottom line is that everything is not what it
seems. There’s not a light at the end of the tunnel…there’s just more tunnel. And not
everyone likes that. The world is a depressing place. Folks like “happily ever after.” Noir
doesn’t offer that to readers.

CLF:What is it that attracted you to Noir?

JBK:The realism of it. By that I don’t mean the 9 to 5 grind and getting the kids to their dentist appointments, etc.  What I mean is that
everyone has faults. Superman isn’t real. And if he was, you can bet he’d have dandruff and would cheat on his taxes. Because
everyone has a secret…everyone. And everyone is tempted to do bad things on occasion. Anyone who says otherwise is a big fat
liar. I’m not trying to be a pessimist. I’m actually a very optimistic person. But I was a little tired of reading the sugar coated cozies
where Miss Marple solves crimes while sitting on her couch making doilies or where Goldie Shulz solves crimes while catering
dinners for rich people. I like to read about characters that punch back…maybe break a few knuckles when necessary. Maybe even
blow things up once in a while…it scratches an itch for me. Like I said, I started writing and noir seemed to be the direction my pen
pointed. 
CLF:Is it your intention to stay with Noir, or do you plan to conquer other genres as well?

JBK:I have no idea. I’ll probably stay with noir simply because I like to give all my characters the ability to mess up and do bad things. But I may change the time period to present
time…modern noir. Maybe. And who knows…maybe I’ll write something else altogether sometime. 

CLF:Clearly, there are certain qualities associated with Noir. Which among them would you say are your favorite, and how do you approach them in your own writing?

JBK:Like I said, when watching noir, I’m drawn to the camera angles, the black and white of it, the simplicity of the shots…clean lines, funny angles, etc. I like to try to visualize my
scenes…having a single light source mentioned, draining the world of color. In The Deputy’s Widow, the world is gray. There may be yellow light or reference to a red dress when everyone
else is wearing black…things like that…to enhance the scene…tell the reader what to focus on. I have know idea if it reads cinematically, but I feel very “cinematic” when I’m writing it. 

I’m also drawn to the flaws of the characters…the yearning to be good and whole and complete, but never quite being able to master it. It’s very Zen, in a way…always trying to achieve
that which we cannot reach. I feel a little guilty about putting so many obstacles in the road of my characters…so many temptations…but I also remind myself when I’m writing, that life is
full of losses and disappointments. The reality is that you’ve got to get up and get going again, no matter how bleak things look. So in a really weird way, noir is optimistic for me….

CLF:How do you tackle some of the characteristics of Noir, like atmosphere and lingo? 

JBK:Atmosphere is easy…I just watch as many noir films as I can. I try to keep the surroundings minimal so the characters and their mannerisms are the primary focus. But I also use this
huge economic almanac at my local library to help with atmosphere…dated stuff. I can’t remember the name of it, but I go there and ask to pull it out every once in awhile (you can’t
actually check it out.)  It has lists of how much things cost each year, common household items, common meals, average incomes based on professions, etc. For example, not too many
people had televisions in 1948, but most people had radio…and there were certain programs and ads common to that time.  

For the language of noir, I keep it short. There aren’t many monologues. People say what they mean and mean what they say…even though they may use some strange slang. I used a
website called fiftiesweb.com to get some language ideas. But again, watching noir helps most in this area.

CLF:Do you edit as you go, or do you get through the first draft before revising?

JBK:I just write.  If I edited as I went, I’d never get through a first draft.  I’d lose all my confidence and burn the whole thing. 

CLF: Do you also like film Noir?

JBK:Yes.  I do. I have a membership to Netflix and the only things in my queue are noir films. I look at is as homework. “Sorry honey, can’t help with the dishes tonight. I have to watch A Touch
of Evil.”

CLF:Are any of your characters based on real people?

JBK:Ummm………I plead the fifth.

CLF:I love your book cover. Did you design it yourself, or have any input into the outcome?

JBK:Thanks!! I was published by Arctic Wolf…My editor asked me what I had in mind for the cover. I told him I was interested in something from the dime novels or from the detective
magazines of the noir era. He came up with the current cover and I loved it…although, in true noir fashion, I minimized my emotion. Also, if you look closely, the cover is black and white,
but the headlights on the back and the streetlight on the front are the faintest yellow color. He did a great job.

CLF: What was your first publishing experience like?

JBK:I went through phases…phase one was disbelief, followed by excitement, followed by terror, followed by “Oh my God, how am I ever going to write a SECOND novel?  It was hard enough to
write the first!”  But Arctic Wolf was great…truly a wonderful company. Short of offering me drugs and alcohol, they strived to make the process as painless as possible. It ended up being
just fine.

CLF:Was it your first novel, or had you published any short fiction first, and if so, where?

JBK:This was my second written novel….the first will never be published for a couple of reasons…1. it sucked. 2. it was a cozy which I am not qualified to write. Ever. 

I also published in college…back when I was trying to save the world with dark brooding works about failed relationships and misspent youth. I had two works published in a college rag
under my maiden name. They were nothing more than works of immature verbal masturbation posing as prose that no one should read lest it blind them forever. And I’m never telling you
my maiden name in case you go getting curious. I wouldn’t recommend getting curious.  Ever.

CLF:Are you working on anything new at the moment?

JBK:Oh yes…always working. I’m working on the sequel to The Deputy’s Widow. And I get ideas all the time…I jot them down and file them away. Someday, I hope to remember where I’ve filed
all my great ideas.

CLF:What paths have you taken in the way of promotion and marketing?

JBK:I’ve done book signings, which I hate. Yes, you read that right. HATE. I’m somewhat of a recluse and I don’t like going out.  Sunlight burns my skin. Strangers in black cars follow me.
Aliens try to abduct me. All in all, it’s very stressful. 

I also maintain (I use that term loosely) a website and a blog.  I’ve never spammed anyone, but I have considered it.  I’ve done a radio interview. Or two. I’ve done print interviews, which
don’t frighten me. Much. I have a big magnet on the side of my car with my website logo on it. But I usually drive so fast no one can read it. So I make my husband use it on his car when
he goes to work. And I make him drive real slow. I’ve also been tempted to put sandwich boards with images of my book on them on my kids and make them walk up and down Main
Street, but there’s something about child labor laws I’m not quite clear on, so I haven’t done that yet. I’d hate to get arrested. Again.

CLF:What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

JBK:Find a vice to use as a crutch when you write and stick with it. It should be a legal vice…like caffeine or swearing or coloring your hair. Although gambling and alcohol are legal, I’d avoid
these as they can lead to divorce…and it’s a well known fact that all writers need to depend on their spouses for financial security and food and shelter. So maintain a happy marriage at all
costs. And if you’re not married, get married. A marriage of convenience is fine. Marriage and vice…it’s what it’s all about.

And keep writing. And submitting. But don’t threaten the agents and publishers who reject you. You could end up on probation for a really long time. Trust me. Just save your rejection
letters and use them as toilet paper or as fuel in your fireplace. It’s economically friendly and somewhat therapeutic. 

Oh one more thing. Don’t let anyone tell you what to write and don’t write to please anyone else. That’s like selling your body for sex. It can be fun at first but you won’t respect yourself in
the morning. You’ll spend the next six months getting tested for weird diseases. Better to just stick to your ideals from the start. And if you have trouble sticking to your ideals…use that
vice I mentioned above as a crutch.

CLF:There are not that many Noir writers out there today. Why would you say that is?

JBK:I think noir is being reborn in urban crime novels…books where everyone is corrupt and out for themselves. Everyone is flawed. The difference is that…in true noir, readers tend to like and
identify with the main character and want him to succeed, suffering right along with him as he flounders and fails. That isn’t necessarily the case in urban crime novels. 

Thrillers carry an aftertaste of the noir genre…there’s usually a corrupt business man or a deranged scientist or a terrorist posing as a housewife somewhere in there…but in thrillers, there
tends to be a happily ever after or a “world put right” type of ending. In true noir, there’s not necessarily a “happily ever after.” The struggle continues, the marriage fails, or the bad guy wins,
or everyone dies...the bottom line is that everything is not what it seems. There’s not a light at the end of the tunnel…there’s just more tunnel. And not everyone likes that. The world is a
depressing place. Folks like “happily ever after.” Noir doesn’t offer that to readers.
The Deputy’s Widow

The year 1948 is drawing to a close and things couldn't be much worse for Private Detective Hamilton Baker. It starts with a simple phone call from a woman named Diana Kramer. With a voice like a teaspoon of honey drizzled over Lauren Bacall, she begs the detective to find letters she's written to her lover, Sheriff's Deputy Chester "Chet" Ferrebee. Chet is to wed another woman this afternoon and Diana, the scorned mistress, wants the letters back where they belong…with her. Hours after the wedding, when Chet turns up dead in a roadside motel room, his bride beaten beyond recognition and unable to remember anything, Baker fears his client is somehow involved. As he searches for the letters, he unwillingly digs into the past of the sleepy town of Crane Haven and uncovers the dangerous secrets of a group of men who shattered a young girl's mind, as well as her chance for happiness, years ago.