I’m so happy to introduce my readers to Nicole Bokat whose new novel, Will End in Fire, published on October 1st, 2024, from She Writes Press.
Anne:
The plot of this novel sounds absolutely fascinating! Can you give us a quick summary?
Nicole:
When twenty-seven year-old Ellie Stone is left to watch over her younger brother, Josh, at their parents’ house in New Jersey, tensions mount between them. The siblings get into a fight and Ellie abandons Josh —the former golden boy who has struggled with drug addiction since graduating college two years ago.
Before reaching her NYC apartment, Ellie realizes left her laptop behind and turns the car around, only to find the house ablaze. Firefighters rescue Josh but he is severely injured and put into a medically induced coma. In a state of shock, Ellie wonders: was this her fault? Did she leave her cigarette burning? This isn’t the first time she’s had to reckon with fire. When she was fourteen, a fight between her and another student over a cigarette lighter ended up scarring the other girl. Now according to local social media, history is repeating itself.
Ellie is questioned by the police, who are investigating whether the incident was an accident or arson (a neighbor had reported that she spotted a suspicious vehicle in the Stone’s driveway that night.) As the weeks progress, the situation turns from trauma to tragedy when Josh unexpectedly succumbs to his injuries. Guilt-ridden and spinning out of control, Ellie quits her job as a climate science reporter, allowing herself to become financially dependent on Josh’s best friend, Drew, to whom she has grown closer in the wake of the fire and her brother’s death. Ellie finds a new confidant in Josh’s girlfriend Audrey, who reveals that she’d gone to a party the night before the fire, and, while drunk, was date-raped.
Once Covid hits the city, no one is safe. Drew offers his family’s place in a remote area of Cape Cod as refuge from the virus. Ellie agrees to isolate with him but, soon after arriving, she discovers truths about Audrey and Drew and, even her own actions, that will change her life—and theirs—forever.
Anne:
I’m always hesitant to focus on genre when talking about our work, but I did want to ask – would you consider your novel to be a thriller or a crime story? If so, is that a departure for you as compared to your other books?
Nicole:
There actually is a category in the publishing industry: domestic suspense. Domestic makes me think of housewives and servants, but it’s more along the lines of psychological suspense, where the focus is on characters and their relationships to each other. My last novel, The Happiness Thief, was in the same genre.
Anne:
Where did you get the idea for the book?
Nicole:
We had a fire in my house when I was a teenager. I wasn’t home at the time, only my two siblings were. Luckily, no one was hurt and there was never any suspicion of arson. It was an electrical fire that contractors working on the house caused accidentally. My family lived in a trailer in our driveway for nine months while the house was being repaired—which was very stressful. Other than the fire, some of Ellie’s character traits and the theme of sibling rivalry, everything else is fictionalized.
Anne:
Your resume is impressive! You brought out a book with Penguin. Can you talk about that experience, how it compares with working with a hybrid publisher, and how you feel the publishing industry has changed in the last twenty years in terms of opportunities for writers?
Nicole:
I’ve had three different experiences: a traditional small press (The Permanent Press, which has been around since 1978), a “big” press and now a hybrid. I’ve also been represented by five agents—obviously, with varying degrees of success. The book that sold to NAL (an imprint of Penguin) was represented by a fairly powerful agent, so I was thrilled. She told me in our first conversation that she thought I’d be the next Anita Shreve. That probably was the most exciting phone call (professionally) of my life. I got a two-book deal from NAL, but the editors wanted me to change a major component of the second novel. I was amenable to the idea; my agent advised against it. She had other plans for the book—another publisher. That didn’t work out and my agent lost interest in me.
Years passed and the industry changed dramatically. Big houses merging or buying up other houses. Gone was the mid-list author who didn’t command large advances, but kept publishing traditionally. Traditional publishers seemed to only want “high concept” or brilliant debuts by younger authors or page-turning bestsellers or celebrity memoirs. They needed to make a lot of money on their authors. I wasn’t commercial enough or a literary genius. Then, of course, social media evolved and authors were told they needed a “brand” or a platform. If you wrote fiction, you didn’t necessarily need a “brand,” but you needed a lot of followers. One editor told me a million Twitter followers would land me a book deal. An agent asked if I could write a historical novel “like Girl with the Pearl Earring.” She enjoyed the book I’d sent her but didn’t think it would sell enough copies. In retrospect, she was right. I never published that novel, either.
Skipping ahead to The Happiness Thief, I nabbed another “big” agent who felt she could sell my book in no time; she thought it would “go to auction.” It was the most carefully plotted novel I’d written and I’d worked very closely with a freelance editor/writer. Before that, I’d been much more interested in character and what is now referred to as “quiet” novels. Well, the novel didn’t get grabbed and my agent wasn’t interested in trying for small presses or even low-paying imprints of the big five. Editors thought I was talented, wrote well, but they didn’t know how to “place the book” (i.e., it wasn’t enough of thriller and wouldn’t make enough money). That is how I ended up at She Writes Press. I didn’t send The Happiness Thief to small presses because I was exhausted and SWP took it right away.
The experience with a hybrid is another animal—an expensive one, like buying a rare exotic bird. I love the way the book looks and I’ve gotten some very good reviews and press. The books are now being distributed by Simon & Schuster, which may add some cachet. SWP authors win a lot of independent press awards and recognition for the quality of their work. And, I’m proud of that. I also learned so much about marketing and the business side of publishing. I’m more aware of what readers look for in commercial fiction. But, like most writers, I’d love another book deal with a traditional press, big or small, and all that comes with it: some money and/or more acceptance in the publishing community. I’m old-fashioned.
Anne:
You’re also an editor. As writers, we all have to don our reader/editor hat through the process, and I wanted to ask you how editing for other people has improved your skills as applied to your own work.
Nicole:
Years ago, I taught a novel writing course. I insisted that my students write chapter outlines for their books, something I’d never done myself. I realized how useful they were once I saw how much they helped other writers and started making this part of my process. Of course, the outline changes with each draft, but it’s a great roadmap. Being a freelance editor has made me more aware of the importance of structure and dramatic tension. I love language but, especially in today’s market, I’ve really taken to heart the advice I give my editing clients as they embark on each new chapter: ask yourself “What’s at stake?”
Anne:
Touching on editing again, what are the common issues writers tend to struggle with? Common mistakes, I should say.
Nicole:
The biggest one is the voice and having an “ear for language.” When I receive a manuscript that is beautifully written, I’m thrilled. It doesn’t matter the genre, fiction or nonfiction. With others, I spend a lot of time helping revise on the sentence level. Other common issues are point of view and a tendency to overexplain.
Anne:
You wrote a book about the novels of Margaret Drabble. Some of my readers may not be acquainted with her. Can you tell us a little bit about her, and what drew you to her as a subject?
Nicole:
My book on Margaret Drabble began as my PhD dissertation. Originally, I wanted to write about Edna O’Brien. But no one in the department (NYU) would sign on to be my advisor. I was told to write about Samuel Beckett if I wanted to focus on an Irish author or Virginia Woolf if I insisted on choosing a woman. My field was Modern British Literature and one of the professors guided me to Drabble, whose work I liked. A fascinating biographical fact about her is that her sister was A.S. Byatt. Sibling rivalry informed their work. Another theme, especially of her early novels, was the conflict between motherhood and ambition—a theme that every generation of women seems to come to anew (Rachel Cusk, for example). Drabble is brilliant, and incredibly productive, which I revere. Who could achieve so much, I wondered, especially considering her difficult childhood and unhappy relationship with her mother.
Anne:
Is there a new book in the works and what can you tell us about that?
Nicole:
I’m working on a new novel, from three points of view. It involves a lost inheritance, an “accidental” death, and—one of my familiar themes—how siblings make sense of family.
Anne:
Before we conclude, why don’t you take a moment and share something important to you about your writing journey, something you really want readers to keep in mind.
Nicole:
It’s extremely hard to juggle writing with all the other obligations in life: jobs, finances, childrearing (if you choose to have children), and relationships. If you do it, you must love to put those words on the page, to tell stories. If it doesn’t give you pleasure and a sense of purpose, don’t do it. Most novelists don’t make their income from writing, so it has to be a passion, not a career path as we conventionally think of one. Of course, some novelists hit it big and can support themselves through their writing. But, don’t count on it.
To learn more about Nicole and where you can purchase her book, please visit https://www.nicolebokat.com/