Today, Hartford Books Examiner is in the esteemed company of Jane Cleland.
Cleland will be in Connecticut tonight (Monday, August 1st) for the first public reading of her play, the noir “Back to Jack.” The reading will be directed by E. Kyle Minor, with a discussion facilitated by Dr. Brian Clements to follow. Free and open to the public, the event will be held at the Westside Campus Center Ballroom at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury at 7:30 PM. (See details below.)
The author of the IMBA bestselling Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series, Cleland is also a multiple award nominee for her novels and short stories. Her books have been called an Antiques Roadshow for mystery fans, and Consigned to Death was selected by Library Journal as one of only twenty-two “core” titles for librarians looking to build a cozy collection. Jane is a current board member (and past president) of the Mystery Writers of America/New York Chapter and also chairs the Wolfe Pack’s literary awards.
“Back to Jack” is described as “a five-character, three puppet; one set; two-act murder mystery play about the fragility of female relationships when there’s a man involved.”
Synopsis (from the author’s web-site):
Three women from wildly different backgrounds work side-by-side at a Nighthawk-esque diner in midtown Manhattan: Lou Ann, a southern belle actress; Ellie, the daughter of a Boston poet; and Marney, an immigrant from Belfast. They have more in common than their waitress jobs—they also share a man, Jack. Jack is part mirage, part cowboy, and all Trouble, with a capital T. Jack entices the women into romantic relationships they know won’t do them, or their friendships, any good; he involves Gus, the owner of the diner where the women wait tables, in a gambling scheme; and then he disappears, off to Vegas, he says, catch ya later. Good riddance, they all think… except like a bad penny, Jack comes back. Within minutes of his return, he’s shot dead. The police determine that only the cardboard cut-out puppets, Lou Ann, Ellie, Marney, or Gus could have pulled the trigger. With the police net closing in, the women have to confront their frailties and decide once and for all which matters most—the truth or one another.
Now, Jane Cleland takes us behind-the-scenes (pun intended) of Back to Jack…
1) Can you tell us how the process of writing a mystery play compares to that of writing a mystery novel? Are there creative sensibilities that you are able to indulge in the former that you sometimes can’t in the latter?
In a play, you can’t have anything occur in a character’s head. There’s no facility for narrative, speculation or reflection; there’s only the spoken word and on-stage action. In a novel, however, especially literary, character-driven novels, you read a lot of people’s thoughts about themselves and their worlds.
Also, theatre is in some way, a participatory sport, whereas novel-reading is a solitary activity. You go to the theatre to be present at an event. You go to see something “theatrical.” In “Back to Jack,” for instance, there are cardboard cut-out puppets representing Everymen. This concept is uniquely theatrical.
2) What was the inspiration for Back to Jack?
The inspiration for “Back to Jack” was heartbreak and whisky. The title “Back to Jack” is a double entendre. The three main characters are women who all drawn to Jack. Jack is half mirage, half cowboy, and all Trouble with a capital T. The title is also a reference to the fact that Jack drives the women to drink yet again—he drives them back to Jack Daniels. The concept of “back” flits into the play in other ways, too.
3) Authors are often surprised by the evolution of characters, motivations and/or circumstances that present themselves during the writing process. Did this happen to you with Back to Jack? And if so, how do you feel the story benefited from these unexpected happenings?
Much like writing the Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries, I knew a lot about both the characters and the plot before I began. Typically my plots are, as Publisher’s Weekly wrote, “intricate.” That said, I was pleased and excited to find the characters’ voices really, truly took over my head when I was writing “Back to Jack.” They spoke in difference cadences, using unique pet phrases, and their personalities were apparent in the way they used words. That was a new experience for me.
4) Tonight marks the inaugural reading of the play. What are your expectations for the evening?
My expectations are to get feedback about what worked for the audience and what didn’t. Dr. Brian Clements, coordinator of Western Connecticut State University’s MFA in Creative & Professional Writing program, will facilitate a discussion after the Reading. As the Reading is going on, I will be alert for where people laugh (and if they don’t) and the like.
Presenting your work to a live audience must elicit a mixed bag of emotions…
“Back to Jack” comprised part of my thesis, “Women Who Love Men They Hate: A Theatrical Examination of Female Frailty.” (I just finished my MFA in Creative & Professional Writing from Western Connecticut State University. It was an exhilarating and professionally valuable experience.) I worked on “Back to Jack” for almost two years, guided by Andrew Claude Case and E. Kyle Minor, mentors and thesis advisors.Their wise insights helped shape the play. Specifically, they guided me to add complexity to both the plot and characters. It is an astonishing feeling to think that I’m going to hear actors read my words aloud. Yikes.
5) Now that you’ve told us about your play, can you give us a hint as to what comes next for Josie Prescott, the protagonist of your antiques mystery series?
Josie’s next adventure is called Dolled Up for Murder, which will be published next spring by St. Martin’s Minotaur. In this book, the seventh in the series, Josie’s knowledge of dolls helps her solve a kidnapping and a mystery with roots leading back to the Civil War.
6) We have heard that you are involved in a new venture called “The Writer’s Room”. So…what’s that all about?
I’m very excited about “The Writer’s Room,” a series of interviews I conduct with leading writers. The first two are Wendy Corsi Staub and Mary Jane Clark. Both women discuss their writing processes, where ideas come from, how they handle writer’s block, and the role of hard work in their success in detail. It was a pretty dazzling experience listening to their insights. The title “The Writer’s Room,” harks back to a wonderful quote from Virginia Woolf. Writing in A Room of One’s Own, she said, “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”
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With thanks to the lovely Jane Cleland for inviting readers to join her for a special evening of murder & mayhem.
Tonight’s public reading of Back to Jack will be held in the Westside Campus Center Ballroom at Western Connecticut State University, 43 Lake Avenue Ext., in Danbury. The start time is 7:30 PM.
Directions:
(From the East and West)
Take Exit 4 off I-84.
Turn right onto Lake Avenue.
Go approximately one mile.
Campus entrance is on the right across from Super Stop & Shop.
View a map here.
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