Presenting: the post-holidaze, post-inaugural return as efforts at achieving a middling degree of conversational competence continue; alliterative acumen: activate.

In which: Edgar-and-Shamus-award-winning novelist Alison Gaylin and I discuss writing, exorcisms, social media, crime fiction, true crime, the inauguration, chainsaws, cat video film festivals, murder, Warren Beatty vomiting, hits, runs, Dr. Fauci's elation, revenge, self-respect, and more.

This episode's featured EarBliss is Geiger von Müller's "First Revisit," from his 2020 album, RUBY RED RUN!

About Alison

USA Today and international bestselling author Alison Gaylin has won the Edgar and Shamus awards. Her work has been published in the US, UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Romania and Denmark, and she has been nominated for numerous awards, including the Macavity, Anthony, ITW Thriller and Strand Book Award. In addition to her novels, she has published many short stories and collaborated with Megan Abbott on the graphic novel NORMANDY GOLD (Titan/Hard Case Crime, 2018). Her 12th book, THE COLLECTIVE, will be out from William Morrow in November.

Chapters

Post-inaugural exhalation (03:36)
On IF I DIE TONIGHT and character/plot (06:35)
On social media, chainsaws, and cat video film festivals (12:30)
On NEVER LOOK BACK, theme, and the other side of the coin (22:44)
On true crime and crime fiction / truth being stranger than fiction (25:40)
EarBliss: "First Revisit," by Geiger von Müller (28:06)
Writing Nightmares, Part 1 (Read): THE COLLECTIVE (33:16)
Writing Nightmares, Part 2 (Dissect): THE COLLECTIVE (45:15)
On process and self-respect (52:01)
Writing is hard (55:40)
How do you know when you're done? (57:55)
Creative Wish / Recommended Read / Connect (59:25)

Connect / Links

You can connect with Alison via her website, alisongaylin.com, on Twitter, and on Instagram and Facebook.
Alison's recommended read, Wallace Stroby's HEAVEN'S A LIE, arrives from Mulholland in April.
Support and check out more music from Geiger Von Müller.

Theme music, "Intersections," by Uziel Colón.

You can find previous episodes of THE SOCIALIZED RECLUSE here and, if so inclined, sign up for my monthly+ newsletter, MacroParentheticals, here; I'm told that neither are terrible.