We chat with author Silvia Moreno-Garcia about The Intrigue, which is a sizzling noir about desire, danger, and greed, in which seduction is the ultimate con.
Hi, Silvia! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a writer of anything from noir to sword and sorcery originally from Mexico and now residing in Canada. I’m most famous for the novels Mexican Gothic, Velvet was the Night and The Bewitching.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I did nothing but read and write since I was a kid which gave me a prodigious vocabulary and poor socializing skills.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: It was probably a book of Greek and Roman mythology.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Very likely it was a combo of Poe and Lovecraft.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Edith Wharton lives rent free in my head.
Your latest novel, The Intrigue, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Sultry, dark, ironic, seductive and pulpy.
What can readers expect?
A noir in the vein of classic 1940s noir, where a con artist journeys to a picturesque town and meets his match.
Where did the inspiration for The Intrigue come from?
Costumbrista novels, telenovelas and classic crime fiction.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
All the scenes where the characters in this small town are never saying what they really mean. I love a good hypocrite (in fiction, mind you).
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Classic noir is not a very popular genre nowadays so I wondered if I was writing something nobody wants to read, but writing books nobody is begging for has been my modus operandi since I first started. I pushed on.
What’s next for you?
Sorceress, which is, as the title might imply, a fantasy book, will be out next summer. And I’ve written the script for a graphic novel adaptation of Mexican Gothic.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
I have an advance review copy of Afia Atakora’s Strivers which I’m really excited about. The jacket copy reads “A sly, thrilling novel of a murder that rocks Manhattan’s Black elite at the height of the Harlem Renaissance, making them question who they are, what they want, and where the bodies are buried.” Her previous book was very smart and I look forward to more.
