We chat with Emmy-nominated screenwriter Gordon Greisman about The Devil’s Daughter, which is a noir thriller full of the best–and worst–of New York City in the 1950s.
Hi, Gordon! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’ve been a screenwriter for quite a long time. After being an uncredited script doctor on such movies as TAPS (which was both Tom Cruise and Sean Penn’s first movie) and THE BIG EASY, I wrote and co-produced along with Michael Mann THE DRUG WARS: IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST for which I was nominated for an Emmy. Later I wrote and was the Executive Producer of THE BRONX IS BURNING starring John Turturro, Oliver Platt and Dan Sunjata for ESPN. I was nominated for a Producers Guild Award for “THE BRONX”. I also wrote and produced TV series for Fox and for Showtime. THE DEVIL’S DAUGHTER is my first novel.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve always been something of a storyteller as my friends will quickly tell you. I began to write short stories when I was in high school. I was captain of the football team and generally a jock meaning I kept this pretty quiet lest the other jocks found me out and gave me a hard time. In college I wrote for school newspaper. A few years after I graduated, I wrote a screenplay, took a deep breath, and went to Hollywood.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The first book I remember reading was HOMER PRICE, a book about a kid who makes a donut machine in his uncle’s diner.
- The one that made you want to become an author: It’s hard to pick a particular book that made me want to be a writer. If I had to choose it would be John O’Hara’s APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The book that still sticks with me is a collection of short stories by John Updike, MUSEUMS AND WOMEN.
Your debut novel, The Devil’s Daughter, is out January 23rd! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
“Love, corruption, murder, and morality.”
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a fast-paced detective story set in the jazz joints, penthouses, dive bars, and brothels of late 1950s Manhattan. Jack Coffey and his stunning but down-to-earth girlfriend V set out to save the life of a sixteen-year-old girl caught up in a world where no one can be trusted and nothing is as it seems.
Where did the inspiration for The Devil’s Daughter come from?
The inspiration for the novel is really two-fold. When I was a very little boy, my grandfather took me into iconic places in late 50s: to Toots Shors, to Birdland and The Three Deuces on 52nd street and to 21. Later, when I was a teenager, a friends father, a charismatic Irishman who was the promotional director of TIME MAGAZINE, was something of the mayor of midtown New York and was the first person to encourage me to become a writer.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Jack Coffey, the novel’s protagonist, was an absolute gas to write. I suppose, he is an idealized version of me — or the me I would hope to be in Jack’s circumstance. He’s the moral man in the immoral universe and writing him was in a way a test of my own ethics — maybe even my own bravery.
With a long career in TV and film, this is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Honestly, I’ve been lucky. I’ve had a pretty long career as a screenwriter. (My mother once said to me, “Well, you’ve done it. You’ve found a career that lets you lie around the house.) I didn’t have to starve (not for very long anyway) or find another job or a side hustle. When I decided to leave Hollywood behind to write straight fiction, I didn’t have too much trouble finding representation. Of course, there were bumps along the road, but like I said, I’ve been very lucky.
What’s next for you?
I’m writing a prequel to THE DEVIL’S DAUGHTER.
Lastly, are there any 2024 book releases that you’re looking forward to?
There are a few 2024 releases I’m looking forward to. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s posthumous novel UNTIL AUGUST, Amor Towles’ TABLE FOR TWO, and Rachel Khong’s REAL AMERICANS.
