Five by Five: Noir novel brings a different perspective to southern towns

By Max Bowen

Writing coach and teacher Brandi Bradley brings her professional experience to bear in writing “Pretty Girls Get Away With Murder” set to be released on March 14. Here’s a look at the story synopsis:

When a young entrepreneur is killed, everyone in town points fingers at his fitness influencer ex-girlfriend, Gabbi – including the victim’s best friend, Jenna. As detective Lindy D’Arnaud and her partner Boggs search for a motive, they begin to wonder if this is a case of jealous violence or something much deeper. In Lindy's personal life, things aren’t much clearer. When Lindy’s wife’s ex-boyfriend–and sperm donor to their baby–decides to move back to town, she finds herself competing for her wife’s affection.

In this interview, Brandi talks about the Souther Noir genre, the use of different perspectives in her storytelling and her writing style.

How did your work as a writing coach and teacher help with this book?
Teaching actually helps me practice what I preach. For this book, I realized that I was not making the time to work on it, so I set up a few write-in sessions on my campus in the library and invited creative writing students to join me for an hour of uninterrupted writing time. I had to show up and work because there could be students waiting for me. It got me out of my rut.

What is the Southern Noir genre and why was it the one you choose to write in?
Typically noirs take place in cities – the dark and gritty city. Corruption, reputation, aesthetics, cynicism, money: small towns have to deal with this, too. Add to that the mythology of the Good Southern Family. Look at how everyone was intrigued by the Murdaugh case in South Carolina. People want to believe nothing bad happens in small southern towns, but that’s not true. And because these small towns are also hiding big juicy secrets, it makes a fertile ground for story ideas to grow.

Lindy sounds like she’s dealing with a lot in her personal life. How does this factor into the story?
I think Lindy would say she’s fallen under the spell of a pretty girl a time or two. It’s possible her experience makes her project and speculate on theories based on past experiences with women who were dangerously charming.

I like the shifting perspectives you use. How did this become your method of telling the story?
At first, I think I wanted to do a structure somewhat similar to what they did in “Big Little Lies,” where a person’s perception of events is clouded because of what they perceive as a slight or some imaginary adversary. And I remember a writing instructor telling me once to make sure I leave room for fun: to always keep something in my story that does nothing but bring me joy. And it was just too much fun to write in the voices of these women.

Did this story get planned out or was it more “seat of the pants” style?
Oh no. I’m a plotter. But I don’t follow any specific outline. I like to know where I’m going in a story. When I get started on a new idea, I open a Word doc and make a bullet point list of everything that needs to happen for the story to work. It’s more of a flexible list than anything else, but it suits me.

H.D Hunter talks young adult fiction and a writer’s impact

How does one judge the impact of their work?

It’s a topic that I talk about with author, activist, and teacher H.D. Hunter in the latest episode. He has a new book out on Aug. 20, “Something Like Right,” and it’s his first foray into the world of young adult fiction. We talk about what new lessons this offered after working primarily in elementary/middle school fiction and how he enjoyed the experience.

H.D. shares the origin of Zay, the main character of the book, and his role in the story, which touches on themes of love, broken families and healing from generational trauma. H.D. shares how Zay came to be, and their evolution during the writing process, as well as the possibilities of more books in this genre.

We also speak on the “Futureland” series, a trilogy which recently came to its conclusion. Set in a theme park where literally anything can happen, it’s focused on Cam Walker and his family, the park’s creators, and their many adventures over the three books. We dive deep into this, as well as what may be next for the series.

H.D. has had the chance to reach many young readers through this work, and we talk about what he hopes they have taken away from the experience.

Jennifer Tefft talks new music, old venues, and working with the best

If you’re part of the Boston music scene, then the name Jennifer Tefft likely rings a bell. If not, you’ve got some listening to do!

In this episode, Curtis and I talk with Jenn about the recent release of the acoustic version of “Going Out,” all about escaping for a night on the town. We talk about its sound and what the full band version will be like. She’s got another single, “Love & War,” and goes into what we can expect from that. Part of the process included working with musical heavyweights Munk Duane at Bad Stella Studios and Hans DeKline, a Grammy winning Los Angeles mastering engineer.

Jenn has been part of the Boston scene for some time and we talk about her fave venues, both past and present. We look at the state of the scene and get her take on all the recent changes. Jenn also share some stories from her time as a music teacher and the lessons she works to impart.

We kick off the show with an excerpt from “Love & War,” and end the show with the full “Going Out.”

With her debut EP, Dani Teveluwe shares her life in a diversity of sounds

Dani Teveluwe

After hearing “Into The Deep,” the debut EP from Dani Teveluwe, I knew right then that she'd be a grat guest for the show, and here we are! In this interview, we talk about Dani's decision to go from primary school teacher to musician and how that change has gone. Dani shares the doubts she experienced as well as how the experience has changed her.

Along with the EP, Dani has a music video out for “Double Shot,” a song centered on a person who's hurt so badly that they wind up hurting others. The video is filmed in a school setting with a group of children, an unexpected frame for the story and Dani shares what led her to go in this direction.

And this conversation wouldn't be complete without us talking about the cover art, done by Tamara Armstrong. It's simply amazing and we go into how the two met and worked together.

Following the interview, enjoy two songs from the EP, “Double Shot,” followed by “Sweet Summer Nights.”