Author R&R with Patti Abbott

Patricia “Patti” Abbott is no stranger to this blog, being the organizer and shepherd of the Friday's Forgotten Books feature that I've participated in over the last ten years. Patti is also a very fine author whose novels Concrete Angel (2015) and Shot in Detroit (2016) were published by Polis books and shortlisted for the Anthony, Macavity, and Edgar Awards. Long before that, she was a Grande Dame of short crime fiction, with more than 150 short stories that have appeared in print and online publications, including the Derringer Award-winning “My Hero.” She is also the co-editor of the e-anthology Discount Noir.

Patti's Monkey Justice was just released by Down & Out Books, a collection of twenty-three short crime tales that explore the dark side of human behavior and are more about victims than perpetrators of crime: a father oversteps his proscribed duties; a young woman awakens something dormant in an older man; a young man saves his family but loses himself; a boy is a stranger in his newly configured house; a man misunderstands the marital situation he is drawn into; a squatter pleads for our pity but in the end betrays it; two old men compete for attention in a nursing home.

 

Patti stops by In Reference to Murder to talk more about this work and her writing in general:

 

How did this collection come about?

MONKEY JUSTICE was originally published nearly a decade ago by Snubnose Press as an electronic collection of stories. It represents twenty-two of my earliest crime fiction stories. All of them had already been published online, in anthologies, and in crime and literary magazines. When Snubnose Press went out of business, the manuscript disappeared, an event that had never occurred to me. It existed only on the ebook readers of the people who purchased it. Down and Out Books was kind enough to offer publication of a new print and ebook edition. If not, for them, this collection would be gone. In fact, the press had to use my own kindle to get to the manuscript. Too many years, computers, floppy disks, CDs and flash drives had come and gone.

 

Where do the ideas for your stories come from?

This is a question often posed to writers. At the time they were written, I was often on a bus to work two hours a day. Most of the stories emanated from the world that I passed through as I moved from a upper- middle class suburb into the city of Detroit. The entry into southeastern Detroit from Grosse Pointe Park is one of the most dramatic transitions you can imagine. It can't help but spur ideas. The title story, in fact, was one I overheard between two people on the seat in front of me. It was such an amazing story, I could hardly wait to get to begin writing it. Although all of these stories have a flash of inspiration or a detail or two from my life, none are about me. Some are from a male point of view, something that just happens now and then. Do I feel empowered by putting a male at the helm? Or do my stories speak to the dominance of males in crime? The most evil character in the book is a woman, however, and certainly not a victim.

 

Why are your stories so dark?

My mother always bemoaned the fact that I didn't write uplifting stories. But I think she read them incorrectly. My stories are often about the victim of a crime. Or someone trying to redress a crime. The very first story LIKE A HAWK RISING is about a thief, yes, but he is trying to save a boy he sees being mistreated. I have to admit to stealing "Souris" from a former family member in its entirety. Sometimes you hear a story that is so wonderful  you can barely bring yourself to change a word. Also mostly true is "The Squatter" and I apologize for reminding a dear friend of a bad incident in her life. "The Tortoise and the Tortoise" incorporates incidents from my father's time in assisted living. But definitely not the character's solution to his problems. So each of the stories borrow something from my life or the lives of people I know, but they are fiction. Or so I tell myself.

 

I thank Bonnie for giving me a platform to announce the publication on my collection. If it wasn't for the kindness of friends, it would indeed be a dark life.

 

Sophie Littlefield, author A Bad Day for Sorry, said of Monkey Justice, “In this collection of short contemporary noir fiction, Patti Abbott distinguishes herself as an extraordinary storyteller of the dark recesses of the human heart. Abbott’s characters hit hard, fight dirty, and seek a brand of hardscrabble justice that will leave you both wincing and wishing for more.” Author/editor Chris Rhatigan added, “Patti Abbott is one of the premier practitioners of the American crime story. The staggering level of care she invests in her craft is always evident from the first sentence to the last. She writes smart, dark tales with frighteningly real characters and vivid settings.” 

You can experience those smart, dark tales by grabbing your copy of Monkey Justice via all major booksellers and also follow Patti on Facebook and Twitter, as well as her blog which is where you'll find many of the Friday's Forgotten Books offerings.

Comments

[Rick Robinson]

My copy is on the way! I missed the earlier ebook, so this time I'm making sure I have a copy. Thanks for the review / interview.

[BV Lawson]

Thanks, Rick! I know Patti will be grateful - plus, you're in for a treat!