Interview with suspense author Laury A. Egan

Suspense author Laury A. Egan is chatting with me about her new psychological suspense novel, Jack & I.

Bio:
Laury A. Egan is the author of fourteen novels including The Black Leopard’s Kiss & The Writer Remembers, The Psychologist’s Shadow, Once, Upon an Island, Wave in D Minor; and Doublecrossed, as well as a collection, Fog and Other Stories. Four limited-edition poetry volumes have been published, and 85 of her stories and poems have appeared in literary journals and anthologies. She is a reviewer for The New York Journal of Books, and a 2024 recipient of a New Jersey State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Award in prose.

Welcome, Laury. Please tell us about your current release.
Jack & I is a psychological suspense novel about two teenage boys. The twist? They’re both named Jack and both inhabit the same body.

1994. Jack Kennett is sixteen and suffers from un-diagnosed Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder). Abandoned at age two, Jack has been in the New Jersey care system all of his life: foster homes and once placed for private adoption with the Kennetts, a family he adored, especially their daughter, Cara. As the divisive war between the two personalities escalates, Jack (the host) is in despair and feeling powerless as he experiences amnesiac events and must deal with his alter’s promiscuity, truancy, and illegal acts. How will the war between the personalities end?

What inspired you to write this book?
Ever since reading Sybil and the Three Faces of Eve many years ago, I’ve been fascinated with Multiple Personality Disorder—now called Dissociative Identity Disorder. As writers, we are often drawn to Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde characters in various forms, but I thought it would be provocative to embody them in a teenage boy who is struggling to maintain his balance in a battle with his “alter,” a sociopathic identity that arose during Jack’s initial trauma during his first year of life. I then considered the novel’s structure and decided to tell the host Jack’s narration in first-person and the alter’s perspective in third-person. This seemed like a great way to keep the reader closer and more sympathetic with the host. 

Excerpt from Jack & I:
(from Chapter 1):

“I am Jack!” he exclaimed to the empty theater, his arms spread wide.

The auditorium was dark except for a sprinkling of red exit signs and white rhomboids of light cast through a trio of open doors onto the gray carpet and the tops of seats, each folded into its own embrace.

He stood on the lip of the stage, six feet above the main floor.

“I am Jack! Jack who loves a beautiful girl called Cara.” His voice purred as he said “beautiful” and “Cara.” After repeating these lines, his mouth curled into a grin. With one hand pressed against his black shirt, he declared, “Cara loves Jack with all of her heart! One day soon, Cara and Jack will be together. Oh, Cara, oh, Cara, where art thou, Cara?”

Jack gave a short bark of laughter, cupped his hand to his ear as if listening for a titter of amusement from the non-existent crowd. He then tilted his head back, imagining the warmth of a spotlight illuminating his face. Thrusting one foot forward, he bowed.

The silence continued until he heard the distant rumble of the janitor’s cart. The man would enter the hall soon, with his vacuum, bucket, and mop and trailing the smell of sawdust and wax polish. Three times before Jack had been reported to the high school’s superintendent for using the theater, which wasn’t allowed unattended.

Jack didn’t care. He danced several steps, tapped the wooden stage with the toe of his shoe, twirled three times, and disappeared into the black fly curtains.

What exciting project are you working on next?
I have two projects. One is a murder mystery, Fair Haven: A picturesque riverside town. A safe, serene, friendly place. And then, one sunny summer afternoon in 1994, Sally Ann Shaffer is electrocuted in her hot tub. Who did it? One of her many lovers? Her husband? A thief? A jealous colleague at her tennis club? Fair Haven is suddenly embroiled in suspicion, interpersonal conflict, blackmail, financial fraud, and murder.

The second project is a collection, Contrary: Stories and A Play. As of now, there are 21 stories included, about half of which have been published in literary journals, and a two-act play, “Duet,” which is a dialogue between a client and her therapist after the client has experienced a plane crash and is facing possible permanent disabilities. Hopefully, this will join my first collection, Fog and Other Stories.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
At age seven, I wrote my first poem. At 12-13, I wrote my first novel, so my identity as a writer was solidified early. However, when selecting a university, I deviated from my intention and studied graphic design and photography at Carnegie Mellon University. My first job was as a book designer at Princeton University Press, where I learned a great deal about editing, design, and production. Many years later, I was fortunate to return to my first passion and began writing stories, poems, and novels.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Yes, I write full-time, seven days a week, or I do related tasks like editing, promotion, and submitting shorter pieces to literary journals.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I tend to do 30+ rounds on a novel after the first draft as well as reading several proofs. A tad obsessive? Hmm.  

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Jack & I is a suspense, but it’s also a sympathetic psychological portrait of a boy who—in addition to dealing with his alternate personalities—is also dealing with teenage shyness, living in a difficult foster home, and dreaming about a girl he loves. So lots going on!

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