Blake: The most challenging aspect of this collaboration for me was our familiarity. When I’ve worked with past collaborators, even though (with some exceptions) I know them fairly well, everyone is still pretty much on their best behavior. But you and I are brothers. We love each other, we have a blast together, but there are also times when we fight, when we annoy the shit out of each other. So there were some occasions, on both ends, when we lost our cool and said things we wouldn’t have said to people who weren’t kin.
Jordan: I only remember apologizing to you once. But I’m sure there were other times I should have. So sorry or whatever.
Blake: Whenever we fought, it was always about the story. About wanting it to be as good as it could possibly be. And every time, we rallied, and truthfully there were only a handful of times when I wanted to throw my laptop at you.
One other thing … even though it’s a brother/sister relationship, the heart of this story is a sibling relationship. In the outline process, we didn’t realize Paige and Grant were brother and sister until very late in the game, but now that the book is done, I find it strange we didn’t come to it sooner. There were a few moments between them when I felt very strongly that we were channeling some of our dynamics (me trying to get you out of the male prostitution game) but seriously, it was kind of surreal. In the end, I believe it made for a far more intense emotional impact on the page than if I had been writing with someone else.
Jordan: Yeah, it’s pretty funny that two siblings couldn’t figure out that they should be writing a story about two siblings. Originally, Grant was going to be this infatuated suitor who discovers that Paige, his high school crush, has suddenly breezed back into town. It’s gross now, and it didn’t work then either. It made Grant feel weak and Paige seem manipulative. You were the one who suggested the brother/sister angle. We were on the phone and you mentioned it in passing like it would never work, but as soon as you said it, it was obvious that it couldn’t be any other way.
Blake: I’m already getting sentimental about our time writing together and wondering how long it will be before we get to do it again. Any successful collaboration is an amazing experience, but to be able to share it with your brother really makes it special.
Jordan: As a kid, I always wanted to be doing whatever you were doing. Anyone who has an older brother that they don’t hate will tell you that feeling never changes. You grow up, but you still want your big bro to be proud of you. I said earlier that the value of the experience was in how much I learned. But that’s not even half the story. The best part was spending time with you, doing something we’re both passionate about.
Blake: Back at you, bro. So what are you working on after EERIE, and when will you have a solo project to share with the world?
Jordan: EERIER. Kidding. I have a few short stories lined up, and another novel that should be out later this year. What about you?
Blake: We’ve talked about that novel, and it’s an AMAZING idea. My next novel, PINES, is coming out through Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer imprint on August 28, 2012. Really, really psyched about that one. Like EERIE, it’s a bit of a departure for me, a side that I don’t think people have seen before, and it has the biggest twist ending/reveal I’ve ever written.
Jordan: I’ve read it and at the risk turning this into a circle jerk, it’s my favorite thing you’ve done. I feel like it’s the story you’ve been wanting to write since our parents made the mistake of letting you watch Twin Peaks at the tender age of twelve.
Blake: They had no idea what it would end up doing to me.
Well, as I write this, it’s midnight on March 22, 2012, and the book is technically not finished. We’re at the point where Paige and Grant are about to arrive at the cabin, and as they say, “all will be revealed.” It’s possible we’re doing this interview to procrastinate from actually writing, but I have a feeling it’s because we know the end is very close, and now that all the hard stuff is behind us, we don’t want it to end. At least, that’s how I feel. Let’s go finish this thing. Love you, bro, and until next time!
About the Authors
BLAKE CROUCH is the author of ten novels and numerous short stories, including Run, Desert Places, Stirred, and the Serial series. His website is www.blakecrouch.com.
JORDAN CROUCH was born in the piedmont of North Carolina in 1984. He attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and graduated in 2007 with a degree in Creative Writing. Jordan lives in Seattle, Washington. EERIE is his first novel. His website is www.authorjordancrouch.com.
Blake Crouch’s Full Catalog
Andrew Z. Thomas thrillers
Desert Places
Locked Doors
Break You
Stirred
Thicker Than Blood
Other works
Run
Pines
Eerie with Jordan Crouch
Draculas with J.A. Konrath, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson
Abandon
Snowbound
Famous
Perfect Little Town (horror novella)
Bad Girl (short story)
Serial with Jack Kilborn
Serial Uncut with J.A. Konrath and Jack Kilborn
Killers with Jack Kilborn
Killers Uncut with Jack Kilborn
Serial Killers Uncut with Jack Kilborn and J.A. Konrath
Birds of Prey with Jack Kilborn and J.A. Konrath
Hunting Season: A Love Story with Selena Kitt
Shining Rock (short story)
*69 (short story)
On the Good, Red Road (short story)
Remaking (short story)
The Meteorologist (short story)
The Pain of Others (novella)
Unconditional (short story)
Four Live Rounds (collected stories)
Six in the Cylinder (collected stories)
Fully Loaded (complete collected stories)
Visit Blake at www.BlakeCrouch.com
Coming Soon
Pines by Blake Crouch
Sunset Key by Blake Crouch
Wolfmen by Crouch, Kitt, Konrath & Leather
EERIE copyright © 2012 by Blake Crouch & Jordan Crouch
Cover copyright © 2012 by Jeroen ten Berge
EERIE is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the authors’ imaginations or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Blake Crouch and Jordan Crouch.
For more information about Blake Crouch, please visit www.blakecrouch.com.
For more information about Jordan Crouch, please visit www.authorjordancrouch.com.