Anthony Franze: A Reliable Companion

Novelist and lawyer.

I’ll focus on the beginning and end of my workday since they’re the most relevant for this interview. I work in downtown Washington, DC, and I’m a rare breed in the District since I love my commute on the subway. That certainly has nothing to do with the crowded, often delayed, sometimes smelly, train cars. It’s because it’s the time I get to read some of my favorite authors — and when I edit my own work. Crammed in the middle of the commute is my law practice. After work, family. Late night, typing in a dark room.

I’m re-reading The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney. Lou’s a friend, but also one of the best crime writers in the business. I also just finished Recursion by Blake Crouch, another top-notch writer.

When I was about ten, I borrowed (okay, stole) my father’s copy of The Dead Zone by Stephen King. Though I probably didn’t understand quite a bit of it, I was still enthralled.

I’m a folder, which my wife considers sacrilege.

My father was in the military so we moved around a lot — I attended four high schools in four years. There’s probably nothing more lonely for a kid than moving to a new town in the summer, so books became a reliable companion.

In my youth, I played in rock bands and the stories were in the form of songs. And, yes, they were terrible.

The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White. Because it contains advice that has helped both my fiction and legal career: “Omit needless words.”

Everyone is different, and I think writers have to do what works for them. I basically come up with an idea and start getting words on the page. Once it takes shape, I spend more time thinking about where things will go than writing. Once I know the plan and outline the scenes in my head, I’m incredibly efficient and speedy. But getting to the plan, well, my family, friends, law practice — and Netflix — make things much less efficient.

I’d say read The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White, and then re-read your two favorite novels of all time. On the novels, analyze them, ask yourself why you love them so much, learn from that, and then write the book you’d want to read.

I prefer my dinner guests alive, so: Gillian Flynn, Jennifer Hillier, Lou Berney, Lisa Unger, and of course, my buddy Barry Lancet. Why? Because I think they are all fascinating people and great writers who I suspect would be a lot of fun (except Barry).

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch – because I loved Recursion so much (see above).

I read somewhere that John Adams’s father told him ‘You’ll never be alone with a poet in your pocket.’ That’s how I feel about novels.

November Road by Lou Berney and Recursion by Blake Crouch. Yeah, my answers are getting repetitive.

The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald. Because of the parties.

Be prepared for rejection. If you can take it and keep going, you’re a real writer. Also, join a writing organization. The friends and contacts I’ve made through International Thriller Writers (ITW) changed the trajectory of my career.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles. At the time, one of those lonely summers moving to a new town, it spoke to me the way that Pearl Jam and Linkin Park later spoke to me.

One of my favorite recent thrillers, and I’m often surprised many people haven’t heard of it, is I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. An epic piece of work.

Some recent books I have and can’t wait to read: The Hidden Things by Jamie Mason, The Stranger Inside by Lisa Unger, and The Wolf Wants In by Laura McHugh. And I’m looking forward to Steph Cha’s latest release, Your House Will Pay.