~Post by MysteryPeople Crime Fiction Coordinator Scott M.
When it comes to current hard boiled crime fiction, one of my favorites is Christa Faust. She is able to tap into the pure fun of the genre as well as its pathos and poetry. I’ve gotten to know her over the past few years and it will be an honor to introduce her to all of you at her signing of Choke Hold tonight, Thursday, November 3rd at 7pm. To give you an idea of what’s in store, here’s a quick interview I did with her:
MYSTERYPEOPLE: You said right after you finished this book that writing the follow up to Money Shot was a lot tougher than you thought it would be. Where was the difficulty and how did you get through it?
CHRISTA FAUST: Money Shot took about 8 weeks from start to finish, but Choke Hold dragged me through nearly a 
year of torture and angst. To be honest, there’s no clear and specific explanation for that difference. Maybe it was because it was my first attempt at writing a continuing character, or maybe it was some kind of second album syndrome (even though it’s technically my 11th book.) Maybe I spent more time second guessing myself and wondering if I was making the right choices for the characters. Maybe all of that or none of the above.
I’ve always considered myself a working writer, rather than a highbrow kind of artist and as a result, I have a much more craft-oriented attitude towards my job. I write tie-ins and novelizations for a living and am used to tight deadlines. So far I’ve never missed a single one. But sometimes things go wonky under the hood for no good reason. The juice doesn’t flow. It’s kind of a blow to the ego, like not being able to get it up for a porn shoot. All these people are standing around looking at their watches and wanting to go to lunch already and there you are, desperately trying to will yourself hard. Unfortunately, they don’t make literary Viagra.
The way I got through it was by doing it anyway, every damn day, even when I was sure it all sucked. Even when I hated every line and only ended up with 200 useable words, I just kept writing. Because the only way to get through it is to get through it. And in the end, the reader can’t tell the difference between the scenes that came easy and the ones that were tough. They never see all that angst reflected in the finished product.
MP: How has Angel changed from Money Shot?
CF: She was pretty vain and concerned about her physical appearance in the first book, but has since learned to let go of some (but not all) of that. She’s always had intimacy issues, but she has become even more emotionally shut down than ever because of what she’s been through. Part of what Choke Hold is about is dealing with that internal wall and what happens when it starts to crack.
It’s very important to me that she evolve and change over the course of the series. I guess it’s part of the deal I made with myself when I first decided to write a second Angel Dare book. Don’t get me wrong, I love old-school hardboiled heroes who are basically the same bad-ass sides of beef in novel after novel, but with Angel, I wanted to dig a little deeper. I wanted her to be flawed and human, to be deeply affected by the things that happen to her and the people she cares about. To be hurt and scared, but still take care of business.
MP: What do you respect about her?
CF: That’s a funny question, because respect is something that must be earned. Since she’s my character and is the way she is because I chose to make her that way, it’s kinda hard to “respect” my own creation. That being said, I like that she isn’t a make-believe superhero with magic ninja asskicking powers. She’s a real flesh and blood middle-aged woman who does whatever she can to survive. She’s strong on the inside.
MP: A lot of Choke Hold takes place in the world of mixed martial arts. What drew you to using that business?
CF: Boxing has been featured in hardboiled and noir fiction for years. It’s a natural fit, full of corruption, exploitation and working-class grit. Mobsters, gamblers and violent, desperate men with nothing to lose. MMA is just a modern incarnation with the same dark, noirish heart.
I also see this weird parallel between MMA and porn. Both involve young bodies being pushed beyond their physical limits for mass entertainment. Both offer the potential for big money and fame but often deliver the ugly reality of being used-up and broken inside and out by the time you’re 30. The drugs, the daddy-issues, the low self esteem. The fact that so many otherwise unskilled, under-educated kids see fighting or fucking as their only way out of poverty and broken homes. Their bodies are all they have to offer.
MP: You’re one of the crime writers who gravitated from horror. Why do think that’s an easy transition?
CF: They’re thematically similar, dealing with death and the darkness that lies just under the surface of ordinary life. The same darkness that lives inside the human heart. Both genres also tend to feature outsiders and misfits and other fringe characters that don’t exactly fit into the ordinary world. In fact, horror and crime fiction are perfect bedfellows for crossover projects. I love what guys like Steve Niles and Charlie Huston are doing, writing in that weird, wonderful bordertown between the genres. If I ever go back to horror (outside of work-for-hire gigs) I’d probably do something like that.
MP: Your love of pulp crime fiction comes out when reading the series. Who are some of your favorites?
CF: I’m a big fan of Richard Prather’s Shell Scott novels. They’re like potato chips. Fun, sometimes silly but always entertaining. You can really see how much fun Prather had writing those books. He’s my personal pulp idol, cranking them out like a pro but never taking himself or his hero too seriously.
Prather and I shared a far-too-brief correspondence at the very end of his life. He was so warm, supportive and generous with his time. It breaks my heart that he never got to see Money Shot in print.
I also can’t get enough of Stark’s Parker books, which is kinda odd since Parker is about as opposite from Shell Scott as two characters can get, yet I love them both. Not enough to write gay slash fiction about them, of course, as entertaining as that might be. Or, maybe…
MP: Part of your tour is with Duane Swierczynski. What do you like about him and/or his work?
CF: Duane’s a huge monster geek, like I am. We both love vintage pulp and have a similar puply, genre-defying flavor to what we do. He’s one of those guys who just gets it. I never have to explain my in-jokes and references with him. We’re always on the same page.
I loved his Expiration Date. Well, really, I love all his books. Non-stop, headlong action, memorable characters and this wonderful sense that anything can happen to anyone at anytime. Really looking forward to signing with him.
Join us when 
MysteryPeople welcomes Christa Faust to BookPeople this evening, Thursday, November 3rd, 7p, to speak & sign Choke Hold.
BookPeople 
Nice interview…