Keep reading for more from Breznican aboutBrutal Youth(coming June 10).
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:Thats a striking cover image.
What does it signify?
Being a kid is an intense time, and it simmers inside you.
Rob also added some specific details from the book that I love.
God, I hated wearing those when I was little.
That brings us to an unavoidable question did you go to Catholic school?
Was it as terrible as Saint Michaels?
I went to Catholic school for 13 years, kindergarten through 12th grade.
Thats frightening no matter where you are.
They learned to do it well because it was done to them.
That stuck with me.
Even when it cost them.
And even when you maybe didnt deserve it.
St. Mikes is a place where theres a lot more anger than empathy.
Its the nightmare version of where most of us grow up.
Is there a paranormal element toBrutal Youth?
I definitely wanted to create an ominous vibe, but theres nothing outright supernatural in the story.
I wanted St. Michael the Archangel High School to be like a once-noble soul that has become corrupted.
Is the tone realistic, absurdist, both, neither?
Both, I hope.
I was aiming for that bizarre humor that sometimes crops up in the throes of very serious trouble.
Stephen King very kindly read the book and gave me an astoundingly generousblurb.
Hes very supportive of new writers.
He is my hero, so I was happy to horrify him.
What writers and books influenced you?
Like I mentioned, my respect for Stephen King runs deep.
I started writing at age 12 because I was amazed by the worlds he created using only words.
He writes with a humanity that is too often taken for granted.
Carson McCullersThe Heart is a Lonely Hunterwas also inspiring, becauseBrutal Youthis ultimately an ensemble tale.
Thats a weird mix … but its a weird book.
Since youre primarily a movies writer at EW, did you think aboutBrutal Youthvisually as you were writing it?
It was good advice, and I think about it every day.
I was lucky, a lot of writing teachers begin and end with: Show, dont tell.
How would you describe the book in movie terms?
I couldnt hope for any better than that.
As a journalist, youve interviewed a lot of creative people.
Theres something magical about that, like an animal that has gone extinct and now seems mythological.
Once the recorder was off, he wanted to know about my work, whether I enjoyed it.
I told him I love telling the stories of storytellers, which is true.
We talked about digging in, and not waiting for the muse to wake up.
We talked about the simple, roll-up-your-sleeves toil that goes into creativity.
I left that interview feeling inspired, and with a new perspective.
Is it hard switching from your journalist hat by day to fiction writer hat by night?
Daydreaming was easy, but the work part is way too easy to put off.
How long have you wanted to write this novel?
She encouraged me to try writing them down, and that quickly morphed into fiction.
I started thinking about how lucky I was that things turned out the way they did.
This book imagines a much more sinister outcome.
Where does the title come from?
Theres a line in it that goes, Now theres a tragic waste of brutal youth.
For more: find the bookon Goodreads.
