OTL 52: Adam Mansbach  Kevin Coval Excerpt 1
Adam Mansbach: It's called "The Dead Run" because it involves dead people running. It's a different lane, I mean, of course every book is different than every other book. One of the pleasures and joys of being a novelist is the fact that with each project you invent an entire new universe, you grapple with a whole new set of problems... That being said, this is very different from anything else I've ever done. It's a different genre, and the way that the publishing industry is organized, there is a certain separation of genres. Like, this is a different floor in the Harper Collins building than the floor where they do literary fiction, you know. It's a whole different thing. For me, one of the joys of writing is also learning the rules of different genres. I think sometimes creativity is bolstered by parameters, by having specific rules you have to follow, whether that is rhyming to a 4/4 beat at 94 beats per minute, or, in the case of a supernatural thriller, ending each chapter with a twist or a cliffhanger, weaving 4 points of view together, constantly upping the stakes, keeping the thing rolling along at a frenetic breakneck pace. So, the opportunity to do a thriller presented itself a couple years ago when "Go The Fuck To Sleep" came out and everyone was kinda fuckin' with me, in a good way

SameOldShawn: As opposed to now?

Adam Mansbach: Yeah, exactly. So I did a two book deal for a couple of thrillers, and "The Dead Run" is the first and there will also be a sequel to it