On June 14, 2011, Bill Loehfelm, most recently the author of The Devil She Knows, came to Literati bookstore in Memphis, Tennessee. Loehfelm, despite his tattoos and earrings, had a deep, calm voice and relaxed presence. Because the audience consisted solely of myself and three other women, Loehfelm decided to leave the podium and take his coffee to sit with us and answer questions.
And answer questions he did, patiently describing his writing process, publication history, and his life in academia as well as in the restaurant biz. For over an hour he chatted and provided insight into how he came to be sitting on the other side of the table, signing the books.
Loehfelm told the story of how he submitted his first novel, Fresh Kills, to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, which was eventual chosen as the inaugural winner. He discussed the pleasures and frustrations of watching his novel be publicly discussed by readers during the selection process.
Currently, Loehfelm teaches at the University of New Orleans, with his wife AC Lambeth, who also teaches at UNO. Before he was a published writer and professor, he worked the restaurant scene, which he described as being a vicious cycle of working to earn money and then spending it and then working to earn more to make the rent until a year or years have gone by with nothing to show. Loehfelm said that he had encountered a particular kind of woman, intelligent and gutsy, who turned up often as a waitress or a bartender. This kind of woman tended to get stuck in the life not because of lack of ambition, but because of not having specific goals and following through with them.
Maureen, the main character of The Devil She Knows is just this kind of woman: intelligent, driven, but still unable to make it out of the repetitious restaurant life. In fact, as the novel begins, she is broke and trying to make rent, but in the midst of her efforts, she gets a little drunk and a little too high and accidentally stumbles into a liaison between a coworker and a would-be politician. As a result, Maureen finds herself fighting to stay one step ahead of the bad guys.
While having plenty of suspense, The Devil She Knows also manages to include literary elements such as character development. While Maureen might have begun as a type in Loehfelm’s head, she develops into a complex and sympathetic character. John and Molly, friends by necessity of Maureen’s, also take on lives of their own, as they choose to help her and stand up to forces that seem beyond their control.
In one particularly scene, before Molly has been convinced that she wants to help protect Maureen, she organizes a confrontation over a burger and fries split between them, but gains the authority in the meal by watching as Maureen eats and not touching her own food. Without being heavy-handed, the scene shows Molly’s hesitation at helping another young, pretty woman and Maureen’s own frustration and desperation. At the end of the confrontation, Maureen throws her money on the table and acknowledges, “Molly, fight’s what I’ve got left.” (110) Both women are established as individuals, not just stock characters.
As Loehfelm discussed his novel, he explained that he chose a female character because he wanted to explore issues of power. A woman, and Maureen is a petite woman at that, does not have the same physical strength as a large, body-building man, which Sebestian, the antagonist, is. In addition, as a waitress, Maureen has lower social stature than the business owner and potential politician. By exploring the issues of power, Loehfelm manages to create a complex plot with psychological depth.
Meeting Loehfelm was a treat and reading The Devil She Knows was an even bigger treat. I highly recommend buying the book and reading it. In addition, hearing him discuss the difficulties of getting into an MFA program, publishing, and being hired for a professorial position, it was a comfort to a fellow writer that was much appreciated. His strongest advice to those who are working to establish themselves is to keep writing. And thank you, Bill Loehfelm, I will.
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