DAVID MICHAEL SLATER
SELECTED AUTHOR Q AND A

Selected responses from interviews prepared for Library Tales Publishing in June 2025. Answers are excerpted from David's original replies.

What led you to write The Vanishing?

I grew up directly (diagonally) across the street from the Tree of Life Synagogue. Shortly after the murders there, I was asked by an old friend to write a reaction piece for the AP, but I guess writing it wasn't enough to help me cope with something so devastating having hit so close to home. I began The Vanishing shortly afterward.

Do you outline your novels?

I'm a 'pantser' (as opposed to a 'plotter'), meaning I don't outline my books before writing them (i.e., I 'fly by the seat of my pants'). I figure out the plots as I go--a process that requires lots of backtracking in order to move ahead.

How do you approach dark humor?

John Irving is my role model for walking that tightrope, specifically The World According to Garp. I recently heard him say in an interview that in his work, "things are funny right up to the point they aren't," and that struck a chord with me about how I approach dark humor. I guess it's also reflective of my worldview in general.

What do you hope readers take from UGLY?

As with most of my books, I hope readers laugh, cry, and think about some aspects of life just a little bit differently.
