Linda Keir, the author of the novel The Swing of Things, is really two people: novelist Linda Joffe Hull and middle-grade author Keir Graff. Graff’s writing career has been multifaceted: As a freelance writer, he once wrote about Dr. Pepper knock-offs. In his first mystery novel, he sought to “deconstruct the mystery” by never solving the mystery. (He soon discovered mystery lovers weren’t really into that.) In the 1990s, he wrote over ten screenplays that garnered interest, but no sales. Finally, he found his groove writing crime novels and middle-grade children’s books. Writing about swinging, however, was a first for him.

His latest book, The Swing of Things, co-authored with Linda Joffe Hull, tells the story of Jayne and Eric Larsen, a suburban couple seeking to spice up their marriage by exploring the swingers’ scene in their neighborhood.

I was intrigued by the novel’s subject matter, and I also wanted to hear about the process of
co-writing a novel over distance. Graff lives in Chicago. Hull lives in Denver. At Chicago’s Writers Workspace, I asked Graff about the experience of writing with a co-author a thousand miles away. We talked about the challenges of writing and selling The Swing of Things, and what happens when a sure-sell doesn’t sell. (more…)

— 4 days ago