Cathryn Grant
Psychological Suspense Meets Suburban Noir
The line between sanity and madness fascinates me... that's why I write psychological suspense fiction. Along with that elusive line, the question that haunts me is: What set of circumstances does it take to push an individual to commit a crime? To commit homicide?
Psychological suspense can be a difficult genre to define. The description that comes the closest is this: suspense/thrillers that provoke feelings of anxiety resulting from an uncertain or psychological situation -- but you can leave out the bit about thrillers - no wild chases, stalking serial killers or overwrought jeopardy for me. I'm drawn to the potential for madness in everyday circumstances, the potential in all of us for slipping over the edge. Here's another description of the genre, including this: "Suspense novels often have an undertone of unease, of nebulous threats. This is perhaps especially common in those about domestic life ..."
Recently I've become intrigued with using the term suburban noir to describe my fiction. Characters in noir films are often obsessed, desperate and paranoid. In noir fiction, the protagonist is usually a victim or perpetrator of a crime. Suburban noir meets psychological suspense.
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Cathryn G-rant: My Blog ... rants about life and writing, or are they the same thing?
Member: Mystery Writers of America (Active), South Bay Writers Club (Santa Clara Valley branch of the California Writers Club)