Aaron Philip Clark
Author Interview - Aaron Philip Clark
Author of The Bluest Night
Families are complicated. Former LAPD detective turned private investigator Trevor Finnegan might have only just learned he has an adult half-brother, but when Avery Dixion goes missing along with his girlfriend Keisha, he springs into action to track his sibling down. Trevor knows from his time in law enforcement that missing Black folk are often at the bottom of the cops’ priority list, and soon his worst fears are realized when Keisha is found dead in Malibu―and Avery is suspected of the crime.
What were Avery and Keisha doing in Malibu when they had arranged to meet Trevor’s father, Shaun “Pop” Finnegan, for the first time in Palm Springs? And if Avery killed his girlfriend, why is he so badly beaten that he can barely remember his own name?
Convinced his brother’s no killer, Trevor turns to a dangerous former client, wealthy Malibu resident Cassandra Boyle, for help navigating the inner workings of the conservative beach town. But the deeper Trevor digs into what really happened to Keisha, the closer he gets to a deadly conspiracy so vast and vile that if he survives, he’ll never be the same again.
Author Interview - Aaron Philip Clark
Author I draw inspiration from:
I draw a great deal of inspiration from Walter Mosley. The first crime novel I read was Devil In A Blue Dress, and the Easy Rawlins series inspired me to create Detective Trevor Finnegan.
Author Interview - Aaron Philip Clark | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
I love reading in bed. Typically, I read for an hour before going to sleep.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I can't say I'd want to be stuck in an elevator, but if I were to be stuck, it would be with Tom Ripley. I find Highsmith's seminal character fascinating, and the Ripley novels inspired me to write All The Smoke, which centers on a sociopathic rapper named Thomas "Maz" Kincaid. It's a reimagining of Ripley's character set in the world of hip-hop.
Author Interview - Aaron Philip Clark | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I can't pick a particular moment, but I always loved stories and figured I'd either write stories, comics, or screenplays. I actually went to film school to study screenwriting, but fell in love with writing prose in graduate school.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I prefer paperback and audiobooks. Hardbacks are clunky, and the dust jacket always falls off.
The last book I read:
I read Walter Mosley's Gray Dawn in preparation for having him on my podcast, The Culture Point, and because I really love Easy Rawlins, but particularly I love how a more seasoned Easy, now in his 50s, solves cases.
Author Interview - Aaron Philip Clark | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I typically do my outlines by hand in marbled Composition Books. However, when I write, I do so on a computer.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I think I'd be good friends with Lew Archer. I've always appreciated Ross Macdonald for deviating from the tough-guy detective trope and developing a more sensitive, emotionally astute character.
Author Interview - Aaron Philip Clark | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
If I weren't an author, I'd be a poet, songwriter, film editor, or comic book artist.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
The 1980s were the most fun. The fashion and pop culture at that time promised a kind of futuristic aesthetic that sadly never came to be, but it was a boom decade full of promise.
Place I’d most like to travel:
I would love to take a tour around Japan and study its incredible culture!
My signature drink:
I'd say my signature cocktail is a Dark' n' Stormy.
Favorite artist:
It'll be impossible for me to pick a favorite musical artist or writer, but when it comes to painters, I'd say Annie Lee and Jackson Pollack are at the top of my list.
Number one on my bucket list:
I want to improve my Japanese and become fluent in a few other languages with the hope of one day retiring abroad.
Anything else you'd like to add:
Following my collaboration with icon 50 cent on The Accomplice, I have recently teamed up with renowned civil rights attorney Ben L. Crump to co-author his debut legal thriller.
Find more from the author:
About Aaron Philip Clark:
Aaron Philip Clark
Aaron Philip Clark is a USA Today best-selling novelist, and also a well-known screenwriter, professor, and host of The Culture Point Podcast. His fiction powerfully explores themes of race, justice, identity, and redemption against the vivid backdrop of Los Angeles. Clark co-authored the thriller The Accomplice with entertainment mogul Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and has collaborated with renowned civil rights attorney Ben L. Crump.
His latest novel, The Bluest Night, marks the third installment in the Detective Trevor Finnegan series.
