Page 39 - Reader's House magazine

television news. We’ve known for years that we have similar tastes in books, TV shows and movies. When the pandemic grounded us to a halt and Matt was completely isolated and Jessica was trapped in her house with three teenagers and a loud husband, we needed an outlet for creativity and to regain our sanity. In 1997 Matt had driven south from Virginia to Hilton Head, SC, to start a job as a reporter for a small newspaper called the Hilton Head Island Packet. It was a spooky night drive to an unfamiliar place. That’s when he started thinking: what if he got bumped off and the guy who showed up for work the next day at The Packet was an impostor? After all, he’d been hired over the phone. No one had any idea what he looked like. That kernel of an idea rattled around in Matt’s head for decades. But it never went beyond that until February 2020, when he re- layed the rough idea to Jessica during a family dinner. She loved the story outline and sug- gested the two write the novel together (Matt was lukewarm on the proposal). Soon after, she was on the phone with a coroner from Jasper County, SC, confirming that a dead body can, n fact, travel 75 miles from an inland river to the ocean largely intact. There was no going back and Matt agreed to co-author the crime thriller with his sister. experience in sports journalism influence any aspects of the book’s newsroom setting? No, not really. We make a few references to professional sports but mostly stay away from it (Ben Broome definitely is not a sports guy). I mostly drew from my two years as a news and environment reporter at the Island Packet. It was such a small, intimate, lively newsroom – everyone was crammed together and there were no secrets. You knew exactly what your colleague was working on because he or she was yammering on the phone inches from you. It was my first full-time job, an experience I’ll never forget. The book shifts between the perspectives of a killer, a detective, and a reporter— what were the challenges and rewards of writing from these different viewpoints? We found that writing a crime thriller from different viewpoints is essential to keeping the readers on their toes. What one character inter- prets as a clue might be overlooked or played down by another. What one character thinks is a successful day on the job another believes is a total bust. Not only is it captivating to read these different perspectives, but it takes the reader a minute to decipher and think through what is really going on. The novel explores themes of identity and deception—how did you approach crafting Ben Broome as such a complex The challenge, on the other hand, is making sure the reader knows from whose perspective their current chapter is told. Every chapter in Muddy the Water starts with the perspective – Matt and Jessica masterfully Ben, Grimes or Florence – but readers need to pay attention as they move along through the blend journalistic expertise with book. storytelling brilliance, delivering a debut thriller that’s both captivating and authentic. and charismatic character? We did a deep dive into psychopathy, a personality disorder that involves a lack of empathy, antisocial behavior, and manipulative tendencies. Ben Broome is an undiagnosed psychopath. He does not relish killing but will do what it takes to achieve his goals. If that re- D R A F T Muddy the Water is an outstanding debut thriller by Matt Barrows and Jessica Barrows Beebe. With a gripping narrative told through three perspectives, the story blends murder, identity, and journalism seamlessly. Character- driven, suspenseful, and fast- paced, it’s a masterful exploration With Muddy the Water winning the of ambition and morality, Literary Global Book Award for Debut culminating in a surprising and Fiction, how do you both feel about the reception, and are there plans for a satisfying finale. follow-up? We are very proud to have received the Literary Global Book Award for Debut Fiction. As journalists, we care about solid, accurate writing and we took pains – and interviewed a number of experts – to make sure our novel was grounded in science and facts. It is really gratifying to be recognized for our work. quires him to become a charming, charismatic We have just begun plotting a sequel — stay an avid bird watcher, THERE IS NO BIRD CALLED A SEAGULL. He went on to explain in dry, boring terms that the category is “gull” and that there are herring gulls, laughing gulls, ring-billed gulls, etc., etc. Apparently, there are no seagulls. By this point Jessica had put a pillow over her head, knowing it was going to be a bumpy ride to the finish line – five years later. colleague in a newsroom, he can become that tuned! person. But you don’t have to be a psychopath to don a mask and change your personality. In fact, does anyone ever show their true self? Jessica, as a former journalist and documentarian, how did your experience shape the portrayal of investigative reporting in the novel? I worked in newsrooms for a lot of my early career. Those newsrooms are tumultuous places – lots of sweat, stress and yelling. We wanted to show those aspects, and also the idea that reporters work very hard for very little but they are proud to bring important truths to their readers. Matt, you’ve covered the San Francisco 49ers for over two decades—did your As siblings, were there any fun disagreements or moments of sibling rivalry during the writing process? Or did you find ways to work together seamlessly? Overall, we worked well together but “seamlessly” is too strong. Our writing process initially worked like this: Jessica wrote the chapters from the perspectives of the two fe- male characters (the detective and the reporter) and Matt wrote the chapters told by the male antagonist (Ben). Then we swapped our work and edited the other. The initial editing session was long and grueling because the FIRST SENTENCE that Jessica wrote in the whole book included the word “seagull.” According to Matt, who is What advice would you give to aspiring authors looking to co-write a novel, especially those coming from a journalism background? Set the ground rules for your day-to-day writing life, such as who writes what, who edits what, can someone veto an idea or storyline, who makes research queries? Once the ground rules are set, dive in (and be patient with one another). There are lots of benefits to co-writing a book: it helps ideas flow freely, you presumably can finish faster and potential- ly double your readership (stay tuned on that last point)! Oh, and definitely don’t use the word “seagull.” Reader’s House II 39