Claire Isenthal
The Rising Order
DOSSIER: Writers talk about their Internet search history as the kind of thing that a non-writer, a spouse, or the police would never understand. Since you work for Google, was there anything special you did to overcome the nagging idea that, one: someone was cataloging your searches to feed an algorithm that would customize the kind of online ads you got, and two: you might have to explain why you were looking up information on domestic terrorism to someone someday.
ISENTHAL: You know, it was actually kind of the opposite and I was comforted working at Google! And because I don’t work there anymore I would be honest about this. I was able to see first hand how seriously Google took their users’ privacy. While they, of course, have a lot of information stored about people to feed algorithms, they’re extremely strict about how they safeguard it and are even more strict about collecting and sharing data of certain browsing behavior (for example medical history). However, on the flip side, I was able to see how liberal other companies are (ahem, won’t name any names but you can guess who…) with how they share that data and that’s what I find extremely scary and disconcerting. Google was always punished by advertisers for what they chose not to share, and for being extremely protective of user data. Other competitors would go as far as targeting the IP address of your computer or SmartTV, and even your phone’s device ID. As for explaining my own personal search history after doing research for the book – OH ya! I’m being watched somewhere. When I was browsing Jolly Roger’s Cookbook (basically an anarchist website about how to build explosives) I knew there had to be a little flag on my account. Kind of crazy to think about how much or how little someone from the government might know about you at any time. The internet is truly a map and blueprint of our deepest fears, anxieties, and interests.
DOSSIER: Experience, and some may say age, can shape a person’s ability to craft a good written story, but in your case, you’ve written a debut thriller that’s getting a lot of attention. Did you find that drawing from your experience at a music concert where the stage collapsed helped give your own story more authenticity because of what you saw there? What if you had not been there that day?
ISENTHAL: Absolutely it did. I try to draw from all my experiences and apply it to my writing. For those who aren’t aware of what you’re referring to, it was the Sugarland concert at the Indiana State Fair in 2011. I still remember the tangible feel of panic exploding around me, I still remember how quickly people were to stampede to safety. I still remember how the stage swayed slightly, and then like a stack of cards folded. But if I hadn’t been there, sadly violence and horrific atrocities seem to occur everywhere and then are plastered all over the news and social media. I don’t have to search hard to find it. Take what’s happening in Israel and Gaza right now. Some of the graphic images, interviews and video footage are almost unbearable. But, it’s as if we’ve become desensitized and tragedy has become a way to capture people’s attention. My writing partner ‘jokes’ that almost everything I write eerily pans out in some capacity in the real world…For example, in my forward and content warning at the beginning of my book, I mention the Ariana Grande Manchester concert, but I had written the terrorist scene that unfolds in my book long before that incident occurred.
DOSSIER: When and where do you write, and what kind of environment do you prefer? (Music/silence/an Indianapolis coffee shop?)
ISENTHAL: Anywhere away from my needy, demanding children!! Just kidding… but not really. Oftentimes, I try to sneak away to a different room in my house (usually the basement) in order to maximize the time I have and squeeze in as much writing as I can since it’s so limited now. This must come with a moody, smoldering playlist, obviously. But, I do get way more inspiration and focus when I’m able to leave and go somewhere to write, and a local cozy coffee shop is always my favorite when I do… OR, even better sneak away to a hotel for a whole day and night where I have nothing to do but write… that’s a fantasy I’ve been having for a while.
DOSSIER: Many departments of the US government have what they call an Office of Prepublication and Security Review. Did you have any type of non-disclosure hurdles to overcome, and if you didn’t, do you think Google is more or less interested in what you’re up to now that you have a hit book on your hands?
ISENTHAL: I did have to go through a review at Google a few years ago before going to my first writer’s conference, but simply to verify that I wasn’t disclosing or releasing any sort of proprietary data. I submitted it for review to be precautious, but I don’t think I necessarily had to since it’s a work of fiction. Truthfully, I think they hardly glanced over it and since I’ve left the company this summer, they lost interest in me VERY fast (rude???). However, some of my very close friends and previous managers at Google were a huge support system while I was writing the book and getting it ready for publication, and I couldn’t be more grateful for how they turned out for me during pub week! Tapping into any network is so incredibly important when trying to get the word out there about your debut since no one knows who you are yet, and it goes to show the importance of building and diversifying that network prior to releasing your book in any capacity that you can.
DOSSIER: You belong to a writers group that helped shape your manuscript, and you’ve even gone so far as to rewrite most of it at some point. Did you decide on a rewrite because you didn’t like it, something new hit you and you thought you could make it better, or was there some outside societal event that gave you a great idea on where to take the story?
ISENTHAL: I love this question!! A lot of my rewrites centered around voice and character, because originally I wrote my alternating POV as 1st person and not 3rd person close. When I hired a developmental editor (the amazing Ryan Steck!), despite some of the changes we made to the story he kept coming back to the voices sounding too similar. Many of the problems we ran into could be resolved if we switched POV (and tense from present to past). Listening to my editor’s advice, and trusting him, was one of the best decisions I made. Another huge change was my main character’s race, which, of course, influences their whole identity. Originally Flynn was a bi-racial character, but because I, myself, am not a lot of agents had concerns about my ability to write an authentic character with authentic experiences, which is completely valid.
So, I decided to change her race and background (a Jewish woman) to more closely align with my own.
Website: claireIsenthal.com Amazon Author Page
DOSSIER NOTE: I reached out to Steck and he told The Dossier that Isenthal is one of the most talented writers he’s ever met, and that he—like everyone else—is impatiently waiting to see what happens in Isenthal’s forthcoming sequel.
Jeff Circle 