Of course we love all our authors and look forward to every event, but I can say I’ve been looking forward to this evening (which became two evenings!) since last summer. 1455 was honored to include S.A. Cosby in our 2nd annual Lit Fest (you can see him, and a bunch of other remarkable writers, in action on the panel “Inspiration Information: A #BLM Reading”), and this was just when Blacktop Wasteland began blowing up. (Stephen King has called it “a fast-paced, bareknuckle thriller.” and when The King speaks, we listen). A deeper dive was necessary, so we scheduled time for a discussion, and I’m so proud it’s 1455’s first event of 2021 in our ongoing Author Series. Suffice it to say, this remarkable novel has been like a literary tsunami, and I could have spent the first thirty minutes of our conversation just reading the myriad shout-outs.
In this wide-ranging chat, we naturally talk about the process of writing Blacktop Wasteland, some of Shawn’s literary (and cultural) influences, the role of cars (in this book and in Shawn’s life), toxic masculinity, fathers and sons, and not least, the necessary and wonderful ways barriers are being broken down across multiple artistic genres. I think it’s fair and accurate to say that the themes and concerns of this book would have been relevant 5 or 10 or 20 years ago, and they, sadly, are likely to resonate for all the wrong reasons, societally, 10 or 20 from now, but it seems fortuitous on many levels that Blacktop Wasteland came out in summer of 2020, when we saw some of the lesser angels of our political and cultural discourse on display. (No spoiler alert: Shawn also has some amazing breaking news and we talk about that toward the end of the interview!)
Check this out and I’m positive you’ll procure a copy of Blacktop Wasteland (which we encourage you to do by supporting independent booksellers and our great partners at D.C.’s historic The Potter’s House).
S.A. Cosby is an Anthony Award-winning writer from Southeastern Virginia. He is the bestselling author of Blacktop Wasteland, Amazon’s #1 Mystery and Thriller of the Year and #3 Best Book of 2020 overall, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and a Goodreads Choice Awards Semifinalist. He is also the author of the upcoming Razorblade Tears. His short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. His style and tone are influenced by his varied life experiences which include but are not limited to being a bouncer, construction worker, retail manager and for six hours a mascot for a major fast food chain in the world’s hottest costume.
