The CultureMap Interview
Behind the vampire: Justin Cronin — the new Stephenie Meyer (with literary cred) — on kids, Crowe and his Houston writing life
Hometown literary hero Justin Cronin has made it. His 766-page The Passage, the first book in an epic trilogy, hits the shelves next week. The Rice University professor has become the class favorite of the publishing world, making a splash in all of the influential industry voices, including Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly and Indie Next List. Meanwhile, the script for a film adaptation of The Passage is in the works as Fox 2000 prepares to shoot what is destined to be the next vampire blockbuster.
When The Passage goes on sale on Tuesday, Cronin will embark on a 20-city international tour that includes two stops in Houston, as well as cities in Canada, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. The literary celebrity took a pause this afternoon to speak with CultureMap about his Houston identity and rise to book world stardom.
CultureMap: How does Houston figure into The Passage?
Justin Cronin: There's a good slice of material that takes place here at the beginning of the story. A very important scene centers on the corner of San Felipe and the West Loop, under the freeway. Houston matters. Texas matters, too — there's a scene that takes place in Huntsville. I find that you write about places that capture your imagination and attention.
Houston is an interesting city to look at, but you need to learn to see it. It's a place of constant renewal — ripping something up and putting down something new. It has its own visual rules. Living there makes you look at it very carefully.
CM: Describe your life in Houston?
JC: I came here to teach at Rice. I've been a faculty member there for seven years. My wife and I have two kids, and we spent our first six years in West Houston, near Memorial City. We moved inside the Loop last year, to Bellaire, and my children attend school here. Before the book, I lived the life of a guy with two kids — I have a 13-year-old and seven-year-old. When I'm not working, I'm with them. Children are very busy now — they're like small businesses.
When I was a kid, I'd just walk out the front door into the woods, and come back home when I needed food or a change of clothes. Once I sold The Passage, I had to travel a lot, so my wife left her job as a high school teacher to help raise the kids.
CM: In today's article in The New York Times, you are described as the shining star of last week's annual book industry convention, BookExpo America. What was it like being there?
JC: The first thing I saw when I walked in was a giant banner of the cover of the book. It was described in the article as the size of a city bus — it was actually 60 feet long (twice the size of a bus). It felt great. Writing is a very solitary life. I live quite anonymously, which suits me pretty well.
But when you're done with a book and come out of your cave, it's nice to hear what people think about it. You go to New York and realize you're part of something larger, a whole industry — editors, publishers, promoters. It's all held up by books — and you wrote one. It's a lot of social contact for somebody who spent three years locked writing in his room.
CM: How is the second installment of the series coming along?
JC: The book is behaving (chuckling). It's a psychological accomplishment. There's a point in composing a novel where you're trying to tame it and make it behave. I'm in the daily part of it — just sitting down in my office everyday and writing. It's a great job, and I'm lucky to have it. Writing these vivid scenes everyday — it requires ingenuity. Every single plot sequence requires a lot of energy to get it right. Ultimately, I just like writing sentences. It's my favorite thing to do.
CM: What's the status of the book's film adaptation?
JC: I believe they have a script. I was in touch with John Logan within the last week, and he said they were in the final stages of ironing that out. He and Ridley Scott are preparing to take it to the studio. It almost all happens off my radar.
CM: Do you have a wish list for the cast?
JC: Thank God I do not have to pick. The casting agents would be choosing from a pool of actors who I know less well, since the main cast of characters is people in their 20s. However, Russell Crowe would make an awfully good Wolgast (an FBI agent).
CM: Will you be returning in the fall to Rice?
JC: The university has let me do my own thing for a period of time.
CM: Where do you like to go in Houston to accomplish your writing?
JC: I never leave the second-story office in my home. My writing involves a ton of research and requires a lot of space and a lot of resources. Have you seen The Fly? When it comes to working only in my office, I'm like the crazy scientist who always wears the same outfit day after day, just so he doesn't have to think about it.
There's an image of the writer haunting coffeehouses with his laptop, but I have to keep lists and a huge white board. I don't have to bother with, "Where do I want to go today?" I'm the anti-romantic when it comes to that.
CM: What can we expect at your two book tour stops in Houston?
JC: I hope to bring a mixture of talking, reading, signing and meeting people. For Houston guests, I can give a better explanation on how the city informed my writing. But my favorite part is to speak with people, if only for just shy of a minute, to understand what they thought about the book.
Justin Cronin will appear on June 9 at Brazos Bookstore and June 25 at Barnes & Noble Bookstore at River Oaks Shopping Center.
