If you’ve ever read a novel by Tiffany D. Jackson, you’ll know one thing: She’s a master of the plot twist. Whether it’s the did-she-or-didn’t-she of her debut, Allegedly, or the thrilling Is the house really haunted? question of her 2021 release White Smoke, readers never really know what the ending will hold until they see it on the page.
How does she approach writing suspense?
“By making sure I give enough kernels of information throughout the text,” she says. “It’s kind of like appetizers, right? A book is very much a three-course meal. You wanna give appetizers … you maybe get to a salad before the dinner, which is typically the climax, and then you have the dessert, which is the end. I think knowing how hungry I get, I’m very mindful of making sure not only that the chapters drive the story forward, [they] also satisfy you as you go along.”
But her first career plays a role in her writing style as well. Before she was a New York Times bestseller, the Coretta Scott King—John Steptoe New Talent Award-winner and NAACP Image Award-nominee received her master’s degree in media studies from The New School, and she has more than a decade of experience in the television industry. This background in media puts a unique spin on Jackson’s storytelling, not only for crafting a killer story arc, but also with the inclusion of things like fictional podcast transcriptions, true crime book chapters, and text message exchanges between secondary characters. These additions allow readers to experience how the novel’s characters view themselves, but also how everyone else views them.
While a love of horror brought her to write White Smoke, it was also a love of film that inspired her latest release. That’s where we began our conversation.
I have seen The Weight of Blood being described as a revamped Carrie. What was it about the basic plot of Carrie that made you want to revisit that story?
When I was younger, was my absolute favorite horror movie … But there was always something about the story that stood out to me in terms of bullying and aggression and revenge, and the events of the last couple of years really inspired me. What happens if someone did get this sort of epic revenge? What kind of message would that send? And it made me think back to . <Laughs> I really wanted to honor Stephen King with this homage to his great first work. Especially since it inspired me so much to go down this path of thrillers and horrors.
