Benjamin Stevenson Answers 5 Questions about his Gripping New Mystery, Either Side of Midnight

What inspired the idea behind this book?

My novel is about a television anchor who commits suicide during a broadcast and poses the question of how it can be murder when there a million witnesses (the viewers). There was a US television reporter who shot herself on live television during a news broadcast in the 1970s, that I read about, and the story glued itself to my brain and wouldn’t let go. I knew immediately that this horrible act, under the glare of uncomfortably hot spotlights, in a buzzing live television studio, not only would be a thrilling start to a novel but also that it could have more behind it. On an inquisitive level, I was interested in how this would have happened and what happened afterwards, but I was also emotionally fascinated by why? Those were juicy enough questions, with a dramatic opening chapter, to throw me into the book headfirst.

Does the creative process get easier for you with each book?

My immediate reaction was ‘definitely not’, as I found this one much harder to write at the time until my fiancé reminded me ‘you were like this during the first one too’, so I think every book has the feeling of standing on top of a mountain and not quite being sure how you’ve conquered it. I definitely learned lessons in plotting and editing that were useful the second time around, and so I think I wrote this one to more structure and with a harsher inner critic. But creatively, I did find it much more difficult, as it goes to some very dark places and also required a good deal of research to make it as realistic as possible.

That said, I’m writing my next one now and I’m back to thinking ‘this is the hardest thing ever’, so ask me again in a year and I’ll have changed my mind.

What was the most challenging part of writing this book?

This book straddles some cutting-edge interpretations of the law and the world, including what does and doesn’t constitute a crime. Literally daily while I was writing, I would find breaking news stories that either enhanced my book or poked new holes in the narrative, and I had to rework the book a lot to make sure that it stayed grounded and realistic, and true to what was happening in the world right now. There are sections of the book that were added just before it was finalised because it was so to-the-minute. I found that very challenging and also very rewarding.

Who are your favourite authors, and why?

I like books with high concepts that set us up the top of a rollercoaster and let us hurtle to the finish, and I like thoughtful thrillers that reveal more than meets the eye. Stuart Turton is a new favourite, as are old hands Scott Smith, Stephen King, and Cormac McCarthy. Any Aussie crime sits nicely on my shelf, particularly Jane Harper and Peter Temple. And I have a voracious appetite for anything written by Helen Garner.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m working on a short side project which is a kidnap thriller that has been a lockdown project. I’m also working hard on a new novel which I would love to tell you what it’s about, but the manuscript and I are still in a bit of fisticuffs over that particular point, so if I told you what I think it’s about today, it might not be true tomorrow.