An Interview with Christian Whitney

Christian Gilman Whitney was born and raised in Western Massachusetts. He received his MFA from Bennington College, and his short fiction has appeared in several literary journals. I Have Never Felt Alive is his first novel. Learn more at www.writtenbycgw.com.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

It took me quite a while to come up with the book’s title. I began writing the novel when I was around twenty-one years old and worked on it off and on for about fifteen years. Over those years, whenever I came back to this novel, I always attached a new title to it, and I was never in love with any of them. But finally, toward the end of writing the novel, I wrote a scene in which two of the main characters have a frank discussion about their lives, and through that scene, came up with the title, which was spoken by one of the characters. I was immediately hooked with it, and thought that it perfectly encapsulated the mood of the novel and the overall feeling that I wanted to convey.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

When I received the PDF with all the options for the cover, I knew right away which one was perfect. I had downloaded Adobe Illustrator and had tinkered with some ideas and concepts on my own, trying to come up with what I thought the cover should look like. After sending those thoughts in, Ronaldo Alves and his Atmosphere Press team came up with some fantastic ideas but one of them stood out among the rest, and that’s what we see today. When I first held the book in my hands, it was a surreal and gratifying experience. Especially the hardcover! I felt like I had truly “made it” as a writer, and it was a very special day.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I used to teach high school English, before the school I taught at unfortunately closed and that’s when I went to graduate school. While teaching, I tried to instill a love of reading and writing and I’m happy to report that at least one of my students has gone on to pursue a life in writing, earning their MFA in Creative Writing! A very proud moment when I learned that.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

While writing, I tend to listen to instrumental music so that I don’t get confused and begin writing the lyrics in the middle of a paragraph. However, there are some key songs that I was listening to when I wasn’t writing that helped inform my thoughts about the story, the characters, etc. They are:

1. “Carry Me Ohio” – Sun Kil Moon: This song is an obvious addition, as some of the lyrics are included in the epigraph of the novel. Special thanks again to Sun Kil Moon not only for writing it, but for letting us use the lyrics!

2. “My Hometown” & “Darkness On the Edge of Town” – Bruce Springsteen: Two great songs from Bruce that I feel showcase both the love and disdain that someone can have for their hometown, something that runs through the theme of my novel.

3. “The Freshman” – The Verve Pipe: Growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s, who didn’t have a reaction to this song? We were all young, making mistakes, and again, a key theme from the book.

4. “Criminal” – Fiona Apple: A quasi-anthem for the female lead in the novel, and is also applicable to the main character as well. Young people chasing their own desires.

For the instrumental music, the entire catalog of the band Deaf Center was on repeat while I wrote. Dark, moody, visceral music, perfect for crafting the same type of fiction.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I hope people can relate to the ennui and confusion that the young people in my novel are experiencing. We all went through some level of it, and those of us who grew up in towns that are struggling economically can hopefully relate to the feeling of being lost, stuck, and hopeless, what with the growing insecurities in the world and the uncertainty of the future. I envision my perfect reader as a wide range of personalities: those who have lived these experiences, those who are currently (or about to) live through this phase of their lives, or older readers who want a raw insight into how the youth of today are coping with it all.

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

I’m currently working on my second novel, which started as a short story I worked on in graduate school. It’s a noir/thriller novel, with the main theme being the difficulties of holding together a marriage while faced with crushing debt and a crumbling society.

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

It has been amazing working with Atmosphere Press. From the initial contact to the printing of the novel and beyond, they have been in my corner and nothing but supportive and helpful. Always ready with an answer when I had a question, and always prepared to help in any way they can. I would recommend Atmosphere Press to any writer who wants to work with a publisher that takes time and care with their work and does all they can to ensure a wonderful product on the path to publication!

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.