Thomas Keech has written seven novels – about state politics, teenagers entangled in suburban corruption, college romance, the medical board’s prosecution of a predatory physician, and the political dystopian series: The Red State/Blue State Confessions. He is a former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maryland and a founding member of the Willing Writers of Annapolis.
TBE: Can you tell us a little about recent release, ‘Mallory’s Manly Methods’ that isn’t in the blurb? What is the significance of the title?
Thomas Keech: The character of Mallory actually originated as a minor character in my first novel,The Crawlspace Conspiracy. People have been asking me to expand on that character for years, but other projects seemed to get in the way. It was really fun to develop him further, though it was quite a challenge to spin a whole plot around such an oddball character.
The title, Mallory’s Manly Methods, is meant to convey his distorted idea of what it means to be a man and how that idea can flourish only in the context of constant lying and self-delusion. When he falls in love, of course, his manly methods don’t really work.
TBE: One of the things I’ve liked about the character of Kevin Mallory you wrote in this book is how, while flawed, he’s always likable character and relatable. Do you have a process you go through to create these awesome characters?
Thomas Keech: I develop my characters from people I’ve known in real life, in this case exaggerated quite a bit. There are people like Mallory walking around. They might not be people you would like to stop and chat with for an afternoon, but if you keep your ears open and look out of the corner of your eye, you might notice there are more of these people around than you suspected.
Every character I create has some part of a real person I have known. That having been said, I once wrote a novel, Prey for Love, that was told as a first person account by a fourteen-year-old girl, and another from her sixteen-year-old friend’s perspective. I guess I don’t really know where my characters come from.
TBE: Your way with words is genius. It’s a style that I can’t define. A mix between ‘one-liner analogies so perfectly descriptive while also being a joke and hysterical and important to the story’ all at once. Do you consider yourself a humorist or a satirist or a funny writer?
Thomas Keech: I consider myself a satirist. There is so much in our present world that is ripe for satire that it’s almost too easy. But, in Mallory, I was going for what you might call “character satire,” that is, plumbing the contradictions and idiocies of one particular character.
I found Mallory interesting because he tells lies only in defense. If he could use his unusual skills on offense, consistently, to obtain some nefarious goal, he would be truly dangerous. He’s creative enough to get out of almost any situation, but he can’t think far enough ahead to execute a dangerous plan. Also, his own weaknesses, e.g., cognac, food, keep safe (almost) his intended victims.
TBE: In addition to the countless laughs your book brings, there’s also such genuine heart at the core. How did you manage this?
Thomas Keech: In the beginning of the book, you see Mallory as a misogynist, a racist, a compulsive liar, a glutton, and a slacker. Even his approach to love is pitiable and downright detestable. But he remains faithful to that love.
Also, his racist beliefs and fears are soon challenged by an actual friendship with young Thomas, which happens to be the first real friendship of his life. None of this, of course, immediately changes the distorted perception of women he has learned from Manly Man or the perception of Blacks as different and dangerous that he has learned from his mother. And Mallory simply has no source of information about the world other than the twenty-year-old waiter at the Dough and Go.
But he is capable of some sort of love and friendship, and that’s a start. I tried to show that his twisted ideas came not just from the pain he suffered from his father abandoning the family, but also, and more importantly, from his father’s verbal abuse and belittling conduct which left Mallory with the conviction that there was something wrong with him as a son. When Mallory pathetically buys the same kind of rifle his father promised years ago to teach him to shoot (but never did), and when this makes him feel like he is finally becoming a man (even though Gus refused to sell him any bullets) I tried to show the twisted, sad upbringing that could result in such a distorted view of life, and such an unmanly man.
TBE: You come up with some of the wonderful characters. All characters, Kevin, Thomas and Nell, live on in the reader’s mind for long period of time because of the way you created them. How? Where do these people come from?
Thomas Keech: Kevin is an exaggeration of a type of person we have all run into. Thomas and Nell originally serve as foils to his prejudices and fears. Because they do not fit his stereotypes, they create an instant conflict within his soul. The characters were created to generate this conflict, but they each ended up taking on a life of their own. I can’t really explain that other than to say they both became intensely interesting to me as they interacted with Mallory in different ways.
As a writer, you start asking yourself, how would a woman who is lonely but who feels no romantic attraction to a co-worker react to his persistent advances? How would an outgoing, friendly young Black man who is being forced to live with his parents react to his strange bachelor neighbor? You imagine these characters, and then you give them a little room to grow.
TBE: Often in life, it’s our greatest challenges that make or break us. What do you think is the determining factor between whether we grow by our adversity or are destroyed by it? What is the message you want to share with the world through your book?
Thomas Keech: I think everyone has to have at least a kernel of belief in their own worth. I’m not saying anyone needs a giant ego or a smug sense of self-satisfaction, or even a feeling of competence and confidence, but they must believe that in some way they deserve to be on this earth. I think if that inner feeling is not present, challenges will be seen as threats rather than opportunities. I don’t know how this feeling of self-worth comes about. But in Mallory’s case, I don’t think listening to Manly Man was going to help.
TBE: We live in what often feels like a crazy and stressed-out world. What would be the number one piece of advice you’d give to someone who is currently struggling with life?
Thomas Keech: I don’t have any magic, all-purpose advice. Maybe remember that there are probably many others who have the same or similar problems. Maybe seek them out, if possible. And maybe try to find a relative, friend, neighbor, classmate, co-worker who will listen. You might find someone who is facing the same kind of issues or at least understands what you’re feeling.
TBE: Is there anything you are currently working on that may intrigue the interest of your readers?
Thomas Keech: I’m now working on the sequel to Mallory’s Manly Methods. I can’t let this character off with just one book.
