Black Box — The Gift of Betrayal: A Q & A with author COLLEEN SHANA
“You’ve fucked with my husband, Skank. Now, it’s time to fuck with me.”
Author Colleen Shana grins and shakes her head as she reads this line from her new book, Black Box, The Gift of Betrayal. “I know, I know… My sending this text message was terrible behavior. But what can I say? Revenge is serious business, Sister. “
Serious, indeed — especially when the deception involved both your husband and best friend.
Nonetheless, Shana has readers rallying beside her and laughing hard as her leading character, 40-something “Jennifer Langham,” embarks on a mission of revenge, retribution, and compensation — political correctness, anger management and anti-depressants, be damned! Along the way, she not only battles the “witch” and her coven of high society, warty-nosed sisters, she slays personal dragons and beds the odd yummy warrior.
And when her mission is accomplished? She leaves the adulterers to their rutting, takes her “black box” — her gift of betrayal – and sets forth on a sizzling, sensational new life; the best revenge of all!
Here’s what Shana had to say in our Q & A:
1. Is Black Box a book about cheating?
No. Cheating is for adolescents. Black Box is a story for Grown Up girls. It’s a story of adultery. A gritty, raw, sumptuous tale of betrayal, conspiracy and revenge.
2. Why do you refer to the other woman as a “witch”?
I wanted to expose and define the role of the contemporary witch in marriage dysfunction. Jennifer is awakening to the presence of dark women in her life. NB: Of the hundreds of women whose stories I’ve heard, whose heartbreak I’ve felt (usually in the rear galley, middle of the night, somewhere over the Pacific) all of them, ALL of them involved a witch.
3. What was the inspiration for Black Box?
It was for you, girlfriend. If you are reading this, I don’t know you, you don’t me, but I wrote this for you. If your husband has betrayed you as mine did me, then I dedicate Black Box to you. I hope we meet one day. Look out for me: I’m the girl asking if you’d like chicken or fish.
4. Why choose a “black box” as the metaphor for your title and book?
When a plane crashes, find the black box recorder and it will reveal the reason why. When my marriage-plane unexpectedly crashed, I went in search of the black box. To my wonder I found there were hundreds of them! They were littering and glittering my future, waiting for me to find them. A gorgeous new man, a fabulous new job, adventures, laughs, and treasures beyond my wildest imagination.
5. Why will readers love your main character, Jennifer Langham?
They probably won’t. She’s a difficult piece of work. But I think they will like her. Hopefully they will relate to her. She’s in crisis, she’s found out her husband is a serial adulterer and she’s determined to make a royal flush out of a pair of two’s.
6. What can you say to women who are getting divorced in their 40s?
When others tell you must “move on,” tell them to “fuck off.” It’s your life, it’s your crisis, it’s your anger. Own it. Live it. Enjoy it! Jennifer Langham certainly did, and so did I. I’d never felt as alive as I did in the year following discovery. It was magical.
7. What is the question you get asked most by readers about Black Box?
Did I have a one night romance with handsome Swedish stranger Sven, that night in Bangkok? I did, and I will relive it all on my death-bed day. I will shiver with delight at the memory. And I know he will too.
8. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Stupid cliche’s – most particularly ‘Unconditional Love.’ If love was unconditional we’d all love everyone and love would be cancelled out. Love, is of course, entirely conditional.
9. If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
Grapes. Fermented. Of course.
10. Black Box is your first novel, but your first release was two collections of short stories Femmes du Monde and C’est La Vie. Where did you get the idea to do a collection of stories, in addition to novels?
I’ve spent my life collecting stories. Like others collect fridge magnets, handbags or stamps, I collect stories. One year, the tales involving women who had crossed my path, all sprang to front of mind: each vignette reappeared with crystal clarity. They were in every way, extraordinary. Their stories simply had to be told. And also I needed to free up space in my head. My wetware was full to bursting.
11. Are the stories old or new?
They are without time limits. Love, angst, tragedy, revenge…it doesn’t have a calendar. Not even one of those nice ones where every month features a revoltingly cute puppy or kitten.
12. Which story would readers be most surprised is true, and why?
None. My readers are smart women. Women of the world – Femmes du Monde. I am in contact with them every time I walk into a cafe, every time I go to work, every time I wait at a bus stop in LA, Auckland, Sydney or London. My readers are my friends. They won’t be surprised. They will be entertained. My hope is they will laugh, cry, and rage, all on one page.
13. Is there a sequel to Black Box?
Yes! And Jennifer needs you even more than she did in Black Box. Help!
Useful Consciousness – the second in the Jennifer Langham Trilogy – will be released later this year.
