Stacia Decker Puts Ray Banks In The Hot Seat

Author: Ray Banks, author of SATURDAY’S CHILD

Interrogator: Stacia Decker, Ray’s editor from Harcourt and winner of the 2007 Spinetingler for Best Editor

Violence
1 is no violence, 100 is… Wait, was there one scene without blood and gore in it?





Stacia: Eh, this is tough—there are stretches when no one is beaten to a pulp, but the air of menace is constant; I’ll say 65.

Swearing
1 means no penance, 100 means you’re putting truckers to shame.





Stacia: Mo pushes the number up to 70, but no one puts the teenage mothers in my neighborhood to shame.


Sex
1 means a nun can read it without blushing and 100 is… Wait, is this actually erotica?




Stacia: No actual sex, but I’ll give it a 20 for the yeast infection comment and the past incest.


The Fido Factor
1 means animal lovers won’t be offended. 100 means PETA’s planning a book burning in protest.





Stacia: Animals aren’t hurt in the making of this book, but I assume PETA would be sensitive to Mo’s various references to cats, so 50.


Too Stupid To Live
1 means your characters have brains and use them, and 100 means it’s a wonder they weren’t killed 1000 times over.




Stacia: 70 – it’s not that I think they’re stupid; they just keep doing dumb things. Put another way, they’re actually pretty good problem-solvers; it’s just that their solutions lead to more problems.


Other Sins…
Bodily Fluids Meter. 1 means a little blood and 100 means they’ve sprung a leak from every orifice.





Stacia: I’ll give him a 60.



Verdict: You can either say he's a horrid liar, or that Ray isn't nearly as much of a bad boy as he thinks he is.

Ray Banks is a featured author in the Winter 2008 Spinetingler. Sandra Ruttan interviews Ray Banks and also reviews SATURDAY'S CHILD.

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