Megan Abbott

Megan Abbott
Abbott in 2015
Born	(1971-08-21) August 21, 1971 (age 53) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Author, screenwriter, journalist
Language	English
Citizenship	United States
Education	University of Michigan New York University (PhD)
Genre	Crime fiction
Notable awards	Edgar Award 2008 Queenpin Barry Award – Best Paperback Novel 2008 Queenpin
Relatives	Philip Abbott (father)
Website
www.meganabbott.com

Megan Abbott (born August 21, 1971) ^[1] is an American author of crime fiction and of non-fiction analyses of hardboiled crime fiction. Her novels and short stories have drawn from and re-worked classic subgenres of crime writing from a female perspective. ^{[2] [3]} She is also an American writer and producer of television.

Biography

Growing up, Abbott was greatly intrigued by the 1930 and 1940s movies she saw at a movie theater in Grosse Pointe. She believes that watching these films as a child gave her her lifelong interest in crime fiction. ^[4] Abbott graduated from the University of Michigan. ^[5] She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University, and has taught at NYU, the State University of New York and New School University. In 2013 and 2014, she served as the John Grisham Writer in Residence at the University of Mississippi. ^[6]

In 2002, Abbott published her first book, The Street Was Mine: White Masculinity in Hardboiled Fiction and Film Noir, which The Paris Review described as "a prescient work of critical theory." ^[7] In it, Abbott challenges the archetypes of the "tough guy" and "femme fatale" common to noir literature. ^[8]

Three years later, Abbott published Die a Little, ^[9] the first of several novels presenting woman-centered takes on traditional noir tropes. ^[7] Set in midcentury Los Angeles, the story centered on Lora King, a schoolteacher whose brother Bill falls in love with Alice Steele, a former costumer for the film industry. Suspicious of Alice's motives and jealous of her hold over Bill, Lora sets out to investigate Alice's background, only to find herself pulled into the dark side of Hollywood. Kirkus Reviews reviewed the book favorably. ^[9]

In addition to literature, Abbott has written for major journals and newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times . ^[10] She also writes a blog with novelist Sara Gran. ^[11]

Abbott was a screenwriter for The Deuce , ^[12] an HBO show that premiered in 2017 and deals with pornography and the Mafia in New York in the 1970s and beyond. ^[13] In 2019, she adapted her bestselling novel Dare Me into a TV series on USA Network. ^[14] She served as co-showrunner on the series, along with Gina Fattore. ^[15]

Influences

Abbott was influenced by film noir, classic noir fiction, and Jeffrey Eugenides's novel The Virgin Suicides . ^{[16] [17]} Two of her novels make reference to notorious crimes. The Song Is You (2007) is based around the disappearance of Jean Spangler in 1949, and Bury Me Deep (2009) on the 1931 case of Winnie Ruth Judd, dubbed "the Trunk Murderess". ^[18]

Reception and awards

Abbott has won the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award for outstanding fiction. Time named her one of the "23 Authors That We Admire" in 2011. ^[19] Publishers Weekly gave her 2011 novel The End of Everything a starred review. ^[20]

Awards

Year	Title	Award	Result	Ref.
2006	Die a Little	Anthony Award for Best Novel	Finalist	[21]
		Barry Award for Best First Novel	Finalist	[22] [21]
		Edgar Award for Best First Novel	Finalist	[23] [21]
2008	Queenpin	Anthony Award for Best Paperback	Finalist	[21]
		Barry Award for Best Paperback Original	Won	[22] [21]
		Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original	Won	[21]
2009	Bury Me Deep	Hammett Prize	Finalist	[21]
2010		Anthony Award for Best Paperback	Finalist	[21]
		Barry Award for Best Paperback Original	Finalist	[21]
		Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original	Finalist	[21]
		Macavity Award for Best Novel	Finalist	[21]
2012	The End of Everything	Anthony Award for Best Mystery	Finalist	[21]
	Dare Me	Steel Dagger Award	Finalist	[21]
2013		Anthony Award for Best Mystery	Finalist	[21]
2014	The Fever	Strand Critics Award for Best Novel	Nominated
2015		ITW Thriller Award for Novel	Won	[21]
2016	"Little Men"	Anthony Award for Best Short Story	Won
2017	You Will Know Me	Anthony Award for Best Mystery	Finalist	[21]
		ITW Thriller Award for Best Novel	Finalist	[21]
		Macavity Awards	Finalist	[21]
		Steel Dagger Award	Finalist	[21]
2018	Give Me Your Hand	Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller	Nominated
2019		Anthony Award for Best Novel	Finalist	[21]
		Steel Dagger Award	Finalist	[21]
2021	The Turnout	Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books for Young Adults	Selection	[24]
		Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller	Won	[25]
2022		ITW Thriller Award for Hardcover Novel	Finalist	[26]
		Booklist 's Best Mysteries & Thrillers	Top 10	[27]

Publications

As editor

• —— (2007). A Hell of a Woman: An Anthology of Female Noir. ISBN   9780979270994.

Non-fiction

• —— (2002). The Street Was Mine: White Masculinity in Hardboiled Fiction and Film Noir. ISBN   0312294816.

Novels

• —— (2005). Die a Little . Simon & Schuster. ISBN   9780743261708.
• —— (2007). The Song Is You. Simon & Schuster. ISBN   9780743291712.
• —— (2007). Queenpin. Simon & Schuster. ISBN   9781416534280.
• —— (2009). Bury Me Deep . Simon & Schuster. ISBN   9781416599098.
• —— (2011). The End of Everything . Little, Brown and Company. ISBN   9780316097796.
• —— (2012). Dare Me . Little, Brown and Company. ISBN   9780316097772.
• —— (2014). The Fever . Little, Brown and Company. ISBN   9780316231053.
• —— (2016). You Will Know Me . Little, Brown and Company. ISBN   9780316231077.
• —— (2018). Give Me Your Hand . Pan Macmillan. ISBN   9781509855681.
• —— (2021). The Turnout . G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN   9780593084908.
• —— (2023). Beware the Woman. G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN   9780593084939.

• —— (2025). El Dorado Drive.

Short stories

• "Oxford Girl" (2016). Appeared in Mississippi Noir. ^[28]
• "Girlie Show" (2016). Appeared in In Sunlight or in Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper. ^[29]
• "Little Men" (2015). Appeared in The Best American Mystery Stories 2016. ^[30]
• "My Heart Is Either Broken" (2013). Appeared in Dangerous Women .

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Writer	Producer	Notes
2017-18	The Deuce	Yes	No	also story editor
2019	Dare Me	Yes	Yes	also executive producer
TBA	The Turnout	No	Yes

References

1. Abbott, Patricia (August 21, 2008). ""Happy Birthday, Megan"". Patricia Abbott (pattinase). Retrieved June 26, 2018.
2. Champion, Edward. "Megan Abbott, Literary Criminal." The Millions. July 12, 2011.
3. Glor, Jeff. "AUTHOR TALK: The End of Everything by Mega Abbott." CBS News. October 31, 2011.
4. Shaub, Michael (August 4, 2016). "Megan Abbott Writes Bestsellers about Bad People. Look Out, She's Coming to LA". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
5. Abbott, Megan (July 26, 2011). "a stranger calls | The Abbott Gran Medicine Show". Abbottgran.wordpress.com. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
6. "Author Megan Abbott". June 28, 2011. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011.
7. Godfrey, Rebecca (July 29, 2021). "The Things We Hide: An Interview with Megan Abbott". The Paris Review. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
8. Ashman, Nathan (January 1, 2020). "The Street Was Hers: Deconstructing the Hardboiled in Megan Abbott's Noir Fiction". Mean Streets: A Journal of American Crime and Detective Fiction.
9. DIE A LITTLE | Kirkus Reviews.
10. Abbott, Megan. "Pretty Tough: Original victims and femme fatals, the female leads in today's mystery fiction are as complex as their male counterparts." Los Angeles Times Magazine. April 2011.
11. "The Abbott Gran Medicine Show" . Retrieved September 6, 2016.
12. "Megan Abbott". New and Appearances. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
13. Petski, Denise (September 19, 2017). "'The Deuce' Renewed For Season 2 At HBO". Deadline Hollywood .
14. "Cast & Info | Dare Me". USA Network. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
15. McKeegan, Colleen Leahey (December 19, 2019). "Megan Abbott Wants You to Feel Everything". Marie Claire. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
16. "interview". Culturaimpopular.com. December 6, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
17. Derbyshire, Johnathan. "The Books Interview: Megan Abbot." NewStatesman. September 12, 2011.
18. Kelly, Alan. "Tugged into Darkness: An interview with Megan Abbott" 3AM Magazine. Monday, August 24, 2009.
19. Time Staff. "Pack Your (Book) Bag: The best pages to turn this summer, from 23 authors we admire." Time Magazine Special. The Best Books for Summer Reading. Thursday, June 30, 2011.
20. Publishers Weekly. Review date: May 30, 2011.
21. "Megan Abbott". Stop, You're Killing Me!. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
22. "Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine- Barry Awards". www.deadlypleasures.com. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
23. "2006 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winners". www.fictiondb.com. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
24. "Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books for Young Adults, 2021". Booklist. January 1, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
25. "L.A. Times Book Prizes Winners announcement". Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
26. "2022 Thriller Awards". International Thriller Writers. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
27. Ott, Bill (May 1, 2022). "Top 10 Mysteries & Thrillers: 2022". Booklist. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
28. Mississippi Noir.
29. "In Sunlight or In Shadow". pegasusbooks.com. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
30. Penzler, Otto (October 4, 2016). The Best American Mystery Stories 2016. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN   978-0544527188.

External links

• Megan Abbott's website
• Megan Abbott at IMDb
• Short statement on why she thinks LA is so associated with noir.
• Interview