From Behind the Mask

Back in August, January Magazine editor Linda L. Richards reviewed The Calling, a serial-killer yarn set in Ontario and credited to the mysterious “Inger Ash Wolfe.” Richards explained: “Since publication--heck, since prepublication--it has been understood that The Calling was written under a pseudonym by ‘a well-known North American writer.’ Since the book was announced in 2007, a lot of ink has been spilled over guesses as to the identity of this writer. To be honest, having now read The Calling, I feel as though I have a fairly good idea who the writer is. In my opinion, there are few authors with the talent and experience to create characters this vivid and then place them in a plot this engrossing and intense. And, by the way, if you’re hanging in to hear my guess, give it up: I’m not going there. I suppose that, at least for now, part of the experience of reading The Calling is this mystery within a mystery. Who wrote the book? Time will tell.”

Today, January takes this puzzle one more large step forward, as critic and Rap Sheet contributor Ali Karim interviews the elusive Wolfe. Asked why she (he?) chose to publish The Calling under an assumed name, the author explains:

There are a couple of reasons, the most important of which is that I wanted these novels to be read in their own context and to succeed or fail on their own terms. I can’t do that under my own name. Also, the genre discussion--what does it mean to write genre, who is a genre writer, what does it mean to write more than one kind of fiction--is a heated one, and I didn’t set out to write these books in order to take a side. I don’t want to be co-opted into a debate I can’t contribute to (or be directly accused of holding positions I don’t hold) so the pseudonym is a way of abstaining. I am writing these books because they’re fun to write, end of story.

Hmm. We still don’t know why Wolfe is, after reading January’s exchange. But we do know that the author will be producing more books under that nom de plume. Which is the best news.

You can find the full interview here.