Jeff Flaster is the creator of the new audiobook musical Following Jimmy Valentine.
Q: What inspired you to create Following Jimmy Valentine?
A: Asher B. Durand’s painting The Beeches, in which a shepherd steps into the light while deep shadows loom behind him, and O. Henry’s “A Retrieved Reformation,” with its theme of personal reinvention, struck a chord with me as I re-emerged from my own self-imposed dark ages.
Q: Can you say more about the relationship between your audiobook and the O. Henry story?
A: I kept the essential elements of the O. Henry story, then asked questions that took me beneath the surface. Why, if he wants to go straight, does Jimmy go back to stealing when he’s released from prison? Why, instead of quitting, does disillusioned Detective Jen Price pursue Jimmy Valentine? And what would it sound like if Beethoven wrote a country song?
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between your characters Jimmy and Annabel?
A: Annabel wants to fly. Jimmy wants to land. Jimmy makes her soar, and Annabel helps him find the ground. They each see a possibility in the other that they’re still learning to trust in themselves.
Q: What do you hope listeners take away from the audiobook?
A: Three things: You can redefine yourself, even if you think you're trapped. You can be a hero in the war you find within yourself. External conflict can be helpful–it can clarify your thinking.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: With Following Jimmy Valentine, I have created one audiobook musical. I hope to join with other writers in building the audiobook musical into a category of its own.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Following Jimmy Valentine is a complete, full-cast musical in audiobook form. Audiobooks tap into something ancient — we’ve been listening to people tell stories aloud since the invention of fire.
A full-cast audiobook musical allows everyone to listen in their own space, for a fraction of the cost of a theatre ticket. And even stars were willing to fit a few recording dates around their touring schedules for the chance to be a part of something that could last a thousand years.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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