We invited Jerrod Edson, Canadian author of six books, for a quick chat with us about his wild and wonderful latest work of speculative fiction, The Boulevard (Galleon, 2023). We’re delighted he joined us!
Jerrod Edson.
Q: Your new book, The Boulevard, has a curious (and endearing) dedication. It reads:
My father, Paul Edson, read an early version of this story before he passed away, and when I asked what he thought, he grinned and said, in typical fashion, “It’s different.”
This book is for him.
We've got to agree with your dad. Your book rests on a pretty wild premise: Ernest Hemingway, Vincent van Gogh, Satan, and a train ride through Hell. God planning an unannounced visit. Panic and darkness and hilarity ensue. You make it work, but we've got to ask: how did you come up with this idea?
A: The idea for this story had been brewing since 2000-2001.
While in university, I worked at Chapters, and during the Indigo takeover, new CEO Heather Reisman was coming to visit our store. My manager was in a panic getting the store up to speed for Heather’s visit.
During that time, I was perusing a Far Side calendar and came across a cartoon with Satan in Hell, arguing with a repairman.
I had one of those lightbulb moments: What if God planned a visit to Hell and Satan was in a panic to get Hell up to speed? I knew it was a good idea for a novel, but I also knew I wasn’t ready to write it. I made notes and worked out ideas for years, making Van Gogh the focus, before finally sitting down to a first draft around 2014.
More about Jerrod:
Jerrod Edson was born in Saint John, NB, in 1974. He is the author of six novels. Notable books include The Goon, shortlisted for the Relit Award and named the best New Brunswick novel of 2010 (Telegraph Journal), The Moon is Real, winner of the 2013 David Adams Richards Prize, and The Dirty Milkman, listed as a top book of 2005 (Ottawa Xpress). His most recent novel, The Boulevard, is his first work of speculative fiction and focuses on the life of Vincent van Gogh. He lives in Mississauga, ON, with his wife Leigh and daughters Hadley and Harper.
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