Chris is the author of the novels Shriver and Carry-on, and the story collection The Floating Lady of Lake Tawaba, which won the Fairfield/New Rivers Book Prize.
Synopsis of A Little White Lie (IMdb):
When a handyman living in New York City is mistaken for a famous and famously reclusive writer, he's brought to a university where he is to deliver a keynote address to save the school's literary festival.
The film adaptation "A Little White Lie" release date is Friday, March 3, 2023
1. What inspired you to write Shriver?
In 2005 I was invited to attend the North Dakota Writers Conference as one of their featured writers. The organizer had heard an NPR interview with me about my first album & she thought it would be cool to have a songwriter/novelist/screenwriter on their list of authors. I had self-published one novel & had a couple of stories published in small magazines; I’d cowritten a screenplay that was made into a pretty bad B movie (Amnesia); & I’d put out this album on my own. The other featured authors were Charles Johnson (who had won the National Book Award), & the acclaimed poets Carolyn Forché & Marilyn Nelson. No one had ever heard of me! And yet they flew me to Grand Forks, put me up in a hotel, assigned me a handler to drive me around, & had me give a reading & appear on panels. For three days I felt like an imposter & was sure they’d kick me out of there. When I retuened home, I felt off-kilter from the experience, & much of my writing starts with an attempt to make sense of my life & take control over forces that we have no control over. So I wrote an exaggerated version of what I’d gone through myself.
2. Was Shriver the original title or were there other titles?
Shriver was always the title. “Shriver” the word is a derivation of the word “writer,” as in scrivener, or scribe. I wanted the protagonist to be a writer even if he didn’t realize he was one.
3. What was your writing schedule when you wrote Shriver?
I honestly don’t recall because it was so long ago. After the writing conference, I was still working on my novel Carry-on, so I think I just took notes & let Shriver percolate. I probably got to it a couple of years later. My schedule is not formal—I don’t have specific hours of the day that I write. I don’t necessarily wait for inspiration (that’s a fool’s game), but I also don’t keep to a set schedule.
4. Do you ever get writer’s block when writing Shriver? How did you get back on track?
I don’t believe in writer’s block, per se. I do believe in “get-your-ass-in-the-chair block.” I deal with that kind of block all the time. I’d much rather mow the lawn or do the dishes than sit down & write. And the longer I put it off, the harder it is to get back to it. But I always do.
5. What was your favorite scene to write? (Make it as spoiler-free as possible)
There’s a scene (it’s not in the movie) where Shriver runs around the hotel trying to get his room key & people are chasing him (or he thinks they are) & it’s a sort of silent movie-style farce moment that ends with him being rescued by a man on a horse. It’s not the most sophisticated scene in the world, but I enjoyed working it out almost like a film editor—making it move quickly without losing clarity.
6. What was your favorite book when you were a kid? Do you have a favorite book now?
As a kid, I started out with the Hardy Boys books, then moved on to Alistair MacLean (a now-forgotten bestselling thriller author), & from there to much more sophisticated fare. I have 5 older siblings, all of whom went to college & left their books lying around the house. So at a young age I was reading Anthony Burgess as well as my dad’s thrillers. For a long time my favorite was probably Kurt Vonnegut, especially Breakfast of Champions. My favorite books now would include The Sound & the Fury, Atonement, The Transit of Venus, & Flannery O’Connor’s collected stories.
7. What’s the best advice you have ever received about writing?
For many years I was in Philip Schultz’s writing workshop (The Writers Studio in NYC) & he emphasized the necessity to assume a kind of persona when writing. If you try to write in your own voice, it rarely works. You need to conjure up a narrator who is separate from you, even if you’re writing in 3rd person. This takes the emotional load off because, hey, it’s not you speaking, it’s this other person.
8. Silly-Game question: From the novel “Shriver” (with your eyes closed) could you please leaf through the pages and point at a random place. What is the full sentence? And what is the page number of this random sentence?
“He had rarely seen himself this way—so well lit, without shadows.” p. 161.
9. Congratulations on Shriver being made into a feature film titled “A Little White Lie”, could you brief us on how you found out that your book will be adapted into a film?
Thank you for the congrats! It is truly a minor miracle to have one’s novel made into a movie, especially a good movie. It started when I gave a reading at a bookstore just after the novel was originally published by Rain Mountain Press in 2013 (it was republished by Simon & Schuster in 2015). Filmmaker Michael Maren was there & he loved the opening chapter. He’d just completed his first film (A Short History of Decay) & was looking for another project. He said he wanted to option the book & I said okay, even though he only gave me one dollar (there was more money involved as the project went on—but not a lot)! At the time I assumed the film would never get made because 99% (or more) of film projects flounder. He got close a couple of times but something always happened & it fell through. Finally, in late 2019, things started to come together, but still I remained skeptical. It wasn’t until shooting began in March 2020 that I accpeted the reality of it . . . until the COVID lockdown happened & they had to stop production. That was a long year. But then they resumed production in April 2021. That’s when it finally hit me: this is happening!
10. You had a scene in the film as Clem Tuttle, a folk singer. What was the experience like and have you ever considered acting at some point in your life?
I had done some stage acting in NYC but only in very, very Off Broadway-type productions. I never considered myself an actor at all, &, as people will see, there’s very little “acting” involed in my cameo in this film. The experience of being on-set was surreal & reminiscent of the experience that inspired my novel—I felt like an imposter & yet was treated with the utmost kindness & respect.
11. What scene from the novel are you looking forward to seeing on the screen?
I’m not sure I have one scene in mind, but maybe the moment when Shriver is almost seduced by a sex-crazed gynecologist.
12. On set, which of the cast were you able to conversate with, and how was that experience?
I was there for only a couple of days, so much of the cast was not around, but I did hang out a bit with Michael Shannon, who plays Shriver. He’s an interesting guy, kind of shy, but very smart & slyly funny. On set he is especially quiet & private, but we had a couple of beers at night & he was much more lively & amusing. I also met Kate Hudson, but very briefly. She was nice &, I’ll tell you, when she flashes that smile you can tell why she’s a movie star.
13. What are your thoughts on Michael Shannon playing the lead role of Shriver?
To be honest, when I first heard he was interested, I didn’t quite see it. I’m a big fan of his work, but he’s such an intense actor that I worried this would turn out as "Travis Bickle Goes to College.” But when I saw some early scenes I could see how amazing he was in the role. I think he really identified with the character & wanted to show he’s capable of vulnerability & comedy. His take is definitely different from some other actors whom one might see in the role (Will Ferrell or Steve Carrell—guys known for doing comedy), but it’s a deep performance that gets under your skin. I think the guy’s a mad genius.
14. The film has an all-star cast that includes Kate Hudson, Zach Braff, Don Johnson, Aja Naomi King, and more. What are your thoughts on them participating in something that originated from you?
It still feels unreal. I’m so proud of this cast & the idea that my story attracted them to the project. It’s such a cool mix of actors, too—from a veteran like Don Johnson to real up-and-comers like Aja Naomi King & Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
15. Which novel/novella/short story that you wrote would you like to see adapted next?
I’ve long thought about writing a screenplay based on my story collection The Floating Lady of Lake Tawaba. All the stories take place in one neighborhood, & it would be cool to have them intersect & overlap with one another.
16. You are a co-host of a live stream reading series “FUMFA Poets & Writers Live” could you talk about that and where we could check it out?
My cohost Katie Schneider & I attended Fairfield University’s MFA program (FUMFA) & we were planning to organize some in-person readings here in Fairfield County CT when the pandemic hit, so we turned to live-streaming. To date, we have hosted 119 readings featuring more than 260 poets, prose writers, playwrights, & screenwriters. It’s been an amazing experience to bring together such a vibrant community of authors. Since the pandemic started to slow down we’ve also been hosting monthly in-person open mic nights in S. Norwalk. Folks can check out the live stream at our Facebook, YouTube, & Twitter pages, where they are archived. You can also watch live on 3 Sundays a week (8 pm Eastern) on those same pages.
17. Last question, if you were mistaken for a famous person and were given an invitation, would you prefer that invitation to be as an actor, musician, or athlete?
Probably as an actor, because I think we’re all actors to some degree—I know I feel like one all the time & would thus stand a better chance of getting away with it.
I appreciate Mr. Belden for taking the time to answer those questions. If you want to learn more about him and his other works, visit his website by clicking here. Be sure to read his book Shriver and check out the film adaptation "A Little White Lie", which comes out on Friday, March 3rd.