Additional Attendee received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Josh Harper.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
The name of my book is Additional Attendee. It published on July 30, 2024
What’s the book’s first line?
I woke up thinking it hadn’t been much of a spring, rainy and cold.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
A conceited actor suspects his wife of having an affair with the dog trainer who lives in their luxury apartment building. When he goes to catch them in the act, he finds the dog trainer’s corpse instead. As the actor tries to solve the murder and find his now missing wife, he realizes that he’s been so self-involved that he’s misjudged everyone in his life.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
My family and I moved into an apartment building in Brooklyn, and it just seemed to be brimming with personalities. I think writing this book was a way for me to process my new surroundings.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
If you like both mystery and social satire, this is the book for you.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Paul, my narcissistic protagonist, can’t get out of his own way which leads to a lot of comedy, even farce. He’s full of himself like Fletch from Gregory MacDonald’s book series and on his own plane of existence like The Dude from The Big Lebowski.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
This is the first book I’ve written! I’ve written plays, and it was fun to put some of that dramatic structure into another form. I think in some ways, this book is Paul’s tragedy. His fatal flaw, narcissism, is his downfall.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I am the casting director at an audiobook company.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
I write for at least an hour a day. Always in the morning. By the evening, I’m useless.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I enjoy the process of writing. I love not knowing what is going to come next, discovering it along the way.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
Anton Chekhov, hands down, no contest. His characters speak in off-topic non-sequiturs that don’t quite conceal all the pain and longing they feel underneath. And then eventually all their petty babbling boils over into explosive outbursts- what great structure and true to life!
