The following is an interview with New York Times bestselling writer/artist Matt Kindt and writer/educator (and all-around amazing mother!) Margie Kraft Kindt regarding the recent release of their crime thriller comic book series, Gilt Frame, from Flux House and Dark Horse Comics. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with the mother-son writing team about their shared creative process in bringing the story to life on the page, how mock “crime scenes” in the Kindt family kitchen led to a career in writing mystery stories, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: This month saw the release of your new crime thriller series, Gilt Frame. For those who may be unfamiliar, what can you share with us about the premise behind this murder mystery?
Margie Kraft Kindt: Though the murder mystery starts when a pair of gilt-framed French chairs are won at an auction house in St. Louis, by malchance a motley slew of suspects finds themselves corralled in a Paris antiques gallery—where a lifeless body is still warm—and then are not allowed to leave until questioned. Since none of them have an alibi and because some of them hold long-standing grudges against a few of the others, they soon point fingers and set about the intense business of either confuscating or cracking a grisly murder.
Though his superiors shelf the languishing case, the Chief Inspector is determined that this unsolved, brutal slaying will not be chalked up as his first failure, even if he has to fly halfway around the world on the off chance that he can finally make his case.
Matt Kindt: That sums it up. This is really an unapologetic locked-room whodunnit murder mystery set in Paris. But, that said – there’s a secret in this book – a twist at the end that turns all that on its head. I’m not a huge fan of whodunnits – because they usually feel like one-offs. Once you solve the case, there’s no need to re-read or revisit the book. This one isn’t that. We have the whodunnit and we play fair with clues. But there is a sucker-punch at the end of this one that will (hopefully) make you want to immediately re-read it with a new perspective.
BD: Margie, you have long educated others about the mechanics of writing with your lecture series. What made this story the perfect opportunity to collaborate with Matt, and what can you tell us about your shared creative process in crafting the mystery and narrative?
MKK: Since Matt and I have been solving mysteries together since his childhood, it is no surprise that the idea of a collaboration was dished up during one of our family dinners. As usual, table talk started with the latest true-crime story or courtroom scene we were following on television before turning to one of our favorite mystery programs, Only Murders in the Building. Matt challenged everyone around the table to come up with our own solution to the murder in the building before the season’s final episode—I, too, live in a cooperative and many of the program’s characters also live in my building, so I have learned a bit about how shareholders roll. Matt liked my resolution better than the one that actually unfolded on the program and said, “Mom, we ought to write a mystery together.” (music to my ears)
Although I generally write nonfiction, about twenty years ago I wrote several mysteries when I needed to kick back and have some fun . . . but then they were shelved and forgotten, until now. So after blowing off the dust, we did have material as a starting point, though the mystery that unfolded, Gilt Frame, is a far more lively, intricate mystery with lots of plot twists thanks to the curious and compelling character, Sam, that Matt created and wove into the story line.
We set up the kitchen table like a partner table, with Matt on one side and me across from him, our computers and resource materials spread out around us. He roleplayed the persona of Sam and I took on the character of his great-aunt Merry. We imagined a scenario and he invented Sam’s quirky dialogue and mannerisms while I provided snappy retorts from his gutsy Great-Aunt Merry—sometimes, we laughed so hard that we had to remind each other that one of us needed to be getting this material down.
BD: Matt, you have become world renowned for your deftly crafted mysteries, and it seems that the origin of your sleuthing skills started at home with your mother. When did you first become interested in solving “crime scenes?”
MK: My mom would stage “crime scenes” at home for us in the summer. She’d place footprints and other clues around the house as a kind of puzzle for me (and my brother) to figure out. My parents would take us to Sherlock Holmes society meetings where they’d discuss the stories. All of that was super formative when I was younger. I have vivid memories of stacks of books by the couch in the living room – true crime, Agatha Christie – all of these crime books with lurid covers that my mom would burn through over the summer months when school was out. I think they just seeped into me by osmosis.
BD: How much of your own voices and personalities do you feel are infused into the characters of Sam and Aunt Merry ?
MKK: It is said that most fiction is highly autobiographical, and it seems Gilt Frame is no exception; however, Great-Aunt Merry has far more adventurous travels abroad than I, though I have a better wardrobe—Matt did not give her nearly enough changes of shoes, but I think he may not like drawing feet.
MK: The main characters are definitely the “roles” we played. They’re alternative reality versions of ourselves – slightly younger – if we’d taken different paths. And we changed the relationship to Great Aunt/Nephew because you can come at the story without mother/son baggage and it let us explore something a little more complicated than that even. It’s fun to pull in real life when you can – but it’s just as fun to make things up. This let us do both.
BD: As this will be a 3-issue series, what are you most looking forward to readers experiencing with this story?
MKK: Hopefully, our readers will give Gilt Frame a close reading and find that all the clues needed to solve a startling, but satisfying, mystery are sprinkled along the way. And we want readers to get to know the characters and wonder what in the world they will dig up next.
MK: The ending. There are layers of twists and meaning in this book that I’m really proud of. I love lighting the fuse on this story and then watching it fizz toward the ending. I hate to oversell it – but I think there’s some real emotional weight to this book that just won’t be apparent until you get to the third issue. Also! There are some super-fun cut-away views of crime scenes and some surreal flashbacks and a true-crime mystery embedded in the story that is still unsolved to this day (even though I think we’ve solved it in our book.)
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about Gilt Frame?
MKK: Please watch for Gilt Frame in your closest comic book store and look for airings of our panel discussions and interviews.
MK: Keep an eye on my social media – twitter/facebook/Instagram – for updates. We’ll be doing signings and special on-line events for the life of the series. You can find it all at mattkindt.com.
