Holli Castillo: Gumbo Justice
Book Club Discussion

December 9, 2009. Holli Castillo, author of Gumbo Justice,
reveals a few truths behind her novel in an interview with Queenie D.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Holli Castillo

How much of Ryan's character is based on your real life?

Ryan is completely her own person. I'm a bit outspoken like Ryan, but I would never say or do most of the things Ryan says and does. My life story is boring and pretty normal in comparison to Ryan's. My mother was always a stay at home mom, not a prostitute or a drug addict. My dad was an extremely laid back recycling yard owner, not at all like the Captain. I have one sister and no brothers. The only ways I'm really similar to Ryan is that I'm short and used to be a New Orleans prosecutor. I use common sense a whole lot more than Ryan, but then she does have more fun, when she's not trying to escape killers.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Holli Castillo

You note in your Foreword that the book is set in "pre-Katrina New Orleans." You also note that "many things have changed since that time." Why did you choose to set the story before the hurricane? How would your novel be different if set afterwards?

I actually started writing Gumbo Justice before the hurricane, so I wanted to keep things the way they were then. The third in the series will occur during the hurricane, and the rest of the novels after that will be set in the New Orleans of today.

If I had written the novel immediately after the hurricane, it would have been extremely different. The D.A.'s Office used a bar temporarily as an office, and then moved to a downtown office building before just recently getting back into the building in the novel. And court was held downtown for a brief period before the Criminal Courthouse reopened. It was kind of a big deal, because the prison is by the D.A.'s Office and the Courthouse, and the inmates had to be transported downtown, which is the business center and a touristy type area. I probably would have come up with different stories within the novel. For instance, prisoners escaping downtown, holding tourists hostage, things like that.

Crime has changed somewhat since the hurricane. The city is systematically destroying the projects in favor of mixed income neighborhoods, displacing large numbers of people, including drug dealers and gang members who are now fighting for turf in new neighborhoods. Areas that used to be safe are now crime ridden, and some previously dangerous areas are safer. In fact, the city's discussion as to tearing down the St. Thomas Projects to build a new Wal*Mart sparked the idea for much of the novel, and it actually happened before the book was even published. Now, the St. Thomas is a few of the original buildings left over from the development, a Super Wal Mart, and a bunch of nice mixed-income houses. That area has become significantly safer as a result.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Holli Castillo

Are/were the murder rates, crime rings, drug lords, and prostitution really as bad in this city as you describe? Why?

We do have a crime problem, but our crime rate has definitely been higher in the past. We just moved from number one down to number six per capita, which is better, but still not great. Murders, small time drug dealers, and drug users are the biggest contributors to our crime problem.

I think the crime rate stems from the poor education system in our state, and the fact that cycles of poverty and lack of education repeat. When parents won't work, their children believe it is acceptable not to work. When parents are uneducated and there is no positive male role model in the home, it's difficult to expect the children to value education or for the boys to become positive role models themselves. Many kids are raised to believe drug dealing is the best way to make a living and jail is inevitable.

There are also not a whole lot of positive role models in our city. Some big politician or judge is always under indictment for bribery or corruption. Until we clean up our politics, we can't expect to clean up our streets.

We have one of the highest incarceration rates in the country per capita, so apparently you can't incarcerate your way out of a crime problem. Drugs are probably the main cause of murders here, and until the drug problem is effectively dealt with, I don't see much hope in sight for significantly lowering the crime rate.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Holli Castillo

The theme of family runs deep in this story. The point that children grow up as products of their upbringing is evident. Is it possible for a child to live through trauma, like the kidnapping Ryan endured, or the abusiveness Shep witnessed, and still turn out okay? I felt like the story more leaned towards the idea that if you come from a bad beginning, you end up just plain bad. What do you believe?

I definitely believe you can turn out okay with proper intervening factors. Research supports many abused children grow up to be abusers, and children who are sexually molested over a period of time have a higher chance of becoming sexual abusers themselves. But I also think it isn't a given, and a child who is taken out of a bad home and nurtured properly can turn out normal. Not that former victims won't always have demons to fight, but I don't think they automatically turn out damaged to the extent they end up as bad people. Unless, of course, they are true psychopaths.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Holli Castillo

Why did Ryan's biological mother Patti hate her so much? And why did Ryan's adopted mother, Angie continue to see her sister over all those years without disclosing the information?

Patti's reason for hating Ryan will come out in one of the future novels, and involves the captain, and the reason will greatly impact Ryan's relationship with her father, but that's all I can say about it without it being a spoiler. And Angie continued to see Patti because Angie places such a high value on family, even a family member who has betrayed her. Angie is also very Catholic, and completely believes in forgiveness. When it all hits the fan, Angie will be the one to keep it all together, and be the saving grace for her family. Angie is the peacekeeper of the family, and she knew if she told Ryan about Patti, Ryan would want to see her, and the Captain would have a fit. It was easy for Angie to justify keeping Patti a secret in order to keep peace within the family, but there are also some things Patti may have revealed to Ryan that Angie doesn't necessarily want Ryan to know. But all that is for another novel.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Holli Castillo

Do Shep and Ryan stand a chance romantically?

Definitely, but not immediately. They are going to have some problems in the second and third novels with some issues that pop up and will need to be resolved before they have a chance. Ryan needs to grow up a little before she can appreciate Shep. The question will be if Shep is still hanging around waiting for her when she's ready.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Holli Castillo

The cover sports the phrase, "Crescent City Mystery Series." Can you tell us anything about what is in store for Ryan and the gang?

Some questions will be answered. Others will be posed. Somebody will be drugged. Somebody will be shot. Somebody will have a baby (not Ryan.) Somebody will die in a car wreck. A few characters will have more prominent roles. Ryan will wait out Hurricane Katrina with a hot detective who is not Shep OR Monte and has his own fair share of problems.

BCQ: Are you working on other writing projects right now?

Holli: I am working on the follow up to Gumbo Justice, titled as of now, Jambalaya Justice, which should be out summer 2010. I've also started on the third, tentatively called Chocolate City Justice, and have outlined the fourth.

I am also at the end of editing a screenplay, Angel Trap, which has done pretty well in the contest circuit so far, and am working on a new screenplay.

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