Julie Clark - The Last Flight

13. What do you think Claire will do next with her life? Will she be happy?

A Conversation with the Author

What inspired you to write The Last Flight ?

I’ve been intrigued by the idea of whether someone could disappear from their life for a long time, and have often played out the various ways they could do it in my imagination. The things they’d need. How they’d get them. Where they might go, and what they’d do when they got there. What they’d have to be leaving behind. I knew early on that I wanted it to be a woman, and I wanted her to have an inner strength, even if her current situation didn’t allow her to use it. What might be the tiny ways she’d fight back, fight for room for herself?

Which of the two women—Eva or Claire—did you enjoy writing more? Did you find either of them more challenging?

I love both of my characters for different reasons. I love how scrappy Claire is, how she can look at a situation and figure out how to make it work for her. And I love Eva because she’s so flawed yet lovable. I enjoyed writing them both. I would say writing Claire was more challenging, because I was pushing her forward in time, having her act and react to things she didn’t know yet. Eva felt more natural to me, living in the past, filling in the blanks. With Claire, the tension had to be immediate, the pacing had to be tight. With Eva, I was allowed to sink more into emotion, to flesh out her backstory and how she ended up where she did.

We’re in an era where women are finally starting to feel safe sharing their stories. How does this book relate to the #MeToo movement?

I wanted to acknowledge how hard it still is for women to come forward with their stories. Even in this era of #MeToo, the cost remains high both personally and professionally. Just because we have a name for it doesn’t mean it’s fixed.

Can you talk a little bit about the systemic forces of oppression that both Claire and Eva face? What made you choose to write about these topics?

As an educator, I feel like it’s my obligation to shine a light on what still isn’t working in our society. The way a woman’s truth is sometimes held to a higher level of scrutiny than a man’s. The benefit of the doubt that so often goes the other way. I’ve known people like Claire, and I’ve known people like Eva, for whom things don’t always turn out okay. In the United States, we like to talk a lot about progress; however, change—not just for women but for all marginalized groups—is slow. Too slow.

What does your writing process look like?

I wake up early in the morning to write. During the workweek, I’m up at 3:45 and write until 6:00. Then I teach a full day of school and shuttle my kids here and there after school, making dinner, supervising homework. Early mornings—with a large pot of coffee—is my most productive writing time. My process is somewhat old school. I favor drafting with paper and pen, especially if I’m having trouble. It slows my brain, it allows me to put down words that “don’t count,” and it allows me to get warmed up before committing words to my computer. I draft pretty fast—I think I had a first draft of The Last Flight done in about three or four months. Then I like to spend a year or more revising and rewriting.

As a genre, suspense is huge right now. How do you think this story sets itself apart from other books in the space?

I feel like this book has the commercial appeal of the suspense genre, with the emotion often found in upmarket women’s fiction. But what really sets this book apart from the others on the shelves is the fact that I wanted both of my protagonists to be strong, savvy women. There’s nothing crazy or unstable about Claire or Eva. It’s important that the stories we tell reflect the strong women in the world today.

How did you map out all the twists and turns that happen throughout the story?

With lots and lots of note cards! It was really challenging to be writing a dual timeline and then weave it all together. It helped to have a clear vision for how the book would end, and I knew the ending pretty early on. From there, I mapped out Claire’s and Eva’s story arcs—what I wanted each of them to overcome, what I wanted each of them to learn.

What is the importance of female friendship in a narrative like this one? Have you found friendship with women to be just as important in your life as it is in Eva’s and Claire’s?

Female friendship is incredibly important in this story. We can all think about that one friend who showed up right when we needed her, giving us exactly what we needed to push us forward. I have been lucky enough to have some amazing female friendships. And as a single mother, it’s especially important to have those touchstones. My friends keep me sane. They make me laugh. They listen to what I’m struggling with and step in to help in innumerable ways. Humans are, by nature, social animals. And while I’m a dedicated introvert, I rely on my friends every day.

Why did you decide to set a thriller in Berkeley?

After college, I landed a job in the Cal Athletic Department. I worked in fundraising, so I spent a lot of time at Memorial Stadium, as well as Harmon Gym (which would later become Haas Pavilion). It was the best job for a just-graduated-from-college person who wasn’t entirely sure she was ready to have a “real job” yet. I loved my years in Berkeley, made many great friends there, and often dream of moving back someday. I decided to set The Last Flight in Berkeley so I could revisit it in my imagination. Go Bears!

What are you hoping readers gain from The Last Flight ?

I want readers to be inspired by the courage of both Claire and Eva, who did what felt impossible to each of them. No matter the circumstances, there’s a way out. As Claire’s mother put it: If you pay attention, solutions always appear. But you have to be brave enough to see them .

Acknowledgments

My deepest gratitude first goes to the entire Sourcebooks family: publisher and chief book champion Dominique Raccah; my brilliant and supportive editor, Shana Drehs; the marketing and promotions teams (including Tiffany Schultz and Heather Moore); the talented art and production departments (Heather Hall, Holli Roach, Ashley Holstrom, Kelly Lawler, and Sarah Cardillo); and the formidable sales team. It’s been a joy to have met so many of you: Cristina Arreola, Liz Kelsch, Kay Birkner, Todd Stocke, Margaret Coffee, Valerie Pierce, and Michael Leali. Thank you for taking The Last Flight into your capable hands and building buzz around the book. It is true that books change lives, but you do too.

A heartfelt thank-you to my beloved agent, Mollie Glick, who stood behind me as I wrestled this book into existence, who believed in it, and in me. And a thank-you to her many assistants (Sam, Emily, Julie, Lola…) who also read and offered feedback and support.

Thank you to my foreign rights team, who have enthusiastically introduced The Last Flight to the wider world. And to my film agents, Jiah Shin and Berni Barta, thank you for championing this project in Hollywood. Deepest appreciation also goes to my publicist, Gretchen Koss of Tandem Literary, not only for her brilliance in marketing and promotions, but also for her expert hand-holding. There is nothing better than getting an email from Gretchen that reads “Don’t worry about a thing. I’ve got this.”

The Last Flight wouldn’t be what it is today without the support of my writing partners, Aimee and Liz. You both read multiple versions of this book and saw right from the start what I was trying to accomplish. I adore you both. And a special shout-out to the brilliant freelance editor Nancy Rawlinson who helped push The Last Flight that final mile to completion.