Is Scott Singer based on you or someone you know?
None of the characters in SLICK are based on real people, although I would contend that there are spin doctors out there who make Scott look like a cub scout.

Are you a publicist in real life?
I'm not even a publicist in my imagination.

Then how did you learn so much about PR and media manipulation?
I read a hell of a lot of good books. The rest was just a combination of legwork, homework, and a heaping portion of guesswork.

How much of the plot was inspired by the Kobe Bryant rape scandal?
None. I'd finished the book long before the scandal ever happened. Although I do find it freaky that Random House made an offer on SLICK just one week before the Kobe situation first exploded onto the headlines. I'd say my editor is psychic, but he keeps calling me "Dave."

What made you decide to set the scandal in the hip-hop industry?
Because I knew nothing about rap besides its manufactured controversies. I was also darkly fascinated by rap's inexplicable contempt for women, and I wanted an excuse to research it further. To see if I can figure it out.

And did you figure it out?
No.

Would you say your book is cynical, skeptical or neither?
I'd say I've written an optimistic story from a cynical point of view. It's all about a man who lives in a world of clever schemes and hidden angles, but it's his own clever and cautious nature that keeps him isolated from everyone else. Although the main story (the hoax) doesn't have a very happy ending, Scott does manage to make a deep and meaningful connection with two good people. (I told you there'd be spoilers, fool!)

The book is set in February 2001, just seven months before 9/11. Did you intentionally set out to write a "pre-9/11" story?
No. It just happened that way. I started writing SLICK in January 2001, with the express intent of setting the story during February sweeps. I paid very close attention to the news that month because I wanted to weave real-life events (i.e., the opening of Hannibal, the Kournikova virus) into the story's chronology.

Are there parts of the story that you feel have become dated since 9/11?
The biggest difference is that terrorism is the big bogeyman now, so you won't find as many people screaming about rap music and school shootings. In that vein, SLICK is a little bit of a period piece.

But otherwise we've got the same media now as we did in early 2001. Celebrity scandals. Celebrity rape scandals. Talking heads. Shoddy journalism. And lots and lots of manipulated media. It seems that the general public has become more conscious than ever of disinformation on our airwaves. So in that respect, the story's quite relevant, even timely.

Are you going to write a sequel or prequel to SLICK?
God, no. The last thing I want to do is Phantom Menace myself. Although I'm certainly not done with exploring the media culture, I'm pretty much done with PR. And I'm done with the characters of SLICK, miss them though I shall.

Are we going to see SLICK on the big or small screen anytime soon?
Doesn't seem likely. Shortly prior to publication, a pair of Hollywood producers took SLICK all around town, trying to build studio interest in an adaptation. Most passed on the grounds that Scott isn't likable enough, and that he wouldn't play well in the "flyover states" (their term for the land mass between New York and Los Angeles).

Showtime, however, was briefly interested in the idea of turning SLICK into an original series. But after a few initial meetings, that petered out as well. It's too bad. I would have loved to tell the continuing adventures of Scott Singer as a cable TV drama.

But the struggle's not over yet. I seem to have meetings with new producers once every few months. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Your name isn't on the U.S. hardcover of SLICK.
Neither is yours.

Why isn't your name on the U.S. hardcover of SLICK?
Because as a first-time author, I didn't think my name would draw any additional readers. However, the current nameless jacket is vague and mysterious enough to make people do a double-take in the bookstores. Believe me, if Scott were putting out a novel, that's exactly what he'd do.