What inspired you to write your first noir novel?
CNN anchor and author Jake Tapper answers that question in this edition of Author Inquiry, discussing the inspiration behind The Hellfire Club and his first venture into noir fiction.
Created for Hachette’s Novel Suspects brand, the series gives mystery, thriller and crime readers concise insights directly from the authors behind the stories.
I created Author Inquiry as an original video vertical for Novel Suspects, Hachette’s mystery, thriller and crime-focused brand. The concept was built around a simple, repeatable structure: pose a question that would interest the Novel Suspects audience, put it directly on screen, and let the author answer.
For Jake Tapper, the question was, “What inspired you to write your first noir novel?” His response became the episode, giving viewers a focused look at the creative origins of The Hellfire Club rather than another general promotional interview.
The simplicity was intentional. Author Inquiry gave Novel Suspects a recognizable piece of original video programming that could feature different authors and subjects while maintaining a consistent editorial identity. It also allowed me to take advantage of Hachette’s extraordinary access to authors by creating content specifically designed around the interests of a particular genre audience.