Anthony Dobranski Online

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Posts related to the novel The Demon in Business Class

  • Excerpt – Chapter 1

    Begin at the beginning! In this opening excerpt from The Demon in Business Class, meet Zarabeth, who both sinks and rises when her office gives her bad news…

    Bankruptcy

    APRIL 2009
    BANKRUPTCY – You Need Help

    Chapter 1 — Washington, DC

    In the fake-oak-paneled conference room, Zarabeth Battrie found a dozen others standing. All looked wilted and worn, with bunched shirts and bowing ankles. The plastic tables were gone, the plastic chairs stacked in the corner. More people arrived but no one unstacked the chairs. A herd instinct, Zarabeth decided, to keep a clear path for fleeing.

    A natty beige man in a crisp blue plaid suit came in, pushing a low gray plastic cart with stacks of documents. If the standing people surprised him, he didn’t show it. With practiced ease he lowered the room’s screen, plugged in his powerstrip. Someone passed the documents around but no one spoke. In the silence, Zarabeth felt anxieties around her, about money, status, children, groping her like fevered predictable hands. Too intimate, these people’s worries in her skin when she didn’t know their names, or want to. She shook them off, pushed through to the front so as not to stare at men’s backs all meeting.

    Keep reading – or listen to the audiobook!

  • The first idea

    The idea for The Demon in Business Class came at a weird time. I had a good job, opening overseas offices for the internet company AOL. I had just finished a six-month stint in Tokyo, a life-changing and confidence-building experience. I was waiting to start my upcoming assignment in Sydney — waiting far longer than expected. After the energy and focus of startup life overseas, I suddenly had very little to do at what had become an enormous company. I felt like a snowboard in summer.

    I was still processing a bad relationship from the year before — or, really, back to processing it, cleaning out the emotional junk I had ignored while working in Japan. Many friends had settled down while I was away, so social life was hard to find. I ate a lot of dinners, at home and in restaurants, alone with a book.

    My dear friend Erik Bennett was working as an actor in Los Angeles. He and I had created a short-lived arts magazine some years before, and he was my only connection to my early creative dreams. At one point Erik had said, lightheartedly but with a sense of real possibility, that I should ditch my job and come make movies with him. As the boredom of waiting had grown, it was on my mind.

    One evening I wrote him a letter — on AOL Japan stationery, with a fountain pen given to me by a London colleague.

    Indie movies sounded fun, I wrote, but I was in a navel-gazing place. I could write about corporate life, but while I enjoyed it from the inside, it wasn’t exciting from the outside. I’d probably need some big plot, maybe something archetypal and fantastic. Like, if Good and Evil were rival companies, and two people who were on either side of that somehow fell in love.

    The great juggler Michael Moschen once talked about how he might pick up an object, like a bent piece of rebar, and feel a sickening in his stomach. He knew from that single heft he could do something with it, and that it would take him a year of hard work.

    I understood that feeling, then.

    It took me more than a decade. I did go to Sydney, and after that to Hong Kong. When I stopped living in hotels, life was waiting for me: my mother’s illness and death, meeting my wife, starting a family. I wrote some screenplay scenes, but I liked fiction better — even though I had to relearn how to write it, and learn more. I wrote 400 pages, tossed them out, and started over.

    What surprises me still is how I didn’t let go of this basic idea, or it of me. Now I have new books in me, but this is the book that made me a writer.

    Welcome aboard. Fasten your seat belt. Bon Voyage!

  • A playlist for The Demon in Business Class

    I created this playlist for a blog tour — if you want to start listening, here it is on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4tR8uHsFCla94vEFZnwz8c

    It was a fun project, sort of a soundtrack with backstory.

    Some of these songs were specific influences, though unnamed, on certain scenes. Other songs evoke its moods.

    The project also put me in touch with my younger self, who long ago spent many hours making mix tapes — on cassettes — that then took me across the United States and back, not unlike Gabriel’s own journey late in Demon.

    Enjoy! Songs are listed Title – Artist, with notes after each.

    Part of the Process – Morcheeba

    This track evokes the uncertain, down-but-not-out place Zarabeth finds herself at the novel’s start. On my own visit to Aberdeen, Scotland to research the novel, I bought Morcheeba’s album Big Calm in a record store bargain bin. I think it’s the last actual compact disk I ever bought!

    Opium Dreams – Rithma

    Don’t read into the title. This song is here for its smooth groove, punctuated by the unsettling party laughter, both evoking when we meet Gabriel at a party that really isn’t fun.

    Cirrus – Bonobo

    This propulsive yet pretty track, known for its amazing video, is all for mood, launching Zarabeth and Gabriel down their respective rabbit holes.

    The Marriage of Coyote Woman – All Them Witches

    A slow, psychedelic blues, with an opening line that works in business class – “I never met a salesman like you before” – and a mood that fits Walt’s as he kicks himself back into the world.

    Season of the Witch – Lana Del Rey

    This breathy take on the 60’s pop classic brings out Missy’s seductiveness, and the turmoil behind it.

    All That We Perceive – Thievery Corporation

    A song about picking up more than other people do, and the difference between knowledge and understanding, an issue even for those paranormally gifted.

    My Girls – Animal Collective

    Sunny, but also manic, this track is from the album Gabriel plays for Zarabeth on their first drive together. It’s a hope for simplicity that Gabriel will not find.

    Atlas – Part 1: Personal Climate: Travel Dream Song – Meredith Monk

    This minimalist, haunting opera about modern travel is what Gabriel is listening to when Zarabeth comes to visit him in his Aberdeen hotel room. Zarabeth thinks it sounds like DNA.

    Example #22 – Laurie Anderson

    A fun nod to Gabriel’s uneasy trip to Hamburg, seemingly sung by Zarabeth working her way into his dreams. “What are paranormal voices?”

    Policy of Truth – Depeche Mode

    At a house party of deaf grad students, Zarabeth taps into her wild magic while dancing. This naughty, world-weary ode to lying was on repeat while I wrote the scene.

    Just Like Heaven – Katie Melua

    A gentle, sad take on The Cure’s story of lost love. We’re at the halfway point. It gets darker from here.

    Revenge – XXXTENTACION

    Like Zarabeth’s own feelings, this track is small and dense, a seed for careful growing.

    Chce Se Mi Spát (I Want to Sleep) – Psí vojáci

    One of the major voices of Prague’s Velvet Revolution, Psi Vojáci (Dog Soldiers) evoke Zarabeth’s fatigue, and the insincerity and disconnection in a world of surveillance.

    等著你回來 (Waiting for You) – 白光 (Bai Guang)

    1940s singer and actor Bai Guang was the sultriest of what have become known as the Shanghai Divas, and is still known across Asia. I went with the original to evoke Zarabeth’s bitter desire in Hong Kong, but you can find updated remixes on the album Shanghai Lounge Divas.

    Furious Angels – Rob Dougan

    Some will recognize the instrumental version, used in The Matrix Reloaded during Neo’s opening fight sequence (“Upgrades.”) For burning blue Zarabeth and hot desperate Gabriel outrunning angry angels, I opted for the full melodrama of Rob Dougan’s original.

    Hessel, Raymond K. – The Dust Brothers

    This heavy, spacy drum and bass track evokes the Las Vegas cult ritual where the wrong god shows up, to Zarabeth’s benefit… and no one else’s. Originally from the Fight Club soundtrack.

    Thirteen – Johnny Cash

    Gabriel crosses the American West, trying to find an answer to his love and the hurt he caused her. Johnny Cash knows about that.

    Wolf Like Me – TV On The Radio

    Missy and Walt just hope to settle down, but there’s a reckoning ahead with Missy’s family and coven — and TV On The Radio’s tale of horror and hunger speaks to Missy’s reaction.

    Cheap Thrills – Sia

    My editor Vivian Caethe told me to add a chapter about Zarabeth after Las Vegas, lest she seem to be “waiting by the phone.” Laying low in Lincoln, Nebraska let Zarabeth tie up some loose ends. To get back in her head, I had this song on repeat as I wrote the chapter.

    IKAZUCHI (Thunder) – Tom H@ck – Yoshida Brothers

    During my own work in Tokyo, I was introduced to the spare, bluegrassy music of the banjo-like shamisen — just before Yoshida Brothers took it international by mixing in drums and synth. This track is for modern Japan, land of quiet beauty, bullet trains, and much that is not spoken but that you need to know.

    Regret – St. Vincent

    Wouldn’t it be nice if love stories just ended well forever? St. Vincent doesn’t think that happens, and maybe Zarabeth and Gabriel agree, sometimes.

    Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend – Powerwolf

    A little heavy metal, and maybe a renewed love triangle, to close out this stormy ride!

    Thanks for listening!

  • An interview with Zarabeth

    AD: Hi! I’m Anthony Dobranski, author of the modern fantasy novel The Demon in Business Class. Today we’re talking to Zarabeth Battrie, the main character, about her life and her story. Zarabeth, welcome!

    ZB: Hi. Thanks for having me. Also, writing me. For the most part. You could have left a few things out.

    AD: I wanted the audience to share the whole experience. Before we get into the novel, tell us a little about yourself. What do you like to do when you’re not the main character of a novel? Any interests, any hobbies?

    ZB: Causing trouble.

    AD: Seriously.

    ZB: Seriously! I don’t read, I don’t watch movies. Some TV if I’m bored, but that gets boring fast. A few drinks out, a little clubbing. More weed than I probably should.

    I like to work. I like to make things happen. I don’t socialize but I love to collaborate, if that makes sense. I love travel but hate vacations. If there’s nothing to do, I get into trouble. I cause trouble. I’m a trouble magnet.

    AD: Which is good in a main character! Did you like being the main character?

    ZB: Hmm. Sort of. I’m more a behind-the-scenes person, honestly. Also, it was intense! I’m not complaining. Given that I start out the book pretty sure I’m going to be fired from my job —

    AD: Downsized.

    ZB: Not a lot of difference, in the job market of 2008.

    AD: 2020’s worse, actually.

    ZB: Not my problem. Anyway. Given where I start the book, international travel and shady conspiracies was a good outcome. As was, I have to say, being taken seriously again. That mattered a lot to me.

    AD: Even if it was by a villain using you to start a war?

    ZB: At least I flew business class! OK, fine, I’m being flippant. As people will learn, I didn’t have a lot growing up. My dad died when I was young, and my mom … well, people can read about that. In the book I learn a few new things about my past, as it turns out —

    AD: No spoilers!

    ZB: Sorry. As I was saying, respect for my abilities isn’t something I’m used to. So it’s compelling when someone finally appreciates me. I think we all want that, and the chance to earn it. Not a free ride, not a participation trophy. Just, a shot. A chance to shine.

    ZB: As it happened, my shining time came with a demon that let me speak all languages.

    AD: I am jealous of that.

    ZB: It’s not all upside. Oh, who am I kidding? It’s amazing! To go all around this big world, and be… well, not at home exactly, but enabled, connected, able to take part. I can speak Italian. Chinese. Russian. Arabic. I can speak sign language. It’s incredible. Especially in your time, with everyone stuck at home — you have to read it. It’s a wild journey. And with me, you’re in the front seat.

    AD: Your perspective starts and ends the novel, but you share your story with Gabriel Archer. What can you tell me about him?

    ZB: What can I — after all we go through… Wow. I’m not sure. Which is why it works, maybe. If Gabriel were easy, if I could have gamed how it would play out… it would be a very different book, wouldn’t it? On the surface it seems straightforward. Girl meets boy, in a hotel bar. Of course I have a pet demon, but, I don’t need that to interest a guy.

    Except Gabriel’s not at all what I expect. He has a story as strange as mine. Repressed psychic powers? Recruited to work for a guy who dreams future events? That’s original. No surprise, he’s got issues.

    AD: Is that all right?

    ZB: It’s not boring! The trick of it is, neither one of us is perfect. Way far from that. People talk about feeling connected, about completion, about matching. Gabriel and I connect … like Velcro. It shouldn’t work. But it does, stronger than either of us are prepared for. Sometimes it’s enough to be with another person who is also way far from perfect, and knows it. So long as we both respect what we are and what we have. Which is hard for me, and hard for him. When it works … Like I said about my demon: to feel connected, to share, to take part.

    AD: The three of you must have been happy together.

    ZB: Gabriel and the demon? No. Ha. Sigh. No. That’s the second half of the book, when it gets really complicated. A lot of that was hard to go through. I know people reading and listening will find it one heck of a ride.

    AD: Along with Gabriel and your demon, you also have a friend, Missy Devereaux —

    ZB: I’m not supposed to talk about her being a witch.

    AD: I was going to ask about your friendship.

    ZB: Oh! Oops. Yes, we’re friends. She’s very different from me. Wealthy, educated, and she got plenty of that respect thing. She has every advantage. Turns out, despite all that, she still has to prove herself. Or maybe because of it. That’s why Missy and I get along. We’re very different but we both want more. Neither one of us is a sidekick. Maybe you should write a book about her.

    AD: Not a bad idea!

    ZB: Are you writing a book about her?

    AD: No…

    ZB: You sure?

    AD: You sound jealous.

    ZB: I do not.

    AD: Moving on. One last question. In the novel, you often take a look ahead, as it were, with a special Tarot deck.

    ZB: My deck is really cool! It’s called Business Class Tarot. It’s focused on work and professional issues, and it looks like modern life, with representation for all people. Of course it’s still a Tarot, and totally woo-woo. But it works for me.

    So, we done?

    AD: Um… yeah, I guess.

    ZB: Good. I have problems to cause. Nice chatting. Bye!

    AD: Wait! I — OK. Well. I probably should have expected that. Even though she ditched me, you can enjoy more of Zarabeth’s intense adventures in my novel, The Demon in Business Class!

  • Demon Character Profiles

    Meet the principal characters of The Demon in Business Class!

    ZARABETH BATTRIE

    She would be a dragon. Make them clear a path.

    Zarabeth Battrie is a short, slender, brown woman in her late 20s. Sharp and aggressive, she likes travel, not vacation; she doesn’t socialize but enjoys collaborating. No interest in culture, art, reading, or movies. Music is a background for her. She likes to look good, to attract positive attention, but she isn’t showy. Her relaxation is sex, sleep or intoxicants – but her mother is an alcoholic so she knows the buzz can turn on her. Maybe that’s part of the fun. She trusts her body more than her brain. Touch and feel are her sixth sense.

    *

    Gabriel

    GABRIEL ARCHER

    Last year, the picture of forthrightness. Now he fronted anything.

    Gabriel Archer is a medium-height white brunet man in his early 30s. Despite a decade of sobriety, he still feels his angry brawling youth, and a sense of missing something from it. Purpose? Satisfaction? Maybe both. He isn’t motivated by money or by leisure, but the world of the spirit always sounds empty to him. He longs for problems to fix. He believes in the social good of business, the value of exchange, of laws and rules. He likes speed, pushing himself on his bike, driving fast cars on empty roads — but, under control. He mistrusts his body, even when it’s right. Smell is his sixth sense.

    *

    Missy

    MISSY DEVEREAUX

    I have studied power for decades. Why don’t I feel ready?

    Missy Devereaux is a tall, white, heavily-freckled white woman in her late 20s, currently with red hair. She’s a wealthy town-and-country gal who loves cities, but her hidden truth is older and stranger: she’s the future ruler of an ancient matriarchal witch coven. This defines her life, but, she’s not excited about it. She likes business, likes winning without sorcery and not by decree. She seeks a new path, with just the power and none of the responsibility. She only has five senses, all very sharp, especially when the moon is out.

    *

    Walt image

    WALT WISNIEWSKI

    I wish to feel my peak again. Not just caffeinated but energized.

    Walt Wisniewski is a big, tall, deeply-tanned white man in his late 30s. The tech business he built and sold gave him wealth and leisure, showing him the world then letting him live atop it. Now life is fun, with sports and parties, but maybe too easy. He wants to use his skills and drive in a new way. Someone to do it with, too. Plenty of people look good. Few impress him. Nature abhors a vacuum, he knows that. He doesn’t know he’s the vacuum. He has no sixth sense, but he has luck.

    *

    MAGDA CRANE

    ‘Win-win.’ I hate that phrase. It’s not winning if no one loses.

    Magda Crane is a tall, pale white woman, apparently in her early 70s. Sometimes she seems younger, sometimes far older. Though old for the corporate world, she is still vigorous, determined, and powerful. Also, shady. She dresses well, but doesn’t try to look young. She comes off as a little quaint and dotty, before she guts you. She’s well ahead of you. Hearing is her sixth sense.

    *

    Bill image

    BILL THORN

    I’m a very tense fellow. I go to church twice a week, the shooting range more.

    Bill Thorn is a medium-height, fit Black man in his 40s. He has a measured approach, cautious, like he is the bull in his own china shop. He knows a lot, but plays his knowledge close to his vest. Is it a lack of trust, or simply that he knows others have to come to understanding without being told? Sight is his sixth sense. He has seen a lot with it. Maybe too much.

    *

    The Polyglot Demon

    THE POLYGLOT DEMON

    Any roadside convenience store has a sign in the window: GIRL MISSING.

    It lives inside Zarabeth, and lets her speak all languages. It was made from a woman’s soul. But it’s just an app now. Really.

  • Excerpt – Chapter 31

    In this excerpt from The Demon in Business Class, Zarabeth is sent to Las Vegas after surviving an encounter with angels. Turns out, there are side effects — but an immortal is willing to guide Zarabeth to her next adventure…

    from Chapter 31 – Las Vegas

    At eight-thirty Zarabeth sat at a small piano bar off the casino lobby. Dark eyeliner, red skirt-suit, tall black heels, cheap watches. The bartender lit her cigarettes. Fun to be classy. Two drinks later she wore the feeling out of the bar like a psychic fur stole. She stood outside to scan taxis and town cars.

    “Zazzy Boots!” Out the back window of a limousine, a familiar face. Toothy smile and long heavy nose, a black derby on her curly black hair. “Get over here!”

    The vanity pictures in Janice Goldman’s glass Los Angeles office dated to Zarabeth’s childhood, movie stars with permed curls and narrow ties. Janice had the same face in all of them. Soon after, Missy had shown her a picture of Great-Grandmother Johnson as a single young flapper, arm in arm with Janice. “A different name back then,” Missy had said.

    Keep reading — or listen to the audiobook!