Deadpan follows an antisemitic Buick salesman from West Virginia who wakes up one day as a famous Jewish comedian. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

If I were still a professor at a university, I would say Deadpan is an homage to Kafka. Because I retired from the faculty several years ago, however, I will say that I stole it from Kafka. In his story The Metamorphosis, a man wakes up one morning to discover that he has been transformed into an insect. I wondered, in what other identity could one awaken? I decided upon the world’s most popular standup comedian.

Dwight is thrown into a world where he has to face his prejudices head-on and evaluate how beliefs. What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?

To me, at its most basic level, all worthy fiction is an examination of identity. How do we know we really are the person we think we are? In Deadpan, a man has thrust upon him an alternative identity. As the narrative evolves, he comes to welcome this revised image of himself and, instead of rejecting, decides to embrace it, which becomes increasingly difficult–and ultimately impossible–for him to do.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

Deadpan is an exploration of hate speech and bigotry in general, and antisemitism in particular. Rape, murder, and arson are dreadful, obvious aspects of racism. But there is a less spectacular though equally destructive, subtler form, which is the benign way that everyday folks, including the author of Deadpan, benignly tolerate wrongdoing and evil.

What is the next book that you are working on and when can your fans expect it to be out?

My next novel is Skinn (that’s not a typo). It’s the story of a celebrity Beverly Hills dermatologist who, however unwittingly, becomes entrapped in the world of internet porn.

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