Black and White Smoke follows a CFO who is trying desperately to navigate his company through a dangerous period after the founder disappears from active leadership. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I’ve always found power and leadership transitions, including CEO succession battles, to be riveting. Especially so when the eventual outcome is the least expected one. Several shows, including the Succession series and, perhaps oddly for a business fiction book, the intrigues behind the election of popes, including the incumbent, served as inspiration.

The novel treats boardrooms like battlefields. Was that a conscious decision from the start?

Indeed, that’s the crux of the protagonist, Jon’s plotline, where analogies to chess battles are often drawn. On the chessboard, having attacking momentum, ensuring the strategic placement of pieces on the right squares, and seeking material advantages are the keys to victory.

Similarly, in the boardroom, the weapons deployed are timing, the power of persuasion, novelty of ideas, and the ability to forge potent alliances, be they collaborative or nefarious in nature. In these settings, subtext and subtlety are key features of the verbal duels. That’s what I intended to showcase in the novel.

Which character surprised you the most while writing?

Paxton, who is one of the antagonists. Ordinarily, I’d have little time for a character like him- a boisterous blowhard. However, my admiration of his qualities and understanding of the motivation for his choices increased multi-fold as I developed his character arc.

What do you think today’s business leaders could take away from the novel?

The essentials for success at the top echelons of organizations, such as having outstanding communication skills, strategic vision, a nose for opportunity, bias for action, drive, resilience, and ruthlessness, are on full display among the book’s characters. The book also doesn’t shy away from highlighting the personal costs of scaling the totem pole. All said and done, a central message is that forging the right alliances and who you have in your corner make a difference.

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