Hypertext Magazine asked Timothy S. Miller, author of City of Hate, “Are you nervous about alienating potential readers of  City of Hate by its title and the very recognizable Dallas skyline on the cover? Why call your novel City of Hate?”

By Timothy S. Miller

Clearly, I did not come up with the famous moniker that became the title of my first published novel. City of Hate was bestowed upon Dallas via the headlines of several major newspapers after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Naturally, the last thing that an author wants to do is alienate potential readers. Dallas has been very good to me, and I find it rather naïve to blame a city for any one event. But with that said, I thought that the title suited the book because of its examination of the underbelly of this famous city, and the alienation my characters feel from the city of Dallas in general, but – more important perhaps – society as a whole.

Being that City of Hate is a crime novel, “City of Love” didn’t have the same ring to it. The whole novel is really about coming to terms with your past so you have a slight chance at a bright and promising future. And I think the title is a necessary piece of that. The future may be bleak for my characters, but I think Dallas will be just fine.

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Timothy S. Miller lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife and daughter. He’s been a ranch hand, waiter, contract driver, professional clown, and spent over ten years working in office services for two prestigious Wall Street-based firms. He graduated with his B.A. in Literature and Writing from the University of Montana, Western.