Jason Kersten was kind enough to answer a few questions about his book The Art of Making Money. There are very minor SPOILERS to be aware of but nothing that would affect your enjoyment of the book.
What was the most astonishing thing you learned while researching the book?
When I interviewed Art Williams for the Rolling Stone article, he held back a great deal, partly because he knew there wouldn’t be space, but mostly because telling his whole story involved passing through an emotional minefield. The most dramatic revelations that came with the book concerned his family. I had no idea that his mom was schizophrenic, that his sister had tried to kill herself twice in one day, or that his father had abused his sister. Art had never told anyone these things, and he had very specific, traumatic memories that are in the book. On one level, the most astonishing thing is that Art turned out relatively functional. I emphasize relative, because many of the people surrounding him are far more damaged.
As far as counterfeiting goes, one the most extraordinary discoveries I learned had to do with the color-shifting ink used by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on our bills. To replicate it, Art used an automotive spray paint. When I researched the paint more, I discovered that it utilized the same patented technology that the BEP did. In other words, the company that invented the security ink for our currency went ahead and sold a watered-down version the same technology to the mass market. So he accessed through a back door that was left wide open. I don’t know why that should surprise me so much, given that a lot of technology used by our government has a civilian correlative sold by the same contractor, but it did.
Are there any updates on the story since the book came out that you would like to share?
I could have added at least another chapter with what has happened since the book was published. Art’s son got arrested and convicted for counterfeiting himself and is now also in prison. In an incredible twist that no one would believe if I had made it up, they are actually now cell mates. (It’s really tragic the way criminality perpetuates itself within families. Our prisons are filled with people who come from multiple generations of convicts). They’re trying to look at it positively—a chance to improve their relationship. It’s horrible to say it, but they now have plenty of time for each other.
How do things stand with the film adaptation right now?
There was a lot of hype when Paramount first bought the project. It made the cover of Variety and there was talk about fast-tracking it. Chris Pine was signed to play Art, which I think was a good casting move. Of course, that’s Hollywood. They talk a lot, then they get caught up making Transformers 22 and you’re lucky if you’re a grandfather by the time anyone remembers that you have an original story worth making. My book got fantastic reviews, but it was never a national best seller. If it had been, it would have been made already.
More important to me than when it’s made is how well they make it, how true to the story they remain. With any story, especially a crime story, there’s always the risk that Hollywood will turn it into a C or D crime movie where people are whipping out guns and chasing each other in cars in other every other scene. Hollywood dreads originality and a lot of career screenwriters are encouraged to pump up the clichés and violence. Art came from a violent past, but he wasn’t a gunslinger. He hated guns. The world he came from, which I tried my best to capture in the book, was filled with inimitable events and characters better than anything Hollywood could ever make up. And they don’t have to, it’s all right there in the book. They just have to commit to a nuanced portrayal. If they do, I will be pleasantly surprised.
What are you currently working on?
Looking for my next book and writing magazine articles, my usual hustle. I wish I was more prolific when it came to books, and that stories as good as Art’s fell into my lap all the time. I’m very picky when it comes to writing books. With true crime, it’s tricky because so many stories get overexposed by the Internet. And of course the crimes I like to write about are a bit boutique—they’re not about serial killers or rich people murdering each other or dead or missing white women. (Not that I wouldn’t write a book about one of those things if somebody offered me a pile of money). But I like crime stories that, for lack of a better term, aren’t just about the sensationalism of the crime. I like stories that offer an entry point into ourselves or an aspect of society, into fascinating worlds. My first book was about a murder, but it was really an exploration of moral ambiguity and friendship. The Art of Making Money is about a gifted counterfeiter, but it’s also about how he and the people around him change when they realize he’s basically this walking mint. When I encounter a rich, untold story that works on multiple levels like that, I know I have a book.
Thats all for this update. You can read the original Rolling Stone article on the author's website here.
Please feel free to comemnt below, email me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or reach me on twitter @jeffsbookcase.
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