Los Angeles is a city of hidden depths—both figuratively and literally. Beneath its sun-soaked streets lies a vast network of underground tunnels, largely forgotten by the world above. In Squeeze Light, author Ben Crockett brings this shadowy underworld to life, crafting a gripping coming-of-age thriller that explores friendship, survival, and the places we go to escape—both physically and emotionally.
Drawing from his own childhood adventures navigating L.A.’s subterranean passageways, Crockett blends personal experience with fiction, creating a world that is as haunting as it is exhilarating. The tunnels become more than just a setting; they serve as a powerful metaphor for the unseen struggles of his characters, young misfits seeking meaning and connection in a world that often overlooks them. As the story unfolds, their underground explorations lead them into unexpected dangers, tangled mysteries, and life-altering moments that will shape them forever.
In this Q&A, Crockett shares the inspiration behind Squeeze Light, the fascinating history of Los Angeles’ underground, and how he balanced the novel’s darker themes with humor and adventure. He also gives us a sneak peek into his next project—one that promises to be just as thrilling.
Let’s dive in.
Your novel, "Squeeze Light" takes readers deep into Los Angeles' forgotten underground tunnels—what inspired you to explore this setting?
It is where I grew up. The subterranean washes under Los Angeles were the super highway my friends and I used to navigate the often dangerous world at street level. I didn’t realize until I was much older, and would tell stories about navigating what we called “the underground,” that it was the kind of place that people would prefer to avoid. It’s a stones’ throw from humanity, but somehow mysteriously removed from it. Like alleyways or abandoned buildings, it’s a dark and mysterious location that preys on the discomforts of most people.
The underground tunnels create a powerful metaphor throughout the novel—how does this hidden world beneath Los Angeles mirror the emotional journeys of your characters?
I didn’t intend for it to do that, until I began really developing the characters and reflecting on why my friends and I used to go down there. We didn’t have money, no one had a video game system, a VCR, or even cable television, so we would just set out into the world every day and explore. When we first started probing deeper into the tunnels, we were well aware of the hazards and had been warned of the dangers within, not to mention the “No Trespassing” signs and barbed wire around all the entrances and exits. In hindsight I realized, it was a mix of ‘What do we have to lose?’ and the eventual recognition for being the only kids brave enough to go down there. That became the throughline for the characters, finding strength and value in themselves, where they felt overlooked and forgotten by the world around them.
Your novel blends historical elements of Los Angeles with fictional narrative—what research surprised you most about the real tunnel system, and how did you decide where to embellish for storytelling purposes?
Growing up, the washes were one of those things that were there and seemingly always had been, but diving into the history of-it-all was pretty cool. The subterranean washways of Los Angeles add up to thousands of miles of underground passageways, some large enough to drive several semi-trucks through, side-by-side. The interesting thing was, most of these tunnels were master-planned long before the city, as we know it today, was even built; the locations of some dating as far back as the early settlers.
For the sake of the story, the tunnels were glamorized slightly, as empty cement pathways with occasional, slippery moss hazards, but the reality was they were pretty gross a lot of the time, with all kinds of trash and run off from every gutter in the city feeding into them. I also took plenty of liberties in features and connecting locations via “the Underground” that wouldn’t necessarily track in the real world.
The characters in "Squeeze Light" face both physical darkness in the tunnels and emotional shadows in their lives—was this parallel intentional from the beginning, or did it evolve as you wrote?
While there was some character evolutions as described above, the coming of age element and how that tied to “the Underground” was planned from the beginning. The characters were lost and didn’t feel like they fit in above ground. The darkness of the tunnels, alleyways, abandoned buildings and the streets at night became their sanctuary but, no matter how far they explored, the real world and its consequences were always there waiting when they left. It wasn’t until they stumbled upon a botched robbery that their worlds collide and they are left to sort out the pieces that would haunt them into adulthood.
What makes underground exploration such a compelling backdrop for adolescent self-discovery?
It taps into a primal fear. Something about being underground, confined, the darkness, the mystery… Always within arms-reach of civilization and society, but just far enough away from it to still vanish without a trace. Even when you know the way, it is a world of dark corners, shadows, and noises echoing down from the world above that is haunting to all ages, but especially the rabbit hole of the developing teenage mind.
Without giving too much away, what can readers expect from the thrills and dangers lurking in the tunnels?
It will be an unexpected rollercoaster ride that will have you uncomfortably laughing in the most inappropriate situations. The main characters; Ben, Gabe, Shawn and Crystal are a vortex of trouble that they stir up for their own amusement. What they don’t know is that their newfound enemies in a local motorcycle club, the decade old mystery of a body pulled from “the Underground,” and their need to explore a condemned school that proved not be so abandoned, put them all on a collision course that could bring all of their lives to an end before they ever see their first day of ninth grade.
How did you balance the coming-of-age themes with the darker, more mysterious elements of the story?
Emotionally, the main characters all present as walled off and confident, but as the story carries on, we learn that every one of them is leaning on the others in some way, shape, or form, to get by. It emphasizes the importance of the friends we make when we are young and how those lessons carry us into adulthood, making us the strong, or vulnerable people we grow up to be.
What do you hope readers take away from the story beyond the mystery and adventure?
Everyone matters and for reasons not everyone sees. Everyone struggles and for reasons not everyone can relate to. Sometimes the way a person shows you that you are the most important person in their life is by slapping you in the back if the head and stealing your shoes. Often, the most difficult people to love are the people we can’t help but love the most. Adventure is always out there, and sometimes being along for the ride is just as much fun as driving.
Growing up in Los Angeles, did you ever explore places like the tunnels in your own childhood?
Every day. My friends and I knew every inch of our local mountains, every wash, every back alley, and dirt lot. Los Angeles used to be a playground for kids like my friends and I. A dangerous playground, but a good time nonetheless. I have since moved away, but when I do go back to visit, I find it is nothing like it used to be.
If this book were adapted into a movie or TV series, who would be your dream cast or director?
My dream would be Guy Ritchie or Quentin Tarantino, but who’s wouldn’t. Squeeze Light doesn’t follow an A-to-Z timeline, it bounces around to different times and from different perspectives; Guy Ritchie’s ability to convey that in movie form is unmatched. Tarantino is someone I referenced about 100 times while writing Squeeze Light. He never has to apologize for his character development and his dialogue is so strong he can make a movie about eight guys sitting around in a cabin talking and we will gladly watch three hours of it.
I’d also include James Gunn as a dream Director. Gunn has a tremendous reputation for his unique use of music in his films. Music plays an important role in Squeeze Light, and I could see Gunn’s talents transforming this story into a brilliant film and soundtrack.
What’s next for you as an author? Any upcoming projects or adventures we should look forward to?
I once heard it said that when you have a good idea (for a story), you can’t write it down fast enough, and that is where I am right now. The greatest adventure stories are rooted in reality and people are telling them all around you, all the time. I have a brain full of shared tales and personalities, I am always waiting for that one puzzle piece that snaps into place and suddenly allows you to see the big picture. That magic piece clicked for me just before completing Squeeze Light and I was able to roll straight into my next adventure, pitting modern convenience against dated technology in a race to preserve life as we know it. I’m on track to have this newest title released by winter 2025, and a teaser summary up on Ben-Crockett.com in the next few months.
For more information please visit: https://www.ben-crockett.com/
