Crime Fiction Dossier (Old)

Cinco de Author with Duane Swierczynski

I still don't have anything to say, but I'm happy to link to someone else who does...

Paul Guyot's Cinco de Author interview series has finally returned. This time his hapless victim is Duane Swierczynski. In addition to the usual drivel about watches, Guyot actually asked him a couple of serious questions, too. Here's one of 'em:

PG: Discuss the differences in writing the novel versus the short story - do you have a different mindset approach to each, and which form do you prefer?

DS: Lately, all of my ideas have seemed to come in one size: novel. Earlier this year, I sat down to write a short story for an anthology (DUBLIN NOIR), just to see if I could still do it. And I could. But of course, that story ("Lonely and Gone") sparked an idea for a novel; that's the one I'm writing now.

Which do I prefer? I like the freedom of a novel, but I've been itching to get back in the short story game. Or write a comic mini-series, just to flex some different muscles. But when I do, I'll probably have to fool myself into thinking, "This could be a novel," because that mindset opens up the floodgates of the imagination. I don't ever want to sit down to write a short story thinking, "Well, it's only a short story."

It's a cool interview and worth reading. Guyot usually doesn't know what he's talking about, but on this occasion he's 100% right: Duane Swierczynski really is a talent to watch.

His first book, Secret Dead Men, was good in a quirky, twisted sort of way. I got a kick out of it, but in many ways it was the work of a young writer. His latest, The Wheelman, though, definitely shows him as a more mature and talented writer. If you haven't read him yet, you should.

10 Questions with Barry Eisler

My latest interview over on Mystery Ink is with Barry Eisler, author of the superb series of thrillers featuring assassin John Rain. Barry had some very interesting things to say (I previously excerpted his advice on writing) and I think you'll enjoy reading it.

Here's a sample:

DJM: You recently revealed that you worked for the CIA as a covert operative for 3 years back in the late-80s. Is there anything about that you'd like to tell us?

BE: I'll tell you a funny story about how legends get started. During the 20-week FTC (Field Trade Craft) spy school course, I was sparring with Carl, one of the paramilitary guys I knew from the SOTC (Special Operations Trade Craft) paramilitary course I had been through earlier. Carl was in many ways the inspiration for Dox: 5'10", 210 pounds of solid muscle, former Marine Recon, black belts in judo and hapkido... a tough and tough-looking dude but also funny as hell. Well, on this particular evening, Carl accidentally broke my nose with his elbow, moving my schnoz about halfway towards my right ear. He drove me to the emergency room in Williamsburg and insisted on joining me while the doctor was suturing me up. While the doctor was putting in the stitches, he asked us, "So what were you guys doing there?" (referring to nearby Camp Peary, "The Farm," which much CIA training is conducted). Carl responds, with his gravelly, Texan accent, "That's classified," even though the truth is that we were just screwing around on our own time. Then the doctor says to him, "Well, what are you doing here, anyway?" To which Carl gestures to me and responds:" If you anesthetize him and he starts spilling state secrets, I have to kill him."

Afterward, I realized the doctor probably went home and told his family and friends, "I don't know what they do up there at the Farm, but it's serious! Some guy came in tonight and his nose was pulverized. And there was a scary looking guy escorting him who said if the hurt guy talked he'd have to kill him!"

And thus are legends born...

Don't miss the rest of the interview.

Cinco de Author: Joe Konrath

Paul Guyot has his latest Cinco de Author feature up on his blog. His latest victim is J.A. Konrath, the hardest working man in publishing. A typical exchange:

PG:  Do you remember the moment or moments when you first came up with the character of Jack Daniels? How did it happen?

JK:  I was wracking my brain for a character name and by luck there happened to be a bottle of booze on my desk. But the "Cuervo 1800 Series" didn't sell. Which hurt, because agave it my best shot.

(heh, heh... agave...)

Despite the cringe-worthy nature of that joke, Konrath is a gifted writer and his latest book, Bloody Mary, is even better than his first. Check it out -- it's the perfect summer read.

Interview with James O. Born

My latest interview over at Mystery Ink is with Jim Born, author of the terrific Shock Wave and a very cool guy.

Jim is a working cop in Florida, so he knows the mean streets from the point of view of someone who's actually been there, unlike the rest of us who just make it up.

I asked him a question about that, among other things:

Q. I'm sure you must often cringe when you read mystery novels. What about cops in fiction bugs you the most?

A. I always smile at all the cops who were trained as CIA assassins or have super abilities. On the TV show Joe Forester in the seventies, he would throw his nightstick and trip fleeing criminals. I always thought that was cool. One night I ended up in a foot chase in Miami and threw my ASP (expandable night stick) at the guy, hoping for the same effect. It shot between his legs without actually touching him and made him jump into high gear and I never saw him again. There are no special abilities. Having said that, the most important thing is a good story with believable characters. I rarely quibble on details. As an example, the role of the private investigator in real, modern day police work is extremely limited. No police department in the country would allow a P.I. to work on an active violent crime, especially a homicide. I’d be fired if I thought about it. But good writers, like Jon King, create a situation where it’s believable that Max Freeman help’s the cops on a possible serial killer. As long as there is a reason for a situation, don’t sweat the small stuff.

Check it out. Very interesting stuff.

World's Worst Interview Comes to Mystery Ink

Victor Gischler has become well-known in recent months for conducting the World's Worst Interviews.

Now I've turned the tables on the highly-regarded crime writer and given him the World's Worst treatment.

Q. Your latest book is called Suicide Squeeze, but nobody kills themselves in it, and there’s hardly any squeezing. What gives? I kept expecting Mr. Whipple to commit seppuku.

A: Wait. I’m writing this down. Whipple … seppuku … finally the premise for my breakout novel. Do you think people even remember, Mr. Whipple? I was feeling old, but I did a radio interview today, and the guy asked me how old I was in the summer of love. My reply: zero. So I’m feeling a bit younger today.

Pop over to Mystery Ink for the rest of the irreverence.

While you're there, you can also see my review of Gischler's new book, Suicide Squeeze.

Interview with Reed Farrel Coleman

My most recent addition to Mystery Ink is an interview with Reed Coleman, author of the excellent detective novel The James Deans.

We cover such topics as the lure of New York City, his good guy character Moe Prager, and how he got his name.

Very interesting guy. Check it out.

Interview with Harley Jane Kozak

My latest interview, this time with Harley Jane Kozak, author of the recently published Dating is Murder, can now be seen on Mystery Ink. I don't know if I've been reading Victor Gischler's interviews too much lately, or just watching too much Inside the Actor's Studio, but check out the last question I asked her:

Q. We end tonight, as we always do, with a question invented by my hero, Bernard Pivot: What is your favorite curse word?

A. The word my children so adore, that I lifted the ban on it last month: poopyhead.

My review of the book will appear in my next Chicago Sun-Times column on April 3.

Interview with Kent Harrington

I recently conducted an interview with Kent Harrington, author of the wonderful new novel Red Jungle. You can see what Kent had to say over on Mystery Ink. Very interesting stuff. Here's a sample:

Q. Was it frustrating for you not to get one of the big publishers to take on Red Jungle? A. Yes it was, very much so. Because, being stubborn, I believed in the book, especially after people said, "Hey Kent, this is a pretty good novel."

Now it's a little easier, because the response to the book has been more than I could have hoped for; readers seem to be embracing it, and that's very heartening. You can't ask for more than that -- to have someone come up to you and say they enjoyed something you wrote. It's a wonderful feeling, the best.

He has some insightful things to say about the state of publishing and the nature of genre, in particular. I think you'll enjoy it.

The Wit & Wisdom of Robert Ferrigno

Got an email last night from Mr. Ferrigno, tipping me to a terrific interview he did with Bob Cornwell that's now up on Tangled Web. I was going to offer some commentary, but the inestimable Sarah Weinman beat me to it.

I will single out one excerpt, though, that I loved:

The political upheavals of the late 60s left the young Ferrigno with an abiding distrust of politicians, a fact that perhaps explains the lack of overt politics in his novels. He cites the Chappaquidick incident in which a young Edward Kennedy "while probably drunk" left his date, Mary Jo Kopechne, to drown whilst he swam free, "He got a wrist slap. Last week he was on television haranguing a Republican nominee for attorney general who had written a memo suggesting that terrorists don't warrant coverage by the Geneva convention. What Kennedy seemed most upset about was the nominee allowing the use of 'water boards' which simulated the fear of drowning in the terrorists. I found Kennedy's outrage hilarious. I hate all politicians but I hate the ones who drown their date the most."

Great stuff. And Ferrigno is a great writer. If you haven't read his books, you're really missing out.

Try his latest, The Wake-Up, a recent nominee for the Gumshoe Award for Best Thriller. You won't be disappointed.

World's Worst Interview, Pt. Quatre

Victor Gischler, the world's worst blogger, and author of a few far-from-worst novels (including the forthcoming Suicide Squeeze), contines his string of wretched interviews with his latest victim, Christopher Moore, author of the humorous novels Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal and Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings.

A sample exchange:

VG: Do you have any special, useless talents? (Like burping the alphabet, etc?)

CM: I'm pretty good at knife-throwing. Really.

I've never read Moore, but Gischler is one funny guy.