Dietrich Kalteis, author of RIDE THE LIGHTNING, has invited me to take part in a blog hop. The idea is for a writer to answer four questions, then tag two more people. You can read Dietrich's entry at his website.
It's an honor to be tagged by Dietrich, and at the same time as John McFetridge, a really great crime writer from Toronto. In turn I've tagged Jameson Dash and D.B. Carew, whose entries you can see next Monday. Here we go.
What am I working on?
Promotion for my novel LAST OF THE INDEPENDENTS, published by Dundurn Press on August 30th. It's a crime novel set in Vancouver, about a private detective named Michael Drayton who's hired to locate the son of a local junk dealer, a guy who specializes in selling secondhand goods.
As he proceeds, Mike comes up against institutions and individuals who do not want the child found, and will go to any length to prevent it. Unable to drop the investigation, Mike finds out how far he's willing to bend and break the law to uncover the truth.
I was influenced by the classic crime fiction writers, Hammett and Chandler and MacDonald, and later Walter Mosely, Sue Grafton, Ian Rankin and Dennis Lehane. But I also wanted to write about Vancouver, the changes going on in the city, and how it is to be a twentysomething person at the start of your career, in an openly hostile economic environment.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I could say, “My book has regional specificity--it’s set in Vancouver.” Or “My book has a compelling protagonist and cast of characters.” Or “My book has already garnered rave reviews and won a Crime Writers of Canada award--before publication.”
Which are all true. But these are the attributes and accolades every author trots out about every book. LAST OF THE INDEPENDENTS is not every book.
So here’s what I’ll say, what few could boast about: my novel has a soul. That is what makes it different. That is why you should read it.
What I hope is that it's a crime novel, that lovingly employs the conventions of the crime/detective genre, to tell a story you haven't read before.
How does my writing process work?
I write by hand, pen to paper. It’s a colossal pain in the ass--especially transcribing, I really hate that part. But it helps to eliminate distractions, and you can do it anywhere.
Why do I write what I do?
I don’t like hockey, and there’s only so much professional wrestling you can watch.
Why do I write crime novels, you mean? It’s not just because I like crime fiction. It’s because I like what crime fiction can become.
Strip away all the b.s.-- the witty banter, the gore, the stereotypical victims and killers and sidekicks. Underneath the surface of crime fiction beats a heart that is in touch with our world, our nature, in a way that sci-fi, fantasy, romance or the western just can’t be.
I think you can write honestly about complicated people, and you can write to entertain, and that those are not conflicting but rather complementary drives.
Introduce the next two authors.
D.B. Carew’s debut novel THE KILLER TRAIL was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger award. It was published earlier this year, and has a hell of an awesome book trailer, which you can view at his website.
Jameson Dash is a successful writer of romance, who regularly publishes through Torquere and Dreamspinner presses, and also someone who's really figured out the internet game--promotion and publishing using the web. We've known each other since college, and we hang and talk shop on a regular basis.