Dancing With Myself: NEW PULP PRESS interviews NEW PULP PRESS

I was lucky enough to be part of a review team working on

Best American Noir Of The Century over at the wonderful Spinetingler and think it's well worth the visit just for the quality of the reviews alone. Check it out.

And for today, New Pulp Press is a name to be reckoned with. Their output is right up my street and probably right up yours given that you're here.

It's certainly one of the places my novel will be headed as soon as it's baked well enough to be seen. There are a couple of reasons for that. One is that they have a list of outstanding titles that most writers at my level would be proud to stand alongside. Another is that they're one of the few publishers for whom you don't have to jump through hoops for to have access to them (I'm sure this is a policy that's paying off for them, so let's hope it continues). A thirdly is that, from what I know of them, they have an ethos that I can buy into completely.

I'm really pleased they're here.

Yesterday we heard from Heath Lowrance, one of their stable. Let's find out why we should be supporting them by buying their books.

New Pulp Press ladies and gentlemen. Let's hear it.

I must admit, heading into my interview with media mogul and New Pulp Press owner Jon Bassoff I was more than a little intimidated. I had heard many things about him, very few of these things good. I had heard about his snake collection, his ex-wives, and his criminal record. His safe room, his bowling trophies, his quick temper. But upon meeting him, my fears were immediately put to rest. The warm smile never left his face and he showed a curious longing for human contact. In fact, as I attempted to leave the interview, I was delayed and embraced for a good 40 minutes. Following are excerpts of my interview with this somewhat enigmatic character.


Q: Most of the books New Pulp Press frankly are a bit jarring. What created this apparent obsession with murder and incest?


A: It’s strange, but most people assume that I’m a damaged person because of the books we put out. Not at all. My childhood was rather pristine. Weekends in the Hamptons, vacations in Beirut. I suppose this literature is some sort of compensation for the lack of darkness in my own life. Although I have been told that I had a great uncle who skulked around killing the first born sheep in every farm in his little Ohio town.


Q: Really? Is that true?


A: It’s what I’ve been told, yes.


Q: You’ve always been known as a daring person in regard to fashion. For example, the look you have now. Whale skin jacket and overalls. A thin pink tie.


A: Fashion sense is something that has always come naturally to me. I don’t really think about it, actually, it just happens organically. When I was in France for the book release party of Rabid Child, one fellow described me this way: Il est un cannarde. I’m not sure of the exact translation, but I believe it means: He is quite daring! Yes, daring indeed.


Q: Who are some authors who influence what New Pulp Press is all about?


A: Other than Danielle Steele? Here’s a short list: Jim Thompson, James M. Cain, Albert Camus, Patrick McCabe, Georges Simenon, Charles Willeford, Patricia Highsmith, Dashiell Hammett, Chester Himes . . .


Q: What makes New Pulp Press a unique publisher?


A: Well for one thing, we offer some of the smallest advances on the market. Jonathan Woods spent his entire advance one afternoon at a zoo carousel. We are also unique in the type of books we put out—each one of our books has been banned in Amsterdam. When I read submissions, I skim through the first five pages. If no character has been dismembered or skinned alive, I use the manuscript as cage liner for my parakeets Chi Chi and Evander.

Q: What would be the perfect day for you?


A: My mistress and me on the open highway in a souped-up Yugo with a sawed off shotgun on my lap and John Tesh playing in the tape deck.


Q: What is the most difficult aspect of running a small publishing company?


A: I’m not gonna complain about anything involving New Pulp Press. The whole experience has been so rewarding. Except for working with the authors. Goddamn fragile egos. And the reviewers. Wouldn’t know a classic novel if it stood up and pissed in their coffee. And the limited distribution. And dealing with all the returns from bookstores. And the constant complaints from readers about the lack of editorial quality in our novels. And the deranged groupies who sit outside my house with rocks and gun powder and antique typewriters. Come to think of it, the whole experience has been a nightmare. I don’t recommend anybody getting into this God-forsaken business.


Q: What are your politics?


A: My president is Charlton Heston. (Pulls out a NRA membership card). He’s the only authority I listen to.


Q: Didn’t he pass away a few years ago?


A: No, that was the fellow from Dirty Dancing. Kurt Russell.


Q: Any new titles coming out from New Pulp Press?


A: In October we released a new book from Dave Zeltserman and a reissue from Gil Brewer. In January we’re putting out a book called The Science of Paul from this fellow named Aaron Philp Clark. My people have told me it’s one of the finest books we’ve put out. I trust my people, Chi Chi and Evander. Then in April we’re putting out a strange book by a strange man. It’s called The Bastard Hand by Heath Lowrance. It involves a preacher who has a hefty appetite for liquor and whores. It’s our first family friendly book.


Q: There have been some interesting rumors about one of your authors, Nate Flexer. One of these rumors is that you and he are the same person.


A: I won’t comment on those rumors other to say that they’re blatantly false. I first met Nate six years ago in a strip club. He was working as a cocktail waiter. He handed me a manuscript which appeared to be nothing more than chicken scratches on a legal pad. The first few times I read The Disassembled Man, I didn’t care for it. He then mentioned that he had some knowledge regarding my relationship with a certain circus performer in Las Cruces. He said that if I didn’t put his book into print he would reveal the unsavory details of this relationship. On the next read I realized what a masterpiece the novel was and what a brilliant writer Flexer was. The book was released the following month.

Q: Any final piece of advice you want to impart?


A: Never trust a one-armed hooker named Darling. Trust me. She’s no darling.

Visit New Pulp Press on the web at http://www.newpulppress.com/

Dancing With Myself: HEATH LOWRANCE interviews HEATH LOWRANCE

So who are you, exactly?

I’m Heath Lowrance, author of The Bas--

Keith Lowrance?

No, Heath, with an H. Heath Lowrance. I--

Oh, Heath, like the candy bar, right?

Yeah. Like the candy bar.

Those are good, I like them. Did you--

No, I have nothing to do with them.

But they are good.

Yes.

Anyway, you were saying…

(sighs)…I’m Heath Lowrance, author of The Bastard Hand, which is a book coming out from New Pulp Press in March.

So it’s your first book, right? Congrats. But tell me, Mr. Heath-with-an-H Lowrance, why should we care?

Well, I’m not entirely certain you should, but there’s a good chance you’ll like it. Some people with pretty good taste have said nice things about it.

How nice for you. And what is this epic tome about?

Well, you know, um…

Yes?

It’s, uh, about this drifter named Charlie, see, and he’s escaped from a mental institution and winds up in Memphis, where he hooks up with this preacher-guy who’s bent on whiskey and women, right? So the two of them go to this small town in North Mississippi where the preacher has a hidden agenda, and our man Charlie gets caught up in all sorts of ugly stuff. Which isn’t good, since he’s got only the flimsiest grip on sanity as it is…

Wow. How does it end?

Badly, for everyone. Oh, and did I mention that Charlie has recently come to the conclusion that he’s immortal? He can’t seem to be killed. This weird golden light seeps out of his hands, see, and--

Wait a minute. What?

Golden light. And it, like, wraps itself around people and burns them up and stuff. Oh, and there’s a street gang too, in Memphis, and a sexy little B&E expert, and a mysterious young blues musician. And… and a politician with, what do you call it, alien hand syndrome. Also--

Hold on, man, you’re giving everything away. Cool down.

(takes a deep breath) Okay. I’m good.

You sure? You look a little flushed. You need a minute?

(calming down) No. No, I’m good now, thanks.

Okay, if you’re sure. So tell me, Heath-with-an-H--

I wish you’d stop calling me that.

Tell me, who are some of the writers who’ve influenced your work?

I love a lot of different writers, but the ones who’ve had the biggest impact on The Bastard Hand were probably Jim Thompson--

Typical.

And Charles Willeford. Black Mass of Brother Springer, in particular. Also Joe R. Lansdale a little bit. Oh, and God.

God??

Yeah. I read the Old Testament, and it was the genesis--haha-- of The Bastard Hand.

But it’s my understanding that you’re a non-believer.

Exactly.

Okay, then. So what’s next for you, Heath-with-an--

Hey. What did I say about that?

Sorry. So what’s next for you, Heath?

I’ve just finished up my second novel, which couldn’t be much more different from The Bastard Hand. Kinda still making up my mind what to do with it. And starting on my third. Also, a few short stories and articles coming down the pike.

You sound pretty busy.

By most people’s standards, no. But I’m a deeply lazy man, so for me… yeah.

Thanks for talking to me, Heath.

That’s it? That’s the end of the interview?

Yeah. Unless you have something else to add?

(a long silence)….

Anything?

Um. No, I guess not.

Well, in that case--

Oh, wait, wait! One thing… support independent publishing! Buy The Bastard Hand, from New Pulp Press. Feed a writer today.

Shameless.

nigel says:

That was one great interview. I love the idea of feeding a writer by buying a book - I don't think of that often enough. And support independent publishing, most def.

Tomorrow New Pulp Press are going to be here with their interview and it's well worth checking in for.

And to wrap up, Heath-with an-H has a really worthwhile series going on at the moment over at Psycho-Noir (http://psychonoir.blogspot.com/ ) where people like Keith Rawson, Dave Zeltserman, Patti Abott, Jonathan Woods and Heath himself have stretched the definitions of noir and of novels to give everyone's to be read something to add to (I guarantee nobody will have read them all). Why not go and see if you can prove me wrong?

Heath, thanks for being here.

Dancing With Myself: JT ELLISON interviews JT ELLISON

1. Do you drink when you write?

Lord, no. I can barely read when I’ve had a glass of wine. It alters my perceptions of words and their meanings in a way I don’t like. Caffeine has the same effect – tears my concentration up. Contrary to popular belief, not all writers are Hemingway-esque alcoholics. Though it works for some.

2. Did growing up in a forest influence your writing?

Absolutely. Without video games and pedophiles on every corner and helicopter moms, we had a freedom kids nowadays wouldn’t know what to do with. We got kicked out of the house after breakfast and didn’t return until dinner. It was fantasyland, an idyllic, blissful world that was whatever I wanted to make it that day.

3. What games did you play as a child?

Chutes and Ladders, Life, Risk, Scrabble, Poker, Monopoly, Hungry Hungry Hippo (though my mother insists we never had that game) Yahtzee. Red Rover, kickball, tetherball, football with my brothers. But books, more than anything, dominated my time.

As I got older, Quarters and Truth or Dare were quite popular. I wasn’t much for dares, they always involved either stripping and running through someone’s back yard or kissing the boy next to you. With tongue. I probably became a writer during Truth or Dare, come to think of it. We all lied our tails off.

4. What games do you play as an adult?

How much time do you have?

In all seriousness, my playtime revolves around golf, wine, travel and learning Italian. I’m one of those jerks who goes to an Italian restaurant in the U.S. and suddenly gets fluent. But I need all the practice I can get.

5. Is the world going to come to a screeching halt once every single person has a Facebook Page and a Twitter account?

Yes. I predict that moment is high noon on December 21, 2012. The Mayans were on to something.

The idea that we are compelled to share every thought, movement and emotion freaks me out. Add location to the mix and I find myself retreating further and further. And the false intimacy of being “friends” with people who hated you in high school is unnerving. But it’s become somewhat necessary for marketing and promotion. I’m at the take it or leave it stage.

6. Why did you really decide to be a writer?

Honestly, you don’t choose writing, writing chooses you. It’s a gift, just like painters and singers and brilliant scientific minds. I think the art of writing comes as a natural extension of reading – so many stories build in our heads, we start to look at regular situations and insert fantastical actions, and voila, we’re telling a story. It’s a compulsion, not a choice.

7. Do you feel physical pain when you see a book page bent and dog-eared?

Yes. Books are treasures to me. Breaking spines, bending pages, rips in cover jackets – all of it kills me. I’m not a collector per se, but I understand the impulse to wrap books in clear plastic and use kid gloves when handling them. That said, if a book falls apart because it’s been read too much, that’s just fine.

8. If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing in your life, what would it be?

There’s not a lot that I can add, to be honest. Life is pretty darn good right now. Oh, no, I’ve got it. I wish I was driven to exercise. Like jogging. I’ve got a runner’s soul and a poet’s backside. As it happens, I have a bad back and a reconstructed shoulder so I’m limited to walking and minimal yoga. I fantasize about running a half-marathon.

9. Why do you use a pseudonym?

Privacy. I’m one of those authors who could easily not have anyone know who they are, but appreciate the words and buy the books. I’m a wicked introvert – I’ve created my persona to help me escape that shyness. Like an actor. Sometimes it even works.

10. Do you get nervous when you have to speak in public?

Yes. I had a total breakdown before I was even published at the thought of having to go out and talk about me and my work. It’s still the biggest challenge of my career. I get better at it, then reverse course and flail around. I often wonder how many writing careers were cut short because people see all the promotion that goes on and freaked. I’m about to launch my fifth novel, and it just doesn’t get any easier. Tomorrow is a no food kind of day.

J.T. Ellison is the bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Taylor Jackson series, which have been published in 21 countries. Visit http://www.jtellison.com/ for more insight into her wicked imagination, or follow her on Twitter @Thrillerchick.

Dancing With Myself: ANNE FRASIER interviews ANNE FRASIER

1) I’ll begin with a common question. Where do you write?

I can’t write if anyone is breathing within a mile of me, so a few years ago I came across a Gothic, prairie-style church in pretty much the middle of nowhere. It’s a fantastic place to write. There’s something about the sky-high ceiling that seems to open up my brain.

2) You’re always talking about music. Were you ever in a band?

No, but I used to think I could play guitar and sing. If I got drunk enough, I performed in my uncle’s bar. People would clap and say I was great, but they were always really, really drunk.


3) You’ve been writing for almost thirty years. If you had it to do over again, would you?

That’s a tough question, Anne. May I call you Anne? I think most writers are driven to write and they really have no choice in the matter. But would I choose to have that compulsion, that disease of writing, taken away? I don’t know. I almost think I would.

4) You’ve said that writers give up a lot. Could you expand on that?

We give up living our own lives to imagine other lives. I think it’s so hard to remain engaged in our own lives in a satisfying way.

5) But isn’t that like anything else? You have to find balance? You have to make room for your life?

Yes, but writers tread two worlds, and sometimes it’s hard to pull out of the fictional world. My husband once said to me, “You’re here, but you’re never really here.” Those words hurt, but I also knew he had a valid point.

6) Didn’t you write a short story about this very topic?

Why, yes I did! Thanks for asking! Max Under the Stars. The Kindle edition can be found on Amazon.

7) You said this interview would be funny. What happened?

Sorry, whenever I talk about writing I start navel-gazing.

8) Okay, since we’re being serious, what mistakes have you made in your career?

I could write a book about that. Going with the wrong agent right out of the gate. Staying with another agent for too many years. Not trusting myself. Not being in control of my career. Not speaking up. Letting things fester before discussing them with an editor or agent. The other side of that is learning to not make a big deal out of things that aren’t a big deal. Don’t be a pain in the ass.

9) That leads me to my next question. What advice would you give writers?

Don’t let a single individual derail your career. I finally left my agent of twenty years because he wouldn’t submit a project. (In the past I just said okay and crawled to a corner to whimper.) That rejected project has since sold to Grand Central Publishing. It will be my twentieth book and my first hardcover. My editor edits Jane Hamilton and Steve Martin. I’m thrilled. So when one expert tells you something you can’t bear to hear, something that stabs you in the heart, don’t accept it. Get more opinions. This is your career, your future, your dream.

10) What are you working on now?

I’m in the processing of compiling a Halloween short-story anthology called Deadly Treats to be published September 2011 by Nodin Press. It’s a really fun read with fantastic stories by award-winning authors and emerging new talent. And for more frights and screams, my memoir, The Orchard, published by Grand Central Publishing, is slotted to come out about the same time.

http://www.annefrasier.com/page/page/4368661.htm

Dancing With Myself: CHAD EAGLETON interviews CHAD EAGLETON

A couple of weeks ago, I broke my paying for downloading of fiction duck.

What made me take such a radical step?

The answer is quality.

First of all I downloaded to my PC 8 Pounds by Chris F Holm (who danced with himself a while ago). Find it at http://www.chrisfholm.com/index/home.html

The next, downloaded easily as a brilliant PDF, was a collection of talent edited by Patti Abbott and Steve Weddle. Believe me, if their names are on anything, take a close look (and they danced so beautifully when they were here).

And it was certainly worth getting over my fear of things e-book for.

I'm hoping to get a few more of the Discount Noir team to these pages, but here are a few places to visit if you haven't heard the news already.

http://store.untreedreads.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=68_7_48_63&products_id=53

http://pattinase.blogspot.com/2010/09/discount-noir-edited-by-patricia-abbott.html

And now, Discount Noir's very own CHAAAAAAAAAAD EAGLETON a man who's done huge amounts in a small amount of time on the planet. Read on...

So, you sing in a metal band and once dated Carrie Underwood? That sounds exciting. How’d you manage that?

I didn’t. It wasn’t me. Those are the other men named Chad Eagleton. There are several of us out there and we do not have any sort of plan and have never all woken in a lonely, desert motel after a blackout.

Never.

Wait, wait, wait…So you didn’t date Carrie Underwood? And you don’t sing in a metal band?

No and no.

Then who the fuck are you? And what do you do besides Google yourself?

I’m a writer. I write.

Christ, a fucking writer—

Well, I’m not really a “fucking” writer. I haven’t written porno in a long time, though probably would again if someone paid me enough.

I write crime.

My first crime story appeared at the now defunct D.Z. Allen’s Muzzleflash. After that, I was incredibly fortunate to have my second accepted at The Pulp Pusher.

Since then my work has been featured at Bad Things, Powder Burn Flash, A Twist of Noir, Beat To A Pulp, Darkest Before The Dawn, Let’s Kill Everybody, The Drowning Machine, Crimefactory, and Thrillers, Killers, and Chillers.

And if you’re smart enough to recognize a bargain, you’ve already downloaded the e-book Discount Noir and read “The Black Friday of Daniel Maddox.”


What else have you done? Besides typing? And all that Googling. You know you’ll go blind, don’t you? All that dirty, dirty Googling.

Well…
I learned to drive from a man who flew bombers during WWII and raced motorcycles for Triumph…

I lived for a summer in New York and attended a Writer’s Conference there. David Means was our instructor. He now teaches English at Vassar and if you’ve never read his collection, A Quick Kiss of Redemption (a title I will steal for a story of my own someday) then you’re probably a little dead to me. There, I met the guy who wrote Agnes of God and another man who looked a little like Art Garfunkel and thought he was more important than he was because he had a number of stories published in little university magazines that secured his tenure despite the fact that no one read them. I toured Cosmo and hung at the Knitting Factory. I rode the subways with a tough girl from New Jersey who I crushed on for a couple weeks in that deep and desperate way you can only at 15 before moving on…

I have black belts in Taekwondo and Hapkido. I’ve studied 9 Animal Style Kung-fu, Shaolin-Do, and BJJ. When I lived in Germany I studied Wing Chun with my host-brother and his Turkish friends.

One night at bar, some skinheads spotted my host-brother’s girlfriend. She was a Nordic goddess with blond hair, a small waist, and big boobs. The skinheads didn’t see my host-brother, just his girl with a bunch of Turks. Someone said something a little too quickly for me to follow. I finished my beer with the Aryan princess while watching my host-brother and the Turks kick the shit out of some Nazis…

I was once harassed by six police officers for having a squirt gun fight with my roommate…

Somehow, I managed to charm a woman who is both far too hot and far too cool for someone like me into getting married. Every day, for the last ten years, I’m convinced she’ll smarten up.

She hasn’t yet. Thank God…

I’ve tried real hard to never hurt anyone and think I’ve succeeded…

I once set myself on fire trying to take out a yellow jacket nest…

For living-in-the-real-world money, I’ve bagged groceries, loaded trucks, and sold furniture. I’ve been the assistant to the Chief Environmental Engineer. That meant doing all the shit jobs he didn’t want to do, like running The Sludge Press. I’ve worked in tech support. And I’ve even bodyguarded strippers. Once, I fumbled my way, briefly, into real estate.

And now, I work for a university.


Uhhhh…well, shit…

Yeah, well shit. And I write too, smart guy.


Okay, so…uh…why crime fiction?

It was a slow march toward crime. When I was younger I devoured anything horror, science fiction, or fantasy. I spent my time with vampires, aliens, and axe-wielding barbarians. Despite a constant dose of crime shows on television, I just wasn’t that into reading it or writing it.

With a few exceptions, I’ve never really cared for much you’d call “literary”. I live real life and want something more when I read. Besides, I’ve found that most of the so-called literary writers now don’t really write very well and have nothing particularly interesting to say that you haven’t already figured out for yourself; either in that moment you realize that someday you will die or when you finally share a moment of intimacy with another human being.

But there have always been genre writers that have moved me and taught me more than anyone else. And when operating at their best, they’ve kept me so entertained I didn’t even fucking notice.

Slowly, I discovered that some of the absolute best wrote crime stories: John D. MacDonald, Shane Stevens, Derek Raymond, and Andrew Vachss

Though, honestly, a part of it just happened. When I finally got serious about writing, finally having beaten “the muse” out of my head and studied the nuts and bolts work of writers I admire, the first two stories I wrote just happened to be crime. I decided to keep pushing it and had one of those rare moments of luck few people get. Christopher Pimental took my third crime story for Bad Things. I learned more about writing from a month’s worth of e-mails with him then I did in all the English classes my parents paid way too much money for.

Alright, writer man, why haven’t you written a novel yet?

I have. I sent it to Charles Ardai at Hard Case Crime. He had numerous nice things to say, but passed on the Vegas setting.

Looking over it now, I think he was being kind. It’s really ten tons of awful.

But I’m getting there.

Hmmm…So, can I ask you where you get your ideas?

No.

Then can we talk more about all that dirty, dirty Googling? Or bodyguarding strippers?

No.

We’re done now.

Dancing With Myself: RAY BANKS interviews RAY BANKS

Happy news for me yesterday that I had a story accepted at MICROW, a bastard child of FULL OF CROW PRESS. http://www.fullofcrow.com/microw.html

I've also just completed my first draft of a circular story as part of the round series at Pattinase. Next week it's ERIC BEETNER and I'll have to follow him (using one of his characters) the next. He's a tough act to follow, so I'll simply be trying to hang on to him as he sprints away into the distance. http://pattinase.blogspot.com/2010/11/la-ronde-part-six.html

To Ray Banks. He's a scorched earth kind of writer. Uses Noir like an acronym - takes the 'Normal', turns it 'On its head', 'Introduces a pile of problems' and 'Reaches a climax where everyone's still fucked'.

OK, sometimes I go too far.

He's produced some brilliant novels as you probably know.

You may not know that he's serializing his next novel 'WOLF TICKETS' (great title) in the next 3 issues of the dynamite NEEDLE MAGAZINE. If you haven't bought a Needle before, now you really must. http://needlemag.wordpress.com/

So here he is, another of Scotland's flowers, Ray Banks:

Q1: Why did you agree to interview yourself?

I thought it would be fun. I didn’t realise you’d be shining a fucking light in my eyes the whole time.

Q2: Why’s your website called The Saturday Boy? Why isn’t it your name or something?

Because there’s a line from a Billy Bragg song called “The Saturday Boy” – “I lied to myself about the chances I wasted” – that provided a nice touchstone for Innes’ character. And because I’m not comfortable with promoting myself over the books.

Q3: Talking of name changes, how come Donkey Punch became Sucker Punch in the US?

They thought the term would put people off buying the book, which is understandable. Believe me, I need all the readers I can get, and the title hardly helped my UK sales, did it?

Q4: Why don’t you blog anymore?

I realised that there was no point typing into a void for free when I could spend that time writing a book. I also started to think that people who read blogs on a regular basis aren’t doing so for any new information – they’re reading to see their own opinions reflected back. Having said that, I have blogged a little over at Do Some Damage and Mulholland Books.

Q5: Why write crime?

Because at its best it’s literary social fiction with a rattling good plot. All human life is there and the possibilities are infinite, despite what some people would have you believe.

Q6: Anything else float your boat?

A lot of things. I’m a bit of a horror nerd, and a massive comedy nerd – Galton and Simpson are gods in my house.

Q7: Anything of yours going to come out for the Kindle?

If you’d asked me that a year ago, I would’ve snorted at you and then pissed in your pocket. Now the answer is possibly. We’ll see. It’s certainly an option.

Q8: Why were there only 4 Cal Innes books – I heard there were supposed to be 5?

Because the Leith chapters in Beast of Burden were originally going to be their own book, but in the end they were more effective as part of the last Innes.

Q9: You always seem to be having a pop at thriller writers. What’s the story there?

The story is you’ve completely missed the fucking point. I’m not having a pop at thriller writers, I’m having a pop at anti-intellectualism for the sake of shifting a few extra books. There’s nothing the matter with literary ambition, especially considering novels are one of the few truly personal art forms left.

Q10: Alright, calm down. Give us your top five crime novels and we’ll untie you.

Easy. The Burnt Orange Heresy, Charles Willeford; GBH, Ted Lewis; He Died With His Eyes Open, Derek Raymond; The Death of Sweet Mister, Daniel Woodrell; and Guns, Ed McBain.

http://dosomedamage.blogspot.com/2010/09/kiss-kiss-bang-bang.html

http://www.mulhollandbooks.com/

Dancing With Myself: IAN RANKIN interviews IAN RANKIN

Indirectly, Ian Rankin was one of the reasons I wanted to put together the 'Dancing With Myself' series, not that I'm trying to pass on the blame or anything.

It stemmed from something that happened a good ten years ago now.

I was a regular at the Hay Festival for a good number of years, graduating from sleeping in cars to tents to a traditional, warm and cosy cottage.

Anyway, I had a ticket for an event for Ian and Lawrence Block. Imagine how excited I was.

I wasn't going to see the host, a man whose job was to get the best out of his guests.

I can't remember who that man was, but the whole crowd must have felt like serving him up for Rebus on a platter by the end. Couldn't get enough of his own voice. Didn't seem to get the idea that we hadn't gone to see him. Didn't get much out of Lawrence or Ian other than a hint of agitation.

In short, it was rubbish. What a waste of talent. The man, and I'd name him if I did remember, should have refunded us all our entry price and some more (as well as paying back his fee and compensating Ian and Lawrence for wasted time), then let the guests give us an hour of what we'd gone for.

So that's when I first had the desire to let people talk with themselves.

On a happier note, I went to a free event at the Portobello Book Festival a short while ago. It was free and packed with stars - Allan Guthrie, Alice Thomson, Doug Johnston and Caroline Dunford.

And Ian was the perfect host, asking brilliant questions, keeping things flowing, keeping the pitch of the atmosphere bang on and getting the best from everyone. Outstanding.

Why should I not have been surprised.

So here he is, then. A flower of Scotland, Ian Rankin:


1. How come you're a fan of Jilly Cooper?

Well, in 1990 my wife and I moved to rural France. First winter we got snowed in. I'd read every book in the house except two by Jilly Cooper: Rivals and Riders. I loved Rivals. It's about a TV station takeover. The baddies are really bad, the goodies are great, characters are smart and sexy and up for it. I re-read the book a year or two later and still loved it as pure escapism. Happened to mention this in an interview and Jilly sent me a small gift (a bar of soap!). So I mentioned her again and got champagne. This time, I'm aiming for the stars....

2. How often do you see your famous neighbours?

I saw Alexander McCall Smith this very afternoon. He'd been away and was just back. J K Rowling I see maybe twice a year, usually bumping into her at cafes and restaurants. It's not like the three of us sit together plotting how to invade the charts. Like most writers, we spend most of our lives in splendid isolation.

3. Was your own success luck or grind?

There's usually an element of luck to any success story - right place, right time. But my first few books were only moderately successful. It was book twelve before I could get a mortgage on a flat in Edinburgh. So there was a lot of slow grind, and plenty of times when I nearly gave up. Black and Blue was the turning point.

4. Did you always know Rebus had a limited life-span?

I knew from early on that he was living in real time, so was ageing. But I didn't know until relatively recently (two books from the end of the series) that he would retire at 60, as was mandatory for detectives in Scotland. I say 'was' because the situation is changing. I doubt we've seen the last of him. I did a Rebus short story this year and enjoyed being back inside his head. When I started out I certainly had no inkling he would stick around as long as he did.

5. Would you give it all up tomorrow for a shot at success in a rock band?

I'm 50 this year; way too late for rock n roll. At 19 I was in a band called the Dancing Pigs. If we'd made it big (or even medium) I wouldn't have been unhappy. But bands often have short shelf-lives. I'd be a bum by now, no doubt.

6. Who is currently the greatest living crime writer?

That's a tough one. It's also a matter of personal taste: are we talking classic whodunnits or noir? James Ellroy? Ruth Rendell? Maybe someone unknown in the English-speaking world. Does Le Carre qualify as a crime writer? I seem to remember the Crime Writers' Association gave him the Diamond Dagger many years back...

7. Drink can change some people's personalities - does it change yours?

Booze used to make me restless, a bit ugly. But then again, sometimes it made me sleepy and passive. If there are traits to your character which are usually kept bridled, it has a way of loosing them, not always for the best. But in a pub with your mates on a cold night, the conversation lively... what could be better?

8. Will a crime writer ever win the Booker Prize.

Oh yes, I think so. Whether the winning book will remain classified as crime fiction afterwards is more problematic. But great young writers are coming along who are poking and prodding the crime novel, stimulating it, getting it riled and restive, using it to tackle big themes, explore important questions about humanity and society and politics. The best of these will have a really good shot at winning the Booker.

9. I've asked you eight questions - is there anything YOU'D like to ask me?

Yeah, can you hurry up with the typing? There's a football game on TV in 20 minutes, cold beers in the fridge and curry to be ordered.

10. Last question then: give me the name of an album in your collection that you're ashamed to own.

There's a Phil Collins in there somewhere, and not one of his best...


http://www.ianrankin.net/