(reprinted)
An Interview With Michael Connelly About His Two New Books, 9 Dragons and Scarecrow
I will keep short, this time, my praise of Michael Connelly. Since my last two interviews with him, one for his non-fiction bookCrime Beat, and one for The Overlook,he has become even more popular and unlike many on the best-seller list (I'm looking at you, Dan Brown and , David Baldacci and
others of Brown's ilk) Connelly is deservedly famous.
As I explain in the interview he first entered my radar screen in a big way at a journalism convention and I have been praising him and giving him good word of mouth (not nearly as unhygienic as that sounds) ever since.
His newest book, 9 Dragons, comes out today. That is his latest starrring Harry Bosch and it takes the readers on quite an emotional rollercoaster as Bosch's daughter is kidnapped in Hong Kong, where his wife lives, and he travels there to try to save her.
He had a summer bestseller with The Scarecrow, the latest featuring newspaper reporter Jack McEvoy, so I felt compelled to -despite my usual goal of avoiding easy predictable questions - asking how he and Jack are similar and different.
I will add below links to reviews of 9 Dragons as they come in. Meanwhile, enjoy the interview. Oh and if you are new to Connelly I would start with The Poet, his best book in my opinion.
In Nine Dragons, you do something I don't recall you doing in prior books namely deal, albeit indirectly, with prejudice. Is Bosch prejudiced against Chu, his fellow detective, and is it, as Chu suggests, because of Bosch's fighting in Vietnam? If so, why did you decide to do that?
I just sort of thought I would introduce the possibility of it. While I was starting to write the book I read a biography of the film director John Ford called Print the Legend by Scott Eyman. This led me to watching The Searchers a couple times, and I became fascinated with the character played by John Wayne, whose own prejudice against Indians alienates him from the world. I thought it might be interesting to drop a hint of that into Harry and his relationship with Chu.
This is all done as a sort of planting of seeds. Chu will return, and I plan to use him eventually as Harry's partner, and so I like the idea of this possibly being something that is stuck between them that could put sand into the partnership's gas tank. So it's sort of a to-be-continued answer at the moment.
I think this is your first book where a large chunk of it is based outside of L.A. (in Hong Kong) as opposed to short trips outside of L.A. (such as to Vegas) in prior books. Was that partially a way to see how your characters would adjust being on different terrain? Is something you see yourself doing again for future books? Maybe Jack can work for a Hong Kong bureau?:)
When you get lucky and can write a series over a significant length of time, the fish-out-of-water story is attractive because it shakes things up. It takes you, your character, and your readers out of their usual comfort zones, the places we expect things to be. Sort of like if you come home, the lights are off and somebody's moved the furniture around. I think its a good way to invigorate the author, series and readership. I hope it works here.
The Wikipedia profile of you says that your mom got you into crime fiction and now she reads each of your books at an early stage. Can you tell me more about that?
That needs to be updated since my mother passed away about six years ago. But it is essentially true. She loved to read and loved to read mysteries. I read some of her books early on and then found my own books to read. I like 'em a little more hardboiled than my mother did. But she was a great first-reader. She would take a look at my stuff long before I sent it in to the publisher.
How much are you like Jack, the journalist aspiring to be a crime novelist, in the Scarecrow?
I'm more like the Jack that was in The Poet. The book was very autobiographical in terms of his views of the world and his job. In The Scarecrow we are 12 years down the line and Jack is still doing the same thing. This doesn't really apply to me so I had to make Jack be his own man, so to speak. Not nearly as autobiographical.
Do you agree with what Jack writes about the L.A. Times and newspaper journalism in general on page 12-13 of the book (i.e. The L.A. Times should be called the Daily Afterthought)?
Jack is cynical and he just got laid off. He narrates the book so he is very harsh at that point which I think is understandable. I think the sentiments might be a bit over-the-top, but they come from reality. Newspapers unfortunately are on the decline. Someday they most likely will be an afterthought.
You mention that every reporter wants to be a novelist which reminded me of an incident which you may or may not remember depending on how many journalism conferences you spoke at after the publication of your first book or two. I was at a journalism conference in Southern California and the most popular workshop was led by you and it was after you were starting to get buzz and had left the Times and I think it sort of proved your theory that you scratch a reporter and you find a novelist wannabe. Do you remember that and do you think that is truly often the case? Why do you think that is?
I think it is prevalent because the novel would be the natural extension of the job. Novels carry a lot of reporting and truth. So I think it's a natural inclination to take things to that step.
others of Brown's ilk) Connelly is deservedly famous.
As I explain in the interview he first entered my radar screen in a big way at a journalism convention and I have been praising him and giving him good word of mouth (not nearly as unhygienic as that sounds) ever since.
His newest book, 9 Dragons, comes out today. That is his latest starrring Harry Bosch and it takes the readers on quite an emotional rollercoaster as Bosch's daughter is kidnapped in Hong Kong, where his wife lives, and he travels there to try to save her.
He had a summer bestseller with The Scarecrow, the latest featuring newspaper reporter Jack McEvoy, so I felt compelled to -despite my usual goal of avoiding easy predictable questions - asking how he and Jack are similar and different.
I will add below links to reviews of 9 Dragons as they come in. Meanwhile, enjoy the interview. Oh and if you are new to Connelly I would start with The Poet, his best book in my opinion.
In Nine Dragons, you do something I don't recall you doing in prior books namely deal, albeit indirectly, with prejudice. Is Bosch prejudiced against Chu, his fellow detective, and is it, as Chu suggests, because of Bosch's fighting in Vietnam? If so, why did you decide to do that?
I just sort of thought I would introduce the possibility of it. While I was starting to write the book I read a biography of the film director John Ford called Print the Legend by Scott Eyman. This led me to watching The Searchers a couple times, and I became fascinated with the character played by John Wayne, whose own prejudice against Indians alienates him from the world. I thought it might be interesting to drop a hint of that into Harry and his relationship with Chu.
This is all done as a sort of planting of seeds. Chu will return, and I plan to use him eventually as Harry's partner, and so I like the idea of this possibly being something that is stuck between them that could put sand into the partnership's gas tank. So it's sort of a to-be-continued answer at the moment.
I think this is your first book where a large chunk of it is based outside of L.A. (in Hong Kong) as opposed to short trips outside of L.A. (such as to Vegas) in prior books. Was that partially a way to see how your characters would adjust being on different terrain? Is something you see yourself doing again for future books? Maybe Jack can work for a Hong Kong bureau?:)
When you get lucky and can write a series over a significant length of time, the fish-out-of-water story is attractive because it shakes things up. It takes you, your character, and your readers out of their usual comfort zones, the places we expect things to be. Sort of like if you come home, the lights are off and somebody's moved the furniture around. I think its a good way to invigorate the author, series and readership. I hope it works here.
The Wikipedia profile of you says that your mom got you into crime fiction and now she reads each of your books at an early stage. Can you tell me more about that?
That needs to be updated since my mother passed away about six years ago. But it is essentially true. She loved to read and loved to read mysteries. I read some of her books early on and then found my own books to read. I like 'em a little more hardboiled than my mother did. But she was a great first-reader. She would take a look at my stuff long before I sent it in to the publisher.
How much are you like Jack, the journalist aspiring to be a crime novelist, in the Scarecrow?
I'm more like the Jack that was in The Poet. The book was very autobiographical in terms of his views of the world and his job. In The Scarecrow we are 12 years down the line and Jack is still doing the same thing. This doesn't really apply to me so I had to make Jack be his own man, so to speak. Not nearly as autobiographical.
Do you agree with what Jack writes about the L.A. Times and newspaper journalism in general on page 12-13 of the book (i.e. The L.A. Times should be called the Daily Afterthought)?
Jack is cynical and he just got laid off. He narrates the book so he is very harsh at that point which I think is understandable. I think the sentiments might be a bit over-the-top, but they come from reality. Newspapers unfortunately are on the decline. Someday they most likely will be an afterthought.
You mention that every reporter wants to be a novelist which reminded me of an incident which you may or may not remember depending on how many journalism conferences you spoke at after the publication of your first book or two. I was at a journalism conference in Southern California and the most popular workshop was led by you and it was after you were starting to get buzz and had left the Times and I think it sort of proved your theory that you scratch a reporter and you find a novelist wannabe. Do you remember that and do you think that is truly often the case? Why do you think that is?
I think it is prevalent because the novel would be the natural extension of the job. Novels carry a lot of reporting and truth. So I think it's a natural inclination to take things to that step.
Interview With Michael Connelly, Author of Crime Beat
This
interview with Michael Connelly was a personal thrill as he is both one
of my favorite writers and someone who successfully made the transition
from news reporter to crime writer. I have written previously about
how much I enjoyed hearing him speak at a journalism seminar, in a
workshop room jam-packed with other reporters hoping to make that jump
from writing nonfiction to fiction. Most of his books are amazing reads,
especially my favorite, The Poet.
While Connelly is finishing up his next novel, Echo Park, he agreed to an email interview. The subject of the interview was his book, Crime Beat, an appropriate selection since both he and I have written about crime in Southern California. But my musings pale in comparison to his stories of serial killers, drug addicts, robbers, and others.
This is a non-fiction book and Connelly said he was frustrated that some places, especially Internet sites, promoted it as fiction. But the collection of non-fiction does offer a unique way of looking at his fiction work, as he explains.
Scott: You mention in the book that you used crime stories you covered for characters and plots in your novels. Do you still read crime stories in the newspapers and get ideas from them that you use?
Michael: I scan through two or three papers a day, in hand and online. I usually don't do this for story ideas. But I pick up law enforcement trends, techniques and the little things that go into the novels. For the most part, the actual plots come out of my own reporting. I am not a journalist anymore but I act like one and spend a lot of time with cops asking a lot of questions. Usually, a story comes from that.
Scott: In your book's introduction you seem to suggest you are a stronger writer about cops and crime because you worked as a crime reporter. Does that mean you think crime writers who have not covered crime – as a reporter, police officer, lawyer, etc – have a harder job being accurate? Can you tell from reading them who has that back ground and who does not?
Michael: I think they have a harder time being accurate but more importantly I think they have more difficulty in making the world of their books feel real. I think the trick is to make your reader believe the story is real, that it is happening. And all I know is that my background as a journalist talking to real cops, watching real cops, being in police stations and jails, has all added up to me having an advantage when it comes to verisimilitude in my fiction. I don't claim that it is the only way to go, but I think it has certainly helped.
Scott: Who are some of your favorite crime and mystery writers?
Michael: The big three for me were Raymond Chandler, Ross MacDonald, and Joseph Wambaugh. Wambaugh is still writing, of course, and his next book, which I've had the privilege to already read, continues his inspiration for me. Other contemporary writers who do it for me are George D. Pelecanos, Dennis Lehane, James Lee Burke, Peter Robinson, and Vicki Hendricks, to name just a few.
Scott: Do you ever miss journalism?
Michael: The only thing I miss is the camaraderie of the news room. I don't miss the actual reporting and writing and deadlines because all of that is still a part of my life. The deadlines are obviously far different but I still act very much like a journalist when I research my books — notebook in the pocket, etc. So I get my journalism fix that way.
Scott: How has working as a journalist affected your writing style, positively and negatively? For example, I write more concisely after writing for newspapers with space restrictions.
Michael: I think that journalism helped me hone my writing style and taught me that less can be more. I have always tried to boil it down to what is essential. This creates a velocity in writing and reading. I don't think I would practice this in fiction if I hadn't practiced it in journalism.
Scott: In your Amazon essay you wrote: "Obvious or not, I can trace a connection to a novel with every one of the stories in Crime Beat." The main criticism I've heard of this book - and one I share - is that you didn't write comments about each article, or at least each chapter. Was it a conscious choice not to "trace" the connections? Do you have any regrets about not doing that?
Michael: I don't really have any regrets about it. My feeling was that if I wrote about the echo from news story to novel that it might come off as being pompous. There is an element of vanity to the whole project, and I didn't want to accentuate that with notes that could be read as "look how good I am at taking this stuff and spinning it into fiction." So we presented the stories and my thinking so that a reader familiar with my work as a novelist could identify the echoes.
Scott: Do you think readers can learn more about the origins of some of your characters and plots by reading this book?
Michael: Yes, that was the purpose of it. In some cases it is obvious — a few of these stories contain entire plot elements from the novels. In others it is much more subtle, particularly in the elements of character. I think when you read about some of these detectives you should be able to see Harry Bosch in there.
Scott: The parts in your books where you talk about Harry's daughter are very tender. Do you think having children affects positively or negatively the way a police officer and a private investigator do their job?
Michael: My guess is that it has a significant impact. In Harry's case it brings a vulnerability to him that he didn't have before. He believes that he is on some sort of mission in life and he consciously built himself to be bulletproof — to be a man that nobody can get to. But when he found out he was a father he knew in that very moment that he was vulnerable, that he could be gotten to. That has to inform his work as an investigator.
Scott; Have you been surprised by the popularity of this book? I understand the initial printing was smaller than usual for your books.
Michael: Yes. It was initially published as sort of an academic book in a very small printing. I thought it might be something good for the shelves of libraries. But then Little, Brown and Company took it and really teed it up and got it out there into a lot of places
While Connelly is finishing up his next novel, Echo Park, he agreed to an email interview. The subject of the interview was his book, Crime Beat, an appropriate selection since both he and I have written about crime in Southern California. But my musings pale in comparison to his stories of serial killers, drug addicts, robbers, and others.
This is a non-fiction book and Connelly said he was frustrated that some places, especially Internet sites, promoted it as fiction. But the collection of non-fiction does offer a unique way of looking at his fiction work, as he explains.
Scott: You mention in the book that you used crime stories you covered for characters and plots in your novels. Do you still read crime stories in the newspapers and get ideas from them that you use?
Michael: I scan through two or three papers a day, in hand and online. I usually don't do this for story ideas. But I pick up law enforcement trends, techniques and the little things that go into the novels. For the most part, the actual plots come out of my own reporting. I am not a journalist anymore but I act like one and spend a lot of time with cops asking a lot of questions. Usually, a story comes from that.
Scott: In your book's introduction you seem to suggest you are a stronger writer about cops and crime because you worked as a crime reporter. Does that mean you think crime writers who have not covered crime – as a reporter, police officer, lawyer, etc – have a harder job being accurate? Can you tell from reading them who has that back ground and who does not?
Michael: I think they have a harder time being accurate but more importantly I think they have more difficulty in making the world of their books feel real. I think the trick is to make your reader believe the story is real, that it is happening. And all I know is that my background as a journalist talking to real cops, watching real cops, being in police stations and jails, has all added up to me having an advantage when it comes to verisimilitude in my fiction. I don't claim that it is the only way to go, but I think it has certainly helped.
Scott: Who are some of your favorite crime and mystery writers?
Michael: The big three for me were Raymond Chandler, Ross MacDonald, and Joseph Wambaugh. Wambaugh is still writing, of course, and his next book, which I've had the privilege to already read, continues his inspiration for me. Other contemporary writers who do it for me are George D. Pelecanos, Dennis Lehane, James Lee Burke, Peter Robinson, and Vicki Hendricks, to name just a few.
Scott: Do you ever miss journalism?
Michael: The only thing I miss is the camaraderie of the news room. I don't miss the actual reporting and writing and deadlines because all of that is still a part of my life. The deadlines are obviously far different but I still act very much like a journalist when I research my books — notebook in the pocket, etc. So I get my journalism fix that way.
Scott: How has working as a journalist affected your writing style, positively and negatively? For example, I write more concisely after writing for newspapers with space restrictions.
Michael: I think that journalism helped me hone my writing style and taught me that less can be more. I have always tried to boil it down to what is essential. This creates a velocity in writing and reading. I don't think I would practice this in fiction if I hadn't practiced it in journalism.
Scott: In your Amazon essay you wrote: "Obvious or not, I can trace a connection to a novel with every one of the stories in Crime Beat." The main criticism I've heard of this book - and one I share - is that you didn't write comments about each article, or at least each chapter. Was it a conscious choice not to "trace" the connections? Do you have any regrets about not doing that?
Michael: I don't really have any regrets about it. My feeling was that if I wrote about the echo from news story to novel that it might come off as being pompous. There is an element of vanity to the whole project, and I didn't want to accentuate that with notes that could be read as "look how good I am at taking this stuff and spinning it into fiction." So we presented the stories and my thinking so that a reader familiar with my work as a novelist could identify the echoes.
Scott: Do you think readers can learn more about the origins of some of your characters and plots by reading this book?
Michael: Yes, that was the purpose of it. In some cases it is obvious — a few of these stories contain entire plot elements from the novels. In others it is much more subtle, particularly in the elements of character. I think when you read about some of these detectives you should be able to see Harry Bosch in there.
Scott: The parts in your books where you talk about Harry's daughter are very tender. Do you think having children affects positively or negatively the way a police officer and a private investigator do their job?
Michael: My guess is that it has a significant impact. In Harry's case it brings a vulnerability to him that he didn't have before. He believes that he is on some sort of mission in life and he consciously built himself to be bulletproof — to be a man that nobody can get to. But when he found out he was a father he knew in that very moment that he was vulnerable, that he could be gotten to. That has to inform his work as an investigator.
Scott; Have you been surprised by the popularity of this book? I understand the initial printing was smaller than usual for your books.
Michael: Yes. It was initially published as sort of an academic book in a very small printing. I thought it might be something good for the shelves of libraries. But then Little, Brown and Company took it and really teed it up and got it out there into a lot of places
Interview With Michael Connelly, Author of The Overlook
Michael Connelly was kind enough to agree to let me interview him again, this time for his new book, The Overlook, which comes out May 22. He previously let me interview him about his book, Crime Beat, and all of his great books.
In book reviews I've raved and raved about Connelly as a journalist, as a crime writer, and as an inspiration for many journalists - myself included - who aspire to write best-selling crime novels. Rather than repeat myself I'll just include those links to past reviews.
Simply put he is one of the best crime writers around, with characters with enormous depth and intricate plots. It is no wonder that The New York Times asked him to serialize his novel.
This is his 18th book. You can read more about him at his Web page. My favorite book by him remains The Poet.
Scott Butki: How did you come to write a book that was serialized in The New York Times magazine?
Michael: The Times approached me and asked if I wanted to do it. They had started running serials the year before and I was happy to give it a try.
Scott: What did you have to do different to write a serialized book versus a regular novel?
Michael: The biggest challenge I didn't see until I started writing. And that was the constraints the series puts on the writer. I had to write each installment to fit a 3,000 word hole. That is not how I normally write. When I am writing a novel I don't care about the length of a chapter. I concentrate on its content only. So I end up with a chapter that could be three pages or twenty. It doesn't matter to me.
Scott: Were you sending out chapters before you finished the book? Did you ever wish you could change something in a chapter that had already been published?
Michael: I wrote the whole story before handing it over to The New York Times. So the whole thing was done and then it was published in the magazine. Then my book publisher and I decided not to publish it as it existed in The Times. So I had the opportunity to rewrite something that sort of already had a public existence. So that was kind of fun. I was able to add a lot that I held back on, add another level of plot intrigue and a little more characterization. The one thing I wanted to preserve, however, was the momentum of the story. It takes place in about 12 hours and it's about a fast moving investigation. I wanted to keep that so I ultimately added about 20,000 words to the story but it still is not as long as any of my previous novels.
Scott: Your book jacket says you originally created this as a 16-part serial for The New York Times Magazine but "this edition has been expanded and revised substantially beyond that initial serialization." Can you elaborate on that? What changed? Major plot points? If someone read it when it was serialized what would they gain by reading the book?
Michael: Without giving too much away, I think there are two main additions. One is a new character who is an LAPD captain in charge of their own department of Homeland Security. I wanted this character to sort of embody the fear and even borderline paranoia you see in society these days. I think the guy is a bit over the top at times but that is intentional. I was also able to add in some Harry Bosch history. This is a 12 hour story but it also moves backward in time, even going back to a scene with Harry in Vietnam.
Scott: What is the best part about being a best-selling author? What is the worst part?
Michael: It gives me a lot of freedom. I don't need to tell anyone what I am planning or writing. I have a lot of lattitude and trust from my editors in this regard. I am not sure there is a worst part. I guess the part that is most difficult to deal with is the demands on my time. There is a sense of duty to kind of keep the fire burning, so that often entails more travel on book tours, more interviews, more things that take me away from what brought the success in the first place.
Scott: A friend wrote the other day that if you want to read good writing you should avoid reading the books on the best-seller list? Do you agree with that? I said that there were exceptions to that including books you, Laura Lippman, Robert Crais and Ian Rankin write.
Michael: That is a generality that has been around for years and I did not believe it before I hit any lists and I don't believe it now. The problem is in believing or following generalities. Sure there are books on the lists that lack in editorial quality and they are there because they had struck some formula that appears to the common denominator in reading tastes. But the opposite is true as well. I think if you looked over time you would see that there are many books on the lists that are there because of great writing and social meaning. I remember I first came upon Ross MacDonald's work after seeing it on a bestseller list.
Scott: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Michael: First of all, I hope I am still writing. Maybe at a slightly slower pace than now, but still pretty productive. But I hope that in ten years I have added significantly to the character of Harry Bosch and through him an ongoing take on the evolution of Los Angeles.
Scott: When we did a prior interview you said that Harry's daughter adds a vulnerability to him. Does his relationship with FBI Agent Rachel Walling, who is also in the new book, add to that vulnerability?
Michael: I think so. There is a fledgling relationship starting that and if Harry makes that tie then it brings on vulnerability. The bullet-proof vest sort of comes off. It also makes things more complicated. A father's desire to protect and nurture his daughter is basic and primal. With a relationship with Rachel will be fraught with all kinds of dangers as well as potential fulfillment for him.
Scott: What are you working on next?
Michael: I am in the very early stages of a book with no name as of yet. It is about the return of Mickey Haller of The Lincoln Lawyer in a story that will have him cross paths with Harry Bosch. Mickey takes over the law practice of an attorney who was murdered. Harry is the investigator on the murder case. So far, it's going well.
Scott: I saw you wrote a powerful column for The Los Angeles Times, your former employer, about the cutting of book reviews? In fact, I linked to it from a couple of sites I write for. What sparked the piece and do you think it's a fight that's winnable given today's newspaper business climate?
Michael: I wrote it mostly out of the overwhelming sense of how lucky I was to sort of get in when the getting was good. The book reviews were a huge part of putting me on the road I am on now. Back then there weren't book bloggers and an internet presence as related to book publishing and selling. There were two ways for an unknown writer to get known: the book review sections and the independent bookstores. Both have fallen on hard times. Their numbers are dwindling.
I wrote The Times piece just to voice that opinion and as a reminder of what I always viewed as a no-brainer, that newspapers supporting books are ultimately supporting themselves by promoting reading. I think that has been lost in the efforts of newspapers to stave off losses. No one disputes that newspapers are in difficult circumstances but it seems that the short term gain from cutting back on book coverage will lead to long term losses.
Since I wrote that piece there has been a lot of reaction in the blogosphere that holds that the role of the disappearing newspaper book review can be filled by the blogs. I don't agree. I view these things as ancillary and separate means of preserving the culture of books. I would not want to lose either one from public discourse on what is available on the book shelves.
Thanks again to Michael Connelly for the interview and all of his great books.
In book reviews I've raved and raved about Connelly as a journalist, as a crime writer, and as an inspiration for many journalists - myself included - who aspire to write best-selling crime novels. Rather than repeat myself I'll just include those links to past reviews.
Simply put he is one of the best crime writers around, with characters with enormous depth and intricate plots. It is no wonder that The New York Times asked him to serialize his novel.
This is his 18th book. You can read more about him at his Web page. My favorite book by him remains The Poet.
Scott Butki: How did you come to write a book that was serialized in The New York Times magazine?
Michael: The Times approached me and asked if I wanted to do it. They had started running serials the year before and I was happy to give it a try.
Scott: What did you have to do different to write a serialized book versus a regular novel?
Michael: The biggest challenge I didn't see until I started writing. And that was the constraints the series puts on the writer. I had to write each installment to fit a 3,000 word hole. That is not how I normally write. When I am writing a novel I don't care about the length of a chapter. I concentrate on its content only. So I end up with a chapter that could be three pages or twenty. It doesn't matter to me.
Scott: Were you sending out chapters before you finished the book? Did you ever wish you could change something in a chapter that had already been published?
Michael: I wrote the whole story before handing it over to The New York Times. So the whole thing was done and then it was published in the magazine. Then my book publisher and I decided not to publish it as it existed in The Times. So I had the opportunity to rewrite something that sort of already had a public existence. So that was kind of fun. I was able to add a lot that I held back on, add another level of plot intrigue and a little more characterization. The one thing I wanted to preserve, however, was the momentum of the story. It takes place in about 12 hours and it's about a fast moving investigation. I wanted to keep that so I ultimately added about 20,000 words to the story but it still is not as long as any of my previous novels.
Scott: Your book jacket says you originally created this as a 16-part serial for The New York Times Magazine but "this edition has been expanded and revised substantially beyond that initial serialization." Can you elaborate on that? What changed? Major plot points? If someone read it when it was serialized what would they gain by reading the book?
Michael: Without giving too much away, I think there are two main additions. One is a new character who is an LAPD captain in charge of their own department of Homeland Security. I wanted this character to sort of embody the fear and even borderline paranoia you see in society these days. I think the guy is a bit over the top at times but that is intentional. I was also able to add in some Harry Bosch history. This is a 12 hour story but it also moves backward in time, even going back to a scene with Harry in Vietnam.
Scott: What is the best part about being a best-selling author? What is the worst part?
Michael: It gives me a lot of freedom. I don't need to tell anyone what I am planning or writing. I have a lot of lattitude and trust from my editors in this regard. I am not sure there is a worst part. I guess the part that is most difficult to deal with is the demands on my time. There is a sense of duty to kind of keep the fire burning, so that often entails more travel on book tours, more interviews, more things that take me away from what brought the success in the first place.
Scott: A friend wrote the other day that if you want to read good writing you should avoid reading the books on the best-seller list? Do you agree with that? I said that there were exceptions to that including books you, Laura Lippman, Robert Crais and Ian Rankin write.
Michael: That is a generality that has been around for years and I did not believe it before I hit any lists and I don't believe it now. The problem is in believing or following generalities. Sure there are books on the lists that lack in editorial quality and they are there because they had struck some formula that appears to the common denominator in reading tastes. But the opposite is true as well. I think if you looked over time you would see that there are many books on the lists that are there because of great writing and social meaning. I remember I first came upon Ross MacDonald's work after seeing it on a bestseller list.
Scott: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Michael: First of all, I hope I am still writing. Maybe at a slightly slower pace than now, but still pretty productive. But I hope that in ten years I have added significantly to the character of Harry Bosch and through him an ongoing take on the evolution of Los Angeles.
Scott: When we did a prior interview you said that Harry's daughter adds a vulnerability to him. Does his relationship with FBI Agent Rachel Walling, who is also in the new book, add to that vulnerability?
Michael: I think so. There is a fledgling relationship starting that and if Harry makes that tie then it brings on vulnerability. The bullet-proof vest sort of comes off. It also makes things more complicated. A father's desire to protect and nurture his daughter is basic and primal. With a relationship with Rachel will be fraught with all kinds of dangers as well as potential fulfillment for him.
Scott: What are you working on next?
Michael: I am in the very early stages of a book with no name as of yet. It is about the return of Mickey Haller of The Lincoln Lawyer in a story that will have him cross paths with Harry Bosch. Mickey takes over the law practice of an attorney who was murdered. Harry is the investigator on the murder case. So far, it's going well.
Scott: I saw you wrote a powerful column for The Los Angeles Times, your former employer, about the cutting of book reviews? In fact, I linked to it from a couple of sites I write for. What sparked the piece and do you think it's a fight that's winnable given today's newspaper business climate?
Michael: I wrote it mostly out of the overwhelming sense of how lucky I was to sort of get in when the getting was good. The book reviews were a huge part of putting me on the road I am on now. Back then there weren't book bloggers and an internet presence as related to book publishing and selling. There were two ways for an unknown writer to get known: the book review sections and the independent bookstores. Both have fallen on hard times. Their numbers are dwindling.
I wrote The Times piece just to voice that opinion and as a reminder of what I always viewed as a no-brainer, that newspapers supporting books are ultimately supporting themselves by promoting reading. I think that has been lost in the efforts of newspapers to stave off losses. No one disputes that newspapers are in difficult circumstances but it seems that the short term gain from cutting back on book coverage will lead to long term losses.
Since I wrote that piece there has been a lot of reaction in the blogosphere that holds that the role of the disappearing newspaper book review can be filled by the blogs. I don't agree. I view these things as ancillary and separate means of preserving the culture of books. I would not want to lose either one from public discourse on what is available on the book shelves.
Thanks again to Michael Connelly for the interview and all of his great books.
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