Monday 16 September 2019

Author Confessions - Scottish Book Trust

I will have actual new book news soon, I promise! I can't tell you much about 2020's book but here's a clue as to where it's set...



In the meantime, here's another Q&A from the archives. This one is from Scottish Book Trust, who grilled me on some author confessions...

Do you ever mentally edit someone else’s work while you read?

Yes, I can’t help it. Not just while reading books, either. I’m always thinking about how I would have handled a particular film, TV show, song lyric or commercial differently, despite not knowing the first thing about directing, songwriting or advertising. Basically I’m just an incorrigible back-seat driver.

What’s your opinion on reading in the bath?

I’m very much in favour. In fact a nice hot bath or a nice quiet train carriage are the two best places for reading a book, because there are no interruptions.

How do you react to bad reviews?

With surprise. Just kidding. I probably have the same initial reaction as most people – I get huffy and defensive. I do genuinely appreciate constructive criticism, though. If a negative review hits on some points that ring true, I try to take it on board for the next piece of work. I’m fairly harsh on myself as an editor, so I’m usually not too surprised by the specific things people don’t like so much about my work. Especially if I’ve already had my wife’s feedback, because she is brutal.

Where do you stand on spinebreaking?

I’m relaxed about it – books are for reading. Water damage from reading in the bath is a bigger risk for any books in my possession. Break the spines on any of my comics though, and I’ll rip your head off. I’m a man of contradictions.

Which author or fictional character would you most like to party with?

Jay Gatsby is the obvious answer – not just because he throws lavish Jazz Age parties in his sumptuous Long Island mansion, but because I’m the type of guy who likes to stay on the fringes of a party having a conversation with somebody interesting… and Gatsby certainly fits the bill.

Author-wise, I’d have to say Neil Gaiman. I’m a huge Sandman fanboy, and Neil seems like he knows how to have a good time.

How do you arrange your bookshelf?

Pretty randomly, although I make a half-hearted effort to group books into genres and authors. A shockingly large proportion of my books are nowhere near the shelves, and are instead arranged in stacks beside the bed waiting for me to get to them.

Do you judge books by their covers?

I think everyone does, to some extent. A great cover means I’m far more likely to pick up a book by someone I’ve never heard of, just as a terrible cover makes it less likely. Having said that, if the book has other things going for it (an interesting title or endorsement, for example), I’ll give it a chance regardless of the jacket.

Have you ever pretended to have read a book to impress someone?

No, but I have pretended to like a book that I didn’t.

Do you ever turn to the back of a book and read the end first? If not, what would you say to such people?

Actually yes, all the time, but never to spoil the ending. I just love to read the first and last lines of a novel. I think you can learn a lot about an author from their first and last lines.

Is there a book by someone else that you wish you’d written?

No, because I’d have written a different book, and the book I like would no longer exist. Occasionally I read something where they’ve started with a fantastic idea and I haven’t liked the execution, so I guess in those cases I might like to have a stab at it.

What’s the worst/trashiest book you secretly love?

I don’t really believe in ‘guilty pleasures’, and if a book’s enjoyable on any level then to me it isn’t a bad book. To paraphrase Duke Ellington, there’s only two kinds of books: good books and the other kind.

Sunday 1 September 2019

Five Underappreciated Classics - Scottish Book Trust

Another blog from the archive - this one was written for the Scottish Book Trust, who asked me to pick 5 underappreciated thriller gems.

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Like many crime writers, I'm also a music lover. As any music lover will tell you, while it's sometimes nice to enjoy a massive stadium act along with everyone else, it's even more gratifying to be into a more obscure band that feels like your little secret.

Books are like that too. Every once in a while you'll pick up an interesting-looking thriller in a charity shop because the cover looks intriguing. Sometimes you’ll try a new author because someone else you admire once namechecked them in an interview. If you’re lucky, you discover an underrated gem.

Some of the books on my list of forgotten crime classics are like that. A couple of them inspired films that went on to eclipse their literary source in the public consciousness. Others are the kind of books that have been well-kept secrets for so long that they're probably not really secrets, or forgotten. But it's safe to say you probably won't find any of these in your average airport bookshop.

So while it's great to read the Rebus series or LA Confidential or Gone Girl and appreciate them with the rest of crowd, here are some alternative picks that are a little off the beaten path, but no less rewarding for that.

And you'll be able to impress people at parties with your offbeat tastes. As long as the parties you go to are populated with people who read thrillers, that is. But let's face it – aren't they the best people to party with?

1) John D. MacDonald - The Lonely Silver Rain

2) Geoffrey Household - Rogue Male

3) Ira Levin - A Kiss Before Dying

4) William Hjortsberg - Falling Angel

5) Walter Wager - 58 Minutes