Exclusive: William Kent Krueger On the Art of Literary Suspense

By Clay Stafford

Literary suspense is a term tossed around as a genre, but it’s not really; literary suspense is more of a writing technique. It is an expansive term that goes across genres and, sometimes, no genres at all. It is a style of writing that cares as much for the way a sentence is framed, as it does for plot and character.

There is a sense of anticipation not present in other books, as though each sentence—and not just the last line of each chapter—propels the reader uncontrollably to the next. And it is a style of writing that elevates a book, not within its genre, but above its genre to a place ethereal—should I dare say the arrogant term “literature.” And while many excellent writers and many excellent works come to mind, there is one particular author who bridges that gap for me in the mystery genre: William Kent Krueger. And to be specific, one particular book from the mystery field: Ordinary Grace.

Clay – Kent, I’ve read your Cork O’Connor novels, all first-rate, second-to-none, but it was Ordinary Grace that won you an Edgar Award. Yet, when it was pitched before it was written, it was the novel that no one wanted, the novel you had to write “on spec” on your own. But, it was the novel that put you on the map with the Edgar. It’s the one that resonates with many new readers that I speak with. Tell us about the writing of that novel.

Kent – I hope all writers, at some point in their careers, have the experience of finding the story that feels to them as if they were always meant to write it. That’s how I felt about Ordinary Grace. Yes, it was an idea my publisher was pretty tepid about, but it was a story that spoke to me on such a deep level that I had to write it. The story came to me in a unique way, very organically, as I bent to the work. Honestly, it was the easiest piece of writing I’ve ever done, and this was, I believe, because I was tapping the deep roots of my own experience in creating the story.

"My advice to writers of mysteries, or any writer for that matter, is to remember that a story is not about what happens; it’s really about the people things happen to."

Clay – So many people have been attracted to Ordinary Grace who would not necessarily read the Cork O’Connor novels. These are non-mystery readers. What do you think is the attraction and how can other writers incorporate what you did with that book into their own works?

Kent – Although the story has a solid mystery component, it’s not really a whodunnit. It’s a novel about family, about faith, about the painful way in which wisdom comes to us, things all people understand and can relate to. Ultimately it is, as the title suggests, about the power of grace in its everyday expression as human beings relate to one another, especially in our willingness to forgive and to embrace the brokenness in others and in ourselves. And so it reaches for places in the heart that a typical mystery might not. My advice to writers of mysteries, or any writer for that matter, is to remember that a story is not about what happens; it’s really about the people things happen to.

Even from the first lines of Ordinary Grace and another random Krueger book, which I had a staff member pull at her unguided discretion from the shelf (to ensure I wasn’t stacking the deck), you can almost tell immediately that there is something different about the prose of Ordinary Grace, a different style that does not fall squarely into what one might think is a traditional mystery. Listen:

He woke long before it was necessary, had wakened in this way for weeks, troubled and afraid. —Northwest Angle by William Kent Krueger

All the dying that summer began with the death of a child, a boy with golden hair and thick glasses, killed on the railroad tracks outside New Bremen, Minnesota, sliced into pieces by a thousand tons of steel speeding across the prairie toward South Dakota.

—Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

It is not the length of the sentences that seem to make the difference. It is the imagery, right from the start, that continues poetically throughout the book. Just in the first sentences, one can see a difference.

Clay – What do you think is happening here with this book?

Kent – I wanted this story to feel like reminiscence rather than a simple recounting of what occurred in that fateful summer of 1961. So I knew I had to be careful with the voice. I wanted the story to flow in a kind of reverie, in the way our recall of the past often comes to us. I wanted the language to be both ordinary and at the same time lyrical. When I heard the voice of Frank Drum begin to tell this story, I knew I had it.

As those close to me know, I was a devoted fan of Kent’s and had asked him to be Guest of Honor at Killer Nashville even before I read Ordinary Grace and even before it won an Edgar. But upon the release of Ordinary Grace, suddenly new fans appeared, which—of course—is what all writers want!

But there is just something special about a special book, and sometimes the industry itself does not even know what that is. How do we find that?

Clay – What do you think it takes to transcend your genre, regardless of the genre? Should authors try? Or does it just come? Is it a gamble?

Kent – I’m a firm believer in following your heart. If you’re true to this, to your own vision, I believe you’ll create work that satisfies you artistically. Does that ensure a readership or fame or fortune? Of course not, but it does mean that every day you write, you’ll be living your passion, and what could be better than that? But I also believe that if you’re true to yourself, eventually you’ll discover the writer you were always meant to be and you’ll be writing the stories you were always meant to write, and that’s when the doors will open.

Clay – Was this difference in voice—for the lack of a better term—something that was planned? Or was it organic from you? Did you make a conscious effort to style this book differently from that of your other very popular works? Or did it style itself?

Kent – Because this was such a personal story, and because I wanted to do something very different than I’ve accomplished with my mystery series, I set out to make this book stand out from my others in a unique way. It’s structured very differently from a typical mystery. The message it delivers is not at all typical for the genre. And the language is very different from the kind that a reader might find in most novels, mystery or otherwise. Some of this I knew going in, and some of it I realized during the writing.

J.K. Rowling started the first Harry Potter as expected, in genre. But when she found that sweet spot in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and then really in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Potter books exploded. You can see it in the language, the depth of character, the complexity of the plotting.

Clay – I haven’t read anything from Manitou Canyon yet, but has any of that voice from Ordinary Grace leaked now into your other works? Is this inclusion or absence intentional? Can you make it happen without coming across as forced?

Kent – I hope my writing is fine regardless of the story I tell, but with a straightforward mystery or suspense novel, the structure and language both are very different from Ordinary Grace. The point of view in most of the novels in the Cork O’Connor series is third person, which can never be as intimate as first person, which was the point of view in Ordinary Grace. And I believe you’re right in that trying to force the story to be what Ordinary Grace is would prove disastrous.

So I had to ask myself when looking at Ordinary Grace, is the first sentence example a fluke? I could choose random phrases from Krueger books like I choose Bible reading, open the book, put my finger down, and choose at random. But instead, to be fair, I’ll look at last two lines. (I’m trying to be fair by including two, not one.) Curiously, I look at the last lines from Northwest Angle quoted above:

“A beautiful life,” she replied.

And she kissed him, boundless in her appreciation and her love.

—Northwest Angle by William Kent Krueger

And, to be fair, I had a different staff member pull another Krueger book of his choice off the shelf for me to look at its last two lines:

He smiled beautifully and his lips formed a single word that Cork could not hear but understood absolutely.

Daddy.

—Copper River by William Kent Krueger

Now, if you’ve read both of the above books, you know these are perfect and great ending lines for each story. Loved them both. Nothing wrong with either one. But let’s look at the last line from Ordinary Grace:

The dead are never far from us. They’re in our hearts and on our minds and in the end all that separates us from them is a single breath, one final puff of air.

—Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger.

Holy cow! We don’t have an ending line here. We have a deep, 307-page theme (in the trade paperback version handed by my staff member to me) summed up here in these two last lines.

Clay – Is that the difference? Ordinary Grace is a well-plotted book (as are your others) with memorable characters (as definitely are your others), but was it the theme that caused people to notice? And, is it indicative that, sometimes maybe, when a writer sees something the publishing world can’t, and is pushed by something that the writer himself cannot even see, that the story runs deeper than just a story, and becomes a parable of life itself? And then—crazy as it sounds—the publishing industry champions the very risks it has previously rejected?

Kent – You’ve pretty much nailed it. I didn’t have any thematic agenda in mind when I began writing the novel other than wanting to explore more deeply than I had before the question of the spiritual journey in our lives. The story of the Drum family as it developed spoke more intimately about this to readers than any treatise I could have written. I so firmly believe that when, as a writer, you sink your whole self into the imagining of a story, you tap something so much deeper than conscious thought. And when that happens successfully, readers and publishers alike take notice.

Clay – Out of curiosity, have there been any negative reviews of Ordinary Grace from those who are pure mystery readers? Was Ordinary Grace written to include those who are faithful to your O’Connor novels? Was it written to expand your audience? Or did you even have a reader in mind when you wrote it?

Kent – The only review I’ve seen that is in any way negative is the one from Booklist, which, for reasons I can’t fathom, is the one most prominently displayed on the Amazon listing for the book. Go figure. In writing Ordinary Grace, I used a lot of the tools of suspense that I’ve developed as a genre writer. I hoped the story would appeal both to those who enjoy mysteries and also those who wouldn’t touch a mystery with a ten-foot pole.

Clay – You are such a hit speaking to audiences. For writers wanting to find appreciative audiences with which to share themselves and their ideas, how did you go about making yourself available, and how do your frame your presentations so that they are so popular?

Kent – My father was not only a high school English teacher, he was also the speech and drama guy at the school I attended. So I made a lot of speeches and was in beaucoup plays while I was in high school. The take-away for me was the importance of doing two things for an audience—entertain them and enlighten them. That’s what I shoot for. I’ve always thought that if an audience enjoys you, it doesn’t matter what you talk about, they’ll buy your books.

Clay – You wrote a companion novel to follow Ordinary Grace this past year. Then you trashed it. Why? Is it the plot? Or are you being too hard on yourself?

Kent – I spent two years on that manuscript, and in the end, I simply couldn’t corral all the unruly elements of that ambitious effort. I’d been paid a big advance, but I didn’t want to deliver to my publisher or offer to my readers a book that, because it disappointed me, I was sure would disappoint everyone else. So I pulled it. My publisher was incredibly understanding. I still owe them a companion. And I’m at work on that now, a story so much clearer to me and a much, much better follow-up to Ordinary Grace. We’re looking at a publication date in the spring of 2018.

Clay – Ernest Hemingway was an early role model for you. I still chuckle when you spoke at Killer Nashville and said, “F*** Hemingway.” But in Ordinary Grace, I can’t help but feel that Papa might have smiled when you typed “The End” on the very last draft of Ordinary Grace. What do you think?

Kent – My favorite Hemingway work is The Old Man and the Sea. It’s his most mature piece, I think, written by a man coming to terms with so much of his own brokenness. I think he would have found Ordinary Grace a bit too lyrical for his tastes, but I think he would have appreciated the story.

Clay – Kent, I think Papa would have been proud.

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Clay Stafford is an author / filmmaker (www.ClayStafford.com), founder of Killer Nashville (www.killernashville.com) and publisher of Killer Nashville Magazine (www.killernashvillemagazine.com). In addition to selling over 1.5 million copies of his own books, Stafford’s latest projects are the documentary “One of the Miracles” (www.oneofthemiracles.com) and writing the music CD “XO” with Kathryn Dance / Lincoln Rhymes author Jeffery Deaver (www.jefferdeaverxomusic.com). He is currently writing a film script based on Peter Straub’s “Pork Pie Hat” for American Blackguard Entertainment (www.americanblackguard.com).

Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale.

Exclusive: Lisa Jackson On Writing, Romance, and Giving Back

By Clay Stafford

Nothing could make me happier than seeing Lisa Jackson’s picture on the cover of February’s Killer Nashville Magazine.

I’ve been a fan of Lisa’s for years, but only met her two years ago when she was Killer Nashville’s 2014 Guest of Honor. What a delight she was!

It seems the feeling was mutual because before she left on the night of the Killer Nashville Guest of Honor and Awards Banquet, she said, “What can I do to help? How can I help these writers?”

That moment was incredible.

From that grew the annual Killer Nashville Lisa Jackson Scholarship for deserving writers. What is it? It’s a chance for an all-expense paid trip to Killer Nashville for writers who otherwise could not afford the trek. And, as Lisa wanted, it’s yet another way for Killer Nashville to help transform writers’ dreams.

Clay – Lisa, for those who don’t know your beginnings, did you always know you were going to be a writer?

Lisa – I always loved writing and was an English major in college.

Clay – I’ve found being an English major certainly opened doors in my life. Not!

Lisa – After school, I worked in banking until I had my kids and then my career was babysitting.

Clay – I’m with you.

Lisa – My sister, Nancy Bush suggested we take a stab at writing romance novels. This was the ’80s and she’d seen an article about young mothers making their fortune writing love stories. I laughed and said, “Are you nuts? We can’t do that. We’ve never even read a romance novel. We like suspense, mystery and horror. However, the next day when I was surrounded by a handful of kids under four, I thought, “Why not?”

Clay – I’ve heard of defining moments. I guess applesauce flying across the room is as good as any!

Lisa – Well, I loved reading and writing and The Wolf was at the door. Fortunately, standing right beside him was Opportunity and she was knocking. I pulled out my manual typewriter and by the time Nan had come to pick up her daughter, I’d penned the prologue to Stormy Surrender, which we wrote with another friend. The book was rejected all over New York, but Nan and I were bitten by the writing bug. She sold her first solo effort and I sold a year after that. The moral: Never believe you can’t do something. If you want it badly enough, go for it.

Clay – How many books have you written? Do you even know?

Lisa – I think around 100 but no, I don’t keep count.

Clay – You and your sister Nancy Bush continue to write books together. How does the co-writing play out?

Lisa – We’re very close. Great friends, as well as sisters, and we get along. We like the same things in stories so we plot together, work out the kinks and characters, then write a synopsis which goes through several transformations as we hand it back and forth. Eventually, we write the story, first one, then the other reads over those chapters, changes and goes onto her chapters, then back to author one. Depending upon our schedules, one sister may write more of a book than the other, but it all works out. Only once did we get into a significant argument. We were both tired and in a hotel at a conference. Instead of fighting, we closed the laptop and went out for a drink.

Clay – Great way to resolve a conflict. We provide bar space at Killer Nashville just for that very reason. You started in romance, but I would venture to say that when people – at least in my circles – think of you, they think of romantic suspense. When you write, what elements do you introduce to make the shift from romance to romantic suspense?

Lisa – For me it’s pretty easy. As I said, I’m a suspense/mystery reader by nature. The first novels I wrote for Silhouette Books were difficult because I had to take the suspense out and fight my natural urges, but I learned about romance. The way I see it in romantic suspense is that the romance heightens the danger/suspense and the suspense heightens the romance; it’s as if each emotion is super-charged because of the other.

"People told me this, of course, and they still do and I still don’t listen, but I try. Also, it’s important to finish a book. Not just start one, or come up with an idea. Write the whole damned thing."

Clay – I can see that. After writing so many books, does it get easier or harder to crank out new novels?

Lisa – It’s never easy. Some books are much easier to write than others though I really believe, for me, it’s the outside influences that make a project hard. If I have family issues, or health issues or whatever, the story seems to knot up. I don’t think writing is ever easy.

Clay – That’s a good point. I think that’s where the hobbyist and the professional draw the line. It’s easy to write, but not always easy to write well. Just curious, after years of turning out bestsellers, what is the one book that has meant the most to you?

Lisa – Oh, that’s an impossible question.

Clay – You have to have one.

Lisa – There are so many.

Clay – Something that meant something to you personally.

Lisa – I loved writing Shiver and I used my mother’s birthday in it, and then in Close To Home, I brought back Bonzi, our beloved pitbull. Starting the Montana series with Left To Die was a thrill as I worked with two female cops for the first time and Cold Blooded, the second book in the New Orleans series was something I’d been thinking about for a long time. So . . .

Clay – As you have lived the dream over the years, what would you tell a beginning writer that you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?

Lisa – Don’t stress out. Find a balance in life.

Clay – Take time for a little meditation. Go with the flow.

Lisa – People told me this, of course, and they still do and I still don’t listen, but I try. Also, it’s important to finish a book. Not just start one, or come up with an idea. Write the whole damned thing.

Clay – You make me smile. Fatal Burn and Revenge are coming out this month. What can you tell us about those books and what about each is important to you?

Lisa – Both books are being republished. Fatal Burn was a bestseller when it was first published and hit the #1 slot on the New York Times, so that’s special to me. It’s being republished now along with Deep Freeze as they are linked to my latest hardback, After She’s Gone. As for Revenge, it’s actually three books in one, novels I wrote years ago and were very popular at the time, so it’s nice to see them repackaged into a romantic suspense format.

"It’s important, no matter who you are, to help others who are in need. Animals, children, victims of abuse. If each person gave a little, what a better place this world would be."

Clay – Always great to keep those works in print. You’ve chosen to get involved with numerous charitable causes. What is your inspiration to give back?

Lisa – I believe I’ve always been blessed and there is so much suffering in the world. It’s important, no matter who you are, to help others who are in need. Animals, children, victims of abuse. If each person gave a little, what a better place this world would be. I try never to take my good fortune for granted.

Clay – And it shows and comes through everything you do. One of your charities is the Killer Nashville Lisa Jackson Scholarship. Can you share with us your goals for the scholarship?

Lisa – Well, first off, I love the Killer Nashville Conference, as you know and I like to encourage other authors as best I can in ways I enjoy. I was broke a few times in my life. Very broke. I was also a single mother. I could never have afforded going away to a conference. This is my way of helping a would-be writer.

Clay – And this is where you, Persistent Reader, can take action. If you have the dream to be a writer, like Lisa and her sister Nancy, take the first step.

You can see from Lisa’s story where it leads.

From humble beginnings with no contacts, things happen when you move forward. Don’t stress out. Finish writing the book. And come connect with us at Killer Nashville.

We’ll connect you to agents, editors, and other writers and resources to make your dreams come true.

This is the year to do it.

Money isn’t an object; we just want your passion.

Get more information on the Killer Nashville Lisa Jackson Scholarship. And while you’re at it, check out the Killer Nashville Jimmy Loftin Memorial Scholarship opportunities here as well. You’re welcome to apply to both.

I look forward to seeing everyone at this year’s Killer Nashville! And thanks Lisa, for a wonderful chat.

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Clay Stafford is an author / filmmaker (www.ClayStafford.com), founder of Killer Nashville (www.killernashville.com) and publisher of Killer Nashville Magazine (www.killernashvillemagazine.com). In addition to selling over 1.5 million copies of his own books, Stafford’s latest projects are the documentary “One of the Miracles” (www.oneofthemiracles.com) and writing the music CD “XO” with Kathryn Dance / Lincoln Rhymes author Jeffery Deaver (www.jefferdeaverxomusic.com). He is currently writing a film script based on Peter Straub’s “Pork Pie Hat” for American Blackguard Entertainment (www.americanblackguard.com).

Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale.

Donald Bain and Renée Paley-Bain Sit Down for an Exclusive Interview with Killer Nashville

By Clay Stafford

On January 8, 2016, a few weeks after conducting this interview (but the day ironically that this issue of Killer Nashville Magazine posted), Renée Paley-Bain passed away unexpectedly from a wrenching three-week battle against Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia, a rare blood cancer she has lived with for the past 18 years. Our condolences go to her husband Don and their families. God bless them all. We have truly lost an amazing friend. Here's to incredible memories. We are better people for having known her.

Killer Nashville 2015 was on Halloween this year. During that time, I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down in Nashville with Donald Bain and his talented wife and writing partner Renée Paley-Bain for one of the strangest and most delicious hamburgers we’ve ever had (burgers were topped with an over-easy egg and onions caramelized in Jack Daniel’s whisky). Like the meal, every conversation I have with the Bains is an intellectual and entertaining morsel for the spiritual palette.

I like to delve into the minds of writers, and that’s what makes Don and Renée the ideal choice for our December feature article: they are incredibly transparent.

Every time I read a Donald Bain book—be it fiction or nonfiction—I am in awe. The stories tend to be puzzles and whodunits, but that’s not what pulls me in. It is the craft that, as a writer, I see going on behind the words. And what is on the page is not accidental but a credit to the development of the craftsman and the incredible mental brilliance of the man behind them.

This past year has been a busy one for the Bains. They released three books: Internship in Murder (#28 in the “Margaret Truman’s Capital Crime” series), Killer in the Kitchen (#43) and The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher (#44) in the “Murder, She Wrote” series “co-authored” with fictional character Jessica Fletcher (in by-line only, of course).

For those not familiar, the “Capital Crimes” series takes place in Washington, D.C. and was a collaboration between Don and Margaret Truman, the daughter of President Harry S. Truman. After Ms. Truman’s death, Don carried on the series with the blessings of her family.

And how could you not know what the “Murder, She Wrote” series is about? I had the good fortune of working on that television series as a young man at Universal Studios, and so it was my good fortune, years later, to befriend Donald Bain, the force behind the series of books.

My conversation with both Don and Renée could (and previous ones have) gone on for hours. Two better conversationalists you will never find. I’ve read all three of their books this year, but for the sake of brevity for this interview I’m sticking to the last book of theirs I read (The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher). But our conversation won’t be limited just to that book. As for as my reviews of the three books, there is too much to list here, but my overall summation would be: “Donald Bain does it again. Familiar characters and twists-and-turns make any Bain book a must-read for mystery enthusiasts.”

To give you a little background before we begin, The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher is one of my favorites in the Murder, She Wrote books. Set in Cabot Cove, Maine, Jessica visits a friend in the hospital. He thinks he is dying. His doctor does not. Then he dies. It’s up to Jessica to put it together and solve the crime—not saying more because it will give away the plot. When the deceased’s house goes up for sale, unusual sightings give way to the rumor that there is a ghost. Of course, Jessica doesn’t believe in such drivel…or does she?

Although I’ve known both Don and Renée for several years, I learned things here I didn’t know before. For example, I’ve always thought Don was a meticulous outliner (one would assume because of the meticulous stories he writes), but that’s not true at all.

So get ready for some surprises as we hunker down here with Don and Renée Bain.

Clay – “Don, much of your history is contained in the book Murder, He Wrote—your more-than-excellent, and very funny, autobiography—but briefly can you tell our readers who have not read that book how you became a professional writer?”

Donald – “Like many things in life I backed into becoming a writer. After graduating from Purdue University and putting in three years in the Air Force, I had a young family to support. I sold children’s shoes a few nights a week, and worked full-time selling business machines door-to-door. I learned from those jobs that I was a lousy salesman. My cousin and best friend Jack Pearl, who wrote more than 100 books, knew I needed money and started me writing articles for Magazine Management, which published “men’s adventure magazines.” Jack then introduced me to an editor at Simon & Schuster, Ed Brown, who signed me up to rewrite the history of stock car racing. It paid a flat $1,000 fee, a nice payday. Later I was working as a PR exec for American Airlines when Ed Brown called. He had two Eastern Airlines stewardesses who wanted to write a humorous tell-all book about their careers. I met them and wrote Coffee, Tea or Me? which, along with its three sequels, went on to sell more than 5-million copies worldwide and became a made-for-TV movie. I suppose you could say that I became the world’s oldest, tallest, bearded stewardess. With the money from that project I was able to leave the airline and write full-time.”

Clay – “How many books have you written in total?”

Donald – “At last count I’d written 124 books, most of them ghostwritten for others.”

Clay – “Renée, how many of these books have you written (credited and uncredited) with Don?”

Renée – “I’ve been working with Don on the ‘Murder, She Wrote’ series for about 20 years, starting out editing them but eventually co-authoring the novels. Lately I’ve been doing most of the writing with Don editing. But I’d been writing longer than that. As VP of public relations for leading trade associations in the advertising field, I’d written hundreds of articles, speeches, and position papers, so my writing muscles got plenty of exercise.”

Clay – “Don, you mention that Coffee, Tea, or Me? allowed you to quit working at American Airlines and become a full-time writer? Do you think that is a realistic expectation for first-time novelists today?”

Donald – “No, not at all, Clay. There are many good writers whose egos won’t allow them to consider ghostwriting a book on which their names don’t appear. My philosophy was ‘say no to nothing’, an attitude that held me in good stead. My name doesn’t appear on any of the four Coffee, Tea or Me? books, although I did sneakily dedicate each one to me. As a professional writer it was my obligation to not publically take credit for them, and it was 20 years before I called the publisher and asked permission.”

Clay – “I find it amazing that out of all the books you’ve written, only one has been written on spec, meaning you didn’t have a contract for publication on it. Can you explain that for us?”

Donald – “I’ve been too busy over the course of my career writing books under contract to take time to write on spec. But I started a novel of my own in 2003, 50 years into my writing career, worked on it in bits and pieces, finished it in 2013, and saw it published in 2014. Lights Out! is based upon the great blackout of 2003 that sent the eastern seaboard into days of darkness. Writing it was a pleasant departure from ghostwriting—no deadline and no collaborator to appease. My agent, Bob Diforio, sold it immediately to Severn House and it’s done very nicely in the marketplace.”

Clay – “How did you get the ‘Murder, She Wrote’ and ‘Margaret Truman’ writing assignments?”

Donald – “I’d been introduced to Margaret Truman in the early 1980s. She’d collaborated on a Washington-based novel that had been published, but the writer she’d worked with wasn’t available to work on a second book. We got along wonderfully, and I collaborated with her on Murder on Capitol Hill, which was published in 1981. We became good friends and worked together on another 23 D.C.-based mysteries/thrillers. Since her death in 2008, I’ve continued the series in conjunction with her estate. The most recent book written since Margaret’s passing is Internship in Murder. Deadly Medicine will be out next year, and I’m finishing up Allied in Danger as we speak. The books now carry my byline.”

Clay – “How about ‘Murder, She Wrote’? How did you get that series?”

Donald – “I was asked to write the first novel based upon the TV show Murder, She Wrote in 1988 and have been writing the novels ever since in collaboration with my wife Renée. We’ve just delivered the 46th novel in the series, and remarkably they’re all still in print.”

Clay – “That is remarkable.”

Renée – “It’s impressive that only one writer has been involved in this media tie-in series.”

Clay – “Well, two. You and Don are a team on this one! How does it normally work?”

Renée – “Usually a series of writers will be hired to sustain a long-standing series based upon another medium. Don and I are privileged to continue writing novels based upon this iconic television show, and we feel as though the fictional character Jessica Fletcher, brought to life on the screen by the wonderful Angela Lansbury, has become a close friend in a sense. Of course, I was younger than Jessica Fletcher when Don started writing the books, and now I’m older than Jessica Fletcher. Real life isn’t fair.”

Clay – “But as Don has pointed out, there are many hidden and serendipitous surprises. For beginning writers, do you think they should concentrate more on developing a series or a standalone?”

Renée – “Neither! What they should concentrate on is becoming the best writer they can be. I’ve come to learn a lot about the publishing world and making a living in it through my involvement with the “Murder, She Wrote” series. We attend numerous conferences including Killer Nashville and come in contact with a wide variety of writers trying to forge a full-time writing career. The key, as Don mentioned earlier, is attitude, the willingness to take on a variety of writing assignments, learning from each one, and being open to new possibilities. As the author Kingsley Amis, who ghosted for Ian Fleming, once said, “Any proper writer ought to be able to write anything from an Easter Day sermon to a sheep-dip handout.” We don’t have too many calls for a sermon or a sheep-dip handout, but his point is well-taken. Writers have to be flexible and willing to try new things. That’s how you sharpen your skills.”

Clay – “Don, you’ve published 28 books in the ‘Capital Crime’ series, 46 books in the ‘Murder, She Wrote’ series, and yet you and Renée continue to prolifically turn out books. How many books do you and Renée release per year?”

Donald – “The year 2015 has been an especially tough one for us. Through a combination of missteps we were contractually committed to deliver three ‘Murder, She Wrote’ books instead of the usual two. On top of that I had the next novel in the ‘Truman Capital Crimes’ series to write.”

Renée – “We’ve pledged to never let that happen again. I feel as if I’ve been chained to the computer all year.”

Clay – “With all of these books, do you find it harder and harder to come up with new plots? Or do they continue to flow?”

Renée – “Every novel begins with the ‘what if?’ question. We read multiple newspapers and magazines each day, and many of our plot ideas come directly from those pages. We’re also very place oriented, and try to come up with provocative destinations and to have Jessica Fletcher travel to them and solve a murder. We generally set every third book in Cabot Cove, although that isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. Each book usually stems from a single, overarching story idea, which propels the plot forward. There really is never a lack of story ideas to play with. All you have to do is look around at the world we live in.”

Donald – “With the ‘Margaret Truman Capital Crimes’ series, I operate from the standpoint that there is absolutely nothing that I can make up that is far-fetched when it come to Washington, D.C. and the political climate there.”

Clay – “Point well-taken. Now that we are two decades into this writing partnership, how did the two of you begin working together?”

Donald – “Having married a writer made it inevitable that we would one day also become collaborators.”

Renée – “We both love a good story.”

Donald – “She has a devious plot sense.”

Renée – “Thank you.”

Clay – “Yep, she is the tricky one. Don, if you remember, she’s the one who connected us together to begin with. As you two write as a team, are there creative differences and how do you resolve those?”

Renée – “We’ve always been able to resolve creative differences. I suppose that the fact that we’re still married testifies to that. Basically, the one doing the actual writing sets the pace and tone, with the other playing the role of eagle-eyed editor. But when push comes to shove, it’s the book that counts, not our individual egos.”

Donald – “I remember when I wrote one of the ‘Margaret Truman’ novels and gave it to Renée to read and edit. She disliked one line I’d written and said it was ‘clunky’. I got my back up, defended the line, and it stayed in the manuscript. The first review of the book, while generally favorable, did cite that line as an example of ‘occasionally clunky writing’.”

Clay – “That’s funny you should say that. Jacqueline (my wife) is my first reader. Early in our relationship, I once left a short story for her to read. The next morning, with delight, I asked her what she thought. She told me, ‘It’s not your best work.’ I bristled and asked her what I should do to make it better. She pointed to the kitchen trashcan. And the truth was—and is—she was exactly right. I read the story a year later and it wasn’t even worth the recycling I gave it. The moral being: trust your editor…even if she is your wife. Is it difficult with both of you writing concurrently to maintain the voice of Jessica Fletcher?”

Donald – “We’ve both gotten down the Jessica Fletcher character and seem to seamlessly capture that voice no matter who is doing the writing. Of course, we watch videos of the TV episodes from time to time to ensure that we haven’t strayed. The best compliment we can receive from a reader is that Jessica sounds the same on the page as she does on TV.”

Renée – “We both want to sound like Angela Lansbury playing Jessica Fletcher. Since we have the advantage of writing in first person that smoothes the process.”

Clay – “Speaking of, what is your usual writing process?”

Renée – “It depends entirely on what each of us is doing on a given day. Don is often writing the latest ‘Margaret Truman Capital Crimes’ novel, which means that I do the original writing that day on ‘Murder, She Wrote’. On those days, Don edits what I’ve written. Other days, Don takes on the writing and I function as editor. There are some days, usually when the deadline is approaching, that we’re both writing scenes after having conferred on what they are and how they fit into the overall storyline.”

Clay – “What computer programs do you use to write and map your books?”

Donald – “We work on computers using Word, and pass each day’s writing back-and-forth on thumb drives. When we aren’t dealing with research in-hand from trips or interviews, we use the Internet a great deal. Renée is much more computer-savvy than I am; she handles all the blogging, keeping the website up-to-date (most of the time), and utilizes and refines photos for when I am being interviewed.”

Clay – “Do you have a daily quota of words or pages, or length of time that you write each day?”

Donald – “I used to be a morning writer, having my ten-page-a-day target met by one o’clock in the afternoon. But I get a later start these days after a leisurely morning of reading, catching up on email, and running errands. That schedule suits Renée fine; she gets started writing even later in the day. While I used to shoot for 10 pages a day, I’m content these days with fewer pages. What’s important to me is that something gets written every day, seven days a week when we’re under a deadline. Even if a day’s output isn’t very good when read in the light of the following day, it can serve as a blueprint for the rewriting. I’m a great believer in ‘all good writing is rewriting’. Too many writers strive for perfection in that first draft. As a result they never get around to finishing a book. Write every day, good or bad. I’d rather have badly written pages to improve than stare at a blank screen.”

Clay – “Do you get approval of each book from your agent/publisher before you write it? And, if so, how much of the story do you give him/her?”

Renée – “We have to submit to our publisher and to Universal in Los Angeles (which owns the ‘Murder, She Wrote’ franchise) a synopsis of the storyline for the next novel we wish to write. We also run it past our agent, Bob Diforio, whose long and successful career in publishing gives him a unique perspective. Of course, once the writing commences, that brief synopsis begins to fall apart as the story and characters take over. But it serves as a blueprint that keeps us honest as we manipulate the action and characters. I suppose we’re basically “pantsers”—writing by the seat of our pants while trying not to stray too far afield.”

Clay – “Throughout your latest book, Murder, She Wrote: The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher, each chapter reveals new information about each character or the plot (or subplots). Are each of those revelations intentionally mapped out in the outline?”

Donald – “No. Well, some are, but they tend to develop as the writing goes forward.”

Clay – “Instead of straight description, you have an enviable way of working the description into the dialogue. Yours is the ultimate ‘show (or hear), don’t tell’. Has this always been easy for you? Or is this something you have cultivated as a part of your craft? An example would be someone talking about selling first edition books rather than describing the shop as one that sells first edition books.”

Donald – “That’s a real compliment, Clay. I suppose that whatever technique we use is the result of having written so much, and learning the craft as we go. I’ve learned something about the craft of writing from everything I’ve ever written, including a couple of ‘collaborations’ that I’d just as soon forget about. I’ve also been fortunate to have had a number of terrific editors whose work on the manuscripts served not only to make the books better, they functioned as teachers, too. Another favorite saying of mine is, ‘If I had more time, I would have written less.’ You develop an innate sense of when you’re ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing’, and there’s no greater enjoyment for me than fine-tuning a manuscript in search of all those unnecessary words, ‘info-dumps’, and otherwise useless use of space on the page.”

Clay – “To what do you attribute—other than the grand writing of Don and Renée Bain—the great affinity of readers to the ‘Murder, She Wrote’ Jessica Fletcher franchise? Every single one of the books is still in print!”

Renée – “It all starts with Dame Angela Lansbury. She created Jessica Fletcher and imbued her with so many attractive and appealing traits that TV viewers, and the readers of the novels, relate to. Although every book has a murder or two in it, they’re ‘gentle’ books in the sense that we avoid graphic violence, four-letter words, and sexual situations. We receive hundreds of emails from readers who say how much they appreciate that approach. We also receive emails from parents who kick-start their teenage sons and daughters onto the reading habit using the ‘Murder, She Wrote’ novels. Of course, we like to think that the quality of the writing helps engender this loyalty—and our readers are certainly that—loyal!”

Clay – “You’ve taught writing courses all over the world, including onboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 (popularly known as the QE2). What are your writing courses like? How basic or advanced are they?”

Donald – “It’s probably a misstatement that I ‘teach’ writing, at least not the nuts-and-bolts of the writing craft. The lectures I gave aboard the QE2 for six consecutive years focused more on attitude towards becoming a writer, using my own experiences as examples. There are those who are able to teach writing as a craft, but I’m not one of them, and it would be presumptuous of me to try it. While I’ve absorbed the craft of writing over the many years of my career, I practice it without thinking much about it. But I’ve sat in on classes in which writing is taught and I have learned something each time. As for lecturing on the QE2, I was also expected to entertain, which dictated my approach.”

Clay – “Writers hear a lot about ‘theme’. To writers who have written as much as you both have, is ‘theme’ even on the radar? Other than Jessica’s voice, is your ‘writers’ voice’ even something you think about?”

Renée – “It really isn’t. Aside from sharing a familiarity with Jessica Fletcher’s voice as established by Angela Lansbury, Don and I do have somewhat different writing ‘voices’. I’m not sure that I could explain the difference, but when we’re editing each other’s work those differences become evident. But they’re not so different that we can’t easily meld them into a single voice, It’s something we respect and pay attention to every day.”

Clay – “Don, your writing is venturing onto the stage, as well! Can you tell us about The Lost Blonde?”

Donald – “I was close friends with the actress Veronica Lake during her post-Hollywood days in New York, and wrote her autobiography with her. A marvelous filmmaker and writer in London, Ian Beaumont, contacted me and suggested that we collaborate on a screenplay based upon Veronica’s NYC years. He came to New York and we went to work. When it was finished, we came to a painful conclusion: it didn’t work as a film. But then I suggested that it would make a wonderful play, and we rewrote it for performance on the stage. Right now it’s making the rounds of leading theatrical companies around the country, and we have our collective fingers crossed. Writing for the stage is alien to both Ian and me, so it’s been a true learning experience. Stay tuned!”

Clay – “Don, Renée is not the only one you’ve written with. You’ve also written with your daughter Laurie! Did she get the writing bug from you?”

Donald – “Laurie is a very talented writer whose articles in such areas as travel and lifestyles have appeared in myriad publications. She worked with me on a few of the earlier ‘Murder, She Wrote’ novels and added a nice dimension to them. If she got the writing bug from me, I’m not sure whether she’ll thank or curse me. It can be a tough way to make a living. She has a wonderful way of turning a phrase, something I admire greatly.”

Clay – “When I read about the book clutter in Cliff Cooper’s house in The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher, I can’t help but think you used my house as a research destination. Is your house cluttered with books (like mine), or are you more like your character Eve Simpson (who knows how to shovel them out once read)?”

Renée – “Sometimes I think that we’re drowning in books, and we’re constantly loading boxes with them for our local library’s book sales. We both find it hard to get in much reading for pleasure while writing books. I recently suggested to Don that when we turn in the latest Murder, She Wrote, tentative title Hook, Line & Murder, we get away for a week and do nothing but catch up on our reading. I have a stack of novels to get to, and Don has an equally tall stack of books in a variety of genres. But he has the latest ‘Truman’ novel to finish and…oh, well.”

Clay – “In The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher, is Arianna Olynski’s physical self patterned after Marge Simpson? She’s the only one I can think of who fits the description. And, if so, when in the world does the Bain family watch The Simpsons?”

Renée – “Ha! We hoped you’d think of Marge. That’s exactly who we had in mind. We don’t actually watch The Simpsons, but when a show is as popular as that one, the characters become known all the same. The only time I regret not watching the show is when the name of their grocer is the answer to a clue in our crossword puzzle.”

Clay – “Do you believe in ghosts? You’ve written several involving them, including ‘The Hunt for Skippy Walker’ in Killer Nashville’s new anthology Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded. I thought I knew where Jessica Fletcher stood until the very end of The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher. And then, Jessica did what Jessica does best: diplomatically and intellectually raises an eyebrow that there may be more to something than what we first see.”

Donald – “Renée and I debated the ending of The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher and agreed that while Jessica probably doesn’t intellectually believe in ghosts, one of her endearing traits is her open-mindedness to things she might not necessarily accept.”

Renée – “This is the fourth book, we think (we lose track every so often), in which we’ve injected a ghost into the story. The very first book in the series, Gin and Daggers, features an ‘apparition’. Trick or Treachery has what we hope is a shiver-inducing ending. And how can you use a location like Savannah (A Slaying in Savannahand in ‘The Hunt for Skippy Walker’) and not reference that city’s many ghost stories? Like Jessica, neither Don nor I believe in ghosts…but maybe we’re wrong.”

Clay – “Don and Renée, I hate to end the conversation because I know this could continue on way into the night.”

Donald – “This was a delightful conversation, Clay, and we thank you for the chance to talk about writing and our approach to it. Killer Nashville is, and will always be one of our favorite writers’ conferences. Thanks to you and your excellent staff, hundreds of writers have come away with renewed confidence in their writing careers, and some solid information to help them grow.”

Clay – “And there is much here in this conversation, as well. I’m honored to get to chat with you guys and get a glimpse behind the curtain.”

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Clay Stafford is an author / filmmaker (www.ClayStafford.com), founder of Killer Nashville (www.killernashville.com) and publisher of Killer Nashville Magazine (www.killernashvillemagazine.com). In addition to selling over 1.5 million copies of his own books, Stafford’s latest projects are the documentary “One of the Miracles” (www.oneofthemiracles.com) and writing the music CD “XO” with Kathryn Dance / Lincoln Rhymes author Jeffery Deaver (www.jefferdeaverxomusic.com). He is currently writing a film script based on Peter Straub’s “Pork Pie Hat” for American Blackguard Entertainment (www.americanblackguard.com).

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An Interview with Killer Nashville Guests of Honor, John Gilstrap, M. William Phelps, and Robert K. Tanenbaum

By Clay Stafford

I’ve had the pleasure and honor over the past several months to have numerous phone and email conversations with this year’s 2015 Killer Nashville Guests of Honor John Gilstrap, M. William Phelps, and Robert K. Tanenbaum. Not only are all three tremendous writers, but they are all three tremendous human beings. In these conversations, we’ve discussed numerous ideas relating to writing and life, philosophy and politics, meaning and themes. We’re going to address those topics in my interviews with them over the course of the upcoming Killer Nashville weekend. But here, we are talking about writing, fans, and writers’ conferences, specifically Killer Nashville. Here with me in this creative nonfiction compilation interview are all three Guests of Honor in their own words.

Clay – “Writers and readers come to Killer Nashville with many different objectives. Some are looking for information. Some are looking for publishing connections. Others are simply coming to meet writers new to them. After attendees leave and they’ve met with you and talked with you, what do you hope they take with them as they leave the conference on Sunday? John, you want to start us off?”

John – “Other than memories of a really great time, I hope mostly that they will walk away with an overarching sense of hope.”

Clay – “That’s a really good point. Which is what I hope the whole conference weekend is about, as well. You’ve got a great personal story to share on that, too. After hearing your “Dare to Dream” speech on Saturday, I doubt any will miss that point.”

John – “The publishing business is a strange and competitive business, but there really is always room for more players—very successful ones, at that.

Clay – “John, on your website, you include essays on writing and information on how you got published. I see a teacher sticking his head around a corner. Is that the kind of free-flow sharing of information and mentoring that writers at Killer Nashville should expect of you?

John – “I have very few secrets. I made a decision a long time ago to be as open and honest and forthcoming as I can be, especially when it comes to the process and business of writing. No one who has seen any success in a creative field has achieved that success without help from someone along the way. I’m honored to be that someone as often as I can.”

Clay – “Matthew, what about you? John, of course, is a screenwriter and a novelist primarily; though he does have a nonfiction work. You’re mostly nonfiction, but you’re also a true crime television personality yourself. What do you hope people will walk away with after meeting you?”

M. William – “A true understanding of publishing, television, film, and how these industries are, first and foremost, businesses; they’re industries that deal in the hobbies people have. It is serious.”

Clay – “Robert, you are not only one of our Guests of Honor, but you’re also our 2015 Killer Nashville John Seigenthaler Award Winner for championing First Amendment rights. You’re coming to Killer Nashville wearing three hats: novelist, nonfiction author, and First Amendment advocate. If you could combine your work into one statement as to what attendees will leave with after meeting you, what would that be?”

Robert – “Understanding that we, The People, require our government officials to act with integrity—to be professional, effective, truthful, and to act in concert with the principles of our country’s two promissory notes—the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.”

Clay – “That’s a theme I think attendees will see in Tanenbaum work, even in your fiction.”

M. William – “Also, that passion and hard work, determination, are very important key to success, as well as knowing the genre you are trying to break through in.”

Clay – “Absolutely. So that’s what other attendees leave with. What do you hope that YOU walk away with?”

M. William – “Connecting to readers. I also hope to reach would-be writers. If I can touch them on a genuine level, school them on the real world of a professional writer/author, I’ve had a great weekend.”

Robert – “A wonderful opportunity to share my thoughts regarding our value system by focusing on our cultural, spiritual and historical morality. We are truly the ‘City on the Hill’.”

Clay – “John?”

John – “A Rolodex of new friends, and a few more fun memories. I am the classic definition of an extrovert. I love being around people, interacting with them, learning from them. Laughing with them. I draw energy from being around other people. Among my friends, I’m fairly famous as the guy who closes the bar at conferences—not because I’m getting hammered, but because there’s always one more person to meet and listen to. I can’t count the number of friends I’ve made that way.”

Clay – “I have no doubt you will have that. Matthew, you mentioned ‘would-be writers’. For you, what is the most important thing new writers should keep in mind?”

M. William – “That this is a business. Rejection isn’t personal—it’s part of yours and publishing’s success.”

John – “The most important thing for writers to keep in mind is that success in the publishing business is directly related to hard work.”

Clay – “I think writers, because they don’t want to bore readers, like to play down learning the rules.”

John – “I believe that writing is maybe 30% art, and at least 70% craft. Like any craft, skills are only sharpened by study and practice.”

Clay – “Bob?”

Robert – “Authenticity.”

Clay – “Important, I’d say, no matter if it is fiction or nonfiction. John, what are your favorite things about writers’ conferences?”

John – “My favorite thing about writers conferences is meeting new friends. I remember those conferences 20 years ago when I was first starting and feeling so overwhelmed by all the people I didn’t know. Now, virtually every conference brings out old friends to catch up with, and new friends to make future conferences even more fun.”

M. William – “Meeting people/fans. Giving the same professional experience to the writer I once got.”

Clay – “We will also have pure readers there—especially at our brand new reader-focused Killer Nashville Book Con—what is the strangest thing a reader ever did around you?”

M. William – “Stalk me.”

Clay – “Well, that can’t be good.”

John – “Years ago, I was signing at a mall bookstore, where they put my signing table right out front where people nearly tripped over me on their way to buy other authors’ books. As I sat there, trying to look dignified despite the absence of buyers, I noticed a young man, maybe 20 years old, watching me from a distance. I made eye contact and asked if I could help. As luck would have it, he had a manuscript and he didn’t know what to do with it, how to find an agent, and that sort of thing. I spent about a half hour answering his questions, and when we were done, he said, ‘I don’t read shit like you write,’ and he walked away.”

Clay – “Now that’s funny. I wonder if he ever got published. He sounds like he should write reviews for Kirkus. As readers yourselves, what kinds of books do you like to read?”

Robert – “Historical non-fiction biography.”

M. William – “Religious history. Scandinavian crime. Writer biographies. The three books I have open right now are: Updike by Adam Begley; Arctic Chill: An Inspector Erlendur Novel by Arnaldur Indridason; History of New Testament Research by William Baird.”

John – “I’m an omnivore when it comes to reading. It makes me uncomfortable to single out individuals because I admire so many, but with a gun to my head, Jeff (Deaver) and Tess (Gerritsen) are certainly on the list. Then there are Stephen King, Daniel Palmer, Reavis Z. Wortham, Nelson DeMille, Stephen Hunter, Erik Larson, Alan Orloff, Harlan Coben, and…and…and… I read the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal every day, but because I’m a slow reader, I can only read a couple of books a month. My most recent three were The Martianby Andy Weir, Finders Keepersby Stephen King, and The Devil in the White Cityby Erik Larsen.”

Clay – “John, around 1974, you wanted to be Woodward. I wanted to be Bernstein. (This is a reference to All the President’s Men for those who missed that little episode in American history.) You chose Woodward because you wanted to have Robert Redford’s girl followers. I chose Bernstein because I got to be in typing class for two years with nothing but girls. Interesting we had the same goal (was it the girls or kicking butt in D.C.)? And with these lofty dreams, why do you think we both ended up in fiction for the most part? Obviously somewhere we got on the wrong train at the station.

John – “I grew up in the D.C. suburbs, so Watergate was local news long before it was national news. At the same time, my cousin worked for the State Department’s United States Information Agency (I think that’s what it was called), and he and his wife would throw parties that were attended by many of what was then the Washington elite, media included. As a 13-year-old, I got to meet the likes of Elie Abel, the Kalb brothers and other well-known journalists. And then there was Watergate.”

Clay – “So did you want to be a reporter first?”

John – “In retrospect, I think I was far more in love with the mystique of journalism than with the profession itself. It didn’t work for me. As much as I like interacting with people, I’m not comfortable with the level of confrontation that is necessary.”

Clay – “All three of you have had major influences on other people’s lives. I know that because I talk to a lot of writers—of both fiction and nonfiction. I also know that because of the things you do when you are not writing. Who are the people who have influenced you?”

M. William – “That’s humbling to hear, but I’m nobody. My influences as a writer were V.S. Naipaul (writer only; not as a human being), Raymond Carver, and Joe McGinniss. Joe’s book Blind Faith changed my entire perspective of true crime.”

Robert – “My parents, legendary D.A. Frank Hogan, Assistant D.A. Mel Glass, Assistant D.A. (now Federal District Court Judge) John F. Keenan, my high school basketball coach, Paul Ryan, and my college coach at Cal, Rene Herrerias.”

John – “Most of my most important influences came from outside the writing world, from my firehouse comrades who showed great courage (and side-splitting humor) to my bosses in various jobs who unknowingly taught me the value of hard work, dedication, and the importance of never walking away from a dream just because other people thought I would fail.”

Clay – “Ouch. Hard to read your work and think there are those who thought you would fail. There’s a lot hidden in that statement. What do you dislike most about the life of a writer?”

M. William – “Getting something wrong.”

Clay – (Laughing.)

Robert – “At times, some editorial comment!”

Clay – (Laughing) “True. Double-edged sword.”

Robert – “However, having had the responsibility to prosecute the most vicious murderers in New York County and having been Bureau Chief in charge of the New York County Criminal Courts, I relish the solitude and peace that attends my writing experience.”

Clay – “John?”

John – “I get paid to make stuff up and play with my imaginary friends, so it’s hard to find a lot that’s hard in there to complain about. The isolation of a writer’s job could get crushing if you let, it, but I don’t. I make it a point to interact with my family and friends, and to squeeze the most I can out of every day.”

Clay – “So true. So looking at the glass half-full…what are your happiest moments?”

M. William – “When a victims’ family member says my book honored the victim. And when readers connect with a book. I get lots of email and actual letters (yes, people still write them!) from readers saying they picked up one of my books, the first book they’ve read in many, many years, and it inspired them to start reading again.”

Clay – “John?”

John – “There will never be another day like that first phone call when I found out that my first book, Nathan’s Run, had been picked up for a huge amount of money. We were in a precarious place financially when that happened—my company was losing money, we’d canceled the newspapers and were eating a lot of leftovers—and then, in a single day, I made more money than I had made cumulatively in my life until that point. I’ll talk about this quite a bit in my speech on Saturday.”

Clay – “That is a great feeling. John, you’ve been writing well-before 1996 when your first novel Nathan’s Run was published. Maybe even back before 1975 when you were a—da-da-dummmm—closet writer. As you’ve progressed through your writing, do you find it getting easier? Or do you find it harder to top yourself (because you have set some pretty high standards, my friend)?”

John – “In my various careers, I’ve been a firefighter, a hazmat technician, safety manager for explosives processing facilities, president of my own consulting firm and an association executive—all in addition to being a writer. I don’t think experience makes any given day in any given job any easier than the day before. I guess with experience, you second-guess yourself less, but that’s not always a good thing. (I was well into my 15-year fire service career when my “experience” convinced me to do a stupid thing that resulted in me falling through a floor and damn near getting killed.) If you bring a professional attitude to whatever you do, the task is never ‘easy’. That said, in a creative field like writing, I think it’s a fool’s errand to think of previous success as something to be overcome or surpassed. If I thought that way, I’d get intellectually constipated (hey, I just gave you the title for this article!).”

Clay – (Laughing) “Not sure I’ll bite, but I follow you.”

John – “Each new book has to stand on its own as the best representation of the story I’m trying to tell at the time. That’s why when people ask me which of my books is my favorite, I always answer—truthfully—that it’s the book I’m writing now. If it were otherwise, I couldn’t write it.”

Clay – John and Robert, both of you write both fiction and nonfiction. Would either of you like to comment? Does it require a different mindset—the whole left brain versus right brain thing, creative versus fact-confined? Do you find nonfiction limiting in terms of what you can do? Or maybe do you view it as just another engaging story and proceed as though it were fiction?

(There is a pause. I look to John, who truly is the one who comes across as being the man drip-lining caffeine.)

John – “My foray into nonfiction was a book titled Six Minutes to Freedom, and to be perfectly honest, there were exactly two reasons why I decided to take the project on. One: my fiction career had hit the skids (more on that when I give my speech at Killer Nashville) and Two: it was a perfectly structured thriller that happened to be true. SixMin tells the story of Kurt Muse (co-author of the book), whose efforts to topple dictator Manuel Noriega are the stuff of legend among the Special Forces community, yet was largely unknown. It took me four years to write that book, in part because I needed access to Delta Force operators who engineered Kurt’s rescue, and no one would speak to me. Over the course of time, and with lots of perseverance, I finally got access to President George H.W. Bush, who had authorized Kurt’s rescue, and after that meeting somebody said something to someone, and I was granted unprecedented access to the Special Operations community. The resulting book is hands-down the one I’m most proud of. (That’s different from being my favorite, so I’m not contradicting myself from above.) I found nonfiction to be much harder to write than fiction. The pressure to be accurate—as opposed to merely entertaining—is crushing. I have no immediate plans to enter those waters again.”

Clay – “And that’s why we have authors like M. William Phelps who drink and write it day and night. John, you’ve done a little collaboration with other authors that is a bit unique. For The Chopin Manuscript (Serial Thriller) and The Copper Bracelet, you worked with other tremendous writers, each of you taking a chapter from characters and a plot-kickoff by my XO music project partner Jeffery Deaver. Were there any outlines given? Or was it free flow for all? What did you find most fun about that collective experience? Were there any times you wished that a previous chapter writer would have written things a little differently to make it easier, or direct the story more in a certain direction for you?”

John – “Those two projects were a blast to write. No, there were no outlines, not even an indication of where the story might go. Each writer received the chapters up to his (or hers), and then moved the story forward another ten or fifteen pages. Everybody took it seriously, meaning no one introduced a character from Planet Xanthar in the 12th chapter, but I’m sure that every one of us was surprised by the way the stories ultimately went. I personally never changed anything from the previous chapters, except to plant a bit of foreshadowing (I think it was in Joe Finder’s chapter) that would allow me to pull off my chapter’s twist. Jeff Deaver is the one who had the hardest job, because in addition to the first chapter, he also had to pull it all together with the last chapter.”

Clay – “As writers, how would you describe your average day?”

M. William – “Busy. Very disciplined. Hard work. 5:00 am to whenever I feel I have done what I need to do for the day, which is generally about 7:00 pm.”

John – “I am not a morning person. In fact one of my favorite quotes comes from Dorothy Parker, who said something like, ‘Oh, my God, you mean there are two nine o’clocks?’ So, I roll out of bed sometime around 9:00 and walk (on nice days) to get my coffee at the Starbucks about three-quarters of a mile away. By 10:30 or so, I’m at my desk, dealing mostly with emails and reading the newspapers. My first real meal is lunch around noon, and then I settle in for three or four hours of writing. Because my wife, Joy, spends most days visiting her clients, I’m the nominal family chef. Then, yada, yada, yada, by 9 pm or so, we gather ’round the tube to catch up on the various shows we’ve recorded. In bed by 1:00 a.m. or so, then stir and repeat.”

Clay – “And that is why we put all of John’s sessions in the afternoon and evening, and we will start with M. William Phelps first thing Friday morning with Robert K. Tanenbaum taking up the noontime slack. Is there anything about any of you that will surprise attendees when they meet you at Killer Nashville later this month?”

John – “They’ll be surprised to learn that I have the body of a lifelong athlete. I just choose to hide it with extra layers of flesh.”

And that said, I’m looking forward to sharing all of their stories at Killer Nashville this Halloween weekend and all have made themselves available for the full four days to both readers and writers alike. Their personalities are as diverse as their books. None of these guys are to be missed. I guarantee it: You’ll walk away inspired.

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Clay Stafford is an author / filmmaker (www.ClayStafford.com), founder of Killer Nashville (www.killernashville.com) and publisher of Killer Nashville Magazine (www.killernashvillemagazine.com). In addition to selling over 1.5 million copies of his own books, Stafford’s latest projects are the documentary “One of the Miracles” (www.oneofthemiracles.com) and writing the music CD “XO” with Kathryn Dance / Lincoln Rhymes author Jeffery Deaver (www.jefferdeaverxomusic.com). He is currently writing a film script based on Peter Straub’s “Pork Pie Hat” for American Blackguard Entertainment (www.americanblackguard.com).

Read all of the guest of honor biographies at KillerNashville.com

Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale.

Clay Stafford Interviews Éric Faye, Author of Nagasaki

by Clay Stafford,
Founder Killer Nashville,
Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine

When I began reading Nagasaki by French author Éric Faye, I was taken by its sparseness. I don’t write that as a negative, but in the same manner in which I might compliment Ernest Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea. At a slim 109 pages, it has everything a novel four times its size.

The story takes place on a residential avenue in Nagasaki where the main character Shimura Kobo lives. It’s from his point-of-view, and his character arc, that we learn about those around him. Kobo is a bachelor in his fifties. His life is methodical and planned. It seems each moment is filled with exactly the structure that he has probably carried with him for the past fifty-plus years. He lives alone. Or does he?

Once Shimura notices that a small amount of food is mysteriously disappearing between the time he leaves for work and the time he returns home, he begins to question his own sanity. Someone eating his food does not fit into his structured life…in fact, anyone else in the world seems not to fit into Shimura’s structured life. And he tells himself he likes it that way. Not able to accept his own mental deterioration (of which, it seems, all of us start feeling when we hit around 50), he sets up a webcam – like a nanny-cam – to monitor the kitchen while he is gone. And my, my, what should he find? And once finding it, what should he do about it?

Nagasaki was a hit in France where it won the Grand Prix from the Académie Française. One of the fascinating elements of this story’s path to me is that it is based upon an actual Japanese news story, which was written into an award-winning novel by a French author in French, translated in Great Britain, and given to me to review in English by New Yorker Meryl Zegarek. Isn’t this world a small place? And that’s the same feeling that the main character Shimura Kobo has after setting up the webcam in his kitchen. Isn’t this world a small place?

It’s not often that I get to interview a French author – especially one as decorated as Éric Faye. I wondered what it was like to be a French writer in today’s market from his point-of-view. I found him open and delightful. Here is our give-and-take about his book, about different writing markets and translations, and about the process of writing itself. My thanks to Gallic Books’ translator Emily Boyce – whom I speak with, as well, in the sidebar – for her assistance in this interview.

Clay – “The basis for your runaway hit Nagasaki was first reported in several newspapers in Japan in 2008. Being in France, how did you hear about it?”

Éric – “I’m a journalist for a press agency (Reuters) and as such I read dozens and dozens of reports from all over the world every day. One afternoon, a story on the newswire caught my eye. A short report sent by the Tokyo bureau, it described a curious incident that had taken place in Fukuoka, in southern Japan. I printed it off and kept it: there was no doubt in my mind I was going to write something based on the story. The only details included in the news item were that a woman had been caught by police inside a man’s home, where unbeknownst to the owner, she had been living for a year.”

Clay – “When you were writing Nagasaki, did you ever imagine it would be as well received as it has been?”

Éric – “Not at all. While I’m writing, I never think about what course my words will take afterwards. I just write… And besides, my original intention was to make Nagasaki a short story of only 20 or so pages. It was only when I sat down to plan it that I realized it would be more substantial, a ‘long short story’ – at that stage, I was planning to include it in a collection of several such stories on Asia. Later, when my publishers read the manuscript, they asked if they could publish Nagasaki on its own, without the other stories.”

Clay – “That was fortuitous. Do you read English and, if so, what is your impression of Emily Boyce’s translation? (For the record, I think she did a tremendous job.)”

Éric – “Yes, I do, and I also thought the text worked very well in English and that the translation succeeded in capturing both the feel and the meaning of the original. This is a rare thing: I’ve come across mistranslations and liberties taken with the original in the German and Italian.”

Clay – “That’s a kudo to Emily. Were you involved at all in the translation process?”

Éric – “No, not with the English translation. I’m always glad to work with translators when they get in touch, but in this case it wasn’t necessary.”

Clay – “You published your first fiction in 1992. You had successes along the way. And twenty years later, you won the Grand Prix from the Academie Francaise. Were there ever times over the course of those two decades that you wondered, ‘Why am I doing this?’”

Éric – “My books have never been huge successes, except perhaps for Je suis le gardien du phare [a collection of short stories published in 1997, which won the Prix des Deux Magots] and of course Nagasaki. I never really seriously considered giving up writing, nor did I ask myself why I was doing it. For a writer, writing is as natural as breathing… That’s not to say I didn’t go through a few low patches, although luckily none of these lasted very long.”

Clay – “I’d say we’ve all been there at times. You’ve written extensively, but Nagasaki is your first book available in North America. What were your thoughts when you learned Gallic Books (an incredible UK publisher) planned to make Nagasaki available in the U.S.?”

Éric – “It’s a very rare thing for a French writer to be translated into English. So it felt like a big achievement for me, a very nice surprise; and I always look forward to a forthcoming translation as excitedly as a child looking forward to Christmas presents. There’s something magical about seeing your book come to life in another language, and the English language is, of course, one of the big ones.”

Clay – “Are you still working as a journalist?”

Éric – “Yes, out of necessity. It’s very difficult to make a living from book royalties in France unless you have a constant stream of successes, which is far from the case with me.”

Clay – “In terms of long-form, which do you like writing better? Travel memoirs or novels?”

Éric – “I like to alternate travel writing and fiction. They are two very different forms of writing.”

Clay – “How so?”

Éric – “In travel memoirs, the structure isn’t important, so I concentrate on style. The fact that the impressions recorded in these books draw from my own experience and are very strong makes it a lot easier; strong feelings go a long way in writing. I also write short stories, which are to the novel what the sprint is to the marathon. As for novels, they take a great deal of thought: I make plans, research a particular method of construction. It’s a little like being an architect. But ultimately, what I’m most interested in is getting to the end of the day and having written a few good sentences. I sometimes find the construction part tiresome.”

Clay – “Halfway kidding, were you able to justify a trip to Nagasaki for ‘researching’ this book?”

Éric – “I wound up in Nagasaki in 2008, a month before reading the Japanese news item and deciding to write the book.”

Clay – “Did that factor into your interest in the story?”

Éric – “I was deeply struck by the city and the role it has played in the history of relations between Japan and the rest of the world since the Sixteenth Century. I remember admiring the bay, and the mountains that form the backdrop to the city. I haven’t been back since.

Clay – “Will you go back?”

Éric – “I spent four months in Japan in 2012, and I wanted to return to make a kind of pilgrimage to Nagasaki. But I didn’t do it. Perhaps I was afraid of being disappointed, I’m not sure.”

Clay – “To another topic, being a writer recently translated, how do you think the French perceive the American book market?”

Éric – “French readers consume a lot of books by American authors, too many, perhaps, because they often forget that there are major authors writing in other languages… There’s a longstanding interest in American writing among French readers.”

Clay – “So what is your perception of the French book market?”

It’s under threat because of modern habits; French people are reading less, even though lots of great books are being published every year. But I think we still read a fair bit in France, so I’m not too pessimistic. The future’s still bright for literature.”

Clay – “Waiting here in America for your next book, what book of yours do you hope I will have in my hands next?”

Éric – “It’s rare for a French author to be translated and published in the USA. So I don’t know if any of my other books will ever be available in American bookstores.

Clay – “I’m sure they will, especially if Gallic has anything to do with it.”

Éric – “I certainly hope so! Maybe you’ll have the chance to read the novel I’m writing at the moment. It takes place between Japan and North Korea and deals with the mysterious disappearance of Japanese citizens along the coast of the Sea of Japan between 1978-79. It transpired that they had been abducted by North Korean secret agents and spent 25 years in North Korea, where they had been forced to teach their language to future Korean spies...”

Clay – “Éric, I’ll keep a comfy chair and late night waiting for it. Thanks for the chat.”

It’s fascinating to speak with those whose cultures are slightly or greatly different from our own. That’s one of the reasons I so like foreign books. But we go to the bookstore and we buy the book…in English. It made me pause and think, what goes into bringing a book to us from another culture? And that led me to symbolically turn in my chair and address the question to Emily Boyce, Éric’s translator at Gallic Books.

Click here to read the interview with Nagasaki's translator, Emily Boyce.

See you next month!

Until then, read like someone is burning the books!

Clay Stafford

Read Stafford's book review of Nagasaki...

Clay Stafford Interviews Emily Boyce, the Translator of Nagasaki...

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Clay Stafford is an author / filmmaker (www.ClayStafford.com), founder of Killer Nashville (www.killernashville.com) and publisher of Killer Nashville Magazine (www.killernashvillemagazine.com). In addition to selling over 1.5 million copies of his own books, Stafford’s latest projects are the documentary “One of the Miracles” (www.oneofthemiracles.com) and writing the music CD “XO” with Kathryn Dance / Lincoln Rhymes author Jeffery Deaver (www.jefferdeaverxomusic.com). He is currently writing a film script based on Peter Straub’s “Pork Pie Hat” for American Blackguard Entertainment (www.americanblackguard.com).

Born in Limoges, France, Éric Faye is a journalist and the prize-winning author of more than twenty books, including novels and travel memoirs. He was awarded the Académie Française Grand Prix du Roman in 2010 for Nagasaki.

Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale.

How A Love of Language Led Emily Boyce to Translate Nagasaki

by Clay Stafford,
Founder Killer Nashville,
Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine

I kid around that I do well to speak one language (English) and I don’t do that very well. But it always fascinates me when someone can not only speak another language, but also translate it into beautiful prose as Emily Boyce did with Éric Faye’s English-from-French novel Nagasaki.

Emily comes with an impressive background and I’ve read several of her collaborations. I love Emily’s style and personality. Sometimes in a translation, things can get wonky and you – as a reader – feel as though you’re running over speed bumps. Never with Emily.

Emily studied French and Italian at the University of Oxford with a year abroad teaching English in Turin, home of Fiat cars and magnificent chocolate. After graduating she worked on the BBC’s food websites and translated French literature as a hobby. She was shortlisted for the French Book Office “New Talent in Translation Award” in 2008. In 2011 she became in-house translator at Gallic Books. Her translations and co-translations from French include works by Pascal Garnier, Antoine Laurain, Hélène Gestern and Éric Faye, all delightful authors with delightful books if you want to make yourself familiar.

As writers, many times we don’t think about what goes into making a book available in another territory and language, especially in a complimentary style that sounds as though it came from a native speaking writer. I talked with Emily, who is based out of south London, which – to an American such as myself sounds just way-too-cool – about her job as a translator and how she got into the business in the first place.

Clay – “Emily, what is your native language?”

Emily – “English.”

Clay – “So, if English, what inspired you learn French?”

Emily – “We used to go on camping holidays to France, and my mum had a series of BBC French audio tapes to listen to in the car. Odd phrases and words stayed with me (‘pamplemousse’ remains a favorite). I studied French at school from age 13, and was lucky to have a fantastic and supportive teacher all the way through to the end of high school. As long as you had done your homework (woe betide anyone who hadn’t), Madame Page’s lessons were brilliant. The last lesson of term was especially fun, when we played Tabou and were rewarded with tooth-ruining Carambar sweets. I went on to read French and Italian at Oxford. The course involved a lot of translation to and from both languages, as well as a great deal of literature. I spent most of my year abroad in Italy, but had a couple of months interning in Paris, while living in former maids’ quarters in a Haussmann-era building with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Sort of romantic, mostly just boiling hot, cramped and a bit squalid.”

Clay – “In 2008, you were shortlisted for the French Book Office ‘New Talent in Translation’ award. How does one become a book translator? What has been your career arc?”

Emily – “My other great love, besides languages, is food. So after graduation I started out as a writer/editor for the BBC’s food websites. About four years later I began doing a bit of freelance translation work in my spare time, as I was missing using my languages. I initially contacted cookbook publishers, as that seemed a good way of combining the two sides to my experience. I started researching literary translation using websites like the BCLT, and I think that’s where I saw the French Book Office prize advertised. I translated extracts from two short stories and was thrilled to be shortlisted for the prize. At the awards ceremony, I was approached by a publisher looking for a translator for an alternative ‘rebel’ guide to Paris. This became my first whole book commission, although sadly the publisher dropped the book midway through the project, so it never saw the light of day. I began going to industry events like the London Book Fair to get a sense of who was publishing translations, and it was at the inaugural International Translation Day conference, which brings together literary organizations, publishers and translators, that I met Jane Aitken, MD of Gallic Books, who mentioned she was thinking of hiring an in-house translator... Definitely a case of right place, right time. I was mentored by renowned translator Ros Schwartz when I first started at Gallic. Translating fiction commercially is very different from the academic approach you learn at university: the main aim is to create a readable piece of writing in English, rather than slavishly reproducing every word. It takes some adjustment. The translation community is very supportive and there are now some great initiatives such as mentoring programs run by BCLT. Groups like the Emerging Translators Network offer a forum for discussion and advice for early career translators.”

Clay – “So do you think book fairs are a way for budding translators to get their feet in the door?”

Emily – “There are more publishers of translations these days, and more sources of advice, but I think there’s still no straightforward path into translation, and it remains an activity that few can make a living out of.”

Clay – “Lucky you!”

Emily – “Yes. Although many people find creative ways to make it work for them (teaching, doing editorial work or taking on commercial translations, for example). I’m lucky to have found a rare in-house position which has enabled me to gain experience of other elements of the publishing process, such as editing and marketing.”

Clay – “Your work flows beautifully. What has been your biggest challenge as a translator?”

Emily – “Every book throws up different challenges – sometimes there are a lot of cultural references I might not be familiar with, so that involves a fair amount of research and then deciding how much to explain to the reader. Antoine Laurain’s The President’s Hat had tons of references to 1980s TV programs and personalities, some of which needed light-touch explanations, some could be glossed. It depends a lot on the context. Many of the books I’ve worked on were outside my comfort zone as a reader – I’m not a big crime reader, but some of the translations I’ve enjoyed working on the most have been the Pascal Garnier noirs. The main challenge in those books is in retaining the author’s pared-back prose. I have to go back over every sentence and weed out all the clutter. Finding the tone and voice for a translation is usually the hardest thing. That was certainly true of Nagasaki, which was very carefully edited after I had worked on it, in order to smooth out areas where the register wasn’t quite right for the character. It took a while to figure out how this middle-aged and stuck in his ways Japanese man (written in French) would sound in English.”

Clay – “What is your favorite thing about ÉricFaye’s Nagasaki?”

Emily – “I’m amazed by how much Éric manages to suggest within so few pages. It’s so much more than a ‘strange-but-true’ story. To go from this loner character noticing his juice is going missing to a meditation on isolation and dehumanization in modern society is so clever. The mystery element carries you through what is also a strange and poetic novel, punctuated by the tormenting cries of cicadas.”

Clay – “What other favorite books are you currently translating? What are some of the other favorite books you have previously translated?”

Emily – “I’m currently working on another Pascal Garnier novel, entitled Too Close to the Edge. This one features a widow who has retired to a backwater in southern France where seemingly nothing happens. She begins the book pootling about in her microcar and cooking vegetable jardiniere in an attempt at living the good life, but we soon see there are desires and frustrations bubbling beneath the surface... It’s brilliantly funny and dark.”

Clay – “How long does it take to compete a translation?”

Emily – “It’s difficult to say, because I work in-house and do other editorial tasks, so some weeks I don’t do any translation, others maybe just a day or two. When I’m cracking on with a translation I aim to do 2,000 words a day.”

Clay – “Are some books easier than others?”

Emily – “I find books with lots of dialogue and a pacy plot much quicker to translate, so I could sometimes do 3,000 words a day when working on those. On the other hand, if I’m having to look up a lot of words and there are very descriptive passages, or a very particular style to get to grips with, I might only manage 1,500 words. I usually start my translating day by going back over what I did the day before. Then once my first draft’s done I go back over the whole thing, ideally having set it aside for a couple of weeks. When I look over it again, I’m usually horrified and think, ‘Who wrote that?’”

Clay – “I was personally told by my agent to cut one of my manuscripts because it was too long for it to be considered for foreign translation? What length of books (maybe manuscript pages or word counts) do publishers of translations typically look for as their max?”

Emily – “Length is certainly a consideration, in terms of the time and money the translation will take. I think that explains why lots of publishers of translations tend to go for shorter novels and novellas (as well as that being a more common form in Europe).”

Clay – “Are there exceptions, my work excluded.”

Emily – “There are obvious exceptions, like Jonathan Littell’s 900-page novel The Kindly Ones.”

Clay – “Wow!”

Emily – “Length wouldn’t necessarily stop us choosing to publish a book, but we’d have to really love it and believe it had big commercial potential to make it worth the initial investment. Of course there are grants that can be applied for, but with more and more publishers in the translation arena, and limited funding available, there’s certainly no guarantee of getting assistance."

Clay – “So are there any word-count guidelines if one wants to cross the pond to another language?”

Emily – “I would say we’d think carefully about publishing anything over 400 pages. We’re about to publish a two-volume historical mystery by Andrea Japp called The Lady Agnès Mystery, which is set in medieval France. Those are 600-plus pages each, but the translations were done over quite a long period (there were originally four separate books), which meant the spend was spread out. They’ve never been released in the US before so we’re excited to see what the reception will be.”

Clay – “Not asking for actual amounts, but are freelance translators usually paid by the word or the project?”

Emily – “Freelance translators are usually paid per 1,000 words. The rate varies widely from country to country. There are also different conventions for different languages in terms of whether the translator is paid per 1,000 of the source language or target language, because in some language combinations this can make a big difference. Some publishers have experimented with other models, for instance a royalty-based model or payment tied to securing grants.”

Clay – “And, lastly, as a translator do you usually work alone? Or is translating more collaborative than the original writing?”

Emily – “I really enjoyed co-translating The People in the Photo by Hélène Gestern with translator Ros Schwartz. It’s an epistolary novel about two people searching for the truth about their parents, and we each took the role of one character in the correspondence. It was quite magical at the end, when the two halves we had been working on separately were put together, and the questions raised in ‘my’ letters were answered in Ros’s. I usually work alone on shorter books, like Nagasaki or the Pascal Garnier noirs. However even some relatively short books have been split between translators for stylistic reasons. For instance the two Antoine Laurain novels we’ve published: The President’s Hat follows the stories of four characters who each have a spell of owning President Mitterrand’s hat, and we had three translators to ‘voice’ the different parts. The Red Notebook has two protagonists, Laure, who has her bag stolen, and Laurent, who finds it in a Parisian street and embarks on a quest to find its owner. I translated the Laure chapters and my colleague Jane, Laurent’s. Afterwards we edited each other’s sections. I find it a very instructive and interesting way of working.”

Clay – “As do I. Amazing. And I’ve learned much from this interview.”

My thanks to Emily for sharing, and to Gallic Books for allowing us the time. For more information on Emily or Gallic, visit http://gallicbooks.com/ for “the best of French in English”.

Click here to read the interview with Nagasaki's author, Éric Faye.

See you next month!

Until then, read like someone is burning the books!

Clay Stafford

Read the book review of Nagasaki...

Clay Stafford Interviews Éric Faye, the Author of Nagasaki...

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Clay Stafford is an author / filmmaker (www.ClayStafford.com), founder of Killer Nashville (www.killernashville.com) and publisher of Killer Nashville Magazine (www.killernashvillemagazine.com). In addition to selling over 1.5 million copies of his own books, Stafford’s latest projects are the documentary “One of the Miracles” (www.oneofthemiracles.com) and writing the music CD “XO” with Kathryn Dance / Lincoln Rhymes author Jeffery Deaver (www.jefferdeaverxomusic.com). He is currently writing a film script based on Peter Straub’s “Pork Pie Hat” for American Blackguard Entertainment (www.americanblackguard.com).

Emily Boyce studied French and Italian at the University of Oxford with a year abroad teaching English in Turin, home of Fiat cars and magnificent chocolate. After graduating she worked on the BBC's food websites and translated French literature as a hobby. She was shortlisted for the French Book Office New Talent in Translation Award in 2008. In 2011 she became in-house translator at Gallic Books. Her translations and co-translations from French include works by Pascal Garnier, Antoine Laurain, Hélène Gestern and Éric Faye. She lives in south London.

Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale.

Janet Evanovich: From Cheez Doodles To Book Empire

by Clay Stafford,
Founder Killer Nashville,
Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine

Janet Evanovich has written or co-written a total of 54 books to date, and she’s still going strong. That Evanovich has captured the hearts of readers all over the world with her multiple series is an understatement. She is a New York Times bestseller many times over. The thing about Evanovich is that she, as well as her characters, has a relatable quality that readers love. Perhaps this stems from her sense of humor. At book signings, thousands show up for a glimpse and a chat. At the end of the day, though, Evanovich is a hard worker, and has much to share about how she has arrived at the top of this heap, including the Evanovich Empire that her family helps to run.

Character Stephanie Plum (as in Top Secret Twenty-One) has to be one of the characters I hear the most about at Killer Nashville. (And you are one of the authors most requested, by the way.) Why do you think Stephanie has made such a connection with readers?

Stephanie is like Seinfeld …she’s the likeable, approachable character who is the center of the universe.  She’s not perfect but she’s a good person who through tenacity, community, work ethic, and desperation succeeds at the end of the day.  She’s heroic because she’s not stopped dead in her tracks by a broken nail, bad hair, or monsters (real or imaginary) hiding under her bed.

When I first asked you about doing this interview, you referenced your packed schedule. On your website, you talk humorously about your day. In real life though and speaking to real writers, what kind of schedule do you really keep (I don’t think there is time for you to take a drive for Cheese Doodles) and what should writers expect from their lives when they reach your level of success?

In real life I’m up at five and at my computer by five-thirty with my dog Ollie and a cup of coffee.  I break for lunch and go back to work.  Depending on how awful my day went I either get some exercise or have a glass of wine at four.  I do this seven days a week.  Sometimes on weekdays, if I’m behind schedule, I go back to work for an hour or two after dinner.  Weekends are date-night and my husband and I go out to dinner or have friends in.  I start my day early because the empire continues to expand and usually after lunch I have to change hats and take care of the business side of writing.  There are contracts to review, endless Q&As to answer (this is one of them!), co-author meetings, editorial meetings, publicity meetings, financial decisions, social media (this is a monster time-gobbler), fan mail, photo ops, west coast projects (like movies and televisions shows that never happen), radio interviews, etc.  This is the measure of success –how much of your time is consumed by stuff other than writing.  That and the fact that while no one recognizes me in person but tons of people know my name, I can never be a bitch to the checkout moron at the food store if I’m going to give them my credit card.

Your wit is incredible. Have you ever thought about doing stand-up comedy just for kicks? Or are you funniest when sitting down? And do you sometimes laugh aloud at your own cleverness?

I do a lot of on-stage Q&A type events and sometimes they border on stand-up.  I enjoy it because it gives me a chance to physically interact with my readers.  I don’t usually laugh out loud when I’m writing but sometimes I think I’m clever.  Although I have to admit the scene with Grandma Mazur shooting the chicken in the gumpy in One4the$ cracked me up.

You’ve made it so easy for fans to get to know you, including offering signed, hardcover books at below-market-cost, plus free shipping, all from the store on your website! (By the way, I created an account.) Is merchandise a financially worthwhile extra for you or is this just a great way to connect with your fans?

We never make money on merchandise sold.  It’s strictly a fan service, and we try to price things to break even.  It’s actually a pretty small operation that’s run out of my garage!

Most of your books have been written solo. How is writing with a partner (e.g., Leanne Banks, Lee Goldberg, Charlotte Hughes, Dorien Kelly) different from writing alone?

It’s a little like wearing someone else’s underpants.  Takes some getting used to.

Your daughter Alex has done an incredible job putting together your web-based Q&A and then compiling it into your indispensable 2006 book How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author. Since publishing this, is there anything you’ve always wanted to answer, and wonder why no one has ever asked it?

I can’t think of any writing questions, but there’s a Plum question that I’ve only been asked once and I find this surprising because my fans are usually a step ahead of me.  Only one woman has ever asked me if Ranger is an Unmentionable.

To follow up on the last question (because you left me hanging), Ranger seems like a hot, Navy Seal-type bondsman (though that in itself is a bit supernatural) and he does hang out occasionally with Diesel, but I don't get he's an Unmentionable. Is he? Or are you going to leave us all hanging?

All I can say is that he has some of the same skills as Diesel - opens locks mysteriously, gets cars from an unknown source, supernatural in bed...

Readers: If you want to read more about Stephanie, Ranger, Diesel or how to write such characters, check out Janet's books.

See you next month!

Until then, read like someone is burning the books!

Clay Stafford

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Clay Stafford is an author / filmmaker (www.ClayStafford.com), founder of Killer Nashville (www.killernashville.com) and publisher of Killer Nashville Magazine (www.killernashvillemagazine.com). In addition to selling over 1.5 million copies of his own books, Stafford’s latest projects are the documentary “One of the Miracles” (www.oneofthemiracles.com) and writing the music CD “XO” with Kathryn Dance / Lincoln Rhymes author Jeffery Deaver (www.jefferdeaverxomusic.com). He is currently writing a film script based on Peter Straub’s “Pork Pie Hat” for American Blackguard Entertainment (www.americanblackguard.com).

Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Fox and O'Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and the Troublemaker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author.

Robert Dugoni: You're Only As Good As Your Last Book

by Clay Stafford,
Founder Killer Nashville,
Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine

A New York Times bestseller with eight novels under his belt, Robert Dugoni knows a thing or two about writing and the publishing industry. Killer Nashville Founder Clay Stafford catches up with Dugoni, who shares his  life experiences and  coming to terms with the craft he loves. While Dugoni got his feet wet with a nonfiction expose, "The Cyanide Canary", it was the the touchstone for a prolific career that would launch his popular David Sloane series and other stand alone novels. 

Since an early age, you’ve wanted to be a writer. Instead, you became an attorney. Why did it take you so long to make the true leap?

I come from a family of compulsive overachievers. I have nine brothers and sisters. Growing up as the middle child I watched as they chose their career paths - doctors and pharmacists. They were science oriented. They weren’t writers. I always loved to write, but I was also strong in science. So a part of me felt pressure to also become a doctor because doctors were important. Doctors were respected. And yet, I had this continuing desire to write. When my high school basketball career fizzled I got the best advice of my life from the most unusual source. The basketball coach told me that the journalism instructor mentioned that I could really write, and maybe that would be a better path. So I became the editor-in-chief and moved toward journalism at Stanford. Again, however, my peers were all heading to professional school. I’d ruled out medicine, but I thought I could go to law school, get a degree and get on with my writing career. It didn’t work out that way, at least not right away, but the passion to write never left and when it hit me hard again in my thirties, I pursued without hesitation.

How did the success of “The Cyanide Canary” (your first book / a nonfiction book) influence you in your fiction writing?

The Cyanide Canary was the opportunity I needed to get my foot in the door. I could write, but like many writers out there, I was unknown and unskilled. This was back in the day of query letters and self-addressed stamped envelopes. A long story short, failure pushed me to get better, to study the craft, to learn storytelling. So when an EPA agent spoke to me at a party and said he had a story to tell, I was prepared to tell it because I had used failure to drive me to get better.

You have two series out with different publishers. Tell us about the process of switching publishers and getting to know a new set of characters.

Sometimes life has a way of throwing us curveballs and the writing life is no different. What I’ve learned is not to sweat the small stuff and to try to enjoy the journey. I never intended to write the David Sloane series. The Jury Master was a stand-alone. Then it hit the NY Times and the publisher wanted more Sloane novels, so I wrote Wrongful Death. I really didn’t understand what a series was, so again I started studying other writers, like John Lescroart. I studied how he carried characters and their relationships from one book to the next. I sat down and devised a three-book plan for David Sloane. Those books became Bodily Harm, Murder One and The Conviction and they all dovetail nicely on one another. When I finished The Conviction I felt like I’d finished David Sloane’s journey and I wanted to try something different. I had an idea for a female Seattle homicide detective and I wrote a proposal. My publisher wasn’t excited about it. Thomas & Mercer, however, was very excited and they had a plan on how to expand my audience. I liked what I heard and I loved the people I met. It’s been a runaway train ever since. When it was released, My Sister’s Grave became the #1 Amazon download for two months, and now it has been on the New York Times Bestseller lists for the past three weeks.

Nothing wrong with that! Congratulations! Is switching publishers a reality of the business or a calculated move on your part and what should writers take from that?

I think it can be both. Sometimes publishers tell you it’s time to move on. In this market, when you aren’t established with a publisher for multiple successful books - and sometimes even when you are, you’re only as good as your last book – or as good as your book sales to be more accurate. It’s a business. Publishers love to find good stories and exciting new voices, but they have bottom lines they can’t ignore. If a book doesn’t sell, they have to decide whether they want to take that gamble again.  From a writer’s perspective, I think the most important thing to ask yourself is does your publisher treat you like they care? Are they interested in what you’re writing next? Are they enthusiastic about your work? Do they pester your agent to make sure all is well, that you’re happy? If not, it’s like any relationship. You can see the handwriting on the wall and at that point it’s time to start looking for a relationship that is more fulfilling and productive.

With the publisher change, is David Sloane finished?

I don’t know yet. I think if I find the right story for David Sloane he could easily come back. He might even make an appearance in a Tracy Crosswhite novel.

Speaking of Tracy Crosswhite, this second series is a bit different from your first. Are you making a conscious effort to get away from the legal drama and into a police procedural? In doing so, do you see yourself expanding your core audience or redirecting it?

It’s definitely different. My Sister’s Grave still had elements of a courtroom drama for legal thriller lovers out there. The sequel, Her Last Breath, which will be released September 8, 2015, is much more of a straight police procedural. It was a conscious decision to try something different. As I said, I was struck by Tracy Crosswhite, who first appeared in the David Sloane novel Murder One. I kept thinking about who she was, why she had gone from being a chemistry professor to a homicide detective, what it was like being the only woman homicide detective. Eventually I found the right story for her.  My audience has expanded exponentially, more than ten times the number that had read the David Sloane novels. But the repercussion has been that many My Sister’s Grave readers have gone back and bought the David Sloane novels and it’s been fun to hear from a whole new audience. As I said, it’s been a wild ride.

Being deeply into your David Sloane series and now just starting your Tracy Crosswhite series, what “series skills” did you learn from the Sloane process that is making your work with Crosswhite easier?

Series are not really about carrying forward story lines. Series are about carrying forward the relationships between the characters. Readers of series want to know what is going to happen between characters. The emails I get are much less about “what’s next for Tracy Crosswhite” and much more about, are Tracy and Dan going to stay together? Will Johnny Nolasco continue to be a pain in her side? I tell writers to think of the Harry Potter series. Each novel wrapped up the story nicely, but the relationships between Harry and his friends and Harry and his enemies continued from one book to the next.

You published “The Academy” in digital only. It’s a short story prequel to your new series. Do you see yourself publishing more e-only books or stories? What was the thinking behind this one?

I wrote The Academy for myself. I wanted to know how Tracy went from being a professor to the Seattle Police Academy. It sounds strange, I know, but I honestly believe stories exist someplace and my job is to tap into that place and simply tell that story. That’s why it’s almost impossible for me to prepare a detailed outline. My brain just doesn’t work that way. I sent the short story to my agent and she loved it. She sent it to Thomas & Mercer and they loved it. So we thought about how we could use it – maybe as flashbacks in another novel. It really didn’t fit into My Sister’s Grave. So we came to the mutual idea of using it as a way to promote My Sister’s Grave and to thank all my loyal readers. I wanted to give it away as a gift for those people who wanted to know more about Tracy. E-Book was really the only way to do that.

Quick question: “The Academy” is listed as a “short story” and it’s “free.” What does it say about readers who complain it is a “short story” and explain that they don’t “buy” their books on installments? :o)

I’m laughing now and I was laughing when I read a few of those comments. It’s ironic, isn’t it? I don’t know what more we could have done. It says “short story” right on the Amazon page. I take it as somewhat of a compliment. To me it means the reader wanted more and was disappointed they didn’t get it. As for “buying” a “free” download on an installment, that was never the intent. Readers don’t have to read The Academy to understand and enjoy My Sister’s Grave. That novel stands on its own. Writers need to have thick skin and understand you’re never going to please everyone – even when it’s “free.” There are people out there who are looking to criticize, who are bitter about life, and who like to be contrarians. Then there are those who genuinely just don’t like the novel and that’s okay. Not every book is for everyone.

I just thought it was funny that readers download a free short story and then complained because it wasn’t a full novel. Go figure. On another note, you’ve been compared a great deal to author John Grisham. What is your take on that? Is it your solid good looks?

I think it had more to do with the fact that I’m a lawyer and came out at a time when every new legal thriller author was compared to Grisham because he and Scott Turow are the face of the genre. I’ve always admired Grisham’s ability to tell a story. He has that innate Southern writer storytelling gift that not everyone is blessed with. So to be compared to him is a compliment.

How do you think you and Grisham are similar? Are different?

People enjoy my plots and my stories. They enjoy the journeys my characters take them on. I’m strong with action scenes. I think those are qualities similar to Grisham. As for differences, I don’t write the real courtroom dramas that were the staple of many of Grisham’s early novels. My David Sloane novels were more like Sycamore Row. They have a lawyer and they have a legal element, but much of the story takes place outside of the courtroom.

Have you ever met Grisham?

No. He’s one of the few I’ve never met who I’d like to someday. It would be an honor.  My mother is 82 and been a big fan of his for many years. I always try to get her signed books when I meet authors she enjoys. She has quite the collection, but Grisham is not among them.

You have come a long way since “The Jury Master” (and even since your appearance as a Killer Nashville Guest of Honor). How do you see that you have grown as a writer? What lesson(s) could you impart to the up-and-coming writers reading this?

Killer Nashville was such a great experience. I still tell people about the surprise gift I received and they are floored, as was I. As an artist you are always trying to improve your craft and get better. My writing has improved. My storytelling has improved. What I really think has improved is my character development. It’s a fine line when you’re writing mysteries and thrillers. Not all readers of that genre want to get bogged down in intimate character details. They buy the books to try to solve the mystery or to go on an adventure and they want the story to move. At the same time, I think I’ve learned how to better incorporate character details into the action – what the character is feeling and why at certain moments without slowing the story down. I believe that is the reason for the runaway success of My Sister’s Grave. Readers really identify with Tracy and with her relationship to her sister, Sarah. As a result, they feel Tracy’s loss intimately and they want to find out whether or not she’s going to be okay.

You do a lot of workshops and classes. You are an incredible teacher. How do you justify the time it takes away from your writing to do these seminars?

I’m doing less teaching. It’s inevitable. I have kids heading off to college and I’m trying to be a part of every moment of their lives. I try to help with their academics and their athletics, to support them at every game. That’s not easy when you’re on the road. At the same time, I love to teach and I feel like I’m qualified to teach writing because I had so many failures early in my career. I can identify with that writer sitting at a conference screaming inside, “I can do this! Just tell me what mistakes not to make so I can get a chance to be read!”

Readers: If you ever get a chance to take a writing course with Robert Dugoni, don’t hesitate for a minute. I’ve seen him at work. He’s a master. Read more about Robert Dugoni at http://www.robertdugoni.com/ and connect with him at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRobertDugoni, https://twitter.com/robertdugoni, https://www.pinterest.com/RobertDugoni/, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/63650.Robert_Dugoni, and http://www.robertdugoni.blogspot.com/. 

See you next month!

Until then, read like someone is burning the books!

Clay Stafford

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Clay Stafford is an author / filmmaker (www.ClayStafford.com), founder of Killer Nashville (www.killernashville.com) and publisher of Killer Nashville Magazine (www.killernashvillemagazine.com). In addition to selling over 1.5 million copies of his own books, Stafford’s latest projects are the documentary “One of the Miracles” (www.oneofthemiracles.com) and writing the music CD “XO” with Kathryn Dance / Lincoln Rhymes author Jeffery Deaver (www.jefferdeaverxomusic.com). He is currently writing a film script based on Peter Straub’s “Pork Pie Hat” for American Blackguard Entertainment (www.americanblackguard.com).

Robert Dugoni is the #1 Amazon and New York Times Bestselling Author of eight novels. His latest, My Sister’s Grave, was the #1 Amazon bestseller for two months and Amazon, Library Journal, and Suspense Magazine all chose it as a 2014 Best Book of the Year. Dugoni is also the author of the best-selling David Sloane series, The Jury Master, Wrongful Death, Bodily Harm, Murder One and The Conviction, as well as the stand-alone novel Damage Control. His books have twice been recognized by the Los Angeles Times as a top five thriller of the year. Murder One was a finalist for the prestigious Harper Lee Award for literary excellence.Dugoni’s first book, the nonfiction expose, The Cyanide Canary, was a Washington Post 2004 Best Book of the year. Dugoni’s books have been likened to Scott Turow and Nelson DeMille, and the Providence Rhode Island Journal has called him the “the undisputed king of the legal thriller” and the “heir to Grisham’s literary throne.”    Visit his website at www.robertdugoni.com, email him at bob@robertdugoni.com, and follow him on twitter @robertdugoni and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorRobertDugoni