tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160907056447793603.post208737374154705121..comments2023-11-15T04:03:13.741+00:00Comments on Crime Scene NI: Slammer Yammer - An Interview With Allan GuthrieGerard Brennanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18301381067485712366noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160907056447793603.post-55872839846402640992009-03-13T09:08:00.000+00:002009-03-13T09:08:00.000+00:00Great bit of discussion going on here, guys. I'll ...Great bit of discussion going on here, guys. I'll not interfere other than to thank Keith and Marco for their always interesting comments and to thank Al for stopping by.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and John McFetridge rocks.<BR/><BR/>Cheers<BR/><BR/>gbGerard Brennanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301381067485712366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160907056447793603.post-58338789058426149872009-03-13T02:09:00.000+00:002009-03-13T02:09:00.000+00:00Man, it must be cool being a novelist and an agent...Man, it must be cool being a novelist and an agent? Go ahead, Al, admit it?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06827652636843928373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160907056447793603.post-55793184147380520692009-03-13T00:18:00.000+00:002009-03-13T00:18:00.000+00:00I managed to sneak an advance copy of McFetridge's...I managed to sneak an advance copy of McFetridge's new one and it's outstanding.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160907056447793603.post-14303486550365166042009-03-12T18:39:00.000+00:002009-03-12T18:39:00.000+00:00Marco, I'll agree with you about John's stuff. I l...Marco, <BR/>I'll agree with you about John's stuff. I loved Dirty Sweet and Everybody knows this is No where, and I have high hopes that Swap(?) will add more characters. I personally wish more novelists would follow John's lead, in my opinion it would attract more readers in the long term.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06827652636843928373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160907056447793603.post-2388505221618993132009-03-12T17:12:00.000+00:002009-03-12T17:12:00.000+00:00I really liked how John McFetridge's two books (an...I really liked how John McFetridge's two books (and probably the third one coming) are set in the same Toronto seen from slightly different angles- they are ensemble novels with a shifting cast of characters that can be read as standalones. Events of the first novel have consequences in the second, some characters who were at the forefront in the first are briefly seen passing through the narrative of the second at a different stage in their personal journey, while some others have a more prominent role in both ,but still are not the central characters in either one.marcohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10505120530405862702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160907056447793603.post-56747492176871509582009-03-12T12:31:00.000+00:002009-03-12T12:31:00.000+00:00Al, I'll be interested in seeing your take on the ...Al, I'll be interested in seeing your take on the detective novel. I'm so use to you taking on crooks, it'll be cool to see your take on the coppers! And as far as cop novels are concerned, I'm not asking authors to invent the wheel. If you're writing a cop novel (Such as Mr.McGilloway or John Harvey.)it makes sense to have reoccuring characters. But in the case of a PI novel, well I tend to think author's tend to go a little over board (I'll read James Lee Burke and Bill Pronzi the riot act on this particularly.)<BR/><BR/>Gerard, I like how Ken works in series as well, which is why I've stuck it out with the Taylor and Brant series for so long. (other than the fact that Ken is simply a kick ass novelist.)But I will say that I enjoyed Once were Cops more than a novel he's released in recent memory.<BR/>And as far as starting off point with Abbott, This Song is You ranks as one of my top ten noir's. The book is just creepy and a great, fast paced read.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06827652636843928373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160907056447793603.post-155816837906560602009-03-12T10:00:00.000+00:002009-03-12T10:00:00.000+00:00Thanks for the generous comments, Keith! The reaso...Thanks for the generous comments, Keith! The reason I can rewrite a book 30 times is entirely down to the embarrassment of how shite it would be if I didn't. On the series front: I couldn't help noticing that none of the authors you cite (me, Stella, Swierczynski, Abbott, Starr) write detective fiction. If a writer goes to the trouble of setting up a fictional police force and they write about the same city book after book, it would be a major pain to have to re-invent it every time. You could, of course, but I'm not sure what the benefits would be, and surely you'd struggle to present the idea of the books taking place in the same universe. When the police are generally peripheral players in your stories, though, that's rarely an aspect you have to concern yourself with. Full disclosure: the book I'm working on now is shaping up to be my first detective novel. I fancied a fresh challenge and my Christ is it that!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160907056447793603.post-36603943671189159792009-03-12T08:38:00.000+00:002009-03-12T08:38:00.000+00:00Keith - Of all the series writers you've mentioned...Keith - Of all the series writers you've mentioned, I think I like Bruen's method the best. He does series and standalones, which gives the reader more options. Colin Bateman does this too.<BR/><BR/>I'm also a McGilloway, Hughes et al fan, but yeah, I can see what you're saying. For instance, if I find a book that's tenth or eleventh in a series, it's unlikely that I'll go back to the start of the series.<BR/><BR/>I still haven't read Abbot, though I enjoyed her latest interview on Crime Always Pays. Fancy recommending a good starting point for her work?<BR/><BR/>Seana - Thanks for encouraging him. These comments make the blog look popular.<BR/><BR/>gbGerard Brennanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301381067485712366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160907056447793603.post-58169894017644684082009-03-12T04:16:00.000+00:002009-03-12T04:16:00.000+00:00Oi, that was a mouthfulMaybe, but a good one. Well...<I>Oi, that was a mouthful</I><BR/><BR/>Maybe, but a good one. Well said, Keith.seana grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160907056447793603.post-21601334291235426392009-03-12T03:51:00.000+00:002009-03-12T03:51:00.000+00:00It's not that I don't like series fiction--some of...It's not that I don't like series fiction--some of my favorite writer's (Bruen, Connolly, Harvey, Hughes, that new guy McGilloway) pretty much write series fiction exclusively--it's just that crime fiction seems to use series fiction like a crutch. The only problem with this is that it's not breaking any new ground and I also believe the sheer number of series deters the casual reader from picking up a novelist who exclusively writes in a series format. Where as with books like the ones written by Guthrie, Charlie Stella, Duane Swierczyski, Jason Starr, Megan Abbott, etc., the books are exclusively stand alone, but still share the same universe with previous novels. I love this style because it preserves continuity with out the reader having to go back and read previous novels to understand the current story line.<BR/><BR/>Oi, that was a mouthfulAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06827652636843928373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160907056447793603.post-983265520695338812009-03-11T19:42:00.000+00:002009-03-11T19:42:00.000+00:00Cheers, Keith.You're not a fan of series novels? ...Cheers, Keith.<BR/><BR/>You're not a fan of series novels? Can't say I'm against them to be honest.<BR/><BR/>I'm with you on the re-write front, though I'm a VERY slow edit-while-I-go kind of writer. Maybe that's the difference?<BR/><BR/>gbGerard Brennanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301381067485712366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160907056447793603.post-81373312384764561462009-03-11T18:06:00.000+00:002009-03-11T18:06:00.000+00:00Another great interview, Gerard! I also have to ap...Another great interview, Gerard! I also have to applaud your agentt for never succumbing to the draw of series novel writing. Which is why he has endured as one of my favorite writer's over the years. I don't know how he can rewrite a book 30 times, I have a tough time doing a single rewrite on a 5000 word short, so I can't even imagine doing it 30 times over at 60,000 words!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06827652636843928373noreply@blogger.com