Five Questions -- Steve Cavanagh

Steve Cavanagh was born and raised in Belfast and is a practicing lawyer. He holds a certificate in Advanced Advocacy and lectures on various legal subjects (but really he just likes to tell jokes). He is married with two young children. The Defence, has been chosen as one of Amazon's great debuts for 2015, as part of their Amazon Rising Stars programme. In 2015 Steve received the ACES award for Literature from the Northern Ireland Arts Council. 

Steve writes fast-paced legal thrillers set in New York City featuring series character Eddie Flynn. The Defence is his first novel. 

Find out more at http://stevecavanaghbooks.com/ or follow Steve on Twitter @SSCav

Eddie Flynn, lawyer, con man, drunk. How much of this is autobiographical, Steve? I know you're a lawyer. Two out of three wouldn't be too bad...

Well, while I was at University, and probably for a good few years afterwards, I would've been a man with a powerful thirst. One of my best mates, Mark, is a guy from my QUB Institute of Professional Legal Studies class, and the only reason I know him is because we both liked to turn up to the pub an hour before any social event began so that we could have a few before the crowd arrived. We didn't arrange it or anything, we just happened to be men with similar approaches to an evening's entertainment. I remember somebody once handed me a pint, the glass was soaking and the pint simply slipped right through my fingers. I had my order in for another one before the glass hit the ground. Now I have two small children. The rock and roll days are over. As for con man? There is a certain amount of sleight of hand in any good cross examination. That's where the overlap is between the courtroom and the back alley. Eddie straddles that line precariously.

I noticed that you used US spelling (eg color rather than colour) in the UK edition of your book. What's the craic with that?

Glad you spotted that. It was my editor's suggestion. As the book is in US English anyway with an American narrator, may as well go the whole hog. I think it helps a little with authenticating the American voice that I'm going for. I've noticed it before in John Connolly books and to be honest it's fine with me because it means I don't have as much work to do for US publication.

Ah! The mighty Connolly. It must tickle you that you're likely to be stocked out pretty close to him on the crime fiction shelf. Recommend one of his works, for the uninitiated. Please?

There is so much to recommend, but for the crime fan you simply have to read the Charlie Parker series. You can read them out of sequence, I have a little. But you get a far better experience reading them in order. Start with Every Dead Thing and work your way up. EDT is one of the best crime debuts you'll ever read. And the books just keep getting better. That's rare in series fiction. Yeah, I'm stoked that I get to be on a shelf with one of my heroes.

Your story in Belfast Noir was top notch and it featured an actual Belfastian solicitor. Any plans to set a novel in Belfast?

Yes, a solicitor and a barrister with the story focussed on barrister, Mack. I loved writing that story. It's a weird thing, I wrote The Defence as an escape, primarily for me. I was going through a hard time and I wanted to try writing again. If I had come home from a day's work being a lawyer in Northern Ireland and sat down to write for two or three hours about being a lawyer in Northern Ireland I think I probably would've gone insane. At the time I wanted to escape somewhere else for a few hours, into a different world. After I wrote The Defence I knew I wanted to write another book with Eddie Flynn - I find him very interesting and I can pretty much accomplish everything that I want to do right now, in fiction, using that character. If I ever give up the law, I may write a book set in NI but not at the moment. I have a few ideas, but for now I want to concentrate on Eddie's story.

You know we're pretty sold on The Defence at CSNI. Care to share a tag line for the next instalment?

This is the hard part, I'm terrible at writing blurbs. I can tell you that this next book is currently titled The Plea and, among other things, it looks at international money laundering, the grand jury system, and welcomes back some of the characters from The Defence. In the new book Eddie Flynn has two clients. Two cases. Both very different. One client is innocent and the other is guilty. He can only save one of them. It's an easy choice for most lawyers, but what if the guilty client was Eddie's wife? Will he sacrifice the life of an innocent man to save his wife? He's got 48 hours to decide. But no matter what choice he makes, the only certainty is that at eight o'clock on Saint Patrick's Day Eddie Flynn will die.

Find out more about Steve and his writing over at his website.

Please read this before requesting an interview.

Book Events to Die For

I've got my tickets. Have you?

BOOKS TO DIE FOR is a unique, must-have anthology for any fan of the mystery genre, featuring personal essays from 120 of the world’s most beloved and renowned crime writers on the mysteries and thrillers that they most admire, edited by two of their own—John Connolly and Declan Burke.

Tana French on The Secret History by Donna Tartt; Jo Nesbø on Jim Thompson’s Pop. 1280; Kathy Reichs on The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris; Michael Connelly on Raymond Chandler’s The Little Sister, and Charlaine Harris on Geoffrey Household’s Rogue Male: these are just a few of the 120 internationally bestselling mystery writers showcased in this collection—a book every reader of crime fiction should own.

In the most ambitious anthology of its kind ever compiled, each author pays a deeply personal tribute to one mystery that means the most to them, explaining why that book affects them and how it has influenced their own work.  This collection presents a treasure trove of works in the mystery genre by the people who know it best, and is an essential guide for all readers and writers.

Thursday, August 30 at 6:30 p.m.
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Belfast launch of THE WRATH OF ANGELS, BOOKS TO DIE FOR, and SLAUGHTER’S HOUND by Declan Burke
The Ulster Museum
Botanic Gardens, Belfast
Tickets Available from No Alibis Bookstore—free event!
44 (0) 28 9031 9601
Email: david@noalibis.com

Thursday, September 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Dublin, Ireland
Dublin launch of BOOKS TO DIE FOR
Dubray Books Grafton Street
36 Grafton Street
Dublin 2
(01) 677 5568
dublinbookshop@dubraybooks.ie

A Wee Review - The Burning Soul by John Connolly

Randal Haight is at wits’ end. Somebody is sending him pictures that prove you cannot escape your past. You see, Haight hasn’t always been Haight. The person he was before – the child he was before – murdered a little girl. And now the town he’s settled in is in a frenzied uproar over the disappearance of a fourteen-year-old girl. Cue Charlie Parker, a private investigator with a tragic past, as Haight’s protector. The only thing is, Parker doesn’t believe his client is as innocent as he claims.

John Connolly’s latest, The Burning Soul, is a Charlie Parker thriller (number 10). Excellent news for fans of the series, but equally great news for those yet to sample Connolly’s work (if there’s anybody out there who hasn’t, that is). This is a very self-contained book that is faithful to the series but is not loaded with back story. Parker’s arc as a character continues but there are no huge developments in a broader sense that require chronological reading from the very start of the series. If you’re not on the Connolly train already, this is your boarding platform. But set aside some time. You’ll want to make this a round trip.

This is an outstanding novel. It’s chockfull of dense and powerful prose that isn’t intimidating but, in fact, is addictively consumable. The portrayal of a violent and unpredictable Boston Irish mob (post-Bulger) in constant crisis is chilling. And the supernatural twist? Cross your heart and bless your burning soul. This one’s coming to get you.

Another Fine Night

Yesterday I attended the No Alibis launch of John Connolly's The Burning Soul and Alan Glynn's Bloodland with a musical intro from the uber-talented Isobel Anderson. The authors drew such a crowd that David Torrans had to pull a few strings and get the event moved to the Crescent Arts Centre for the sake of public safety. And I'd wager that every person who showed up enjoyed the evening as much as I did


I've been to a number of John Connolly readings and he was as charismatic and entertaining as usual. His talk raised more than a handful of chuckles, though it was a few shades darker than his usual quasi-stand up routine. But it was a fitting tone, considering the hard-hitiing nature of his latest tome


Alan Glynn read two stand-out passages from Bloodland. He fared very well in the company of the seasoned Connolly and his excerpts drew perfect responses from the tuned-in audience. What really made my night was his introduction, though. He quoted from my review of his most recent offering! Little hat-tips like that can be a powerful motivator to continue my often waning mission to spread the word about the quality Irish crime fiction that is out there. I was chuffed to bits

David Torrans then hosted an interview with the scribes that covered a range of subjects. From Alan Glynn's Hollywood experiences on the set of Limitless to John Connolly's eye-opening episodes amongst the London Irish in the years he worked as a journalist, the content was far-reaching, to say the least. What really captured my imagination was the subject of violence in crime fiction and the degrees of responsibility utilised within the genre. Fascinating stuff.

Author spotters would have been delighted to see Stuart Neville and Brian McGilloway in the audience.

Can't wait for the next event!

No Alibis Event - John Connolly and Alan Glynn

No Alibis are very pleased to invite you to celebrate the launch of John Connolly's latest Charlie Parker novel, THE BURNING SOUL, and Alan Glynn's latest novel, BLOODLAND, on Thursday 1st September at 6:00PM. A musical introduction will be provided by Isobel Anderson.

Please note: due to unprecedented demand for this event, it will now take place in the Crescent Arts Centre, rather than the shop. If you have already booked a spot, you do not need to do so again, as we have already transferred the reservations.


Randall Haight has a secret: when he was a teenager, he and his friend killed a 14-year-old girl.

Randall did his time and built a new life in the small Maine town of Pastor's Bay, but somebody has discovered the truth about Randall. He is being tormented by anonymous messages, haunting reminders of his past crime, and he wants private detective Charlie Parker to make it stop.

But another 14-year-old girl has gone missing, this time from Pastor's Bay, and the missing girl's family has its own secrets to protect. Now Parker must unravel a web of deceit involving the police, the FBI, a doomed mobster named Tommy Morris, and Randall Haight himself.

Because Randall Haight is telling lies...


A private security contractor loses it in the Congo, with deadly consequences, while in Ireland the ex-prime minister struggles to write his memoir.

A tabloid star is killed in a helicopter crash and three years later a young journalist is warned off the story.

As a news story breaks in Paris, a US senator prepares his campaign to run for office.

What links these things and who controls what we know? With echoes of John Le Carré, 24 and James Ellroy, Alan Glynn has written another crime novel of and for our times – a ferocious thriller that moves from Dublin to New York via West Africa, and thrillingly explores the legacy of corruption in big business, the West’s fear of China, the fate of ex-military, the role of back room political players, and the quick fix of online news.

Alan Glynn is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, where he studied English Literature, and has worked in magazine publishing in New York and as an EFL teacher in Italy. His second novel, Winterland, was published to huge acclaim in 2009, while his first novel The Dark Fields was released as the film Limitless - starring Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro - in Spring 2011.


Isobel Anderson will be providing a musical introduction to the evening.

As usual with John's event, we expect this one to be extremely popular, so please do book a spot to avoid disappointment. Book your spot now, by emailing David, or calling the shop on 9031 9607.

Declan Burke Event

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

An Interview - Russel D McLean

Russel D McLean is the author of the Scots noir thrillers, THE GOOD SON and THE LOST SISTER. John Connolly has called him, “stylish and atmospheric”. He has been involved with publishing and bookselling for over ten years, running ezines, working in bookstores, writing reviews and articles for generous editors. He lives every day in fear of the cursed mask that came with his house. Want to know more? Go to www.russeldmclean.com.

Q1. What are you writing at the minute?

Aside from this answer?

... just handed in what will probably be the next novel plus a synopsis and 10k words of one after that to my agent. Completed three short story projects, one of which is giving me the squits because it’s a market I want and because its dedicated to a dear reader. And now I’m about to dive in to properly doing that fourth book. It never ruddy ends.

Q2. Can you give us an idea of Russel D McLean’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

When I ain’t at the day job, my writing day is cloistere and sweary. As an expermiment for the Do Some Damage Blog I kept a note of everything I did during a typical day (http://dosomedamage.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-in-life.html ). Obviously, I’m utterly insecure and very easily distr… ooooo, a shiny penny!

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing?

I read a lot, same as I’ve always done, watch a lot of movies, shoot the shit with friends and have a day job in bookselling.

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the crime fiction scene?

A series of axioms that have served me well: Take it seriously. Develop a thick skin. Don’t expect anything to happen quickly. If it seems too good to be true it probably is. And never stop being a reader. Ever.

Q5. Which crime writers have impressed you this year?

Well, the year is young, but so far Charlie Stella’s JOHNNY PORNO is the man’s best yet, and I’ve been a fan of his work for years since someone slipped me an arc of CHARLIE OPERA in ’05. And Vicki Hendrick’s FLORIDA GOTHIC STORIES blew my socks off; atmospheric, bizarre, unexpectedly touching and surprisingly sensual, she is rapidly becoming one of my favourite writers. Also, Tony Black’s LOSS made my jaw drop when I realised what he was doing in that one. Brilliant.

Q6. What are you reading right now?

Finished KILLING TIME by David R Dow this morning, so now I’m swithering between Patrick Quinlan’s THE HIT and a just-dropped-through-the-mail arc of the new Connolly, THE WHISPERERS. A tough choice; love both authors.

Q7. Plans for the future?

Keep writing. Try and earn more money. Have another pot of coffee.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

You do realise you’re asking a philosophy graduate this question, yeah? No, I wouldn’t. Because if I didn’t make the mistakes I made, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Its like those Star Trek shows or Doctor Who, where they go back in time, make one fix for the better, and suddenly the whole world has changed. Nah, I’ll keep me mistakes because I’m bloody happy at the moment, or as much as anyone can hope to be.

Q9. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

It’s the rejection letter that makes people’s jaw drop. The one that came back in the SAE, and I opened it to find my manuscript shredded and covered in crayon doodles. After searching through the pages for some clue as to what happened, I found a note scribbled on what was left of my cover letter saying, “As you can see, my kids didn’t like it, either.”

As an addendum, I know what happened to the guy who wrote that letter, and it makes me laugh. Heartily.

Q10. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

Probably. Twenty minutes after I send this I’ll think of a million things. Like how e-books are grand, but its content not delivery that will always matter. Or how we still need honest-to-God booksellers and librarians in the world before we start to lose the signal in the noise with no means of separating the two.

But instead I’ll just ask that you check out www.dosomedamage.com, where you can meet more talented writers with interesting stories to tell and rants to share (I’m there on Fridays, too).

Thank you, Russel D McLean!

An Interview - Brendan Garner

Brendan Garner is the author of Possession, Obsession and a Diesel Compression Engine, a chapbook of Belfast-set horror tales with a smattering of black humour. He’ll get around to the website thing some day, but in the meantime, you can catch the odd Garner tweet here. Yeah, yeah, there isn't much there. He'll get around to that some day too.

Q1. What are you writing at the minute?

Very little. I blame writer’s block. Or getting blocked. I have plans to work on a sequel to my unpublished novel, FIREPROOF, but have a lot of thinking to do before I commit myself to it. Mostly around whether or not FIREPROOF will actually be published in this lifetime.

Q2. Can you give us an idea of your typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

I turn off the TV and stare at a computer screen. Sometimes words come out. Most times they don’t.

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Drink. Read. Watch horror movies. The order varies.

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the comic-horror fiction scene?

I still haven’t figured out that trick myself. Considering contacting somebody about a soul trade off...

Q5. Which horror writers have impressed you this year?

I reckon The Twelve by Stuart Neville has horror elements and that rocked my socks off.

Q6. What are you reading right now?

The Gates by John Connolly. Loving it.

Q7. Plans for the future?

Break into the comic-horror fiction scene.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

I’d have been more successful.

Q9. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

The day I figured out that I can’t write when I’m drunk was a pretty bad one. I’d heard Stephen King doesn’t even remember writing Cujo because he was profoundly blitzed the entire time. Thought I could emulate that. I really couldn’t.

Q10. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

No. Stop being lazy and come up with a decent tenth question, will you?

Thank you, Brendan Garner!

Adrienne Carlson Guest Blog

Adrienne Carlson is well clued up on Forensic Science, and as such, you should be pretty damn interested in finding out what kind of crime fiction she enjoys. So I was delighted to hear from her. She offered to take a break from the site she regularly writes for (The Forensic Science Schools) to pen me a short article on her favourite Irish crime writers.

You may remember a similar article from Kat Sanders who also writes for The Forensic Scientist Blog. There's a danger of this becoming a series. No bad thing, as it allows me to concentrate solely on my fiction for the day.

Take it away, Adrienne!

Why Irish Crime Fiction is Gaining in Popularity?

There’s no doubt about it – there’s a wave of crime sweeping through the Irish community, and it sure is arresting. Now before you think that Ireland is becoming a nation of bloodshed and violence, let me reassure that it’s all on paper, and it’s all very good. A host of Irish authors are making names for themselves, adding to the crowd of already established ones like Declan Hughes and John Connolly. And considering the fact that Ireland is a tiny nation where everyone seems to know everyone and the crime rate is relatively low when compared to most other parts of the world, it’s surprising that crime fiction is a genre that has gained immense popularity in recent years.

When we look at the reasons for the surge in the demand for Irish crime fiction, we find that:

• Well established authors like Hughes, Connolly and Gene Kerrigan have inspired other wannabes to try their hand at writing whodunits; and with the new generation like Alex Barclay, Brian McGilloway and Arlene Hunt jumping on this bandwagon and tasting success on a grand scale, others are bound to follow suit.

• Irish crime authors base their books and stories in the USA because plot lines and police procedurals work more effectively when the tales are set in cities and locations where crimes do tend to take place as a matter of routine.

• The Irish Book Awards have included Alex Barclay’s Blood Runs Cold, Arlene Hunt’s Undertow and Brian McGilloway’s Gallows Lane, a move that goes to show that crime fiction is now gaining acceptance into elite literary circles.

• Crime fiction rarely makes it to the acceptable list of must-read books, so when one gets picked to be the Book of the Month, it is bound to boost the popularity of this genre. With author Alex Barclay receiving tumultuous applause for her debut novel, Darkhouse, her new bestseller Blood Runs Cold was included in the Book Club Choice. Other authors have since followed suit what with various discussions and programs boosting the popularity of this genre.

• Booker Prize winner John Banville has now turned to crime fiction using the pseudonym Benjamin Black, thus showing that this is a genre that even award winning authors endorse.

• Besides this, the sheer number of current Irish crime writers – Brian McGilloway, Alex Barclay, Gene Kerrigan, Declan Hughes, Arlene Hunt, John Connolly, Tana French, Ken Bruen, John Banville and Ava McCarthy, Adrian McKinty, Pauline McLynn, Stuart Neville and Ed O’Loughlin - to name just a few, are making this genre more and more appealing to not just fans in Ireland, but all over the world as well.

By-line:

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of forensic scientist schools. Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson83(at)yahoo.com

No Alibis Event - John Connolly

(From the No Alibis website)

No Alibis Bookstore is pleased to be hosting the launch party for John Connolly's latest novel, THE GATES on Friday 9th October at 6:30PM.

THE GATES OF HELL ARE ABOUT TO OPEN. MIND THE GAP.

Young Samuel Johnson and his dachshund Boswell are trying to show initiative by trick-or-treating a full three days before Hallowe'en. Which is how they come to witness strange goings-on at 666 Crowley Avenue.

The Abernathys don't mean any harm by their flirtation with Satanism. But it just happens to coincide with a malfunction in the Large Hadron Collider that creates a hole in the universe, a hole through which can be glimpsed a pair of enormous gates.

The gates to Hell. And there are some pretty terrifying beings just itching to get out...

John Connolly was born in Dublin and has, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a dogsbody at Harrods department store in London. He studied English in Trinity College, Dublin and journalism at Dublin City University, subsequently spending five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper, to which he continues to contribute.

His first novel, Every Dead Thing, was published in 1999, and introduced the character of Charlie Parker, a former policeman hunting the killer of his wife and daughter. THE LOVERS is his tenth novel, and the eighth featuring Parker.

John Connolly is based in Dublin but divides his time between his native city and the United States, where each of his novels has been set.

You can find out more on John's website.

We expect this to be a popular event, so reserve your spot now by emailing David, or by calling the shop on 9031 9607.

A History of the Paperbacks (accordin’ to the Times)

An interesting article from The Times Online the other day gave a brief history of the paperback in all its money-saving glory. It concluded with a paragraph on the perception of how the e-reader or Kindle may eventually replace it. The writer seemed to doubt that this may happen, but who knows what the future will hold, eh?

Sit down, Nostradamus.

Anyway, if you click on the link, you’ll also find a list of the top fifty paperbacks as judged by a triumvirate of Times-type folk. Only two of the fifty actually feature on my bookshelf, though. Bateman’s Mystery Man and The Reapers by John Connolly. I wonder if I should construct my own top fifty... Mightn’t be worth the effort. I mean, it’s not like I’m in a position to offer a cash prize to the top three or anything. Still, might mean more to the average CSNI reader, legion that you are.

Pics and Stuff From No Alibis Events

The latest No Alibis event I attended was Adrian McKinty's Fifty Grand launch on Wednesday the 8th of July. Just over a week ago now. In fact, this time last week, I was nursing a slight hangover.

Like last year's Bloomsday Dead launch, McKinty decided that an actual reading from the book wouldn't be all that impressive in itself. Having read Fifty Grand, I'd have begged to differ. But anyway, McKinty instead told us the story of his visit to cuba and how it birthed the first 100 pages of Fifty Grand. Then he got a bit of a Q&A on the go. And that was excellent! Most of the discussion centred on libel laws and he may or may not have slandered a few people, but I can't quite remember that.

After that he signed a bunch of books, including some spanking reprints of Dead I Well May Be and The Dead Yard in the lovely new Serpent's Tail editions for my good self. And while I queued for my signature I got talking to McKinty's charming mother, aunt and sister. Three wonderful ladies who have actually read my blog!

But the night got better and better, as I joined McKinty, Colin Bateman, Stuart Neville and David Torrans for a few jars after the event. It was a surreal experience for a fanboy like myself, but a bloody enjoyable one too.

Here's a few pics from that night and also a few from the John Connolly and Stuart Neville event that I never got around to posting. And if I can figure out how to upload it, a little video of Stuart Neville. Apologies for the quality. I'm not much of a photographer and I took all the pics and the video with my phone.

Adrian McKinty chatting to the crowd.

Colin Bateman and Adrian McKinty.

Stuart Neville, Colin Bateman, A little bit of Columbo and Adrian McKinty.

John Connolly reading from The Whisperers.

John Connolly signing a copy of The Lovers for a fan.

A short video clip of Stuart Neville.

John Connolly News!

FILM FESTIVAL NEWS!

'OF BLOOD AND LOST THINGS', an hour-long documentary on John's work filmed on location in Ireland and the US, and featuring contributions from Laura Lippman, David Simon, George Pelecanos, and Declan Hughes, will be screened as part of the Maine International Film Festival in Waterville on July 10th at 6.45pm, with John in attendance. This will be the only screening prior to its broadcast on Irish television in 2010... further details: Maine International Film Festival

AND...

THE GATES

Read about John's upcoming book, THE GATES, including an excerpt!

Info gleaned from the John Connolly Newsletter. Sign up for it here!

Another No Alibis Success

Last Friday I attended the No Alibis launch of John Connolly’s The Lovers and Stuart Neville’s The Twelve. As is always the case, David Torrans did all he could to make this a wonderful event for all in attendance. I’ve been to most of his launches this year, and each one runs smoother than the last. For this event, David had fashioned a stage for the two scribes, set up a PA system and had worked out a new seating arrangement that really optimised the space in the shop. Good thing too. More than 100 people showed up! If David’s insurance people are reading this, I might be exaggerating. I’m an Irish writer and hyperbole is my prerogative. For the rest of you, it was the biggest crowd David has ever accommodated at the shop.

Neville was first up, and following a brief and complimentary intro from John Connolly, he read a ten minute extract from The Twelve. An excellent choice, as it displayed Neville’s ability to mix action, dialogue, inner dialogue and snatches of humour. His reading was confident, and although he shared the stage with the book tour veteran that is Connolly, (a wonderful yet daunting experience I would imagine) he really held his own and did a great job of drawing his listeners in.

Connolly charmed the entire room with his easy humour and energetic reading. He read from two works; The Whisperers, his current work-in-progress and a particularly eerie one by the sounds, and The Gates, which promises to be a hilarious a quirky read on the topic of Satanism and quantum physics... for kids. I was surprised nobody shouted encore after his performance. It was brilliant. I’ll probably do a bit of shouting and maybe even throw roses at the stage when he returns around September to launch The Gates.

Then Connolly and Neville enjoyed a little discussion on the state of publishing, the pros and cons of the internet magazine and writing in general. A fascinating conversation that was opened up to the audience. A few brave souls quizzed the writers and each one received a thoughtful answer.

Unfortunately, I had to scoot early so I didn’t get as much time as I’d have liked to chat to the authors and David, but I did get their signature on their respective books, a free bumper sticker and David gave me an interesting collectors’ item that I must frame at some point. So I left No Alibis a happy chap, as per usual. Unfortunately, I failed to spot Brian McGilloway in the crowd, so I missed the chance to get a quick chinwag with him. There’s something weird going on there. I’ve been out of the country for Brian’s last two No Alibis launches and failed to spot him at the last John Connolly reading as well...

Wait a minute, you don’t think he’s trying to avoid me do you?

Anyway, if you missed the Connolly and Neville event, don’t despair. Adrian McKinty is set to launch Fifty Grand from the best bookshop in Ireland on the 8th of July. And I’ve arranged a lift home, so there will be beer!

(Oh, and Josephine; photos of the event will follow as soon as I upload them from my phone.)

Upcoming No Alibis Event

JOHN CONNOLLY AND STUART NEVILLE

THE LOVERS

&

THE TWELVE

http://www.johnconnollybooks.com/novels_lovers.php


http://www.stuartneville.com/the-twelve/

FRI 26TH JUNE 7PM

FREE..BUT LIMITED SPACE, SO PLEASE CALL IN FOR A TICKET

LAUNCH PARTY AND GENERAL KNEES UP TO CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH OF TWO NEW NOVELS, ONE FROM AN ESTABLISHED INTERNATIONAL AUTHOR THE OTHER BY AN UP AND COMING LITERARY THRILLER WRITER…..WHO MANAGED TO GET JAMES ELLROY TO BLURB HIM!!!!

NO ALIBIS BOOKSTORE
83 BOTANIC AVENUE
BELFAST BT7 1JL
david@noalibis.com
ph. 02890-319601
fax. 02890319607

John The Maun

It looks as if John Connolly is reading more Northern Irish crime fiction than I am at the minute. Just yesterday, Declan Burke counter-scooped my scoop with news that John Connolly had expanded on an already stellar blurb for Stuart Neville's debut, The Twelve (or The Ghost's of Belfast in the US). John Connolly thinks that it is, "...the best mystery to have emerged so far from the aftermath of the Troubles." Heady stuff for our always modest Mister Neville, I'd say.

Not only this, but Mister Connolly had only nice things to say upon reading Brian McGilloway's soon to be released, Bleed a River Deep:

‘Inspector Ben Devlin is that rare creature: a detective who is not violent or tortured, but who is intensely, movingly human, and it is his humanity and decency that grip the reader and give these novels a searing honesty. The Devlin books are set to become one of the great series in modern crime fiction.’

John Connolly (Best selling author of The Reapers.)

Great stuff! Crime fiction from Northern Ireland just keeps going from strength to strength. I fear I'm not going to be able to keep up with it soon. I'll always try to, though. You should too.

John Connolly on Stuart Neville

I've been looking forward to reading The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville for a long time now, but the latest post on Stuart's blog has me positively fidgeting in my seat. Or maybe that's down to the Diet Coke I had for breakfast. Either way, I'm impressed, awed and unprofessionally jealous of this quote from the godlike John Connolly:

"Ghosts of Belfast is not only one of the finest thriller debuts of the last ten years, but is also one of the best Irish novels, in any genre, of recent times. It grips from the first page to the last, and heralds the arrival of a major new voice in Irish writing. I don't know how Stuart Neville is going to improve upon such an exceptional first novel, but I can't wait to find out..."

Stuart says he's flabbergasted, but I'm assuming he means that in a good way.

An Interview - Ruth Dudley Edwards

Born in Dublin in 1944 and educated in University College Dublin, Ruth Dudley Edwards has worked in England as a teacher, postgraduate student, marketing executive and senior civil servant, before becoming in 1979 a full-time biographer, historian, freelance journalist and broadcaster. Her non-fiction includes biographies of Patrick Pearse and James Connolly and The Faithful Tribe: an intimate portrait of the loyal institutions.

The targets of her eleven satirical crime novels include the civil service, gentlemen’s clubs, a Cambridge college, the House of Lords, the Church of England, and a literary prize and an Indiana campus. The Anglo-Irish Murders is set in Ireland and is a satire on the peace process.

Favourite review extract: ‘This blithe series puts itself on the side of the angels by merrily, and staunchly, subverting every tenet of political correctness.’ Patricia Craig

Q1. What are you writing at the minute?

Since early 2000 I’ve been involved with victims who decided to take a civil case against the Real IRA and five men they allege bombed Omagh. At first I helped raise money and then I became the chronicler of the case, which after innumerable delays went to court in April. Aftermath: the Omagh bombing and the families’ pursuit of justice will tell the story of ordinary people who took on not only terrorists but all those powerful figures who wanted them just to shut up.

I’m also writing Killing the Emperors, a crime novel about the lunatic world of contemporary art.

Q2. Can you give us an idea of Ruth Dudley Edwards’ typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

As my journalism, non-fiction and fiction all feed upon each other, I have enough ideas to keep me writing for decades: my major frustration is not having time to see more than a few of them through.

Once upon a time I could write a book and do nothing else: my first crime novel was written in fourteen days. Now, owing to my having three jobs, an excellent book-writing day would be when I’m not in court in Belfast or Dublin watching legal squabbles, spend only three hours or so answering emails and reading newspapers on and off the net, have no more than an hour or so on the phone, do no socialising and don’t have to write an article. Then I might manage four or five hours on the main project.

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Mostly carouse with my many delightful friends, or, when I’m beyond doing anything useful, watch brain-rot reality tv: Big Brother or Celebrity Big Brother are my favourites and have been a great inspiration for my next crime novel

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the crime fiction scene?

Life and the publishing world is unfair, so avoid exaggerated expectations; sit down and get on with it; and get to know crime writers, whom you should find a constant source of encouragement and diversion. More importantly, just because it was Ernest Hemingway who said it, don’t ignore the truth that you should write what you know. What’s more, unless you have an exceptional imagination, you need to live in order to have anything to write about.

Q5. Which crime writers have impressed you this year?

I have almost no time to read for pleasure and when I do I often head for comedy. I recently particularly enjoyed the mordant Suzette Hill (A Load of Old Bones), the hilarious Donna Moore, whose Go to Helena Handbasket is a parody of the whole crime-writing genre, and the old master, Reginald Hill (The Roar of the Butterflies).

Q6. What are you reading right now?

I’ve just finished and hugely enjoyed Christopher Marsh’s A Year in the Province, which is brutally funny about Belfast academics and paramilitaries.

Q7. Plans for the future?

When I’ve finished being rude about contemporary artists and critics and gallery owners, I’ll be going after lawyers. Yes, yes, I know it’s been done often, and yes, yes, I have some very good friends in that line of business, however……………

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

I like adventure and variety, so I’ve much enjoyed the unexpected twists and turns my writing career has taken and wouldn’t change anything.

Q9. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

Getting repetitive strain injury while working on the history of The Economist. I hit the deadline of the 150th anniversary with about five minutes to spare.

Q10. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

After a quarter-of-a-century on the crime scene it’s a joy to see the explosion of Irish talent. I’ve met John Connolly in Indiana, Declan Hughes in Alaska, Declan Burke in Bristol, Brian McGilloway in Bangor and the same crew and several more in Dublin. For years I’ve been on Brit panels in the US (I regard myself as British and Irish, so that doesn’t bother me), but next July I’ll be chairing an Irish panel at the Harrogate festival. The Irish are on a roll: go for it, lads and ladettes, and put two fingers up to the pretentious literati who despise us (see Carnage on the Committee - where I give contemporary literary fiction a good kicking).

Thank you, Ruth Dudley Edwards!

An Interview - Ken Bruen

Ken Bruen, born in Galway in 1951, is the author of The Guards (2001), the highly acclaimed first Jack Taylor novel. He spent twenty-five years as an English teacher in Africa, Japan, S.E. Asia and South America. His novel Her Last Call to Louis Mac Niece (1997) is in production for Pilgrim Pictures, his "White Trilogy" has been bought by Channel 4, and The Guards is to be filmed in Ireland by De Facto Films.

Bruen was a finalist for the Edgar, Barry, and Macavity Awards, and the Private Eye Writers of America presented him with the Shamus Award for the Best Novel of 2003 for The Guards, the book that introduced Jack Taylor. He lives in Galway, Ireland.

(All this, and a genuine gentleman to boot. A real class act – Gerard.)

Q1. What are you writing at the minute?

The finishing touches to me memoir which comes out in Nov and is unlike any memoir, totally threw out the usual model for those things and did it in a whole new format.

Q2. Can you give us an idea of Ken Bruen’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

I get up at 5.00 every day and write for 2 hours, end of the day, I read what I've written into a tape recorder and if the music isn't there, I bin it.

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Spend time with me daughter who is 16, feed the swans, answer email, read like a bastard, and be-moan the fact I can't ride me Harley anymore.

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the crime fiction scene?

Read, read, read and check out the mystery blogs on the Internet, everything is there, about agents, publishers, the whole nine.

Q5. Which crime writers have impressed you this year?

Seamas Quinn, Declan Burke, Brian McGilloway, Adrian McKinty ( as always), KT Mc Cafferty, Pat Mullan.

Q6. What are you reading right now?

Go With Me by Castle Freeman Jr.........he's like D. Woodrell at his best.

Q7. Plans for the future?

Sequel to Once Were Cops which comes out in Nov, a whole slew of new short stories.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

Have followed me own instincts more and not listened to editors...................

Q9. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

Writing what I thought was the best 100 pages I've done and having them edit the whole lot out of the book, I was gutted and dismayed, still am.

Q10. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

Gerard, I always like to ask writers if they think they've written their best book?......they all say no as they think it's a trick question and that their best might be behind them. I wrote, what for me, is me best book, titled Garbage and Robert Lowell, I actually really liked it and felt I'd finally hit all the levels I try for and ............it remains..........unpublished

Thank you very much for inviting me to do the interview and the evening I read at Dave's No Alibis was one of the highlights of me career and it was just great to be back in N. Ireland.

Warmest wishes

Ken

(Pictured above - left to right - Ken Bruen, James Crumley and John Connolly. In memory of James Crumley 12/10/39 - 17/09/08)

Thank you, Ken Bruen!

A Wee Review - The Big O by Declan Burke

Declan Burke’s writing has earned recognition and praise from the likes of John Connolly, Ken Bruen and Adrian McKinty, and no doubt it will garner more when The Blue Orange is released by Harcourt in the near future. So I cracked open Declan Burke’s The Big O with pretty high expectations. It is, after all, the work of a crime connoisseur. Burke runs the popular Irish crime fiction-focused blog, Crime Always Pays, and knows more than a thing or two about the genre. So has all his virtual rubbing-of-elbows with crime fiction’s elite paid off? In a word, yes.

In The Big O, the cool and sexy Karen meets Ray, a mysterious Morrissey lookalike, while she’s sticking up a convenience store. She invites him for a drink and it’s not long before she finds out that there’s a lot more to this guy with the dodgy fringe than meets the eye. Could be they could work together on a pretty big score. So long as they don’t let a little thing like love get in the way. Unfortunately, Karen’s ex-boyfriend, Rossi, is getting out of jail and he wants his Ducatti, his .44 Magnum and his sixty grand back. Things are about to get... complicated.

The Big O is a furiously-paced crime caper employing a huge cast and shifting character perspective. The novel is chockfull of Hiaasen-esque humour and there’s a distinct lack of 2D bit-players. The plot is great fun, but on a slightly negative note, relies heavily on coincidence. However, as a reader, I enjoyed myself so much that I was more than happy to accept it.

What struck me most was Burke’s skill at painting very believable female characters. I’m no expert myself, but the bits I read out to my wife met with a nod of approval. You couldn’t say fairer than that, could you? Burke has taken the effort to present us with a female protagonist that isn’t just a perky pair of boobs and a few witty double-entendres. Karen, Madge and Doyle are three very real ladies with very real strengths and... not exactly weaknesses... idiosyncrasies, maybe?

The format makes the book a perfect candidate for newspaper serialisation. Reading it, I was reminded of Bateman’s I Predict a Riot. The story is told in bite-sized chapterttes that are conveniently labelled by the character driving the POV. In the early stages of the novel, this structure makes it a bit difficult to connect with the characters, but twenty-odd pages in, the aul brain gets into the swing of it and the sheer fun of the story and character-development fairly carries you along.

As a setting, Burke decided to go with Anywhere USA/UK/Ireland, with, in my mind, leanings towards the States. Knowing his penchant for the Irish crime scene I was expecting the novel to be set on the Emerald Isle with all sorts of wittiness smacking of blarney. However, this shrewd move may have contributed towards his securing a US publication deal, so more power to his elbow.

The Big O is a fun-filled and intense joyride that’ll dump you on the kerb way too soon. The humour’s great, but there’s a lot of poignancy too, so don’t sink too far into that sense of security. Burke whips it out from under the reader ruthlessly as he persuades you to feel sorry for the bad guys but shows them no mercy throughout to keep ‘em mean. The dialogue is wicked and the prose slick and stylish. This man’s going to go a long way.

The US edition of The Big O will be released by Harcourt on 22 September 2008.