Ho
w would you describe yourself in a sentence?
A good guy.
How would your best friend describe you in a sentence?
A funny guy.
If God exists, what will be your first words at the pearly gates?
You’ve got some serious issues, dude.
Crime fiction is at its best when…
It is honest and unflinching.
The worst literary vice is…
Too much reliance on metaphors and flowery language.
Why do you keep reading a book?
To find out what happens next and to be entertained.
Which of your books would you suggest to a first time Starr reader?
Why?
Think it’s the best example of what I do.
What do you like about your writing?
That I can entertain myself.
What don’t you like about it yet?
Nothing really. I think I can always push myself in new directions, but if I didn’t think what I was doing was awesome I wouldn’t do it.
What’s your favourite word?
The name of someone who is very special to me.
Which single word would you remove from the parlance of our time?
None. I love language–the good and the bad. I don’t think any language should be censored. If there are words that offend people I think they should be used even more frequently.
Which single profession would you remove from the business world?
Paid baby killers. Are there paid baby killers?
Which single person would you remove from the planet?
One of college English teachers….I’m kiddng….Well, okay, maybe I’m not.
Which fictional character would you most like to meet in real life?
Patrick Bateman.
What’s the best one-liner you’ve ever read or written?
Love anything from Henie Youngman or Rodney Dangerfield.
An American, an Englishman, and a Scotsman walk into a bar…
and drink some beer?
Your five favourite party guests are…
Haven’t had party guests lately. My NYC apartment is too small.
Which book by another author do you wish you had written?
I never think that way. I have a lot of favorite books, but writing is personal, and I don’t wish I’d written any of the books I admire.
Sum up your latest book in no more than 20 words, including its title:
The Craving, the sequel to my fantasy thriller The Pack
, coming this spring from Penguin.
What scene or theme did it start with?
A suspense sequence involving a major character from The Pack.
What happened next?
Can’t give that away. But let’s just say no one is safe in this novel.
What was the greatest challenge in writing it?
Well, it’s a sequel, so the challenge was making it suspenseful for readers of The Pack, but making it mysterious for readers who pick up The Craving
without reading the first book first. It’s better if you read The Pack
first, but you don’t have to.
What was the greatest moment in writing it?
Getting the perfect first sentence.
What are the greatest problems in writing today?
All the uncertainty with e-books.
What are the greatest opportunities in writing today?
E-books, authors getting more in control of their destinies.
What’s the most amusing situation you’ve found yourself in because of your writing?
Oh definitely a recent event with Ken Bruen, Camilla Lackberg, and Simon Beckett in a small town in Germany where we wound up as participants in a three-ring circus!
What do you wish you’d known when you started writing?
That I would still be doing this 15 years later. It would have taken some of the early pressure off.
CLICK HERE FOR THE ONE BOOK EVERYBODY SHOULD READ: Cold Caller




