Beneath The Surface

July 4th, 2004 · No Comments
by Booksquare

We think we’ve figured something out — our dissatisfaction with most author interviews comes from the sameness they exhibit (as evidenced by the fact that we maxed out on Marian Keyes stories so quickly; it was as if each interviewer regurgitated the same talking points). It’s not that the authors don’t have things to say; it’s more that the interviewers barely scratch the surface. And (this is possibly the big part of our revelation) most interviews are for readers, not writers. Sarah Weinman of Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind, in her interview with Michael Connelly, brings this home because Sarah goes deep with her interview. In addition to knowing Connelly’s work, she knows his genre and the writing business. Connelly responds with equal intelligence and honesty. As they discuss the writing process, his relationship with his editor and agent, his love-hate relationship with touring, we learn about Connelly the person as well as Connelly the writer. We really love it when something distracts us from our purpose (okay, in this case, the purpose was laundry, but it could have been food) and makes us sit down to read every word.

File Under: Square Pegs