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| Interview with Harlan Coben, an award-winning mystery author. Winner of the Edgar, Shamus and Anthony Awards. Author of Darkest Fear (2000), book seven in the series featuring sports agent Myron Bolitar, a novel about fathers and sons. Read our review of Darkest Fear. Feature by PJ Nunn. PJ NUNN - Harlan, thanks so much for taking a few minutes out of your launch tour. Tell us about Darkest Fear. It's an excellent book - deep and thought provoking. What inspired such an intense storyline? HARLAN COBEN - I wanted to tell a father-son story. I've been playing around with that theme for several books. So that's where I started. From there, well, the rest just kinda came out organically. It was a pleasure to write. Do you ever wonder after you finish something as powerful as this, how you'll ever top it? I worry about that for every book. Whenever I finish one, a little voice says, "Well, that's it. Give it up. You'll never do it again." With experience you learn that the little voice is wrong. You still hear it. It still drives you batty. But you know it's wrong. Do you have a plan for the next installment of Myron, or might you be working on a stand-alone? I'm taking a break from Myron. I'm finishing up a stand-alone tentatively entitled BIG TEARS FALL. I'm very happy with how it's going, but I do miss Myron and the gang. When you look back to the very first book, what changes do you see in your writing through the years? Lots. Too many. That's why I don't go back and look very often. Old books are tough. I can see the seams. I'm very hard on them, but I still love them. It's a weird, dysfunctional relationship. Tell us about the awards you've collected. I'm far too modest but I'm trying to overcome that. Suffice to say, I've been extraordinarily lucky. [See the impressive list of nominations and awards at the end of this interview - Editor] Who are you when you're not writing? What kind of work do you do? What are your hobbies? Mostly, I'm a dad. I got three kids six and under. Hobbies? What are those? Who or what has most influenced your writing? Lots of things. Woody Allen influenced me. Alfred Hitchcock. Philip Roth. And of course, plenty of mystery writers. Influence may be the wrong word. The greats don't influence me as much as they motivate me. As a writer, where do you see yourself in 10 years? I have no idea. I just want to keep writing and keep getting better. In my mind - and I think this is true for every author - each book falls short, and that's one of the things that makes you keep writing. You keep trying to hit Nirvana even though it's not there. What do you enjoy most about writing? When it's going well. I love when I'm just churning away without a care. What do you find most difficult? The opposite, of course. What’s your best advice for new writers? Write. Don't take classes. Don't join workshops. Don't listen to me. Just write. Oh and cut. Cut a lot. You're probably not editing yourself enough. Then rewrite. Then rewrite again. Repeat. Like with shampooing. Previous publications and awards - Edgar Award Winner [Mystery Writers of America] for FADE AWAY Shamus Award Winner [Private Eye Writers of America] for FADE AWAY Anthony Award Winner [World Mystery Conference] for DEAL BREAKER Barry Award Winner [Deadly Pleasures Magazine] for BACK SPIN Edgar Award Nominee for DEAL BREAKER Shamus Award Nominee for BACKSPIN Anthony Award Nomination for FADE AWAY Anthony, Agatha and Macavity Award Nominations for A SIMPLE PHILOSOPHY (short story) Dilys Award Nomination [Independent Mystery Booksellers] for FADE AWAY Dilys Award Nomination for BACKSPIN For more on Harlan Coben's novels, visit his website at: http://www.harlancoben.com |
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