Michael Connelly
Michael Connelly
Michael Connellyis an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. His books, which have been translated into 39 languages, have garnered him many awards. Connelly was the President of the Mystery Writers of America from 2003 to 2004...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth21 July 1956
CityPhiladelphia, PA
CountryUnited States of America
I don't profess to be an expert. I know what I like. I never saw Miles Davis, but wish I had. I'd like to see him, Coltrane and Art Pepper playing at the Hollywood Bowl.
I knew as I was writing "City of Bones" that this had to be the end of him as a cop and possibly even a character. But the bottom-line feeling when I was finished with that novel was that there was more I could do with Harry, things that would keep me plugged in and interested.
I knew as I was writing ""City of Bones"" that this had to be the end of him as a cop and possibly even a character. But the bottom-line feeling when I was finished with that novel was that there was more I could do with Harry, things that would keep me plugged in and interested.
When I am so intensely involved with writing my books I don't like to reread them.
When I was a teenager, I was a voracious reader of crime fiction, but only contemporary books.
As a reporter, you develop an ear for dialogue because it's your job to capture it accurately.
I was enamored of detectives as a teenager. I liked what they did - piecing things together, thinking about situations. But to get there? Eight to ten years in a patrol car? I didn't have that in me. I didn't want to tell people what to do.
The character can never be static from book to book. People might think you just come up with a new plot and stick this guy in. Well, he has to be as new as the plot every time.
I've been able to write at least one book a year for 20 years, and I don't think I would've had that kind of drive if I hadn't come out of the journalism business.
The writing ethic was influenced - when you have to write every day, there's no such thing as writer's block.
Maybe it has something to do with being a reporter for a long time that I don't look to newspapers and television and so forth for inspiration most of the time.
The built-in form is a window frame. You can use this genre [crime fiction] to go where you want to go, and explore what you want to explore. In some ways it gives you a lot of freedom because you have a framework readers are looking for.
I'm not 'Mr. No-By-The-Book.' I just want to make sure the character is by the book.
I'm always looking at ways of shaking up the writing experience because I think it helps.