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
When I started reading novels that really charged me or did something to me, that's when I started thinking that maybe I would like to build stories instead of houses.
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.
I'm always looking at ways of shaking up the writing experience because I think it helps.
In a daydream sort of way, I think it would be pretty cool to direct a movie. But I have been on movie and TV sets and know it is hard work. I like directing it in my mind. It is easier.
I don't think anyone will believe me, but I've never been pressured by a publisher to churn out a book.
I think I would spend the first 30 weeks not writing, just clearing my head and seeing parts of the world I haven't seen and going back to places I have seen and love.
I think there'd be huge losses if there weren't newspapers. I know everything's shifting to the Internet and some people would say, 'News is news, what you're talking about is a change of consumption, not the product that's out there.' But I think there is a change.
I think there's a general misconception that anything written quickly lacks quality, and I don't believe that.
I think books with weak or translucent plots can survive if the character being drawn along the path is rich, interesting and multi-faceted. The opposite is not true.
I think Harry and jazz go together for a lot of reasons. For the most part, he listens to artists who had to struggle to make their music, whether because of their personal demons and ills or those of society. They had to fight to make their music, and that is the bridge to Harry. In his own way, he has to fight to make his music.
What is overriding that and most important is that readers generally are interested in a good character. They might be more comfortable with Harry because they think they know him, but they always seem willing to give somebody new a chance.
David Morrell is a master of suspense. He wields it like a stiletto - knows just where to stick it and how to turn it. If you're reading Morrell, you're sitting on the edge of your seat.