Ask the Author: John Clarkson
Answered Questions (13)
John Clarkson
Hi Chris,
I'm so pleased you took the time to ask. And also pleased to tell you that the book will be available in about two weeks. Yes, on or about November 1. It's been a long road to this one for various reasons. Actually, wrote about a third of a sequel shortly after BRONX REQUIEM. Set that aside. Wrote an entire novel that I scrapped as you mentioned. And now have finished the third book in the series. The title is DEATH COMES DUE. It's dark, complex, frightening, and exciting. And it takes James Beck to an entirely new level in his life. Here's a look at the cover. I tried to copy a jpeg of the cover in this answer, but don't seem to be able to do that. Maybe I can add it to my author page. Or, if you subscribe to my website at www.johnclarkson.com, I'll send you a copy and keep you updated on the exact pub date.
Thanks for asking Chris.
I'm so pleased you took the time to ask. And also pleased to tell you that the book will be available in about two weeks. Yes, on or about November 1. It's been a long road to this one for various reasons. Actually, wrote about a third of a sequel shortly after BRONX REQUIEM. Set that aside. Wrote an entire novel that I scrapped as you mentioned. And now have finished the third book in the series. The title is DEATH COMES DUE. It's dark, complex, frightening, and exciting. And it takes James Beck to an entirely new level in his life. Here's a look at the cover. I tried to copy a jpeg of the cover in this answer, but don't seem to be able to do that. Maybe I can add it to my author page. Or, if you subscribe to my website at www.johnclarkson.com, I'll send you a copy and keep you updated on the exact pub date.
Thanks for asking Chris.
John Clarkson
Tony,
I just noticed that my answer to you two years ago never went through. Sorry about that. Hope you got Bronx Requiem and enjoyed it. All the best, John
I just noticed that my answer to you two years ago never went through. Sorry about that. Hope you got Bronx Requiem and enjoyed it. All the best, John
John Clarkson
Rhonda, I was sure I answered this...but to keep you up to date, the pub date is scheduled for June. I think you have subscribed to my website, so you'll get the latest updates. Thanks for being such a loyal fan.
John Clarkson
Chris,
I'm planning on a June pub date. If you subscribe to my website: www.johnclarkson.com I'll keep you up to date on what's happening. I think you're going to enjoy Beck #3.
I'm planning on a June pub date. If you subscribe to my website: www.johnclarkson.com I'll keep you up to date on what's happening. I think you're going to enjoy Beck #3.
John Clarkson
I have to admit, nothing came to mind at first. So I guess that tells you something about me right there. Perhaps I'm not the romantic type.
However, after a bit of pondering two couples emerged. First, The Thin Man couple, Nick and Nora Charles from the pen of Dashiell Hammett. I actually re-read the book not too long ago. Hammett's last novel, and his only Thin Man novel.
I've seen bits and pieces of the films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, but to get the essence of this relationship, you should read the novel. I have to admit, it's the breezy banter, the happy acceptance of Nick by his rich socialite wife Nora that I enjoyed so much. Maybe it's because they drank so much, had so much money, and no children that allowed for this easy going relationship. Pure fiction, huh?
The other couple I thought of was the movie couple Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon. A bromance if you will. But one with deep undertones in that Riggs is suicidal from the loss of his wife, and the last thing Murtaugh wants is to deal with the dangerous situations Riggs brings into his life as he approaches retirement. Underneath it all, each man's life depends on the success of the relationship -- both externally and internally.
Mel Gibson and Danny Glover played this couple to perfection. In 1987, the movie broke through on several levels, including pairing up a black guy with a white guy. Just in terms of longevity, Riggs and Murtaugh have endured -- even up to the current new TV series with Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford, which I also enjoy. And trust me, I don't watch very much TV.
Is there a common denominator here? I think so. It's the humor. And that indicates to me as I write this how important humor is in a relationship. I'd say without it, no relationship will last very long.
However, after a bit of pondering two couples emerged. First, The Thin Man couple, Nick and Nora Charles from the pen of Dashiell Hammett. I actually re-read the book not too long ago. Hammett's last novel, and his only Thin Man novel.
I've seen bits and pieces of the films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, but to get the essence of this relationship, you should read the novel. I have to admit, it's the breezy banter, the happy acceptance of Nick by his rich socialite wife Nora that I enjoyed so much. Maybe it's because they drank so much, had so much money, and no children that allowed for this easy going relationship. Pure fiction, huh?
The other couple I thought of was the movie couple Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon. A bromance if you will. But one with deep undertones in that Riggs is suicidal from the loss of his wife, and the last thing Murtaugh wants is to deal with the dangerous situations Riggs brings into his life as he approaches retirement. Underneath it all, each man's life depends on the success of the relationship -- both externally and internally.
Mel Gibson and Danny Glover played this couple to perfection. In 1987, the movie broke through on several levels, including pairing up a black guy with a white guy. Just in terms of longevity, Riggs and Murtaugh have endured -- even up to the current new TV series with Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford, which I also enjoy. And trust me, I don't watch very much TV.
Is there a common denominator here? I think so. It's the humor. And that indicates to me as I write this how important humor is in a relationship. I'd say without it, no relationship will last very long.
John Clarkson
Thank you, Ginny. Spread the word, I need as many readers as I can get. Because I took some time off since my last books, they are now unfortunately out of print. Some of the are available through resellers, or whoever those people are who still have copies around. And yes, AMONG THIEVES is the first in a series I have planned.
John Clarkson
Ken,
Delighted to hear from a Jack Devlin fan. As to why I moved away from Jack...there were a few reasons, mostly business reasons. But none of them really had to do with tiring of Jack. This is a little bit behind the scenes stuff, but I'm going to lay some of it out anyhow. In no particular order:
1. Writing the Devlin books turned out to be more costly and time consuming that was practical. As I originally envisioned the character, he had to be a globe trotter. The locales were New York, my hometown which was easy. Then Hawaii, which required more travel than I expected. Then London. At first, I tried to coordinate with vacations, but it's not exactly fair to your wife and kid to be skulking about the seamy side of London while they're not. And Hawaii required more than one trip. And some of those locales were a little dicey. Don't get me wrong, I really had fun researching those books, but it wasn't very efficient.
2. The original editor at Crown moved on. The editor I ended up with for the next two books, in my opinion, didn't understand the books and didn't want to do the work required. An editor is key to the success of the book. Beyond working on the story, they have to marshal all the resources of the publisher for the book, and if that doesn't happen, you're in for problems.
3. I made a movie deal with Paramount for AND JUSTICE FOR OEN that didn't work out (in more ways than one no pun intended) which helped to sour me on the sequels. Hard to explain that. A real saga.
4. The first book in the series did very well. Subsequent two didn't do as well. That's a tough thing to overcome.
5. Wasn't so much tired of Devlin as eager to try something else. Both subsequent novels NEW LOTS and REED'S PROMISE were intended to set up new series, but I didn't follow through for a whole set of other reasons.
As it stands now, I really like James Beck and his ensemble of cohorts. I'll run with him for now, but you never know. Jack might come back. More than one fan has urged me to do another Devlin novel. We'll see.
Persistence will win out.
Thank you very much for the question, Ken. Spread the word about AMONG THIEVES. I need more readers like you.
Best,
John
Delighted to hear from a Jack Devlin fan. As to why I moved away from Jack...there were a few reasons, mostly business reasons. But none of them really had to do with tiring of Jack. This is a little bit behind the scenes stuff, but I'm going to lay some of it out anyhow. In no particular order:
1. Writing the Devlin books turned out to be more costly and time consuming that was practical. As I originally envisioned the character, he had to be a globe trotter. The locales were New York, my hometown which was easy. Then Hawaii, which required more travel than I expected. Then London. At first, I tried to coordinate with vacations, but it's not exactly fair to your wife and kid to be skulking about the seamy side of London while they're not. And Hawaii required more than one trip. And some of those locales were a little dicey. Don't get me wrong, I really had fun researching those books, but it wasn't very efficient.
2. The original editor at Crown moved on. The editor I ended up with for the next two books, in my opinion, didn't understand the books and didn't want to do the work required. An editor is key to the success of the book. Beyond working on the story, they have to marshal all the resources of the publisher for the book, and if that doesn't happen, you're in for problems.
3. I made a movie deal with Paramount for AND JUSTICE FOR OEN that didn't work out (in more ways than one no pun intended) which helped to sour me on the sequels. Hard to explain that. A real saga.
4. The first book in the series did very well. Subsequent two didn't do as well. That's a tough thing to overcome.
5. Wasn't so much tired of Devlin as eager to try something else. Both subsequent novels NEW LOTS and REED'S PROMISE were intended to set up new series, but I didn't follow through for a whole set of other reasons.
As it stands now, I really like James Beck and his ensemble of cohorts. I'll run with him for now, but you never know. Jack might come back. More than one fan has urged me to do another Devlin novel. We'll see.
Persistence will win out.
Thank you very much for the question, Ken. Spread the word about AMONG THIEVES. I need more readers like you.
Best,
John
John Clarkson
There's always a possibility. Agent is working on it. Quite a few readers and several reviewers have mentioned that it would make a great movie. I think so, too! Glad you enjoyed AMONG THIEVES, Bill. Spread the word!
John Clarkson
Jamie,
About a year from now. First draft is at the publishers. I know, it's a long time to wait, but that's pretty much how it goes...one a year. Hey, it'll be here before you know it!
Thanks for asking.
About a year from now. First draft is at the publishers. I know, it's a long time to wait, but that's pretty much how it goes...one a year. Hey, it'll be here before you know it!
Thanks for asking.
John Clarkson
I know it sounds patronizing/obvious, but essentially the advice is -- write. Set a quota. Get it done. Keep going. See what you have. Set another quota for pages you want to edit every day. Fix it, polish it, keep going. Otherwise, nothing will happen. Once you done the above, you can get into the more detailed "advice". This is based on that word "aspiring". If you're aspiring to get published, to improve, to get on the best sellers list...etc. then you already are a writer.
John Clarkson
Book #3 in the Among Thieves series.
John Clarkson
Honestly, I don't actually get "inspired" as much as I just sit down and get to work. It's that old quota thing. I have a daily quota. I get it done (most of the time) by day's end, somehow, some way. What happens during the writing is hopefully inspiring, exciting, interesting, or good enough to keep me going during the day and the next day.
John Clarkson
It's usually a combination of things. But this book started with the persistent, disturbing fact that the United States incarcerates more people per-capita than any other country in the world (except for...get this...Seychelles). U.S. Bureau of Justice says we have 2,266,800 adults imprisoned at the end of 2011. But that doesn't even begin to describe the problem. There are also 4,814,200 adults on probation or on parole. And 71,000 juveniles in detention. I kept thinking, what does this mean? What happens to all those millions? So, that's how it started.
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