Friday 13th September was a red letter day for the mystery readers of Wellington as Unity Books was paid a special visit by bestselling author John Connolly. Here to talk about the latest in his Charlie Parker mystery series A Book of Bones and his novel of the life of Stan Laurel He, John gave an animated talk to an eager audience of fans including Ngaio Marsh Award nominated NZ author Jen Shieff.
John covered a broad range of subjects, starting off by tackling the perceived restrictions of genre fiction and the tensions that can arise between notions of the supernatural and mystery or crime writing – areas which often converge in his own writing. John when on to talk about factors in the development of his own writing style, including the lure of American crime fiction as a means of escape from the Irish tradition, and the surprising insignificance of plot compared to that of character in mystery writing, demonstrated by early influence Ed McBain. The unspoken depths of male friendship and the difficulties of paternal relationships have become recurring themes in John’s writing, particularly evident in his work in other genres such as He and The Book of Lost Things, but John noted these are also subjects ideally suited to unpacking within the detective genre. John finished by talking about the friction between the author’s desire for closure on their characters’ behalves and their readership’s desire for continued stories, which can arise when a series like the Charlie Parker books runs for over twenty years.
An enthusiastic Q&A session followed with questions from readers and aspiring writers, with subjects including the need (or not) to write likeable characters, adding levity to grim stories with humour, and whether writing feels any easier over years of practice.
John took the time for chats, photos and lots of signing with the eager crowd who were delighted with the tote bags, soundtrack CDs and cards he had brought to give away.
A Book of Bones and He are available in store and online now.