Dark Forces: Rick Klaw hat mit Joe R. Lansdale gesprochen (Teil 1, Teil 2):
It’s not that I can’t write without violence, but I don’t want. Depends on the book. When I wrote The Bottoms, there is violence in it but there’s almost a young adult feel to that novel. And The Boar is an example of what I can do. A lot more of the modern young adult books isn’t like See Spot Run or the Hardy Boys. I’m getting an opportunity to do something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time. If this goes well, I’m planning on doing more.
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Ausgehend von John Banvilles (oder Benjamin Blacks) Bemerkung, dass er die Krimis schneller als seine literarischen Werke schreibe, hat Sandra Ruttan bei BSC einen sehr lesenswerten längeren Artikel über die Arbeitshaltung von Autoren, ihren Fans (Banville hat das zuletzt auf einem Krimifestival gesagt) und den Reaktionen von Autoren und Kritikern auf Banvilles Bemerkung geschrieben:
As writers, it helps if we know our audience when we’re writing, and it is extremely helpful if we know our audience when we’re speaking at an event. (This is part of the reason I attended events before I had a publishing contract.) If you’re on a panel and make a comment and it’s misinterpreted that’s your fault. It is your job, as a speaker, to express yourself clearly. It is no the audience’s job to read your mind or even give you the benefit of the doubt. (…)
Black’s been pushed as a literary writer, and instigated a few controversies in the community, and none of that makes me particularly interested in his books. I never hear about content, about the story, about captivating characters… just literary writer turned crime novelist, and that holds no special appeal for me. During the writers’ strike we received a lot of submissions from screenwriters, and we rejected almost all of them, because characters and setting were often underdeveloped. There’s nothing wrong with being a screenwriter; it requires a different set of writing muscles from novel writing. The same is true for genre writing and literary writing. None are better or worse, just because of their label, but within all the categories there will be works that are great and there will be works that are garbage. (…)
As writers our focus should be on the work, not kicking up a controversy to get our names in the press.
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Newsweek hat die True-Crime-Week. Walter Mosley schreibt über die Wurzeln einer amerikanischen Obsession (Na, welche ist das wohl?). James Ellroy schreibt über die ermordete 17-jährige Lily Burk. Vincent Bugliosi (Helter Skelter) erinnert sich an die Manson-Morde. „Law & Order“-Erfinder Dick Wolf nennt die zehn Verbrecher, die ihn am meisten faszinierten. Malcolm Jones schreibt über Noir (und illustriert wird’s mit Hard-Case-Crime-Covers) und er nennt seine zehn Lieblingskrimis (schöne Liste).
Kriminalakte 