TitleTales

Interview: Linwood Barclay

Linwood Barclay is a former columnist for The Toronto Star and the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including Too Close to Home and No Time for Goodbye, a #1 Sunday Times (U.K.) bestseller.

His latest book, Fear the Worst, is available from Bantam Publishing.

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BWI: Can you briefly tell us about Fear the Worst? Is there an alternate title being used in other countries?

LB: At the moment, the book is called Fear the Worst everywhere. Fear the Worst is about a father whose 17-year-old daughter comes to live with him for the summer while she works at a one-star hotel. One night, she doesn’t come home and the father goes to the hotel, for the first time, to find out what’s happened to her. The hotel workers have not only not seen her, they’ve NEVER seen her. So where has she been going these last few weeks? Where is she now? And why are some very bad people looking for her?

BWI: Our BWI readers think that some scenes from Fear the Worst, like the escape and destruction of the car dealership, are so vivid they’re screenplay ready. Are there any plans to adapt this or any of your other books to the big screen?

LB: I do like that scene. So far, Fear the Worst has not been optioned, but No Time for Goodbye has been optioned by Eric McCormack, who was “Will” in Will & Grace. I’ve heard he hopes to start filming next spring.

BWI: Why have you chosen to set your mysteries in the Northeastern part of the US when you are from Canada? What is it about the small towns of New England that draws you?

LB: I was born in Connecticut, although my parents did move to Canada when I was four. I used to go back to Milford, CT, every year to visit my father’s two sisters, until the surviving one passed away. I very much like those areas of the US, and they make perfect settings for my books.

BWI: Too Close to Home is doing very well in the UK as well as being translated into several languages. What is it that gives these books, which have a strong regional atmosphere, the ability to speak to people all over the world?

LB: I think it’s because I am writing about average people whose problems are universal. It doesn’t matter where you live in the world—you still worry about your kids, your job, your marriage. And the extraordinary things that happen to these people in these books are things that readers can imagine happening to them. Not that they would want them to.

BWI: Do you have a favorite character from one of your books?

LB: Patty, from Fear the Worst. My heart aches for her.

BWI: What differences do you find when writing stand-alone mysteries compared to your series mysteries? Are there more Zack Walker stories coming soon?

LB: As much as I would like to write more stories starring Zack, I don’t see much of a future for him. I suppose, however, if my more recent books brought a new audience to his adventures, he might come back. Writing a series is fun, and part of the work is done for you, because you already know these people. You’re getting back together with old friends when you start a new book. I might, at some point, bring back Jim Cutter, the main character from Too Close to Home.

BWI: Your mysteries frequently feature a regular guy that is trying to save his family from harm. Are these characters based in any part on you, and if so, are they based more on your experiences as a son or as a father? Did you model unlikely hero Zack Walker on anyone you know?

LB: Zack is a well-intentioned, anxiety-riddled, know-it-all pain in the butt, and it pains me to tell you who he is based on. He is basically me, unchecked. But I don’t consciously base any of my other heroes on me, but given that they’re written in first person, my voice does tend to come through.

BWI: At BWI we have recently spoken with several writers who began careers as journalists. What elements of your many years as a columnist with The Toronto Star have you employed in your novel writing? Do you miss column writing?

LB: I thought I would miss writing my column, but I haven’t had time. As my books have attracted a wider audience, I’ve found myself busier promoting them. But working in newspapers teaches you the importance of deadlines, and that writing is a job. Don’t whine about “not feeling it” today. Just get it done.

BWI: What is the best advice you have ever received about writing?

LB: A practical tip: When I was in Grade 5 and couldn’t handwrite my stories fast enough, my father got out our Royal manual typewriter — it weighed about the same as a Volkswagen—and he said, “Okay, your fingers rest here, this finger hits this key, this one hits these keys, and so on.” That was my typing lesson. Things went more quickly after that.

BWI: What appeals to you about writing mysteries? Why do you think people choose to read this genre?

LB: I like the mystery format because it demands a strong plot. That plot becomes the book’s backbone. Once you have that, you can hang any number of things off it. I think readers are attracted to the genre because they love to be entertained, they like a puzzle, and they like to see justice done. And it doesn’t hurt to read about people who have more problems than you do.

BWI: Your novels include a dark sense of humor, and yet none of the books are parodies. Is the humor a specific atmospheric tool? How do you know when to use it?

LB: In my Zack mysteries I was looking to make them funny. Now I let it come naturally out of the situations. Humor often comes out of the tense situations I put my characters in. It’s a pressure release. And, my main characters are usually smart alecks anyway.

BWI: Have you had any ideas for storylines that you are still mentally reviewing? Do you have a work in progress that you can tell us about?

LB: My next novel, Never Look Away, is finished, and it’s very hard to say anything about it without giving things away. The twists begin in the very first chapter. Now I have to turn my attention to the book that will come out in 2011. Do you have any ideas?

BWI: Whose works do you most admire? What are you reading these days?

LB: Ross Macdonald, who I was fortunate to know, made the greatest impression on me in my younger years, and remains my favourite writer. At the moment I am reading a Nero Wolfe mystery — I haven’t read one of these since my teens — and loving it. New novels by Richard Russo and the late Donald E. Westlake are waiting for me on my bedside table.

BWI: Can you share with us a favorite moment from one of your book tours or a favorite fan letter?

LB: I recently heard from a fan in New Zealand who was reading No Time for Goodbye while vacationing with friends. She was telling them about the book, and they wanted to know everything, so she began reading it aloud to them at every opportunity during their trip. A real, live audiobook. They promised to get in touch when they got to the end, but I’ve not yet heard from them.

BWI: What’s on your iPod or in you car stereo right now?

LB: Diana Krall.

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