Who Do You Write Like?

RHYS BOWEN: One of my favorite stories was Robert Crais telling about his experience signing books in a Costco store. (Can you imagine it?) A man came up to him and demanded "Who do you write like?"  Bob replied, without batting an eyelid "Michael Connelly."  Then the man said, "Who is he?" which is reassuring to all of us who have experienced someone saying "Should I have heard of you?"

So I've thought about this. Who do I write like? I'm not sure. In my early days of mystery writing I was always compared to M.C Beaton. But I'm not sure who else does a historical humorous mystery series. My stand-clones are, I suppose, is the same vein as Kate Morton--at least I like to think they are!
And more than that. As I approach a lifetime of having written: which of my books might possibly endure. Wouldn't it be nice to have that one definitive book, that one "To Kill a Mockingbird" for which one would be forever known. Oh, Rhys Bowen, didn't she write The Tuscan Child?  I can't think that any of mine are more than entertainment. None of them delve into the depths of the human condition, and let's face it, none of them are depressing enough to be called great literature!

 Which leads me to thinking about the book I wish I had written. Pride and Prejudice?  The Lord of the Rings? The Handmaid's Tale? These are my absolute favorites. Would I like to have written the first Poirot? The first Miss Marple? All of the above.  And how about Winnie the Pooh? That's certainly one book I wish I had written, but then my son was not Christopher Robin, and having seen the movie, I would not have treated my son the way he was treated.

So I'm throwing out the questions to the Reds. Who do you write like? And which book do you wish you had written?

HALLIE EPHRON: At my best, I like to think that I channel Ruth Rendell. If only! And the book I wish I'd written? Definitely GONE GIRL. Word for word, sentence for sentence, Gillian Flynn is a terrific writer. And that story was so original. Though truly nasty -- that part I could never do, but I wish I could make that kind of money off a single piece of work. Imagine!

LUCY BURDETTE: Oh I love the idea of Winnie the Pooh or The Wind in the Willows! Those creatures were so wise and I still remember and treasure entire scenes from those books. I would have liked to have written Barbara O'Neal's THE ART OF INHERITING SECRETS, or Juliet Blackwell's THE PARIS KEY, or Ann Mah's THE LOST VINTAGE, or Ann Cleeves' RAVEN BLACK. And it goes without saying that I would happily be compared to any of the Reds' writing! I certainly haven't and never will write high-brow literary fiction. If I can develop a character whom readers love and feel touches their lives in some way, then I will be happy.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Who do I write like? Ah--huh. One wonderful reviewer said:  "If John Grisham and Lisa Scottoline had a book baby, The Murder List would be it." SO, yeah, those two.  Scott Turow.  Edith Wharton. Yes, I know, it's crazy, but if you read The Age of Innocence, now, its astonishing. Powerful, and sinister, and shocking. That's what I'm going for, at least. I wish I had written PRESUMED INNOCENT. Can you imagine writing the first Poirot? Or Sherlock Holmes? Brings tears to my eyes.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: My books are often compared to both PD James and Ruth Rendell, but although I'm flattered, I honestly don't think I write like either. I would like to think my writing was half as sharp and witty as Dorothy Sayers, or that my prose was as brilliant as A.S. Byatt's or Reginald Hill. As for books I wish I had written, Lord of the Rings would probably top the list. I'd add in Sayer's Gaudy Night, and Reginald Hill's On Beaulah Height. And Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches!

RHYS: Thank you for reminding me of two of my favorites, Debs. On Beulah Height--one of the best mysteries ever written. I'd put it right up there with Dreaming of the Bones by a certain Red!
And A.S Byatt. Brilliant! I wish I'd written Possession.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Who do I write like? Debs! Seriously, you'll find her books and mine on many "read-alike" lists. Which is the only way I can answer the question - I have no idea what my writing, per se, is like, so i can only suggest "If you like my books, you'll like..." Kent Krueger, Steve Hamilton's Alex McKnight series, and Jenny Milchman's stand-alone thrillers, in the "Places where the weather can kill you" genre. If you like the strong romantic storylines in my novels, try Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily series, Dana Stabenow's Liam Campbell books (which also fall under the Terrible weather umbrella) and of course, the grandmother of us all, Dorothy Sayer's Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane novels. I'm so glad I never read them until after I had launched by own series; I would have been too intimidated to even start my first book.

And what would I have liked to have written? Richard Russo's EMPIRE FALLS. Decaying mill town, complicated romantic relationships, a mystery...it's just like my books, except, you know, it won the Pulitzer.

HANK: Julia! That is so brilliant. I just went to amazon, and it says: Customers who bought The Murder List also bought: Shari Lapena, Ruth Ware, Lisa Scottoline. YAY. Love that.

So dear fellow writers and readers: What book do you wish you had written?

Paddington and Michael Bond

DEBORAH CROMBIE:  On Christmas Eve in 1956, Thomas Michael Bond, a camera operator for the BBC, was on his way home from work when he spotted a stuffed bear in the window of Selfridge's department store. He thought the bear looked rather forlorn, so he bought him and took him home as a Christmas present for his wife, Brenda.

Ten days later, he'd completed a novel detailing the bear's adventures, which he sold to William Collins and Sons for 75 pounds. Bond lived in the Maida Vale area of London, near Paddington Station, so he called the small brown bear "Paddington." The original Paddington arrived in London from darkest Peru with a small leather suitcase, a tag reading, "Please look after this bear. Thank you," and wearing only a "dirty-colored" hat. It was Mr. and Mrs. Brown, of 32 Windsor Gardens, Notting Hill, who first bought Paddington his distinctive blue duffel coat.

Paddington, the disaster-prone, lovable bear with the predilection for marmalade sandwiches, did not become a hit in the U.S. until the 70s, when the animated series based on the character began appearing on PBS.

Having been brought up on Winnie the Pooh (I still have my 1950s first editions!) you can imagine that Paddington holds a special place in my heart. My daughter grew up on Paddington stories, and for many years, the first thing I did when arriving in London through Paddington Station was visit the Paddington Bear kiosk in the main floor of the terminus. But the Paddington kiosk has now been moved upstairs and is a proper shop--good for merchandising but less welcoming for visitors arriving at Paddington!

Paddington has had many changes of costume over the years, depending on the illustrator and the company making the stuffed toys. Nowadays, Paddington is usually portrayed wearing a red hat, a blue duffel coat, and red Wellington boots. My daughter's Paddington had a yellow rain hat. Mine, bought quite a few years ago (an anniversary--although I'm not now sure now which one--special) has Paddington in his original "dirty-colored" hat. My Paddington has place of honor on the chaise in my office, which I'm sure he quite appreciates. And, so far, anyway, he's managed to stay out of trouble!

I adore the 2014 movie, PADDINGTON, with himself voiced by the marvelous British actor, Ben Wishaw, and starring Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville as Mr. Brown. If you are a Paddington fan and have not seen it, watch it now. If you don't know or care anything about Paddington, watch it anyway, and I promise you will be smitten.

Sadly, Michael Bond died on June 27th. He was 91, so had a good long life, and left a legacy that will live beyond him. Still... such a loss.

Reading this quote, however, made me regret his passing even more. Born in 1926, Michael Bond was much affected by the plight of evacuated children during WWII. In an interview with the Guardian in 2014, he said, “They all had a label round their neck with their name and address on and a little case or package containing all their treasured possessions. So Paddington, in a sense, was a refugee, and I do think that there’s no sadder sight than refugees.”

Here's Paddington, in Paddington Station, immortalized in bronze by artist Marcus Cornish, and I will have to pay special respects when I'm there in September.

REDS and readers, what childhood literary character holds a special place for you?

 

1001 MORE Books

April goes out like a lion! Bestseller list from Mystery Lovers Bookshop:

• #4 Paperback: Face Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan
• #5 Trade: 1001 Books for Every Mood by Hallie Ephron
• #7 Hardcover: Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris

HALLIE: Last week I was in Ohio and Pennsylvania talking about my new book, "1001 Books for Every Mood." I had such a blast writing this thing--a nice break from fiction. It's even more fun chatting with readers and booksellers and librarians about favorite books. They're tickled to find a favorite has been included--even more tickled when they can recommend a book I left out.

I'm starting a list for "1001 MORE books..." -- here are some of the book people recommended that I wish I'd put in:
- "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan (by the way is #1 on MLB's bestseller list for hardcover)
- "Olive Kitteridge" (Elizabeth Strout)
- "Funny in Farci" (Firsoozeh Dumas)
- "Peace Like a River" ( Leif Enger)

At Books & Co in Dayton, Sharon Roth asked what's the oldest book I have in there. Turns out it's "Gulliver's Travels," in print since 1726. Read it when you're in the mood "For grand adventure." Did you know that the word "Yahoos" comes from GT? In Gulliver's fourth voyage, a mutinous crew abandons him on Houyhnhnms where finds a race of intelligent horses who rule over Yahoos: “abominable animals” with perfect human faces. Turns out they are humans.

So what favorite books would you have included if you'd been putting together a list of 1001 books for every mood?

JAN: One of my absolutely favorite books ever -- that I rarely hear anything about -- is Lisa Grunwald's "New Year's Eve." It's about two sisters who have young toddlers. One of them dies, and the other toddler, a little girl, starts to see visions of the little boy who died. It's all about the different ways we cope with tragedy, and how our belief systems can bring us together or tear us apart. It's beautifully written, and inspirational.

I would add "Ava's Man" by Rick Bragg, which was Amazon's top pick for 2001 and a fabulous read -- although I suspect not too different from the other Bragg memoir you did include: ("All Over But the Shoutin'").

And although you included "Blink" from Malcolm Gladwell, I'd also add "The Tipping Point" -- parts of which I still think about even though its been years since I read the book.

And Hallie, I brought your book to my book group, and we used it to pick our June read. We were looking for either a good mystery or good classic. We scanned your book and came up with Josephine Tey's "The Daughter of Time." It's a terrific resource!

(Pardon the fuzzy copy--it's the best I could do.)

HALLIE: That's great, Jan - I've added those titled to my "More" list... and I hope someone in your reading will write a "Readers Guide" and win a free copy of the book. (Jan wrote reader's guides for "Rebecca" and "Presumed Innocent." Check them out.

HANK: Oh, what a great idea. And irresistible. I have two ideas, maybe three, but let me ask you something first.

How on earth did you put this book together? Can you tell us--maybe Wednesday? Or whenever. All the icons, the categories, the quizzes, the memorable characters--it's overwhelming to think about the level of organzation that certainly went into this. Did you use note cards? Or how could you possibly keep it straight? And how did you make all the decisions? Cboose the icons? Figure it all out?

It's the most "complicated on the inside and simple on the outside" book I've ever seen. I keep it by my computer now, and can't resist comparing it to what I think, and finding new books, and agreeing and remembering. I love that you put two of my very faves, "Day of the Jackal" and "The Faithful Spy" together. Stuff like that. Genius.

Okay--quickly then. For Grand Adventure: "Winter's Tale," by Mark Helprin. Best book I've ever read, maybe. It's about, um, well, it's complicated. And it takes place during the, well, it's complicated. In New York, though. Mostly. It's fantastic.

And "Custom of the Country." Or "Age of Innocence." Or "House of Mirth." Your call. But we have to have Edith Wharton. But where would we put her?

And then to Slide Down the Rabbit Hole (another of your terrific categories)--"Diamond in the Window," by Jane Langton. Where else can you find magic and transcendentalism in a YA book? If I had an eleven year old son or daughter, I'd sit them right down with it.

RO: Some years back I did a similar book on videos. That was so much fun to put together, but a heckuva lot easier than your book! Oh boy...in no particular order...."The Razor's Edge," The "Golden Bowl," "Age of Innocence," "Fall of a Sparrow," used to love John Galsworthy, John O'Hara and Richard Yates but not sure they still hold up,...for pure fun anything by Carl Hiassen.
They'd all be included but I don't know where!

Love that you had the Hug Your Dog section...went on a driving trip with my dog a few years ago and brought "Travels with Charley." It was perfect! Of course we wound up at Gettysburg, so I had to reread "Killer Angels." This is a little like choosing the right wine with dinner isn't it??

ROBERTA: I'm at a disadvantage because I don't have this fabulous book with me on the road...However, the books that come to my overtraveled mind seem to be kids' books this morning: "Charlotte's Web," "Winnie the Pooh," "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase," "The Pink Motel." Can't wait to hold your book in my hands Hallie. congratulations on a wonderful new addition to the book addicts of the world!

HALLIE: Great suggestions, Roberta. Got the first two, not the last two. And ACK! I was so chagrined to see I'd left out Edith Wharton. It was a synaptic lapse...I saw I had Evelyn Waugh and checked off Edith Wharton. Not even the same gender. Do you do that, mix up names? Sinclair Lewis/Upton Sinclair? Wallace Stegner/Wallace Stevens? Tom Wolfe/Thomas Wolfe/Tobias Wolff...

Please share your favorites -- We're keeping a list!