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f4f3Just back from a reading, Q&A and signing by one of my favourite authors, James Ellroy. Mr E is probably best known as the author of LA Confidential, part of a sequence of novels that looks at American politics, celebrity and crime, and their intertwinings, from the 40's to, now, the early 70's.
I've always been tremendously impressed by his writing, but not so much by his press clippings - he always seemed to be selling, and always too hard. Tonight, in person, he was marvelous. Not only his brilliantly over-the-top delivery, but his handling of the Q&A. He did two things I've never seen an author do. First, when asked if the style in his last novel, The Cold Six Thousand, had been a mistake, if the staccato delivery was too edgy to carry a long book, he said "Yes". "Yes, it was a mistake, and I've changed the style in the new book. I learned. I'm still learning." Secondly, he spoke about knowing a lot about 7 or 8 things, about 7 or 8 places, and claimed an encyclopaedic ignorance about anything else - and worked hard to convince us that he wasn't being cute or disingenious in saying that.
He impressed the hell out of me.
He was also the perfect gentleman in signing for a looong line of us.
And taller than you'd think.
Buy his books. He's great.
I've always been tremendously impressed by his writing, but not so much by his press clippings - he always seemed to be selling, and always too hard. Tonight, in person, he was marvelous. Not only his brilliantly over-the-top delivery, but his handling of the Q&A. He did two things I've never seen an author do. First, when asked if the style in his last novel, The Cold Six Thousand, had been a mistake, if the staccato delivery was too edgy to carry a long book, he said "Yes". "Yes, it was a mistake, and I've changed the style in the new book. I learned. I'm still learning." Secondly, he spoke about knowing a lot about 7 or 8 things, about 7 or 8 places, and claimed an encyclopaedic ignorance about anything else - and worked hard to convince us that he wasn't being cute or disingenious in saying that.
He impressed the hell out of me.
He was also the perfect gentleman in signing for a looong line of us.
And taller than you'd think.
Buy his books. He's great.
