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4.
AOTW: When writing a novel that is a departure from your usual character(s), do you worry at all that fans may be disappointed when their favorites aren't included?
Nevada Barr: It crosses my mind but I figure, hey, it's MY book. You want somebody else? Write your own damn book.
Carolyn Hart: I may find out how readers will respond to such a departure. My titles this year (Resort to Murder, a Henrie O mystery) and next (April Fool Dead, a Death on Demand mystery) are both series books. I finished April Fool Dead ahead of schedule and had free time before I needed to start another series book. I am presently writing quite a different book which is not under contract to anyone. Letter From Home is the story of a few days during the summer of 1944 in a small town in northeastern Oklahoma. Gretchen Gilman, the protagonist, is thirteen and has her first newspaper job. A murder shakes the community and Gretchen becomes embroiled in the search for the killer. Each chapter opens with an excerpt from a letter received by Gretchen more than a half century later and Gretchen's first person visit to the little town's cemetery as an old woman. The body of the chapter is in third person with Gretchen as the thirteen year old. I'm half way through. I've written two short stories about Gretchen, "Spooked" in the Murder on Route 66 anthology and "Secrets" in the Love and Death anthology. Of course, the response by readers will only be determined if the book eventually sells. But whether it is published or not, I am finding the book enormously challenging and satisfying.
Ridley Pearson: I am of the opinion that as long as the author enjoys writing whatever he/she is writing, that readers will enjoy it also. It would be worse to be forced into a series novel year after year and never come up for air. I enjoy suspense novels that move with the speed of light and offer rich characters --- that's what I try to deliver consistently to my readers. Hopefully, who's on stage doesn't matter as much as the story and depth of character the reader experiences.
Ian Rankin: I wrote 3 non-Rebus books in the early 1990s, but did so under a pseudonym (Jack Harvey) so that fans wouldn't be cheated into thinking they were getting another Inspector Rebus book. Those books have just been reissued in the UK and are selling really well... no complaints from fans so far.
George Pelecanos: No, I don't. I would hope that they would be energized by a good new book.
Robert B. Parker: See my answer to question 2.
(I wish I hadn't made Spenser quite so age specific, because now, 30 years later the question comes up. I solve the problem by ignoring the question.)
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