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NOTE: ED MCBAIN PASSED AWAY ON JULY 7, 2005. HE WILL BE TRULY MISSED. BELOW IS AN INTERVIEW HE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO DO FOR US.From all the
books you have written, do you have a favorite?
Yes, STREETS OF GOLD by Evan Hunter. It
was a challenge to write the entire book
through the sensibility
of a blind man. Almost gave up on it after 100 pages, but
decided
to go the course, and I'm glad I
did.
At what
point in time did you realize that writing was "the thing for
you"?
While I was aboard a
destroyer in the US Navy during World War II. Prior to that, I
wanted
to be a painter, studied art at the Art Students League
and Cooper Union, both in New York
City, where I was born and
raised.
What
advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a
writer?
Love it more than
anything else in the world -- or forget it.
What is the name of your favorite
mystery movie?
PULP
FICTION
What
other authors do you enjoy reading?
Too numerous to mention, and all of them friends who
might be hurt if I missed including
one of
them.
Do you
normally do a lot of research when writing a
book?
Yes.
Personally, and also with a professional researcher named Daniel
Starer. I still make
mistakes, though. And, boy, do
readers catch them!
What other types of jobs have you had?
Lobster
salesman, telephone dispatcher at the Automobile Club, vocational
high school
teacher, literary agent.
Do you attend conventions and
signings?
Signings,
yep. Conventions, nope.
Is there anyone, in particular, who
influenced you?
My work,
do you mean? Ernest Hemingway.
What led you to write
mysteries?
They seemed
easier than writing for the other pulps that were around at the
time. I
couldn't write Westerns because I'd never been on a
horse. I couldn't write Sci-Fi, because
to fill my college
science requirement I chose Geology. I didn't want to write
Romance or
True Confession, so I picked up a .45 and jumped
right in.
Do
you read reviews of your books?
Yes. To look for lines we can quote in paid
ads.
How
would you like to be remembered?
As the best damn writer who ever came down the
pike.
What do
you believe is the highlight of your writing career so
far?
Acceptance of THE
BLACKBOARD JUNGLE for publication.
Do you write on a fixed schedule or do you
wait until thoughts come to you?
Only writers in movies wait for inspiration.
(Eureka, I've got it, Maude!)
Real writers work on schedules,
different ones for different writers, but
always
structured. Ask any writer you know.
How did you get started in
writing?
I borrowed a
typewriter from the radioman's shack aboard ship, sat myself
down
in a chair, put my fingers on the keys, and began. (Eureka,
Maude!)
How
do you come up with plots?
That's the same as asking "Where do you get your
ideas?"
Did
you take any classes on how to write?
Yes. Every writing course they had to offer at
Hunter College, which I
began attending after I got out of the
Navy.
Do you
ever get writer's block?
Not yet.
What are your hobbies and interests?
Travel.
How do you spend your free
time?
Eating, drinking,
laughing, enjoying life with my beloved wife
Dragica.
Do
you have a message you would like to give to all the readers out
there?
Thanks. And
keep reading.
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