Please Welcome WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER!

[williekent]

Sorry for being so delayed in answering this question about THUNDER BAY.  I had my grandson all afternoon and evening and, man, did we have fun.  At seven, everything's fun.  (He's seven; I'm a bit older.)

Okay, THUNDER BAY.  It's my favorite novel in the series for several reasons.  First of all, it's the only book in which Cork O'Connor tells his own story.  Two-thirds of it is first person narrative.  And I loved Cork's voice.  This book was an experiment, just to see if I could do first person, and what that would sound like.

Second, I love the structure.  It's a bookended story.  It opens with Cork relating to the reader what happened.  The second part of the story is told in third-person, as we learn the history of a series character named Henry Meloux.  And the book finishes with the final part back in Cork's voice.

I loved that this book was about Henry Meloux, the old Ojibwe Mide who plays such an important role in most of the books.  Henry's a unique character--wise,, funny, compassionate, courageous, honest, and very, very old.  I wanted to know how he got to be the remarkable man he is, and that's the story at the heart of THUNDER BAY.

Finally, I love the theme of the book: the sacrifices we're willing to make in the name of love.

[williekent]

Becke, I like this question about things I've written that I  hope might never see the light of day.  Every author I've ever talked to has some manuscript under the bed gathering dust bunnies.  Nobody--or almost nobody--leaps into publication without one or two failed efforts first.

In my case, I spent nearly two years on a manuscript titled THE DEMON HUNTER.  It was about the ultimate battle between good and evil, fought in the cornfields of Nebraska.  I sent that manuscript to an agent, who wrote back and told me it was probably the worst piece of writing she'd ever seen.  Her comments devasted me.  And for almost two years, I didn't write a word.  But, you know, she was right.  It was absolutely awful.  The silver lining was that when I finally started the next project, I had a sense of many of the things I shouldn't do.  That project was IRON LAKE, my first published novel, and the first in the Cork O'Connor series.

As for THE DEMON HUNTER, I still like the idea.  So maybe someday, when I have time, I'll pull it out from under the bed, dust it off, and see what might be done with it.

[becke_davis]

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williekent wrote:

Becke, I like this question about things I've written that I  hope might never see the light of day.  Every author I've ever talked to has some manuscript under the bed gathering dust bunnies.  Nobody--or almost nobody--leaps into publication without one or two failed efforts first.

In my case, I spent nearly two years on a manuscript titled THE DEMON HUNTER.  It was about the ultimate battle between good and evil, fought in the cornfields of Nebraska.  I sent that manuscript to an agent, who wrote back and told me it was probably the worst piece of writing she'd ever seen.  Her comments devasted me.  And for almost two years, I didn't write a word.  But, you know, she was right.  It was absolutely awful.  The silver lining was that when I finally started the next project, I had a sense of many of the things I shouldn't do.  That project was IRON LAKE, my first published novel, and the first in the Cork O'Connor series.

As for THE DEMON HUNTER, I still like the idea.  So maybe someday, when I have time, I'll pull it out from under the bed, dust it off, and see what might be done with it.

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Thanks so much for sharing this with us, Kent! As someone who has SEVERAL stories that will never see the light of day, I appreciate your candor. I'm sure that, in light of your success, this will give hope to a lot of the struggling mystery writers who follow this board.

[becke_davis]

Kent - Have any of your books been optioned for movies?

[optic_i]

Hi Kent, That was my question about which book was your favorite one .Sorry for the mix up with Ryan. I  will also read " Thunder Bay"  they all look good. I should really go back to the first one in the series and follow the timeline like Eadie . How did you come up with the character Henry Melloux? He seems to be a father figure for Cork since he lost his own father at a young age.

Optic

[Fricka]

Ooooh, ooooh, oooooh! I just found out that WillieKent is going to be at the *cough* Mystery Bookstore in Scottsdale*cough* on September 15! It's a double billing with WK and Spencer Quinn, for an "Atria Crime Party." WK will be signing Trickster's Point, and Spencer will be signing A Fistful of Collars, his latest Bernie and Chet mystery. Well, yours truly will be there, with "Bells On"!

WillieKent, have you ever met Spencer before, and have you read any of his books?

[williekent]

Have my books been optioned for film?  Yep.  They were under option for a very long time, but nothing came of it.  Lots of almosts and taking meetings but nothing concrete in the end.  I have a long, funny story about all this that I tell when I do book events.  I won't spill it here--not enough ink space--but if you ever attend one of my signings, ask and I'll give you whole laughable tale.

Since I've hit the NYT bestseller list, there's been lots of renewed interest in the series, nothing I can report at the moment.

Kent

[williekent]

I haven't met Spencer Quinn, but I'm a fan of his work.  I'm looking forward very much to our event together at *PP* in Scottsdale in September.

Kent

*Note - Sorry, Kent, I had to edit this because B&N won't allow other bookstores to be mentioned here. We're all familiar with this one - hopefully Frcka will take pictures!

[becke_davis]

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Fricka wrote:

Ooooh, ooooh, oooooh! I just found out that WillieKent is going to be at the *cough* Mystery Bookstore in Scottsdale*cough* on September 15! It's a double billing with WK and Spencer Quinn, for an "Atria Crime Party." WK will be signing Trickster's Point, and Spencer will be signing A Fistful of Collars, his latest Bernie and Chet mystery. Well, yours truly will be there, with "Bells On"!

WillieKent, have you ever met Spencer before, and have you read any of his books?

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So Atria is having a Crime Party, after their Mystery Tour? What a cool company!

[becke_davis]

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williekent wrote:

Have my books been optioned for film?  Yep.  They were under option for a very long time, but nothing came of it.  Lots of almosts and taking meetings but nothing concrete in the end.  I have a long, funny story about all this that I tell when I do book events.  I won't spill it here--not enough ink space--but if you ever attend one of my signings, ask and I'll give you whole laughable tale.

Since I've hit the NYT bestseller list, there's been lots of renewed interest in the series, nothing I can report at the moment.

Kent

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How frustrating! If anything comes of the renewed interest, let us know! This is "your" thread now - you're welcome to add updates whenever you want!

[williekent]

Henry Meloux.  My favorite character in the series, and also the favorite of many readers.  How did I come up with Henry?  Mystery is a such a tight story form that writers, more often than not, spend most of their time calculating, plotting, weaving that intricate web, which is mostly brain work.  But once in a while, a creative blessing falls into our laps.  It doesn't come from our brains but from a deeper place, or maybe from a place completely outside ourselves.  When this happens, it's magic.  Henry Meloux was magic for me.  He just came.  In Iron Lake, he makes his first appearance, materializing out of a storm.  That's pretty much a how it was for me.  He appeared full-blown and stayed.  And with each book, he's become more and more important in Cork's life.  I can't imagine a story without Meloux.

Kent

[becke_davis]

Kent - Have you written any mystery short stories? There doesn't seem to be much middle ground here - the authors I've asked either love the format or hate it. But I notice a trend for authors to write short stories as a sort of promo and make them available for ereaders. Do you have any plans to do that?

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[eadieburke]

Arrived in San Diego. Read 100 pages of Boundary Waters on the plane. Can't wait to get back to it.

[williekent]

I hope you like it all the way to the end.  Please let me know.

Kent

[becke_davis]

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eadieburke wrote:
Arrived in San Diego. Read 100 pages of Boundary Waters on the plane. Can't wait to get back to it.

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That's my favorite way to fly - engrossed in a good book!

[eadieburke]

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becke_davis wrote:

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eadieburke wrote:
Arrived in San Diego. Read 100 pages of Boundary Waters on the plane. Can't wait to get back to it.

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That's my favorite way to fly - engrossed in a good book!

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We were delayed 2-1/2 hours on the runway because of bad weather but I didn't care - I had 4 books in my carry-on bag!

[eadieburke]

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williekent wrote:

I hope you like it all the way to the end.  Please let me know.

Kent

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I love your writing and your characters too, so I'm sure to finish it soon! I'm so happy to have more books in this series and I don't have to wait a whole year for the next book to be published!

[becke_davis]

Kent - Thank you so much for visiting with us this week! This is "your" thread now - you're welcome to come back and post news and updates here any time you like!

[eadieburke]

Finished Boundary Waters sitting by the pool yesterday. Loved reading more about Cork and Jo and their relationship again. Loved Louis' Indian tales told to him by his grandfather. Once again Cork has an opportunity to show us the hero that he is. My husband and I had breakfast at a cafe that was established in 1941 and has not changed since then. Very unique atmosphere. I briefed him about Boundary Waters and he told me to quickly finish the book so he could read it. Of course, I obeyed! Another Cork fan has been added to the growing list!