I grew up in a house full of stories. Over dinner every night, the six of us talked about our days. And inevitably, someone always had a great story. Like the one about my grandfather who threw dice for his cigar store in Chicago. Or the dinner party where everybody drank three martinis before the meal. The host forgot to bake her world-famous shrimp casserole, and none of the guests noticed as they ate. Or the things my Dad saw when he flew to a war-torn Vietnam, the watch that a pickpocket slipped from his wrist at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. Our anecdotes ranged from funny to horrific. Sometimes, they were no more than razor-sharp observations about the ironies of our lives.
Authors are born readers. But books, for me, are a way to venture beyond the great oral tradition of my childhood. There are so many writers who have seen or experienced adventures that will never be part of my life. Or they've been to places, which I hope are part of my future.
I love books that burrow deep into foreign worlds, stories that mix friendship and betrayal with the mystery of the unexpected. I gravitate toward the underdogs of literature, even toward supporting characters like Cletus Purcell in James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series. I like good guys who persevere against all odds and prevail-personal foibles notwithstanding. That's Grove O'Rourke, the hero of my debut novel, Top Producer.
These days, I find more time to listen to audio books than to read the printed word. I insist on unabridged editions and like to think audio books fit my busy schedule, which includes plenty of driving. But when I'm honest with myself, I acknowledge that books on tape are a comforting throwback to childhood days around the dinner table.
It's impossible to choose my favorite "mystery writer." And frankly, I find the label somewhat troubling in the sense that every great story includes both mystery and suspense. There's got to be a splash of humor. I don't think of Khaled Hosseini as a "mystery writer," but he makes readers thirst for revelations in the pages ahead. I would say the same about John Irving, another novelist whose insights I admire.
That said, I like Carl Hiaasen's mysteries, especially characters like Skink in Double Whammy who start out as normal people and spiral out of control. I admire Raymond Chandler's hard-boiled jargon and believe nobody can "write" a Boston accent better than Dennis Lehane. If there's one book I wished I had written, it's The Lords of Discipline.
That Saturday, I read through dinner and into the evening. I lost all track of time and place. Immersed in another world, I forgot it was the weekend -- my time to prowl. That is, I forget until the phone rang at 10 p.m. The events that followed -- a chance meeting with a rogue billionaire, the greatest ice cream sundae of all time, and the 4:00 a.m. end to my night across town with no money and one shoe -- those are vignettes that will find their way into my future novels.
Who are your favorite underdogs?
Editor's Note: Norb Vonnegut is a former financial advisor. His debut novel, Top Producer, was released in September.
