This interview with Patrick
Quinlan was first published in January 2006. To find out even more about the
author, you must visit our Patrick Quinlan page.
What was
it that first got you into writing and when did you start writing?
Patrick
Quinlan: I was in college when I first started
writing. Basically, I took a
creative writing class on a whim, and they set us about writing stories. I had
a hunch that I might like to write before then, but I had never really done it.
Where were you born and raised?
Patrick Quinlan:
I was
born in the Bronx, New York (part of New York City), and lived in a
neighborhood that straddled the city line between there and Yonkers, New
York. I tend to think of Yonkers
as my hometown.
Which writers have influenced
you the most?
Patrick Quinlan:
Elmore
Leonard, Hunter Thompson, Norman Mailer, James Ellroy, Ernest Hemingway, and
Dean Koontz, in no particular order.
Where
do you stand on the nature v. nurture debate? Were you born a writer, or were
there factors in your environment that enabled you to become a writer?
Patrick
Quinlan: I don't really have a stance on
this. I became a writer through
years of application and practice, all the while earning a living at other
things. Most of the factors in my
environment served to thwart me from becoming a writer.
That said, as early as childhood, I used to entertain
people by telling outrageous stories.
Lies, basically. Hmmm.
Maybe you ARE born to do this sort of thing.
There
are a lot of courses teaching creative writing nowadays, but do you think that
good writing can be taught?
Patrick
Quinlan: I think good writing can be taught. Very definitely. Unfortunately, I also think that few
people are qualified to teach it, and that most of what is taught is misleading
or worse.
What kind of things do you
write?
Patrick Quinlan:
Mostly,
I write crime thrillers. My novel
"Smoked"
will appear in the UK in March 2006 from Headline Books, and in the US in April
2006 from St. Martin's Press.
What, for you, is the best
piece of prose that you have ever written?
Patrick Quinlan:
So far,
"Smoked" is it.
What are you working on now?
Patrick Quinlan:
I am
finishing a novel, a crime thriller called “The Fallen”. I am also working with the great film
actor Rutger Hauer on his autobiography. Both books are scheduled to appear in
2007.
What is your writing day like?
Patrick Quinlan:
When
things are going well, I work all night, usually from about 9 pm until dawn, or
later. When things aren't going
well, I work odd hours, a few here, a few there.
Where would you like to be in
10 years time?
Patrick Quinlan:
I'd
like to have 10 books published, and working furiously toward more.
What’s the most exciting thing
about writing for you?
Patrick Quinlan:
I find
it to be hard work, actually. Sitting
on a chair, typing for hours on end is hardly exciting. Which isn't to say I don't enjoy
it. I do. I like to work hard.
What’s the most frustrating
thing about writing for you?
Patrick Quinlan:
The
things that keep me from doing it.
Phone calls. Errands that
need to be run. My own
procrastination and laziness.
What’s
the best piece of feedback that you’ve had from your audience?
Patrick
Quinlan: I am getting quite good advance reviews
of “Smoked”. One magazine writer
has called it "a turbo-charged tour de force." That's pretty good feedback.
Do you
write for a particular audience, or is your first priority to satisfy your own
creativity?
Patrick
Quinlan: I always write fiction to satisfy myself
first.
How do you describe your writing
to new readers?
Patrick Quinlan:
I say,
"It's kind of like Elmore Leonard, but a little different."
Do you have a homepage? If so,
what’s the URL?
Patrick Quinlan:
Yes:
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