Thursday, September 2, 2010

“Ya Wanna Do It Here Or Down The Station, Punk?”: Todd Ritter

Yep, it’s rubber-hose time, folks: a rapid-fire Q&A for those shifty-looking usual suspects ...

What crime novel would you most like to have written?
MYSTIC RIVER by Dennis Lehane. Damn, that guy can write, and the book deserved a Pulitzer.

What fictional character would you most like to have been?
The Man in the Yellow Hat from CURIOUS GEORGE, because it would be pretty cool to have a monkey.

Who do you read for guilty pleasures?
Sandra Brown. She’s like fast food. I don’t have it often and it’s really bad for me, but it tastes so good.

Most satisfying writing moment?
Writing the last sentence of my debut novel and knowing that the whole thing didn’t suck.

The best Irish crime novel is …?
I’ll have to go with THE LIKENESS by Tana French, because she impresses the hell out of me.

What Irish crime novel would make a great movie?
I’m not sure if this is allowed, since it’s not a novel (sorry!), but Martin McDonagh’s THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE would be a fantastic movie. Or maybe that’s too bloody. I really flubbed this question, didn’t I?

Worst / best thing about being a writer?
Best: Entertaining readers by giving them a good yarn. Worst: Facing that blank screen and knowing I have to fill it.

The pitch for your next book is …?
A cop and a private investigator look into a series of child abductions from decades ago, all of which coincided with NASA moon landings. Coincidence? Probably not.

Who are you reading right now?
FREEDOM by Jonathan Franzen. When a book gets this much press, I have to read it.

God appears and says you can only write OR read. Which would it be?
Read, because I like to be surprised by others.

The three best words to describe your own writing are …?
Morbid. Surprising. Sympathetic.

Todd Ritter’s DEATH NOTICE is published by Minotaur Books.

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Declan Burke has published a number of novels, the most recent of which is ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL. As a journalist and critic, he writes and broadcasts on books and film for a variety of media outlets, including the Irish Times, RTE, the Irish Examiner and the Sunday Independent. He has an unfortunate habit of speaking about himself in the third person. All views expressed here are his own and are very likely to be contrary.