An Evening with Jeffery Deaver by Michele Clark
September 3rd 2007 08:00
On Friday, 31st August, best-selling crime-novelist Jeffery Deaver was in Christchurch, speaking as part of his promotional tour of his newest book The Sleeping Doll. I haven’t finished reading it yet, but it features a new hero, a kinesics (body language) and interviewing specialist, Kathryn Dance.
Apparently, Deaver decided to develop a strong female role in order to wide the appeal of his novels to female readers. Now, I’m always curious to know who else has such a bloodthirsty taste in literature as me, so I checked out the audience at his talk. Not only were we predominantly women, most of delegates were in their 50s, 60s and even older.
I had a bit of pre-conceived idea about Jeffery Deaver, as his jacket photo shows a slight, middle-aged man with a receding hairline whose previous careers included folk singer and solicitor. Many of the other author’s I’ve been to see clearly weren’t comfortable in front of an audience. However, this was easily the best writer I’ve been lucky enough to see speak. His professional approach to public speaking, his intelligence and his wit made it a fascinating and very funny hour or so.
He spoke to us about the stages of writing, from developing (or, in his case, stealing from Micky Spillane) a philosophy, through to finding an idea, plotting, researching, writing and re-writing, being rejected and author tours.
He shared some anecdotes from his experience as an author, such as his best and worst rejections. His worst? Receiving his manuscript in the mail, in his stamped, addressed envelope, with a cigarette butt stuck to one page and only his own submission letter enclosed, with a large foot-print stamped onto the back. His best? Receiving a letter along the lines of “Dear Sir, Thank you for submitting your manuscript. It is unpublishable. Good Luck.” And why was this his best? Because it had been typed by a real person, who said “Thank you” and “good luck”. Best of all, he re-submitted this novel much later, to a different editor, at the same publisher, who loved it and went on to publish it.
I also loved his example of how important re-writes are. Deaver read out an example from one of his first drafts. Originally, it read (something like) “He dropped the phone as he ran and fled up the dark and murky corridor, twisting and turning like an artery of hell.” An artery of hell? The final version – “He dropped the phone and ran.”
For those of you who haven’t read his novels, he specializes in crime thrillers, such as The Bone Collector, made into a movie starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, and he’s the king of the unexpected twist. He has a published catalogue of some 22 novels and short-story anthologies, most of which have won awards.
You can find out more about him on www.jefferydeaver.com.
I found him to be engaging, friendly and kind. Being no Kathryn Dance, I mis-read his body language and shook his hand instead of passing him my books to sign, but he politely said it was nice to meet me. And when I mentioned that one book was for my Dad, he asked if it was for Father’s Day, and signed it “Happy Father’s Day, Dave.”
If you ever get chance to see him speak, or if you like murder stories, I highly recommend it. My favourites of his books? The Devil’s Teardrop, The Vanished Man and The Bone Collector.
Enjoy!
Words by Michele Clark
Description
Daniel Pell is a contemporary Charles Manson. A petty criminal with a history of antisocial behavior and obsession with controlling other people, he had a group of women living with him in a quasi cult in central California. Eight years ago, he and another man viciously slaughtered a family for no apparent reason, though the three women in his 'Family' were absolved of any part in the deaths. Now, present day, Pell has escaped and Kathryn Dance, the famed interrogator and kinesic analyst (body language) and her team, must find out where he is and why he's staying near the prison he escaped from. She brings together the three women, now leading normal lives, to help her find out where Pell is and what he's up to. Pell, for his part, and a young woman he has manipulated to help him, tries to outguess the police and fulfill his mission, as he learns that Kathryn Dance is perhaps his most dangerous opponent. This is a typical cat and mouse Deaver novel, in which conflicts abound - finding the killer, as well as reconciling the emotions within Pell's three 'Family' members, which have simmered over the years. The 'Sleeping Doll' refers to the one surviving daughter. (net sourced)
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