Joan keeps saying, “You know yet?”
“No! I don’t yet, stop asking!”
EB: I like the model where if the author doesn’t know, the readers won’t know either.
RBP: And the process – this is not by design, I just happen to know this – allows me to go through the same things Spenser goes through. So between us, we find out what happens. Or Jesse Stone, or Sunny Randall, or anybody else. But the writer-as-detective is automatic if you don’t have an outline. Which I don’t.
EB: So for Cold Service, you’re involving the Ukrainian mafia, obviously Hawk is more involved. Do you have an idea of adapting Spenser and the classic detective story to the spy or gangster story to keep Spenser fresh or do you say, “Let’s just have a new adventure and see where it goes.”
RBP: I say, “Let’s just have a new adventure and see where it goes.” If I could do a wonderfully difficult and complicated case with a huge surprise ending, that’s fine, but I have yet to think of one. I don’t think I have that particular kind of talent.
I don’t think Sherlock Holmes did either. I mean, if you didn’t have Watson running around saying, “Oh my God, Holmes, that’s brilliant!” you wouldn’t have thought it was so brilliant. And Nero Wolf – who I love – and Archie serves that same function. I never understood how Wolf knew who did what, but whatever it is, I have yet to come up with a complicated, classic, surprise, shocking riddle story. I’d be perfectly to if I could think of one, but so far I haven’t.
EB: Tell me a little bit about Hawk. He’s just got a wonderful way about him, particularly in his dialogue, which is very urban, very street. How did Hawk come into being?
RBP: Well, he began in Promised Land as merely that book’s worthy adversary. And then, I liked how it worked. I also liked that it allowed me to do my riff on race relations. And in the next book, when Spenser was in Europe chasing people around, he needed backup, and I thought, “Why doesn’t he call that black guy from the last book?”
Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
Very very nice. I'll read it fully, later.
So were you talking to him while he signed books or had you scheduled something ahead? In either case, I'll have to pay more attention to authors coming through Phoenix.
2 - Knittgirl
It's Spenser - not Spencer.
3 - Eric Berlin
Temple, I talked to him for 40 minutes, so I had it all set up ahead, worked out through the publisher. Look out for installments II and III on the interview later this week!
Knittgirl - Thanks, change now reflected.
4 - Scott Butki
I'm so jealous you got to interview Parker.
5 - Eric Berlin
Thanks Scott. It was a thrill to meet him in person.
6 - Phillip Winn
Wow. I remember this interview. And I'm sure that you, Eric, remember why I remember this interview. :-)
7 - Eric Berlin
Yes, it was indeed some of my finest work...
(heh.)
8 - Scott Butki
Hmm, now you've piqued my curiousity. Why was it memorable for Phillip?
9 - Eric Berlin
On a bright spring morning, I broke the site for a while. Robert B. Parker was unwittingly involved. Long story...
10 - s. Wahrenbrock
I just discovered Robert Baker. He is remarkable. Very spare and witty. Can't wait to read ALL of his stuff. Didn't know until this interview reading that he has a Ph.d, but as an English major,It was very logical that this guy knows his stuff. Keep up the good work, Mr. Parker.