Ask the Author: Jeffrey Round
Answered Questions (14)
Jeffrey Round
Not Hollywood, but a Canadian production company is currently pursuing it as a television project. Michael would be really, really good! When I first started writing the series a decade ago I had Jason Isaacs in mind, but he had already done a sleuthing series set in Scotland. I met him squeezing bananas at a local grocery store and got an address to send him a different book I thought might have a suitable role for him (Endgame, about aging punk rockers.)
Jeffrey Round
Plot convenience is this author's simple answer. I want the reader to feel compelled to go along on Dan's ride, and to feel his pain and confusion, both personal and professional. What makes any story work is when a character strives for a goal, sometimes achieving but also sometimes failing to achieve it, and the tension that builds as a result. The reader needs to want to discover if the character succeeds in order to go on the journey with him or her.
The longer answer is much more complicated. Dan is a complex character, even while he thinks he isn't that hard to understand. This makes him hard to live with. He demands almost as much of those around him as he does of himself, and sometimes those demands are too great. This stems in part from his lack of self worth. The reason for this lies at the heart of Dan's upbringing, which was difficult and at times brutal. He lost his mother when he was four; his father was a physically abusive man. As a result, Dan spends much of his time trying to make sense of his fraught relationship to both parents. Much more of that comes out in the next book, Lion's Head Revisited, to be published in February 2020. Beyond all that, of course, is Dan's rage. To his surprise he discovers in book 3, The Jade Butterfly, that he has PTSD. Many things trigger Dan's anger, but particularly what he sees as unfairness, whether to himself or to others. It is what drives him to find the missing people he searches for, but the underlying rage often plays against him in his relationships as he simply demands too much of others. In the later books, he may have met his match when he begins dating a police officer, but I won't reveal more here.
Thanks for the great question, Thomas.
The longer answer is much more complicated. Dan is a complex character, even while he thinks he isn't that hard to understand. This makes him hard to live with. He demands almost as much of those around him as he does of himself, and sometimes those demands are too great. This stems in part from his lack of self worth. The reason for this lies at the heart of Dan's upbringing, which was difficult and at times brutal. He lost his mother when he was four; his father was a physically abusive man. As a result, Dan spends much of his time trying to make sense of his fraught relationship to both parents. Much more of that comes out in the next book, Lion's Head Revisited, to be published in February 2020. Beyond all that, of course, is Dan's rage. To his surprise he discovers in book 3, The Jade Butterfly, that he has PTSD. Many things trigger Dan's anger, but particularly what he sees as unfairness, whether to himself or to others. It is what drives him to find the missing people he searches for, but the underlying rage often plays against him in his relationships as he simply demands too much of others. In the later books, he may have met his match when he begins dating a police officer, but I won't reveal more here.
Thanks for the great question, Thomas.
Jeffrey Round
I would choose the unnamed, deserted island in Shakespeare's "The Tempest." I love the play's fantastical characters and magical setting. I relate strongly to its unfolding drama, with the long-delayed meting out of justice as the sorcerer Prospero publicly shames then forgives each of his betrayers.
Jeffrey Round
Hi again, Brett. Thrilled to hear you think the rest of the series should be available as audio books. I do too! Please feel free to nudge my publisher (Dundurn Press), as the responsibility lies with them to make it happen. ;-)
Jeffrey Round
Hey, Brett! Thanks for your kind words. Dan and I appreciate them. ;-) I assume you are referring to the official audio books narrated by actor Steve Cumyn. To date there are just the first two volumes. I understand, however, that there are additional recordings of the first four books read for the sight-impaired. These are available though the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) audio library, should you be interested. I haven't heard these, though I heard from one reader, who recommended them. Cheers!
Jeffrey Round
My life. The end.
Jeffrey Round
The bible, all of Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. A little light reading. ;-)
Jeffrey Round
Hey Lulu! Great to hear from you and thanks for the compliments on the audio books. They were narrated by Steve Cumyn, a really talented actor. There are no current plans to continue the series at the moment, but then writers are often the last to be told! I was fortunate to have these two titles narrated, as they were the first audio books my publisher (Dundurn) ever did. Where did you discover the series? By the way, I note you are a wattpad user. The fourth book in my other mystery series (comic, very different from the Dan Sharp books) is free there. Title: BON TON ROULET. Cheers! Jeff
Jeffrey Round
The act of writing is the best cure for Writer's Block. (Note to self: Why do I insist on putting it in capital letters, giving it far more importance than it deserves?) Putting anything at all on the page, no matter how uninspired it seems, can be the impetus to get past the block. If you keep going, you will eventually arrive at a more inspired place. Being excited about what you're working on is usually the best way to avoid it altogether, however, so make sure you have several projects on the go at once. That way you can pick and choose whatever makes your mind catch fire. Barring any of that, get out of your milieu and wait for something to happen. Travel is a sure way to find fresh inspiration.
Jeffrey Round
I think this is a trick question, so I'll answer in the negative.
1) Not the money.
2) Not the acclaim.
3) Not waiting for your ship to come in.
4) Never having to say you didn't express yourself.
1) Not the money.
2) Not the acclaim.
3) Not waiting for your ship to come in.
4) Never having to say you didn't express yourself.
Jeffrey Round
1) Marry well so you will always have enough to eat. (I don't know about you, but I can't write when I'm hungry.)
2) Write every day, even if you're not inspired. That could mean keeping a diary or jotting down your dreams.
3) Don't edit your inner voice too soon in the process. Just let the words flow until you know what they want to be and say.
2) Write every day, even if you're not inspired. That could mean keeping a diary or jotting down your dreams.
3) Don't edit your inner voice too soon in the process. Just let the words flow until you know what they want to be and say.
Jeffrey Round
I never work on just one thing at a time. (It's the best cure for Writer's Block, as it ensures there's always something I'm inspired to work on.) Currently, I am editing the fourth book in my comic Bradford Fairfax mysteries. I am also drafting the sixth book in my Lambda-winning Dan Sharp mysteries, as well as a literary novel, The English Tutor, about a romance between a young Canadian tutor and his Muslim student.
Jeffrey Round
1) I travel. Most of my mysteries are simply my real-life vacations with a murder added to the mix. Even the non-mystery books like THE HONEY LOCUST, my literary novel about the Bosnian War, start with a fascination for a place.
2) I read great books that make me want to be a better writer. I don't mind saying I'm ambitious and want to write something even better than what I've read.
3) I listen in on conversations. Be careful when you see me sitting around looking like I'm not doing anything. I'm always doing something.
2) I read great books that make me want to be a better writer. I don't mind saying I'm ambitious and want to write something even better than what I've read.
3) I listen in on conversations. Be careful when you see me sitting around looking like I'm not doing anything. I'm always doing something.
Jeffrey Round
ENDGAME is a rewrite of Agatha Christie's celebrated And Then There Were None. I had just finished reading Christie's book for the second time when I attended a band get-together where all the members seemed to enjoy antagonizing one another in jest. My mind turned the equation a bit more deadly and I soon found myself imagining the reunion of a punk rock band whose members really detested one another. One thing led to another and I soon found myself with a rough draft for this updated mystery given what one critic called "a punk-rock reboot."
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more