Walter Mosley's Blog, page 10
May 8, 2015
Publisher’s Weekly Pick of the Week: And Sometimes I Wonder About You: A Leonid McGill Mystery
And Sometimes I Wonder About You: A Leonid McGill Mystery by Walter Mosley (Doubleday) – Leonid McGill slogs his way through a morass of personal and professional problems in Mosley’s outstanding fifth mystery featuring the New York City PI (after 2012’s All I Did Was Shoot My Man). People giving him trouble include a modern-day Fagin, who’s entangled with McGill’s son Twill in some criminal enterprises; the ex-fiancé of a woman McGill is involved with; and a client he rejected. Women have always complicated McGill’s life and continue to do so: his emotionally fragile wife, Katrina, is in a sanatorium after a failed suicide attempt; his sometime lover, Aura Ullman, is keeping her distance; and he’s attracted to the beautiful Marella Herzog, whom he meets on the train from Philadelphia to New York. McGill deals with his professional problems with a combination of brute force and wiliness, while the women in his life tie him in emotional knots. The return of his father, Tolstoy McGill, the left-wing revolutionary who abandoned his family years ago, roils McGill even more than the women.
May 1, 2015
And Sometimes I Wonder About You
And Sometimes I Wonder About You
A Leonid McGill Mystery
Available: May 12, 2015
About the Book: The welcome return of Leonid McGill, Walter Mosley’s NYC-based private eye, his East Coast foil to his immortal L.A.-based detective Easy Rawlins. As the Boston Globe raved, “A poignantly real character, [McGill is] not only the newest of the great fictional detectives, but also an incisive and insightful commentator on the American scene.”
In the fifth Leonid McGill novel, Leonid finds himself in an unusual pickle of trying to balance his cases with his chaotic personal life. Leonid’s father is still out there somewhere, and his wife is in an uptown sanitarium trying to recover from the deep depression that led to her attempted suicide in the previous novel. His wife’s condition has put a damper on his affair with Aura Ullman, his girlfriend. And his son, Twill, has been spending a lot of time out of the office with his own case, helping a young thief named Fortune and his girlfriend, Liza.
Meanwhile, Leonid is approached by an unemployed office manager named Hiram Stent to track down the whereabouts of his cousin, Celia, who is about to inherit millions of dollars from her father’s side of the family. Leonid declines the case, but after his office is broken into and Hiram is found dead, he gets reeled into the underbelly of Celia’s wealthy old-money family. It’s up to Leonid to save who he can and incriminate the guilty; all while helping his son finish his own investigation; locating his own father; reconciling (whatever that means) with his wife and girlfriend; and attending the wedding of Gordo, his oldest friend.
Author Mosley to present ‘contrarian’ lecture at UNLV
Mosley will visit Las Vegas May 7 to speak at a program sponsored by the Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute. The program begins at 7 p.m. in the ballroom of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Student Center. Tickets are free at the door.
April 27, 2015
The Future of Reading: There’s No Mystery About It
Reading is among the most distinctive practices in human history: the study of abstract symbols used to render beliefs, experiences, physical descriptions, theoretical explanations and ideas in books and newspapers, on billboards and even on TV screens.
Written language rigidly codified and yet continually changing affords us one of the few chances we have to exercise and challenge our intelligence and our minds, our creativity and our capacity for true empathy. Reading forces us to interpret the material world through a nonconcrete medium—the written word. These interpretations force an active, even an aggressive use of our minds. This usage increases our appreciation of knowledge and possibly our sophistication.
Where to?
This uniquely human tradition is infinitely complex, equaled only by the experience of love and learning on the job. The stories and the content gleaned from reading are different for any person picking up the same book. This is because reading has two components: the words written and the individual mind reading.
It is important to lay out this understanding of reading in order to answer the question, Where will reading be in 30 years?
In the modern world of fast-changing technology and technique (a world where knowledge might double twice in a year’s time) change has become the norm. We’re used to having our devices, methods of war and even the organization of society change every six or seven years. Our communication is dominated by electronic networks, our cancers treated by new and strange poisonous brews.
In the modern world, a world where our scientists can read and alter DNA molecules, what is to become of Winnie the Pooh? How can books compete with predator drones and 10,000 channels of mainly sports and pornography?
What will happen to the poor books and newspapers, magazines and letters from home in a world where there is too much to know and no time to waste?
The answer is: Nothing will happen. Reading will still be based on the ABC’s, and readers will still marvel at the ideas and passions forming in their minds.
April 7, 2015
Walter Mosley: ‘Write each and every day of your life’
In 2007, Walter Mosley published his book “This Year You Write Your Novel,” which the Good Reads website praised as “an essential book of tips, practical advice, and wisdom” for aspiring authors.
Mosley knows of what he writes. Since 1990, he has produced more than four dozen books, including his well-known mystery series centering on the fictional detective Ezekiel Porterhouse “Easy” Rawlins. In 1999, the New York Times described Mosley’s prose as being “as plain and gritty as asphalt.”
Mosley, a 63-year-old New York resident, will come to Williamsburg Friday night for a presentation at the Kimball Theatre. The talk, part of the College of William and Mary’s Patrick Hayes Writers Series, will focus on the suggestions he laid out in “This Year You Write Your Novel.”
Mosley answered some questions in an email exchange with the Daily Press.
DP: You advise others on how to write novels. How did you get your own start?
Mosley: I was 34, working as a programmer/consultant at Mobil Oil on 42nd Street in Manhattan. One Saturday when there was no one else around I got tired of coding in the report program language RPG and instead wrote a sentence – “On hot sticky days in Southern Louisiana the fire ants swarmed.” I thought, hey, this could be a novel. I’ve been writing ever since.
DP: This is a cliché question, but people always want to know where writers get their ideas. Where have you gotten yours?
Mosley: All important ideas in all forms of art come from the unconscious. I just keep on writing and sooner or later these ideas make themselves evident.
DP: There are now 13 books in your Easy Rawlins series. How do you keep the story line fresh after so many books?
Mosley: My Easy novels are time travelers; they pass from era to era. That way Easy is always older and the world is always new – to him.
DP: At the end of “Blonde Faith” in 2007, it seemed that Easy Rawlins might be dead – but he came back six years later in “Little Green.” Do you ever get tired of writing about this character?
Mosley: I’m tired of the series after each book. But then I write a different book, or two, and I’m ready to come back to Easy again.
DP: What prompted you to write “This Year You Write Your Novel?”
Mosley: I wrote “This Year You Write Your Novel” because people are always asking me about them and their novels, or the novels they want to write. I know that if I had 90 minutes I could answer that question completely, but it is rare that I have the time. I wrote the book so my answer is always somewhere within reach.
DP: Do you give writing workshops or classes or otherwise work with writing groups?
Mosley: Twice a year I teach at the Sundance screenwriters lab – but that’s all.
DP: Can you pick several pieces of advice from the book, or from your experience, to give aspiring writers?
Mosley: There’s only one piece of advice aspiring writers need: Write each and every day of your life. Write on a book, not in a journal, and work on one project until it is finished.
DP: Explain your writing process. How is a typical writing day structured?
Mosley: I write as I described above, and I write three hours a day.
DP: What’s the one thing you know now that you wish you’d known when you started out?
Mosley: This question has no foothold in my experience. It was all necessary and therefore I cannot regret anything.
DP: What are you working on now?
Mosley: Right now I’m finishing the next Easy Rawlins novel – “Charcoal Joe.” After that, I have some TV work to do.
Want to go?
Best-selling author Walter Mosley will speak at the Kimball Theatre, on Merchants Square in Williamsburg, at 7 p.m. Friday. The event is free, but reservations are required. For details and reservations, call 757-221-2437.
(via DailyPress.com)
April 2, 2015
Walter Mosley Selected for Liverpool’s Writing on the Wall Festival
Liverpool’s Writing on the Wall (WoW) has unveiled it 2015 festival programme.
American Dreams forms part of One Magnificent City, the seven-week programme of events surrounding Cunard’s 175th anniversary celebrations.
The 2015 festival features appearances from Walter Mosley, Jon Ronson, Strictly Harlem, Tracey Thorn, Owen Jones and Lemn Sissay among others.
It’s being billed as a ‘Star Spangled programme of spoken word, theatre, film, discussion and debate’.
Writing on the Wall co-director Madeline Heneghan says: “WoW Fest 2015 American Dream reflects the city’s celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Cunard Shipping Line celebrations; the original transatlantic information superhighway.
“WoW are flying over an array of amazing American authors and artists, including Shayshan MacPherson, an incredibly talented New York hip hop violinist, and Ryan Gattis, a writer from LA set to take the literary world by storm with his explosive debut novel All Involved about the 1992 LA Riots.
“It culminates in a rare UK appearance from the internationally acclaimed crime writer, Walter Mosley on July 2.
“Once again, with American Dreams, Writing on the Wall brings to Liverpool audiences a superb mix of new and established artists, alternative voices, high quality writing and spoken word, with plenty of opportunities for new writers.
“American Dreams is the perfect lead-in to Culture Liverpool’s One Magnificent City celebration on the July 4 weekend.”
April 1, 2015
Tulane to honor writer, philosopher & judge with degrees
NEW ORLEANS – Tulane University will award honorary degrees to best-selling mystery writer Walter Mosley, philosopher and Parliament member Onora O’Neill and renowned jurist Hein Kötz at its spring commencement, the university announced Tuesday.
Commencement ceremonies will be May 16 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The ceremonies will also include keynote speaker Maya Rudolph and performances by Topsy Chapman and Dr. Michael White’s Original Liberty Jazz Band, along with confetti cannons and a second-line procession.
Mosley is an author of more than 40 critically acclaimed books. Two of Mosley’s works, which include literary fiction, science fiction, political monographs and a young adult novel, have been made into movies: Devil in A Blue Dress and Always Outnumbered.
March 23, 2015
Interview with Killing Johnny Fry Narrator, Percy O’Hara
Killing Johnny Fry, which isn’t a new novel but is a new audiobook, is an interesting “Sexistential” novel surrounding Cordell and his midlife crisis and redemption. Percy has this great, sometimes dry voice that captures Cordell’s inner demons. The book itself is not in my usual vein of reading, and I enjoyed the break from the norm. There’s a lot of violence, D/s and a reinventing of Cordell that kept me fascinated throughout the story. While this is Percy’s first narration, hopefully it won’t be his last. I liked how he brought the characters to life and kept me on the edge of my seat. For a trip into an intense world, I would pick this up. It’s dark, odd and powerful.
What was your favorite scene in Killing Johnny Fry?
Percy: There’s a point when the protagonist, Cordell Carmel, unwittingly finds himself in a fistfight-cum-boxing match. It was one of my favorite moments because it’s a fight for self-realization as he steps into his own power, and I found myself rooting for him like never before.
What was your favorite character to narrate?
Percy: There’s a character that, later in the book, emerges as a revered figure in the underworld niche she’s carved out for herself. She was my favorite because of how unapologetically honest she is with herself and how skillfully she brings others around to investigating their true nature — Cordell included.
Any fun or interesting things happen while narrating Killing Johnny Fry?
Percy: Ha! The book is really the only thing happening for me during the two or three days it takes to record. I tend to spend at least eight hours a day in the studio and then at night I usually review the material I’ll be recording the following day, so it’s a pretty immersive experience. Often I’ll even eat the same series of meals just because it’s less for me to think about. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but it’s honestly tough to remember anything of those few days other than the details of the book.
What are you currently working on?
Percy: Reconnecting with Mosley has resurrected my interest in mysteries and crime fiction, and I’m excited to be prepping a book in that vein for my next project.
(via USAToday.com)
March 18, 2015
The Post-Apocalyptic Humble Bundle
Read Walter Mosley’s Futureland and also support a good cause! Get on over to the new Humble Bundle: post-apocalyptic science fiction ebooks
March 16, 2015
Fifty Shades of Black!
At long last, the audiobook of Killing Johnny Fry.
When Cordell Carmel catches his longtime girlfriend with another man, the act he witnesses seems to dissolve all the boundaries he knows. He wants revenge but also something more. Killing Johnny Fry is the story of Cordell’s dark, funny, soulful, and outrageously explicit sexual odyssey in search of a new way of life. It marks new territory for the best-selling author of Devil in a Blue Dress and countless other books; it will surprise, provoke, inspire, and make you blush.
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