Here's Looking At You, Kid
A Chat With J.A. Konrath
by L.L. Bartlett
J.A. Konrath is the author of "Whiskey Sour" (nominated for the coveted Anthony and Macavity Awards) and "Bloody Mary," the Lt. Jack Daniels thrillers available from Hyperion Books and Brilliance Audio. Joe recently took time out from his relentless promotion schedule to speak with me.
LLB: Do you remember the first mystery you ever read? What drew to you writing mysteries?
JAK: "The Judas Goat" by Robert B. Parker, when I was nine years old. I went from reading about Ramona the Pest to reading about Spenser and Hawk. My entire world changed.
LLB: Your protagonist is named "Jack Daniels." Did you have to negotiate with the Jack Daniels Distillery for permission to use their
"trademark" name?
JAK: You can't trademark a name, though the whiskey folks know about me and take no issue.
LLB: What made you decide to write a female protagonist?
JAK: Women are smarter, have a greater emotional range, and are more challenging to write for. I wanted to use the Chicago Police Department (since Chicago is my hometown) and it's still very much an old boys network. What kind of woman would succeed in that world? She'd have to be tough, dedicated, and intelligent. Plus she'd have to give up a lot of things, like a husband and children. I liked the scenario.
LLB: It's apparent from your work and your Web site that you have quite a sense of humor. And yet, the books are also filled with stark violence. How do you balance the humor with the violence?
JAK: I couldn't decide if I wanted to be Janet Evanovich or James Patterson, so I opted for a combination of both. I think the violence makes the book more suspenseful, while the humor makes it fun. Fear and laughter are actually closely related. Go to a haunted house, or one a roller coaster--you hear both yelps and giggles.
LLB: Are you a meticulous plotter or do write by the seat of your pants?
JAK: I prefer to be spontaneous when I write, but my publisher forces me to do a detailed outline.
LLB: Your books are set in Chicago. Will that city always be pivotal in your work?
JAK: Yes. She's Chicago forever. I love the city, and so does Jack.
LLB: Do you read your reviews?
JAK: Always. I enjoy getting reviewed. Even if it's bad. I'm always grateful someone took the time to read my books.
LLB: It's well known in mystery circles that you are the King of self-promotion, and have been very generous in sharing your experiences on your website and through your blog. Where do you get the energy to pursue so many different areas of self-promotion, and what do you think is the single-most effective thing a writer can do to promote his/her work?
JAK: Thanks! I'm a fast writer, so I have a lot of time to market myself. The most effective form of promotion I've found is meeting the fans, either at conventions or bookstores. Word of mouth is the best advertising, and who better to spread the word than the writer?
LLB: Your "chapbooks" (short stories in a digest format--given out free to readers) are wonderful. How often do you change the content?
JAK: I've done about eight different chapbooks so far. I do a few a year, depending on the events I'm attending.
LLB: What was the highlight and the lowest point of your book tour?
JAK: The low point was doing a signing at the 100th store on the tour, and realizing there was no applause, no parade, nothing but bone-numbing exhaustion.
The high point was spending time with the fans and the booksellers. Great people.
LLB: Do you remember your first fan letter? (Perhaps, have it matted
with a gold-leaf frame? [grin] That's what I'm planning.)
JAK: I love getting fan mail--I get about fifty a week. I try to answer them all in a timely fashion, but sometimes I get a little behind. The very first was a guy who sent me a copy of Whiskey Sour a week before it came out, and asked me to sign it. I signed it and sent him a picture of me signing it--it was one of the first books I'd ever signed. Since then, I've signed over 6000.
LLB: Do you have plans for any stand-alone books? How far do you think you'll take the Jack Daniels series?
JAK: I've done many stand alones that didn't sell. One called "Origin" is available as a free download on my website, JAKonrath.com. I just signed another three-book deal, so Jack will keep going until 2009 at least.
LLB: Your hobbies include brewing beer. Have you had to endure whiskey sours and bloody marys instead of your favorite beverage during your promotional campaigns?
JAK: Yeah, its tough getting free drinks all the time. How I suffer! I think I'll name the next book Alaskan "King Crab Legs."
LLB: How does one become a brewer? Have you ever made beer for special occasions? (Like a book-launch?)
JAK: Start by home brewing--kits are available for cheap--then approach a local microbrewery and offer to help out. Brewmasters always accept help. The next thing you know you're crawling around in a brew kettle, shoveling barley. It's the coolest thing in the world.
LLB: Is it true that mystery writers make fine alcoholics? If so, do you think that's because we write about the dark side of life?
JAK: I think it has more to do with the constant rejection, the stress, and the pressure to be 'on' all the time.
Or maybe it's just because alcohol is so much fun.
