You can find more book review right here on Barrie Summy's blog.
ROGUE MALES, Craig McDonald
I actually don't read a lot of non-fiction, but here I am writing about a non-fiction book two months in a row.
Craig McDonald came to my attention when he did an interview with my daught
er, Megan, for a mystery magazine (it is now available with other ones on his website, I think). I was impressed with how knowledgeable he was, how much he knew out about her through her writing, how well-prepared he was to respond to her answers and not just pose another unrelated question, how he looked for ways to make his subject shine, how the interview came off like a couple of people chatting in a coffee shop.McDonald is also the author of several terrific novels himself, most recently PRINT THE LEGEND. His novels have great historical and psychological depth, showing a skill for research that he brings to this project as well. I am hoping he will write another book of interviews called FEMALE OF THE SPECIES or something like that.
(Art of the Blood, 2006) was McDonald's first foray into a collection of interviews.
ROGUE MALES looks at sixteen men who set the bar awfully high: James Crumley, Elmore Leonard, Daniel Woodrell, Alistair MacLeod, Andrew Vachss, James Ellroy, Max Allan Collins, Stephen J. Cannell, Craig Holden, Pete Dexter, Randy Wayne White, Lee Child, Tom Russell, Kinky Friedman, James Sallis, Ken Bruen.
These are some of my very favorite writers and McDonald managed to find the essence of each one. No two interviews are alike because he is able to frame his questions to fit the writer, to find out what makes them the writer they are. There is no standardized set of questions up his sleeve.
You can sense how comfortable each writer is with both him and with what he asks them, how they "get" that McDonald "gets" them. This rapport makes for wonderful interviews. You won't come away liking all of these writers--that isn't the point. But you will understand why they write the books they do, what writing is like for them-the process, the ups and downs, their themes and obsessions. And you will want to read their books if you haven't already. Isn't that the point?
I highly recommend both books of essays and the three novels McDonald has written. You won't be disappointed in any of them.
18 comments:
On your recommendation, I've ordered ROGUE MALES. Sounds like my kind of book! Thanks for the heads up, Patti.
Hadn't heard of this one. I have McDonald's Art in the Blood book, a collection of writers speaking on how they write. If the new volume is as good as that, I'll be reading it. Thanks.
Patti - Thanks for profiling this book and Craig McDonald. Interviewing really does take an awful lot of skill, and many people don't do it well. I'm so glad that Megan was interviewed by someone so talented : ). Rogue Males is on my TBR list...
It is very, very good. I couldn't put it down.
I'll have to check this out. I'm a big fan of James Sallis.
Me, too, Charles.
This is a wonderful collection of interviews. I know of no one who goes to an interview so thoroughly well-read and prepared as The McDonald.
There's an art to doing a great interview and it sounds like McDonald is a master at it. I'd like to see a companion volume of interviews with female authors, too. I'd like to read the one with Kinky Friedman since he's such a character himself. I saw him interviewed on TV when he was running for governor of Texas. Too bad he didn't win. That would have been interesting!
Sounds great - I love all forms of life writing and there is such an art to really pin pointing the essence of a person when writing about them/interviewing them etc
Great post - thanks indeed
Hannah
It does sound like an interesting book. How exciting that an author you admire interviewed your daughter!
Patti, I think I would love this book. Like you, I don't read much nonfiction. Although when I do, I really enjoy it. So, go figure. I'm adding this to my wish list. Thank you for joining in! p.s. I love the face that he interviewed Megan. Must check out his website
Oooh, I read more fiction than nonfiction, too, but this book sounds fabulous. Thanks for the review!
Patti:
Thank you so very much for this wonderful review.
It's so odd: I have a partial manuscript of just such a collection of interviews with a title very nearly identical to the one you propose. But, so far, no takers...
And what a disparate lot of personailities. Reminds of me of the groups of interviews gathered in Charles Platt's DREAM MAKERS volumes and Douglas Winter's FACES OF FEAR (the latter including the VC Andrews interview that Megan and her collaborator drew on for their BELIEVER essay)...and Ed and MHG's SPEAKING OF MURDER anthologies...
Love this kind of book although McDonald does it better than most. Alistair McLeod is a great Canadian writer. Do you know him?
This sounds very interesting...and I like your suggestion for a companion book. :)
Great review!
I don't know McLeod, will look around...
I so missed the book review club in My Muskoka ! Busy days...good post, glad to read yours!
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