Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader — not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.
E.L. Doctorow
Archives for 2011
Put down that book
Every time people force themselves to carry on with a book they’re not enjoying, they reinforce the idea that reading is a duty.
Nick Hornby (via droppingtheball)
Zelda
Zelda Fitzgerald, 1924, age 23. Zelda died on this day in 1948. (via scribnerbooks)
Blurbing Jacob
We have received a few early blurbs for Defending Jacob and they’re doozies.
“In Defending Jacob, William Landay makes bold use of his genuine storytelling gift, his amazing ability to craft believable dialogue, and above all, an extraordinary understanding of what it means to be a husband and father to present us with the unforgettable tale of an ordinary marriage and family in crisis. In his hands, the tender, passionate union of Laurie and Andrew Barber — of anyone’s marriage, by implication — is tested by the notion that parenting is never quite what one imagines it to be. On the surface, this novel reads like a first-rate thriller, but at its heart, it’s a love story. It’s the story of a man who adores his wife and child, but more than that, it’s a novel that describes the fine edge between love and madness, and the lies we sometimes tell ourselves. Landay has proven himself to be an extraordinary writer, and Defending Jacob is an amazing novel. Do yourself a favor and read it. It’s that good.” — Nicholas Sparks
“William Landay has hit a home run. Defending Jacob is a stunning novel that will be compared to classic courtroom thrillers like Presumed Innocent and Anatomy of a Murder.” — Phillip Margolin
“A powerful portrayal of a family, a crime and a community. Defending Jacob compels you to flip frantically through the pages, desperate to know what will happen next, then leaves you gasping breathlessly at each shocking revelation. A page-turner with a bite … and that’s before you get to the end.” — Lisa Gardner
All three are perennial New York Times bestsellers. Actually, in the case of Nicholas Sparks, that is an understatement. He is a phenomenon, one of the best-selling authors out there. He is to the Times bestseller list what Godzilla is to Tokyo. Sparks rarely blurbs at all, let alone with this sort of enthusiasm. And because he writes in a very different genre, romance, his endorsement could introduce my books to a much wider readership — readers who would not ordinarily consider a “crime novel.” So I am very excited at the news, and I sincerely thank all three authors. Still, is it wrong to be greedy for just one or two more?
Building the Empire State Building
Fitzgerald
Jacob’s knife
My upcoming novel, Defending Jacob, tells the story of Jacob Barber, a 14-year-old boy who is accused of murdering a schoolmate. The murder weapon is this knife, a Spyderco Civilian. In the novel, the knife’s sculpted appearance shocks Jacob’s father: “The knife was sinister and beautiful, the shape of the blade, its curve and taper. It was like one of those lovely deadly things in nature, a lick of flame or the claw of an enormous cat.” That is a nice description, I suppose, but in this case a picture is worth a thousand words.
Reading vs. Writing
Sometimes I think a writer should make up his mind whether he’s going to be a writer or a reader. There isn’t time for both.
— Jessamyn West (via The Paris Review).
That is exactly how I feel: can’t read when I’m writing, can’t write when I’m reading.