Hello Richard Montanari. Our first question is a kind of ritual on Plume Libre : Who are you, Richard Montanari ? Can you tell us a little more about you?
I am a novelist, screenwriter, and essayist. In my years as a freelance writer I wrote for dozens of national and regional magazines, on everything from film and theater criticism to offbeat sports to medical breakthroughs. I have published seven novels of suspense, the last four as a crime series set in Philadelphia. My passions are independent film, boxing, and gourmet cooking. And wine, of course.
What led you to write? And why did you choose the thriller genre?
I've always been a storyteller. Even as a child, when I got invited to a birthday party, I was the one acting out the little skits. In second grade, our school held a talent show, and not only did I play a flute solo and perform magic tricks, but also, incredibly, did impersonations of famous people. When I discovered fiction a few years later, I thought about how much fun it would be to write something down on paper, give it to someone, and have them read it. I have since given up talent shows and impersonations, thank God, but I have continued to write. As to the thriller genre, it is something to which I have always been drawn. When I began to study and critique film it was suspense that captured me. Especially the films of Alfred Hitchcock. When I sat down to write my first novel, I didn't seem to have a choice. These are the stories I read, and these are the stories I want to write.
Could you describe a typical day spent writing? Are there any rituals or little manias?
After coffee, breakfast, and a visit to the running track, I usually spend about a half hour looking for my glasses. (This is true.) Once found, I sit at my computer and try to write 1000 words on the new book. Sometimes this takes only a few hours. Other days it takes much longer. In the afternoons, I transfer the day's output to my Mac Book Air, and visit a local cafe to edit (I've always fancied myself a boulevardier). In the evenings I relax, watch films, cook for friends and family.
How long do you spend on writing a book?
In general, I spend about nine months on the first draft, and about two or three months on the second draft. Since Deviances was published in 2005 I have been publishing one book per year
How are born inspectors Byrne and Balzano? And more generally, how do you build your characters? How do you choose their names, for instance ?
These characters came from a long period of observation on my part. The Philadelphia Police Department was very gracious to allow me into their rarefied world, and allow me access to all areas of criminal investigation, the crime scene, the collection and analysis of evidence and data, interrogation, and interview. Kevin Byrne, a twenty-year veteran of the police department, is a composite of a number of detectives ¾ methods, outlook, style, determination. More than one man in the PPD Homicide Unit thinks the character is based on him. I haven't the heart to tell them that Kevin is really a composite. As to character names, for me, it is a slow process. I think about it for a long time. Eventually, a name will just stick, and that's who the character becomes.
Why a woman in this team?
Not surprisingly, at least in America, the world of homicide investigation is still pretty much a man's world. When I began researching Deviances, I visited the Homicide Unit of the Philadelphia Police Department many times, and discovered there were only two women in the field. The day work commander was a woman, and many on the forensic investigation team were women, but not so in field investigation. I found that I had an opportunity to create a different sort of character in Jessica Balzano. The fact that she is the mother of a three-year-old girl (in Deviances, Sophie is older now), as well as a professional boxer, made her all the more interesting to me, and, I hope, the reader as well.
Why did you choose to represent your main characters from immigrants ? (Byrne is Irish, Jessica and her husband are Italians)From a personal perspective (I am of both Italian and Estonian heritage), I wanted these characters to draw on a certain cultural heritage, as it is lived in America. There is a long tradition of Irish in American law enforcement, and when I conceived Kevin's character, this seemed like a natural. In writing Jessica's character, I realized I knew so many strong, independent Italian-American women, I felt I could bring a great deal of understanding to the character.
Did you have the idea, at the beginning of writing the adventures of this duo, to make it a series?
I had the idea, and the hope, that it might turn into a series. One never knows. I think it was somewhere around the writing of Psycho (The Skin Gods in the US and UK) that I realized there was much more to say about Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano. I believe they have grown with every book, and I am not yet done with their adventures. The challenge, of course, is to have the characters grow and develop with each novel.
Philadelphia is also a key role in the ambiance of your books, why did you choose this city? It is quite a character in itself.
Philadelphia is a fantastic setting for fiction. It is a big city, but made up of more than 100 neighborhoods. It has a long history, once being the capital of the United States, and makes the transition between historically significant buildings to rundown row houses within just one or two blocks. It is quite culturally diverse, is bordered by two majestic rivers, has a vibrant center city, and yet if you drive thirty minutes in any direction you are in the country.
How do you feel the translation of your books ? Do you work in collaboration with the translator? Do you feel that there is a change in a translation? How do you perceive the reception of French readers ?
This is hard to say. I am very gratified that both Deviances and Psycho have been so enthusiastically embraced by French readers. I hope it is because the stories are well told, and the characters, both heroes and villains, are engaging. I am thrilled to announce that Le Cherche Midi, the publisher of the first three books in the series, will publish my next book (Badlands in the US, Play Dead in the UK), in 2009.I do work with the translators, and I think they have done an amazing job. As to changes, I'm not sure. I don't speak French (or German or Italian, unfortunately), so I can't really say what is changed. I have received letters from many French readers who have enjoyed the books, so I'm going to assume that the translation has been literal, and the books are very good.
Thriller is a "genre" which is sold very well. How do you feel this fascination readers have for death, blood, violence ?
I think we all like to be scared. At least a little bit, and only on the page or the cinema screen. And, of course, a roller coaster at an amusement park. As to violence, if you believe the story of Cain and Abel, you realize that, with only four people in the world, there was already a homicide. I think we've been talking about it, and reading about it, ever since.
Many American authors have a great success in France. But we also have very good writers of thrillers. Why is it so difficult for them to be "exported" to the USA?
That is hard to answer. There are so many factors in publishing, I don't think it's possible to point to one thing. Why something travels one way, and not the other, is a mystery to me. I've been watching and enjoying French films my whole life, so I know it is possible.
Internet opens up more space for people worldwide. What do you think of this form of communication? What does it you bring to you with your foreign readers ?
First and foremost, is the speed at which communication can travel. A person can read a book, finish it, sit down, and jot off a note to the author in seconds. At one time that process took days or weeks. I love to hear from readers, and answer as many letters as I can.
In Merciless (Funérailles) we realize that the past often has a direct impact on events in the present. By the way, the theme of mistakes of the past is present in the 3 novels that we read. Do you think we never can escape the past?
