I think most people who know me well have thought I've been middle-aged for most of my life; and now I am. The mid-life crisis must no doubt be getting ready to spring into action. One of my aims in life was to be retired from academia by the time I reached 40 and be a full-time writer. Well, here I still am slaving away in the university with 25 more years until retirement (sigh). At least I have been able to get stuff published, even if I can't make a living from it. I guess 31 books (if I'm also allowed to count each of the 12 volumes of the encyclopedia as a book) is a decent enough haul. As a birthday treat I've lined up a Woodrell (
Tomato Red), Furst (
The Spies of Warsaw) and Connelly (
The Scarecrow) [given Inridason and McKinty will also be August reviews, I suspect competition for book of the month is going to be fierce]. Now, if I could write something that was even a decent imitation of their shadows, I'd be a happy man. Perhaps that endeavour will be the source of the mid-life crisis ...
10 comments:
Happy Birthday, Rob.
Don't get depressed The White Gallows was great and a lot better than the efforts of some greatly praised writers.
When I was in my 40s I had a mid life crisis sold my multi surgery practice in London's affluent suburbs, and moved to Devon; next door to people who turned out to be like characters in a Daniel Woodrell novel, only worse!
Enjoy your birthday.
Happy birthday Rob and enjoy your treats. I'm a couple of years ahead of you and honestly middle age has its rewards as well as its challenges. And at least you get to retire at 65, they keep upping the retirement age here - so far 67 and I reckon by the time I get there it'll be about 93 :)
And don't be so hard on yourself with regards to your fiction writing. I have thoroughly enjoyed both the examples of it that I've read and I am looking forward to one day purchasing a shiny new copy of the story about Siobhan (as well as learning whether poor Colm ever gets a night's sleep).
Happy birthday Rob. Celebrate instyle
I didn't mean to give impression of depression or to be hard on myself. I'm very content with life to be honest. I didn't think I was being harsh re. my fiction writing - those guys are top of the game and playing in a different league. One has to aspire to something ...
Happy birthday Rob. Have a nice day and may all your dreams come true. Thanks for giving me such a good time reading your books and your blog.
Happy birthday!
Forty years young and you have already published two great crime novels - certainly not something to BE depressed about. I´ll turn 50 in a few months, and I have still sold that 3-dollar story only. ;D
My son also liked The White Gallows, but he thinks The Rule Book is even better.
When I turned forty I sent my youngest off to college. Raising them was my sole achievement and that included the fact I hadn't finished college. Now I have a college degree, have had a job for twenty years, and written 75 stories. But I still feel frustrated that it isn't more than that.
Congratulations! Happy Birthday
Am enjoying "The White Gallows," right now; stayed up until the early morning hours enrapt in its pages.
Cannot wait until the third book in this series.
"The Scarecrow" is a very good read. I needed a transitional book after the post-good-book slump after reading "Gunshot Road," and Connelly's book provided a good transition.
There is a lot of wit as well as a good story about the newspaper business vs. the Internet.
It is sort of sobering isn't it? When I turned forty I had a new baby (a surprise). Starting over, essentially.
Just think how much smarter you've become....forty is cool that way!
Enjoy your books!
Dorte, great that your son is enjoying it. Not sure its a book for kids though!
Patti, sounds like a full life to me. Kids, re-invention, 75 stories - wow.
Kathy, great that you're enjoying The White Gallows. I'm presently tinkering with the third book, whose title keeps changing, and whose ending is also about to get a makeover. Getting there slowly.
Amy - smarter, hmmm. The problem is, the more you study things, the more you come to realise that you'll never truly get a handle on the world. Which is kind of a downer for a so-called academic. Still, I'm less ignorant than I used to be! Just.
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