Jonathan Kellerman: Tangled Web Interview
| Author Profile | |||
Jonathan Kellerman: Tangled Web Interview
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Clinical Professor of
Pediatrics and former child psychologist, Jonathan Kellerman, has won Edgar and Anthony Awards and with over 20 million copies of his books in print is an acknowledged master of the
psychological crime novel. His latest book, Monster, marks the return of former child psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware and LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis and contains some of the nastiest killings you’ll come across: the work of the “Monster” in the title. But there’s nothing gratuitous here. Monster is an exciting, tightly plotted, extremely powerful and downright scary book, which challenges pre-conceptions and deeply rooted fears of the mentally ill and disordered. Tangled Web talks to Jonathan about writing, crime and psychology, and discovers how the combination has shaped his success. |
With a successful career in child psychology, why did you begin writing? And
why choose crime? How important is writing in your life?
I began writing well before I became a
psychologist, starting at age 9, and continuing rather compulsively through
university, where I worked as a cartoonist and journalist on the newspaper and
won a Samuel Goldwyn Literary prize in 1971. After that, I authored two
psychology books, a lot of scientific papers, and struggled to get my fiction
published. I've always loved both art and science and saw psychology as my job,
writing as a side-activity. Surprise, surprise.Do you have the whole plot in your head before you start writing, or does it
develop as you write? I have a pretty good overall notion of the plot,
due to a detailed outline, before I begin. But I end up changing quite a bit as
I go along.Where do your ideas for the novels come from? Do you base your books on
real-life incidents? Do you include observations from your own clinical
experience?I may take general inspiration from actual events
and my clinical experience lends an air of authenticity to my novels -
hopefully. But as a psychologist, I'm extra-careful NEVER to write about former
patients. Also, the fun of writing fiction is making stuff up. Only poor
writers rely upon thinly disguised re-configurations of the daily newspaper.
Most of what I write emanates from my warped mind.
How do you do your research? What sort of research do you do?Books vary in terms of how much background work
they require. I enjoy researching and do my own investigations. This ranges
from library and internet tracking to real-life experiences. For example, in
order to research Monster, I spent time at a state hospital for the criminally
insane. I can't go into details, but suffice it to say that I ended up playing
guitar for a roomful of psychotic murderers.Which of your novels has been the most enjoyable to write?
What aspect of writing gives you the most satisfaction? I cannot rate my novels in terms of enjoyability
of construction. I've loved writing all of them. Of course, the
book-in-progress is always dearest to me.How much a part of your life is Alex Delaware? How much of you is there in
Alex?People who know me say there are strong
similarities between me and A.D. and obviously I've drawn upon my own persona
and experiences to create the Delaware novels. But Alex is younger, cuter, more
fit than I am. Also, he gets into a good deal more trouble than I, as a
long-married man with 4 kids, would ever dare. Overall, he's been a great
friend and I find it easy to slip into his persona.What makes, for you, a good crime novel? Do you read crime novels, and if so,
do you have any favourite authors? Have any authors influenced your style of
writing?A good crime novel is like any other good novel,
possessing excellent characterization, structure, and style that goes beyond
the pedestrian assemblage of sentences. It's hard for me to define, but I sure
know it when I see it. Bad writing always explains too much. Good writing aims
for subtlety without obliqueness, complexity sans complication, and has that
extra spark that establishes the writer's voice. Think Ruth Rendell, if you
need an exemplar.As a psychologist, do you find the crime novel a particularly good vehicle
for getting your message across? You deal with topics that most have little previous knowledge of. How do you
approach the task of informing the reader while at the same time keeping the
storyline moving? I’m sure it must be easy (perhaps tempting) to lapse into a
more didactic style.I have no big social message, per se, to
deliver. My credo is: if you've got a message, use Western Union. If you want
your writing to be communication, not masturbation, tell a good story. I end up
writing about things that concern me, frighten me, etc. However the end-all
remains the story. Any information must come out within the natural contours of
the tale. This poses a particular challenge in a book like Monster
where I've
attempted to impart some education about schizophrenia. Hopefully, I've avoided
the pitfall of pedanticism. I suppose that judgement will rest, ultimately,
with the reader.The crimes committed in your novels tend to be of the more extreme kind. Do
you feel that violent death should not be sanitized, not made more palatable for
readers?I deal with violence in a way that seems honest
to me. I never aim to titillate, and in fact, I'm quite repulsed by explicit
depictions of violence, particularly cinematic renditions. I'm simply
struggling to deal with my own fear and anger - having dealt as a psychologist
with real-life violence, I know it's not cute.Do you have any thoughts/unease about crime fiction as entertainment?No unease about crime fiction as entertainment.
As long as people are free to make choices about their reading material, I'm a
happy guy. The FBI’s model of the organised/disorganised serial
killer seems to have struck a chord with the general public and writers alike. How effective do you think
this type of work is?
Do you think such a cut-and-dried approach gives the entire picture?The whole profiling issue is one upon which I've
commented previously. Put succinctly, profiling has value but not nearly as
much as FBI agents-turned bestsellers and the media would have us believe.
Because people are variable and unpredictable, and profiles are assembled from
known information acquired through interviews of incarcerated criminals. Each
time new data are added to the bank, the gestalt changes. For example, one
"rule" promulgated by profilers used to be that serial killers didn't
murder outside their own race. Till they did. Also, profiles rarely lead to
apprehension of criminals - basic police work and just plain luck play the
biggest roles in that regard. Finally, we never hear about profiles that are
wrong. And there are lots of them. The media only trumpet those that have been
accurate. Like any bit of social science, profiling should be studied with
interest and a healthy bit of skepticism. As in any other area, the more data
we accrue, the better our predictive abilities.Where did the idea for “Monster” come from, and why did you choose that
particular title?I've always wanted to do a book set
in an asylum - my version of a "locked room" mystery. I thought the
title was a grabber.Is
Billy Straight the first of a new series featuring LA detective Petra
Shepherd, or is it a one-off? What made you write from a straight police
perspective rather than a psychologist’s perspective? I'd like to do another book with Petra, but right now
I've just finished the final editing on next year's Delaware, Dr. Death, and
I'm about 3/4 through the Delaware to follow. I've got lots of ideas, some
Delawares, some not, for future novels. It all depends on which stories speak to
me. I can't really say why I decided to write from a police perspective - it's
just the way the story unfolded. It's also much easier than getting a shrink
into trouble - I've always kidded Faye about that.What were the
differences in terms of writing between the two? What is the difference between
writing a series and a non-series book?I did want
to write from the perspectives of both a child and a woman because I thought
the dual challenge would help strengthen my skills and be great fun. That's the
key: fun. If I'm not enjoying the book, my readers won't. At the same time, if
I don't struggle with it, stay up at night etc., my readers may fall asleep.Thanks
Jonathan.
Please transmit and my
fondest regards to my UK readers who have been so
loyal and encouraging.
