‘I wanted to write a suburban Reacher’: Richard Osman talks to Lee Child about class, success and the secret to great crime writing

The two bestselling authors who both started in TV discuss writing as a second career, natural justice – and what they really think of literary fictionIn the four years since Richard Osman published his first Thursday Murder Club novel he has consistently topped the bestseller lists, and now his quartet of retirement-age detectives will be portrayed on screen by a cast including Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan. Having grown up in Sussex, Osman started out in TV, where he created and co-hosted the gameshow Pointless. His forthcoming novel We Solve Murders – the start of a new series – features a writer billed as the world’s bestselling novelist, “if you don’t count Lee Child”. Child, the creator of former military police officer Jack Reacher, has enjoyed phenomenal popularity since he left his career – also in TV, where he worked on shows including Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown and Cracker – and started writing, with his first novel published in 1997. Raised in Birmingham, he moved to the US in 1998 and now lives between Manhattan and rural Wyoming. He wrote 24 Reacher novels before announcing in 2020 that he would be handing the series to his brother Andrew.Lee Child I feel that writing is always a second-phase career, or at least should be. It’s that rare thing that not only can you do it when you’re older, but you should do it when you’re older. Pick your cliche: your gas tank is full, your database is compiled. You are a person. You are ready to write.... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-09-14 09:00:23 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: Chris O’Dowd and Nick Murphy Want to Tell You About Moone Boy

The Irish actor/comedian Chris O’Dowd is best known in this country for his turns in the movie Bridesmaids and the TV series Girls. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Human Rights Watcher: PW talks with former Random House President Robert Bernstein

Distinguished former Random House President talks to PW about his new memoir 'Speaking Freely' and his work founding Human Rights Watch. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: Sylvia Day Thanks Booksellers for Her Success

When Sylvia Day, author of many bestselling erotic romance series, was first starting out, she thought it was only a dream that she’d become as successful as she is. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: Noah Hawley: Always Write

As writer and television producer Noah Hawley puts it, with Emmy, Golden Globe, PEN, Critics Choice, and Peabody Awards under his belt, “I certainly don’t have to write another book if I don’t want to, but I find it’s a very important thing to me to be a novelist. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: Jane Hamilton: Succession and Its Aftermath

After a rough patch of anxiety over the state of publishing, the reading public, and her own writing, Jane Hamilton has come up with a novel about heartland America that is being praised by a range of writers, including Karen Joy Fowler, Ann Patchett, and Tom Perrotta. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: Michael Schumacher: Life and Death on the Great Lakes

Michael Schumacher doesn’t know why he is so fascinated with the Great Lakes, but it’s been a lifelong passion. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: Elizabeth Cobbs Talks About Hamilton’s Infidelities

What began as a quirky little musical at New York’s Public Theater has now blossomed into the most hyped show on Broadway. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: Marcia Clark: Crime Fiction After O.J.

Marcia Clark wanted to write crime fiction since childhood, but lacked the confidence to go for a career as a writer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: Booksellers Talk Up Their Favorite Books for Young Readers

While there are always plenty of big books and authors from major publishers at BEA, in talking to frontline booksellers and librarians we found a lot of interest in books from smaller houses as well. Here we present a sampling of the books that especially caught the eyes of conventiongoers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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SoA groups blast government rules on teaching writing

Members of the Society of Authors say current government policy on teaching children writing is destroying their enjoyment and creativity. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: Maria Semple: Writing to Escape Pain

Although Maria Semple has written two previous novels—most recently the bestselling "Where’d You Go, Bernadette," with a film adaptation in the works—the one-time TV writer ("Mad About You," "Arrested Development") says writing them never gets easier. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: The Okee Dokee Brothers Celebrate America’s Great Outdoors

While the late Prince represents the Minneapolis sound to millions of adults, two other Twin Cities musicians, the Okee Dokee Brothers, represent its flip side: a more pastoral and family-friendly Minneapolis sound. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: Richard Jackson and Jerry Pinkney: Joining Forces: A Pair of Venerable Children’s Book Figures

Two mainstays of children’s publishing have teamed up to create a picture book, "In Plain Sight" (Roaring Brook, Sept.). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: Richard Peck: On a Mission to Debunk Stereotypes

Richard Peck is thrilled that BEA is in Chicago this year. Not only is it a homecoming for the Decatur, Ill., native—“if you can go home again,” he says—but he credits the Illinois legislature with producing the spark that became "Best Man." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Viking wins auction for crime series

Viking is publishing three novels by a debut crime writer, Cara Hunter, following a "hotly contested" auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We Need More Diverse Superheroes!: PW Talks with ‘Power Man’ Writer David Walker

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Celebrate Motherhood with 10 Great Mom Comics

Usually, moms only play an ancillary role in comics, however some cartoonists choose to focus on what it means to bring life into this world and nurture it. So in time for Mother's Day, enjoy these 10 mom comics. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Richard Desmond's firm in £25m loss after price cuts and digital investment

Northern & Shell puts 2015 losses down to cutting prices of Star and Express titles and significant investment in digital publishingRichard Desmond’s Northern & Shell fell to a £25m loss last year after embarking on costly tabloid price cuts and boosting investment in digital... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Walk on the Wild Side: 10 Great Animal Comics

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sun royal editor Duncan Larcombe leaves to write Prince Harry book

Journalist, who was cleared of wrongdoing in relation to leaks from Sandhurst, has a deal with Harper CollinsThe Sun’s royal editor, Duncan Larcombe, is to leave the paper more than a year after an Old Bailey trial that saw him cleared of any wrongdoing in relation to tips about Princes William... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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