An Interview With Steve Hamilton continued. By Steve Rudd

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Living in the big city now, have you not been tempted to write a book set amidst the hustle and bustle of NYC's madness? You never know, Alex McKnight might just be glad of a re-location there … I can't imagine what Alex would be doing in NYC. I am working on a new series set in the Hudson Valley, though. That's where I live now -- about ninety miles north of the city, up near the Catskill Mountains. I can take a train into the city, then come home at night and hear the coyotes howling and bears ripping up my birdfeeders.

How long, roughly, does it take to write a book from start to finish? Most of a year, usually. I'm trying to do a little bit every night, after everyone has gone to bed.

Ice Run is your latest novel. How pleased have you been by the success of this instalment? To tell you the truth, I really don't know how it's doing. Authors are usually the last to know, as a rule. Are you currently working on anything in terms of novel-writing? Are there going to be more Alex McKnight stories? I'm working on two stories - one Alex and one not (the new series I mentioned earlier). Someday, I might end up alternating between them. Who knows?

Who are your favourite writers and did you always aspire to be a writer from a young age? There are so many great writers working in the crime field right now, in the states and in the U.K. Off the top of my head I love reading Dennis Lehane, George Pelecanos, James Crumley, Lee Child, Val McDermid, Denise Mina... I could keep going for two pages, believe me. It's still amazing to me that I get to hang out with these people at the conventions.

If you go back in time and ask the eight-year-old me what he wants to be when he grows up, he'd say a writer. When I was twelve or thirteen I even sent my first mystery short story to Ellery Queen magazine (I got the little No thank you card back). A couple of years ago, they asked me to do a story for them, so that was like a nice valentine to that kid.

Has anybody ever approached you with a view to being interested in adapting any of your stories for the big-screen? People have talked about it, but it's all talk and it'll drive you crazy if you take it too seriously. So-and-so is reading it this week, and all that (Reading in Hollywood does not mean reading, apparently. It means giving it to somebody so they can do a one-page summary). I watched another writer putting together a deal for three years - it all fell apart in one afternoon. It was a valuable lesson. If it happens, it happens. Don't worry about it!

What do you think are the key elements that need to be addressed when writing a story if such a story is to be ultimately acclaimed? I'm not sure you can think about it that way, or it'll probably show through. You can't be that focused on how the book is going to be received by people. You just have to write it for yourself and tell yourself the best story possible. Raymond Chandler said that a great writer doesn't write what people want - he writes what he wants and makes people like it.

What most excites you about the art of story-telling? Really, it's just finding out what's going to happen myself. That's all I'm really doing the first time through, finding out what the story is. If I'm surprised, I think I've got a good chance at surprising the reader, too.

Do you find that it is in any way more difficult to promote your writing outside of the US? Well, it's harder for the simple reason that you can't get there as easily. But I LOVED coming to London, and would do it again in a second (I know I'll be back soon...). I did a book tour in Germany, too.

That was interesting because I ended up doing mostly East German cities, where people don't speak much English. So it was kind of strange reading from the book to them. Come to think of it, that whole trip was strange. If you see me in a bar, ask me to tell you the whole story. What is the best way that people interested in your work can keep up-to-date with any new releases that you may have? That's easy! Go to www.authorstevehamilton.com and sign up for the newsletter! Steve, thank you so much for your time, and all of us at thisisUll.com wish you all the best with your future writing ventures... See reviews of Steve Hamilton's novels here: Ice Run by Steve Hamilton Reviewed by Steve Rudd A Cold Day In Paradise by Steve Hamilton By Steve Rudd

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