Ten Terrifying Questions with Linwood Barclay!

Linwood Barclay, a New York Times bestselling author with twenty novels to his credit, spent three decades in newspapers before turning full time to writing thrillers. His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages, sold millions of copies, and he counts Stephen King among his fans. Many of his books have been optioned for film and TV, a series has been made in France, and he wrote the screenplay for the film based on his novel Never Saw it Coming. Born in the US, his parents moved to Canada just as he was turning four, and he’s lived there ever since. He lives near Toronto with his wife, Neetha. They have two grown children.

Today, to celebrate the recent release of his thriller Take Your Breath Away, Linwood Barclay is on the blog to take on our Ten Terrifying Questions! Read on …

Linwood Barclay

1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?

I was born in the United States but my parents moved to Canada – the suburbs of Toronto – just as I was turning four. I’ve lived there ever since. When my father’s talents as a commercial artist were no longer in demand as photography took over, my parents bought a cottage resort and trailer park that I essentially took over running at the age of 16 when my father died. After high school in rural Fenelon Falls, Ontario, I attended Trent University, in Peterborough, where I met my future wife, Neetha. After Trent, I spent the next three decades working in newspapers.

2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?

A writer, always. At twelve, a writer of television shows. I would write 20-30 page typed novellas starring the characters from my favourite TV shows. At eighteen, I was determined to be a novelist, but the problem was that the two or three novels I wrote by the time I was in my early 20s were, well, not good. So I got a newspaper job at 22. At least I would get paid to write, every day. At 30, I was so involved in the production of a daily paper, the Toronto Star, as an editor – laying out pages, writing headlines, assigning reporters, etc., — that I didn’t have much time to think about writing novels. That would come later.

3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you don’t have now?

I thought I was brilliant, and that getting published would be relatively easy. Wrong on both counts.

4. What are three works of art – this could be a book, painting, piece of music, film, etc – that influenced your development as a writer?

The 1960s TV spy show The Man from U.N.C.L.E. fired up my imagination as a youngster and inspired me to start writing. The Goodbye Look, a Lew Archer novel by Ross Macdonald, showed me how the conventions of a detective novel could be used to explore substantive issues. And just listen to pianist Oscar Peterson’s Hymn to Freedom and try not to be moved.

5. Considering the many artistic forms out there, what appeals to you about writing a novel?

I’m no good at anything else. And for the most part, in writing a novel, it’s all on you. It’s the perfect artistic form for someone who doesn’t play well with others. (Although I am mostly an agreeable person.)

6. Please tell us about your latest novel!

Take Your Breath Away is about a man whose wife disappeared six years ago, and who has always been presumed by the police to have murdered her. He’s trying to get his life back together. He has a new woman in his life. But on this particular Saturday, there have been sightings of his wife, or at least, someone who looks very much like her. Is she back? And if it’s her, where has she been?

7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?

I just hope they’re entertained, that they turn those pages at breakneck speed.

8. Who do you most admire in the writing world and why?

The list is long. To start, two inspiring writers who were mentors, and sadly, no longer with us: Margaret Laurence and Ross Macdonald. Today, no one amazes me more than Stephen King, who has turned out some of his most ambitious work in just the last ten years.

9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?

Try to see the cup as half full.

10. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Read. The more you read, the more you learn. You wouldn’t become a musician without listening to music. If you really want to be a writer, you’re probably already writing, even if it’s work no one else sees. Stick with it. I was writing book in my teens and twenties but my first novel didn’t come out until I was 49. (Don’t be too discouraged by that; all those years in the newspaper business kept me off my game for a while.) Your friends and family will tell you what you’ve written is brilliant. What else can they say? Find someone to read your work who’s not afraid to hurt your feelings. Did I mention reading? Read!

Thank you for playing!

—Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay (HarperCollins Australia) is out now.

Take Your Breath Away

by Linwood Barclay

One weekend, while Andrew Mason was on a fishing trip, his wife, Brie, vanished without a trace. Most people assumed Andy had got away with murder, but the police couldn’t build a strong case against him. For a while, Andy hit rock bottom – he drank too much, was abandoned by his friends, nearly lost his business and became a pariah in the place he had once called home.

Now, six years later, Andy has put his life back together. He’s sold the house he shared with Brie and moved away for a fresh start. When he hears his old house has been bulldozed and a new house built in its place, he’s not bothered...

Order NowRead More

No comments Share:

About the Contributor

Booktopia