|
|
2109 N. Prospect Ave.
|
(414) 347-4077
|
|
Miwaukee, WI 53202
|
1-800-207-0084
|
|
Jon
|
Rick Riordan
|
| To help people who may not have read your books,could you describe the series a bit? | Tres Navarre is a private investigator in San Antonio, Texas. Tres is many things -- an English Ph.D., a blues fan, a tai chi master, a former bartender. He's sort of a collection of paths I didn't fully follow in my life -- a "what if" version of myself. The South Texas setting gives me a chance to explore the wildest and weirdest elements of my home state, and believe me, after three books, there's still a ton left to explore! |
| What made you want to do a series with a detective who is also a college professer? | Tres' English background is my touchstone to his character. It's the thing we share the most. I've been an English teacher (middle school, not college) for over ten years, and I like having a venue for sharing teaching stories through Tres. Also, if Tres wasn't a big reader, I don't think I could relate to him. When the series began, I had no idea Tres would end up dividing his time between teaching and PI work. Neither did Tres. I just liked the idea of an English Ph.D. who couldn't get any work upon graduation except bartending and paralegal work. It didn't seem too far-fetched of a premise, given the academics I know. As it turned out, the scenes with Tres in the classroom are some of my favorites. It's a fun counterpoint to his other life. I like it that occasionally Tres has to leave the morgue, change shirt and tie, and rush off to teach a class on medieval morality plays before going off on a skip trace in the evening. |
| There are a lot of memorable parts to your books.I think the people in them stand out.I really like Tres's brother.His boss is also very cool.And even her son stays with me. Are these people based on anyone, or are they totally fiction? | Thanks. I don't believe there are any such things as "side characters." I think every character needs to be memorable. Maybe that comes from growing up in South Texas, where we have a *lot* of memorable folks`. Yes, most of the people in the books are based on real people, but they're composites of different people I know. A piece here and a piece there. Garrett is a combination of my uncle, who is an ex-hippie computer programmer, a bilateral amputee psychologist I know, and my best friend, who's a major Jimmy Buffett fan. Tres' boss is based on a woman I used to teach with, whose name really is Erainya. |
| Do you strive for realism with your writing,or do you try more to entertain? | I guess they go hand in hand. I want people to feel like they've been dropped into the middle of South Texas when they read one of my books, but the realism is no good unless it's entertaining and holds your interest. |
| The books also have some very funny moments in them.(I love the stereo wars that Tres's brother has with his nieghbors). Are you this funny yourself? | No. Absolutely not. I'm a very morose individual, and hardly ever teach cuss words to parrots. |
| What did you do before your writing career took off? | I still do it. I'm a middle school English teacher,
and I don't foresee quitting as long as I can make both jobs work timewise.
I love being in the classroom. I do have to warn my students not to read
my books, as they're inappropriate for middle schoolers. And of course,
that means many of them run right out and read the books anyway. I can always
tell when they've read my stuff. They come in with grins on their faces,
like, "Whoa, Mr. Riordan is really inappropriate!" Oh well. So much for
molding the future generations. But seriously, I started writing when I was about thirteen, and I wished I'd known an author back then. I like being able to encourage kids to write. They know I'm not just talking the talk. |
| Any plans to write anything besides this series? | I've got lots of ideas, but I'm also very happy to continue with Tres Navarre. I feel like the series is just beginning. Tres is a fun guy to write about, and he's got many adventures ahead of him. |
| Who do you like to read ? | In terms of mystery, I read James Lee Burke, Robert B. Parker, James Crumley, Walter Mosely, Dennis Lehane, Robert Crais, Marcia Muller, and many others. The classics like Hammett and Chandler and John D. MacDonald. I also read a lot outside the genre. Like Tres, I'm a medievalist at heart. I'm probably one of the few people on earth who reads Chaucer in Middle English for fun. I've also been influenced a lot by Southern writers -- Flannery O'Conner, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty. |
| If you could do a second take on any part of your life,would you? | Naw. Tres lets me explore those things I never really did, but I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't want to *be* Tres. He's much less satisfied with his life than I am with mine. My only regret is that there's never enough time to do everything! |
| The books have a real feel for the way Texas is.Do you do a lot of research, or do you just make it sound believable? | The first two books were written out of nostalgia for Texas while I was living in San Francisco. I went from memory and from occasional holiday visits back home. Two years ago, my wife and I moved back to Texas, partly so I could get back in touch with my subject matter. I appreciate the place a lot more, now that I'm writing about it, having spent seven years away. I hope I get the feel of South Texas right. My favorite fan letters are those from other ex-patriate Texans, who write to thank me for giving them a taste of home. |
| What kind of things spark ideas for you? | I usually start off with a general premise, then fill in the details from research. Ride around with a deputy sheriff for a day, and it's amazing how many ideas will come to you! The problem is usually figuring out which to use. |
| What's always in the fridge at the Riordan house? | Having two small kids, I always have apple sauce and milk and tapioca pudding. Juice. Pizza. And it would not be a San Antonio household without a few Taco Cabana leftover fajitas wrapped in tinfoil, and those little cups of salsa they stick in the bottom of the bag. It's an old joke in San Antonio that Taco Cabana salsa cups breed in the refrigerator. No beer, sorry to say. Unlike Tres, who verges on problem drinking, I don't drink at all. Go figure. |
Interviews may not be used without permission of Mystery One or Jon Jordan
FOR ORDERS 1-800-207-0084 or E-MAIL US!
(c) Doughboy 11.11.99