Interview with Paul Johnston
by Jon Jordan
Paul's Web Site

11/26/01

Jon:  So I guess the first question that comes to mind is, why Edinburgh in the 2020’s?

Paul:  When I started thinking about Body Politic, the first in the Quint Dalrymple series, I was living in Greece and feeling nostalgic for my home city of Edinburgh. I planned a contemporary crime novel set there, but found that I couldn't get it to work on the page because of the distance. Then I thought of moving the time frame rather than changing location. That kick started the writing process, though it gave me a lot of extra work in creating a whole new society. As for the 2020's - I wanted it to be far enough away to enable major changes to take place, but not too far away to lose all connection with the life of the reader (Orwell did the same thing with 1984, about 35 years in the future when he was writing).

Jon:  How would you describe Quintilian Dalrymple?

Paul:  Quint is a classic noir hero - an individualist, a pain in the butt, fond of whisky and the blues, not good with women. He also has elements of the "great detective" (i.e. Holmes) in that he relies on intuition. He feeds into the police procedural too as he knows how the system works and is an "archive rat". Initially he had a symbolic stature - he represented the individual standing up to the faceless state. As the series progressed I've tried to make him more of a "real" human being - he has a long-standing relationship and he relies on personal contacts and psychological insight more than in the first books (I hope!).

Jon:  Parts of this future you write about are pretty bleak. Do you think this is where we might be headed?

Paul:  Yes, the books are bleak, not doubt reflecting my dour Scottish nature! But they aren't meant to be realistic or predictive. I actually view myself as a progressive type and believe that society can improve - as long as those in power are carefully scrutinized.


Jon:  I really love the blend of mystery with a bit of sci-fi feel. Do you get a lot of cross genre readers?

Paul:  The cross genre issue is a problem area. Publishers are suspicious of crossover books and tend not to push them as much as more mainstream books. That is because they are inherently conservative, which doesn't necessarily do their customers any favours. In my experience readers are much more open-minded than they're given credit for. Having said that, I see the books as futuristic rather than sci-fi - the future they describe is firmly rooted in the present.

Jon:  What inspired you to start writing?

Paul:  Inspiration? I reckon it was partly in the genes (my father was a writer) and/ or in the experience of growing up in a writer's family (though neither of my siblings are writers). Other than that, it's a grey area. Most writers feel early on that they are writers without being able to explain why.

Jon:  Who do you enjoy reading?

Paul:  I have very broad reading interests. In crime, Chandler and Conan Doyle are the masters and I definitely don't go for cozies. There are a lot of American writers I admire - Burke, Crumley, Pelecanos - but I think British crime writing is strong at the moment too - Rankin, Robert Wilson, Julia Wallis Martin. I have a particular interest in writers who use locations far from their own homes - John Connolly's Maine, Dibdin's Italy. Outside the genre I read a lot of poetry and history, much of it to do with my adopted home of Greece.

Jon:  Did winning the Creasy Award for best first novel make you feel any pressure when writing the second book?

Paul:  I had already written The Bone Yard, the second Quint novel, when I won the Creasey so there was no extra pressure.

Jon:  When you write, do you try to give the reader a fair chance at solving the mystery?

Paul:  The question of the reader solving the mystery is a tricky one. The authors who played that game (I'm thinking particularly of the so-called Golden Age) manipulated the reader a lot, something I don't like. On the other hand, I think it's good to keep the reader guessing and I do consider how to use red herrings and other devices when I'm writing.

Jon:  What other jobs did you have before writing full time?

Paul:  I worked in shipping, as a journalist, and as an English teacher. But they were only the means to an end - which was to enable me to spend as much time as I could writing. I went full time as a writer as soon as I could.

Jon:  Quintilian really loves the blues. What kind of music do you listen to?

Paul:  I listen to the blues too, though not as much as Quint (for him they have a symbolic - oops, there's that word again - quality as they're subversive and banned by the Edinburgh regime). I was a child of the Seventies and I still listen to a lot of rock. But I like folk and classical too. Life without music would be unbearable.

Jon:  Are there any similarities between you and Quint?

Paul:  I think it's a mistake to draw parallels between authors and their characters. Authors make things up - at least I do - they don't just empty the contents of their lives into their books. Having said that, I am an individualist and I have a problem with authority...

Jon:  How would you describe a perfect weekend?

Paul:  I usually work at weekends, so perfection isn't really an issue. Exploring the Greek island where I have a house my daughter ranks pretty high, as does sharing many bottles with friends.

Jon:  What’s the coolest part of being a writer?

Paul:  Is there a cool part of being a writer? Being approached by people in bookshops and told how much they enjoy your work is pretty cool (if not as frequent an event as it could be). Meeting writers you admire at festivals is good too - this year I met Peter Carey and Michael Ondaatje, as well as George Pelecanos.

Jon:  Has there been any interest in a movie or television adaptation of the series?

Paul:  I've had several meetings with producers, none of which has led to anything yet. The cross genre issue has raised its head - futuristic means hi-tech as far as a lot of people in the film and TV business are concerned and my books are pretty low-tech (apart from the last one). If it happens, it happens...

Jon:  What makes the partnership with Davie work?

Paul:  Davie is the classic detective's sidekick - reliable, strong, a little bit dumb. But as a serving guardsman (i.e. policeman) he's also a member of the establishment, which gives him a slightly ambivalent relationship with Quint. It's been interesting as the series progressed to see how Davie develops. He was a bit of a clod at the beginning (rather like Dr Watson) but later I hope he took on more attractive qualities. He stands up to Quint and even makes fun of him on occasion.

Jon:  Any plans of writing something outside this series?

Paul:  I have just finished the first book in a new series featuring a Greek private investigator, set in the present day. The book's called A Deeper Shade of Blue - the protagonist Alex Mavros goes to a small island to look for a missing woman and discovers that all is not as it seems. There's drug smuggling, abduction, the looting of antiquities and the continuing fall out from dark deeds during the Second World War. Makes a change from lying on the beach all day... Quint may return, he may not.

Jon:  Are you more of a nocturnal person, or a “happy to be up in the morning” person?

Paul:  I am useless in the morning and struggle to get to my desk before 10 a.m. Given the chance, I will happily stay up until dawn as long as there's drink and convivial company.

Jon:  What are some of your favorite movies?

Paul:  I am a serious movie buff and the answer to this question could take hours. So I'll confine myself to crime movies, post-1970 - The French Connection, The Godfather 1 and 2, Chinatown, Get Carter (original version, of course), To Live and Die in LA (greatly under-rated), The Long Good Friday, Heat, LA Confidential, Blood Simple, Manhunter, Seven, The Usual Suspects - among many others. See where I'm coming from? Oh, and Blade Runner - how could I forget Ridley Scott's masterpiece?

Jon:  Is it strange to see your work translated into other languages?

Paul:  Very strange indeed. I just got the Japanese edition of Body Politic. Exquisite package - totally incomprehensible, of course.

Jon:  Do people ever make comparisons of your work to your Father’s books?

Paul:  My father wrote maritime thrillers, so any comparison between his work and mine would be difficult. I suppose he was good at pacing a story, which is something I aim at too.

Jon:  What is the one thing always in your refrigerator?

Paul:  White wine - what else? And anchovies, black olives and capers to make spaghetti alla putanesca.