An interview with
David M. Hamlin
What is, in your opinion, the best thing (or your favourite thing) that you’ve ever written? Tell us about it.
A nearly impossible challenge on multiple counts. The last thing I wrote tends to be my favorite, but since I write constantly, that doesn't last long. "Best" is even more complicated. I think the protagonist in my Emily Winter mystery novels is my best character, but she's only a little "bester" than the Beech Boys, whose misadventures in crime (including The Beech Boys Rock, currently on display at OUAC) are always fun to play with. At the moment, my "best" may be Murder in Tolland, my latest novel, because it took me in a new direction and the protagonist in that one is somewhat complicated; it also contains a side character (Jeff Conrad) who arose from sheer happenstance but who arrived on the page fully realized from his first appearance.
Who are your favourite writers, and what influences your writing?
I have a host of favorite writers. I think Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is as close to perfect as a novel can be. I learned a lot from other mystery/crime writers including Rex Stout, John D. MacDonald, Ms. Christie, Michael Connelly, and Louise Penny. Always near near the top of my list is William Goldman (The Princess Bride, Butch Cassidy & The Sunset Kid, Adventures in the Screen Trade), but, hands down, the writer at the top of the list is the extraordinary Elmore Leonard, whose clean, tight, arresting and inventive prose is peerless. There's not enough room here for all the songwriter/lyricists whose work I admire and adore -- there are dozens of them.
What are your hobbies?
I devour crossword puzzles (American version) and I play a lot of tennis. My wife and I are voracious consumers of British TV mysteries, a hobby which is equally fun and instructive (Foyle, for example, is delicious on every level). I play on-line poker (with fake money) during my lunch hour.
Describe yourself as if you are a character in one of your own stories / poems.
“David Hamlin is a strange mixture of east coast preppy and west coast cool. He strikes most as buttoned down but his pierced ear, sporting a bright blue stud, tends to negate that impression. He is often wise, frequently sarcastic and always quick with quips or puns which can be hilarious or entirely too hip for the room. He is, above all, a highly focused listener who usually absorbs before he joins conversations."
Tell us something crazy.
I once spent a day in the company of Lillian Hellman and Robert Redford, a threesome about as crazy as it gets. One of those two was utterly delightful.
What’s the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked in an interview? And what did you answer?
In an interview for a job which promised to be difficult, challenging, exhausting and ultimately life-threatening, I was asked why I wanted the job at all. I said "I'm having a love affair with the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."
What is your writing set-up? (E.g. your garden shed, a cafe etc.) and are there any things you must have to get the words to flow, e.g. a lucky hat or a favourite shirt?
I have a small office in the condominium in which my wife and I live. It contains a desk which is too small, a few books, some art work and memorabilia. I work on an aging lap top computer with a free-standing keyboard. I write almost every day and begin each day by going back over what I produced the day before to maintain the style, flow, and plot lines. My work usually flows comfortably, if not easily, but when I hit a wall, I tend to wander both mentally and physically, day dreaming as I meander around the house or walking around our complex.
A nearly impossible challenge on multiple counts. The last thing I wrote tends to be my favorite, but since I write constantly, that doesn't last long. "Best" is even more complicated. I think the protagonist in my Emily Winter mystery novels is my best character, but she's only a little "bester" than the Beech Boys, whose misadventures in crime (including The Beech Boys Rock, currently on display at OUAC) are always fun to play with. At the moment, my "best" may be Murder in Tolland, my latest novel, because it took me in a new direction and the protagonist in that one is somewhat complicated; it also contains a side character (Jeff Conrad) who arose from sheer happenstance but who arrived on the page fully realized from his first appearance.
Who are your favourite writers, and what influences your writing?
I have a host of favorite writers. I think Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is as close to perfect as a novel can be. I learned a lot from other mystery/crime writers including Rex Stout, John D. MacDonald, Ms. Christie, Michael Connelly, and Louise Penny. Always near near the top of my list is William Goldman (The Princess Bride, Butch Cassidy & The Sunset Kid, Adventures in the Screen Trade), but, hands down, the writer at the top of the list is the extraordinary Elmore Leonard, whose clean, tight, arresting and inventive prose is peerless. There's not enough room here for all the songwriter/lyricists whose work I admire and adore -- there are dozens of them.
What are your hobbies?
I devour crossword puzzles (American version) and I play a lot of tennis. My wife and I are voracious consumers of British TV mysteries, a hobby which is equally fun and instructive (Foyle, for example, is delicious on every level). I play on-line poker (with fake money) during my lunch hour.
Describe yourself as if you are a character in one of your own stories / poems.
“David Hamlin is a strange mixture of east coast preppy and west coast cool. He strikes most as buttoned down but his pierced ear, sporting a bright blue stud, tends to negate that impression. He is often wise, frequently sarcastic and always quick with quips or puns which can be hilarious or entirely too hip for the room. He is, above all, a highly focused listener who usually absorbs before he joins conversations."
Tell us something crazy.
I once spent a day in the company of Lillian Hellman and Robert Redford, a threesome about as crazy as it gets. One of those two was utterly delightful.
What’s the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked in an interview? And what did you answer?
In an interview for a job which promised to be difficult, challenging, exhausting and ultimately life-threatening, I was asked why I wanted the job at all. I said "I'm having a love affair with the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."
What is your writing set-up? (E.g. your garden shed, a cafe etc.) and are there any things you must have to get the words to flow, e.g. a lucky hat or a favourite shirt?
I have a small office in the condominium in which my wife and I live. It contains a desk which is too small, a few books, some art work and memorabilia. I work on an aging lap top computer with a free-standing keyboard. I write almost every day and begin each day by going back over what I produced the day before to maintain the style, flow, and plot lines. My work usually flows comfortably, if not easily, but when I hit a wall, I tend to wander both mentally and physically, day dreaming as I meander around the house or walking around our complex.