“Declan Burke is his own genre. The Lammisters dazzles, beguiles and transcends. Virtuoso from start to finish.” – Eoin McNamee “This bourbon-smooth riot of jazz-age excess, high satire and Wodehouse flamboyance is a pitch-perfect bullseye of comic brilliance.” – Irish Independent Books of the Year 2019 “This rapid-fire novel deserves a place on any bookshelf that grants asylum to PG Wodehouse, Flann O’Brien or Kyril Bonfiglioli.” – Eoin Colfer, Guardian Best Books of the Year 2019 “The funniest book of the year.” – Sunday Independent “Declan Burke is one funny bastard. The Lammisters ... conducts a forensic analysis on the anatomy of a story.” – Liz Nugent “Burke’s exuberant prose takes centre stage … He plays with language like a jazz soloist stretching the boundaries of musical theory.” – Totally Dublin “A mega-meta smorgasbord of inventive language ... linguistic verve not just on every page but every line.Irish Times “Above all, The Lammisters gives the impression of a writer enjoying himself. And so, dear reader, should you.” – Sunday Times “A triumph of absurdity, which burlesques the literary canon from Shakespeare, Pope and Austen to Flann O’Brien … The Lammisters is very clever indeed.” – The Guardian

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Crime Always Pays? Oooh, The Irony

Had some bad news on Friday, folks – a rather fine publishing emporium in the USA was taking a long and serious look at the prospect of bringing THE BIG O’s sequel, aka CRIME ALWAYS PAYS, to a shelf near you, but they eventually decided nay, nay and thrice nay. It’s a shame because the people involved are good people, and smart too, and it would have been good to work with them. But, and for the kind of reasons you never stop to think of when you start out writing a book, it would appear that Operation Grand Vizier has, temporarily at least, run into the sand. Boo, etc.
  But lo! I’m not taking this lying down. I wallowed all weekend, and that’s as self-indulgent as it’ll get. In five years time, and as a direct consequence of the last six months, I’ll be a better writer and a wiser human being. Every writer has his or her war stories about rejections and setbacks, and at the end of the day, guv, what’s life but stories for the grandkids?
  Besides, it’s only a book. As I said earlier today, I could be sitting in Gaza City right now, or southern Israel, with a baby in a cot and half-expecting a rocket through the window.
  If the worst thing that happens me in 2009 is a book rejection, it’ll have been a tolerable year. Meanwhile, anyone who needs a laugh should check out the classic Brian-Stewie walkie-talkie riff. Roll it there, Collette, over …
UPDATE: My brother-in-law arrived last night, with the Tom and Jerry-style photograph below (no photo-shopping involved, honest), which was taken by his lovely wife, my equally lovely sister, and which just about captured the mood perfectly. I calls it ‘No Guts, No Glory’. Peace, out.



16 comments:

adrian mckinty said...

A year from now you'll be laughing about this

or be languishing in an Istanbul jail cell having decided to risk it all on 1 big score...

count me on the big score BTW I've heard that if you eat a garlic bread it throws the sniffer dogs right off.

Gerard Brennan said...

Truly sorry to hear about the setback, Dec. But you're impressively Zen as ever. If you and Adrian get around to that score, it'd be an honour to work with youse.

Cheers

gb

No word of a lie, my v-word is "shesh".

Peter Rozovsky said...

And my v-word is nones, which mean it's time to get off my monastic ass and pray again.

Don't do it, gents. Or if you do, make sure to cadge enough toilet paper on which you can write novels that you'll then smuggle out of your cells.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

John McFetridge said...

The One Big Score. Yeah, sounds like a good idea, my only advice is don't blog about it...

Donna said...

Damn - sorry to hear that Dec. I hope that one day soon it will see the light of day (and if not, I'm coming round to nick a copy of the manuscript.
Donna

Sophie Littlefield said...

ahhhh, hate that. but don't give up. ever ever ever.

Declan Burke said...

Cheers, chaps. But ... the One Big Score? I dunno. Now, if it was one last score, possibly for old times' sake, then maybe.

Donna, m'love, you'd have been getting a manuscript whether you wanted one or not. Thems the breaks.

Sophie? You're darn tootin'.

Cheers, Dec

Uriah Robinson said...

Sorry to hear that Dec. Your books are the antidote to the depression and a depression. It took me all of last January to stop laughing after I read The Big O.

best wishes
Norm

col2910 said...

that cat's just a fuckin pussy man

Patrick Shawn Bagley said...

It's their loss, man. I'll bet it won't be long before someone else picks it up.

Mack said...

Bummer. But I'll buy a copy anyway, particularly if I can get it through The Book Depository.

Stuart Neville said...

I've written the phrases "don't give up" and "don't take rejection too hard" at least five times over the last few days.

No matter what way you come at it, rejection is a bastard and no amount of reassurance will change that. All you can do is keep on keeping on.

As an aside, I seem to remember you telling me you weren't one for short fiction (I may have been drunk at the time). Have you considered giving it a try while you regroup? There are lots of markets out there on the interwebs. They don't pay, but it's good for the soul.

By the way, if there's a Big Score going down, I'm going to sell you all out to the authorities for my own monetary gain. Just so you know.

Barbara said...

Ah, crap. Been there, Dec. No fun. But you have a very beautiful daughter and you're a fine writer and us yanks is kinda dumb. It's not you, nor your book, but the breaks.

Unknown said...

Dec, what about in Ireland? Will it be released by the same press as The Big O ? Best of luck!

Declan Burke said...

Appreciate it, folks ...

Barbara? It's nothing to do with Yanks, dumb or otherwise ... it's that universal issue, the bottom-line.

Not sure what the deal will be with Ireland, Brent ... As soon as I hear, I'll let you know.

Cheers, Dec

Peter Rozovsky said...

Re the bottom line, there has to be way, an alternative way, perhaps, of getting worthwhile books to the public. I don't mean overturning the profit motive, and I don't mean pissing and mpoaning about how millions want to read Dan Brown, and thousands want to read my book. I mean just developing some new models for publishing. Any suggestions?
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/