“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

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

“Ya Wanna Do It Here Or Down The Station, Punk?”: T.S. O’Rourke

Yep, it’s rubber-hose time, folks: a rapid-fire Q&A for those shifty-looking usual suspects ...

What crime novel would you most like to have written?
I still love John Connolly’s EVERY DEAD THING - it’s both brilliantly written and we all know the great story behind it’s success. Gives me goose pimples just thinking about it.

What fictional character would you most like to have been?
I’m a Mike Hammer wannabe in disguise ...

Who do you read for guilty pleasures?
Well, I just ordered the hardback version of THE BIG O from Amazon ... but recently I’ve been reading Declan Hughes and Ian Rankin.

Most satisfying writing moment?
I’m hardly ever satisfied with my writing - so I’d say that the most satisfying point of the day is when you can almost feel the first cold beer in your throat before you even approach the fridge ...

The best Irish crime novel is …?
I love all of Declan Hughes stuff so far - more than anything else Irish I’ve read - so maybe THE WRONG KIND OF BLOOD.

What Irish crime novel would make a great movie?
I’m amazed John Connolly’s work has not already been filmed ... I see Russell Crowe as Charlie Parker ...

Worst / best thing about being a writer?
Not being able to start writing when you want to / Not being able to stop when you should ...

The pitch for your next book is …?
Yet to be written ... I’ve got three unfinished novels on the go and at least two others plotted out ... Time is my enemy.

Who are you reading right now?
Ken Bruen - BLITZ - I picked up a ‘Do Not Press’ edition last time I was on Charing Cross Road ...

God appears and says you can only write OR read. Which would it be?
Write.

The three best words to describe your own writing are …?
Blunt, hard, cold.

T.S. O’Rourke’s DEATH CALL is now available on Amazon Kindle

3 comments:

Sean Patrick Reardon said...

"Blunt, hard, cold". Now that sounds like something I might like. All the best T.S, and looking forward to reading some of your work. Don't have a Kindle, but I have Kindle for PC, so that will work.

Some of my stuff.... said...

Thanks mate!

And Dog Bless Declan for this wonderful blog!

Cheers!

T.S.

T.S. O'Rourke said...

Oops... I'm 'Some of my stuff'....

That sounds rather Freudian....

Beers!

T.S.