BESTSELLERS & BEST FRIENDS
My book publishing blog, with murder mysteries woven through it.
If this is your first visit, be sure to start with “1. Let’s do it!”
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Around 1978, I discovered Robert Parker’s Spenser books. He had me by the 800th word of The Godwulf Manuscript.
He stayed my favorite author for 30 years (a large chunk of my life) until he suddenly died, writing at his desk, in his Cambridge (MA) home, in 2010.
Spenser was a Boston-based private eye who supposedly lived on the same block as me, who supposedly had an office just around the corner from my office, and who ran along the Charles River just like I pretended to.
Marlborough and Gloucester Streets, Boston. The Charles River
Parker’s writing was perfectly polished, not a wasted word or syllable. Reading Parker was like eating candy. Spenser had a cool Black buddy (Hawk), a sexy Jewish girlfriend (Susan), and a smart dog (Pearl). Just like all us guys wanted.
My late brother was also a Parker fan. (Just as he was of Berke Breathed’s Bloom County.) I treasured our long-distance bond (he lived in West Virginia) around Parker and Breathed’s work. Writers can make that magic happen.
A new Spenser book was coming out. The Harvard Bookstore Cafe asked me to a pre-publication, invitation-only reception for Parker. Cool. I went. And Parker personalized a book for my brother. Parker seemed like a nice guy.
Then to be polite, I hung around the bookstore. I talked with some bearded guy off to the side by himself. I never introduced myself, neither did he. He wore jeans, a leather jacket, and kick-ass boots. We talked about Spenser, Hawk, Susan, and Pearl.
Nice guy, easy to talk with. And he sure seemed to know a lot about writing. Finally, he excused himself, “I got a long drive up to Maine.” He slipped out the door, got on a huge motorcycle, and took off.
Then the Harvard Bookstore Café guy I knew ran over to me. He excitedly said, “I didn’t know you knew Stephen King!”
Holy shit.
© All Good Fund
Tomorrow: Jury duty