Back in the summer of 2000, Harlan Coben — who had worked in the travel business — was asked to organize a mystery conference for Club Med. At that time, Harlan and I had known each other for four years and the joke was that, whatever Harlan did, I did two years later. Harlan won the Edgar, then I won the Edgar. Harlan went to hardcover, then I went to hardcover. Harlan wrote a stand-alone for his eighth book, I wrote a stand-alone for my eighth book. Harlan became a huge international bestseller with his stand-alone . . . I wrote a ninth book. But in 2000, I was going through tough times, and Harlan knew that, so he invited me to Club Med, along with several other writers.
In November 2000, when we gathered at a Club Med in the Bahamas, Harlan was about seven months away from publishing his first New York Times bestseller. Dennis Lehane was about two months away from publishing Mystic River. George Pelecanos was about to publish Right as Rain, the first book in his trilogy (quartet, if you count Hard Revolution) about Derek Strange. Peter Robinson, Nevada Barr and Steve Hamilton were also there, along with such established writers as Donald Westlake and Evan Hunter. But the best-loved writer at Club Med was Jim Crumley because Jim is the best-loved writer anywhere he goes.
The Times list for May 6 came out today. Harlan Coben is #2, behind some guy named Tolkien. He’s huge in the UK and virtually a rock star in France, where the film based on Tell No One won a couple of Cesars, the French Oscar. Lehane, Pelecanos, Robinson, Barr and Hamilton have all done awfully well, to risk understatement. Crumley has since won a much deserved Dagger in the UK. We’ve lost Evan (better known, perhaps, as Ed McBain), but Donald Westlake just published a new Dortmunder book, which means there is a reason to rejoice.
When I remember our days in the Bahamas, where it rained almost every day, I think of us clustered around Jim Crumley in the bar, listening to his stories. About life, about writing, about the writing life. We were a happy, collegial bunch, without jealousy, although some of us may have had twinges of envy. (The distinction is important.) Seven years later . . . we still are.
I seem to recall a photo from a Club Med mystery event — perhaps this one — that also included Marilyn Stasio..? One wonders how things might have been tinted by her presence (unless, of course, she’s as indecipherable as some of her reviews).
Steve,
She was there and managed to walk a straight-if-narrow line of collegial-but-not-familiar. And her reviews subsequent to that event definitely prove that she wasn’t affected by proximity.
Is this the <a href=”http://www.dennismcmillan.com/Copy%20of%20Website/bahamas.htm” target=”_blank”>picture</a>?
Sure is!
I love that photo. You can tell that even Marilyn Stasio is charmed by Jim.
By the way, one of the two women sitting is Michele Slung, who “discovered” me and helped me find my beloved agent.
Any chance of a reunion?
That is a very cool photo.
One of the things I’ve loved about the mystery writing community is that, unlike most businesses, there is competition, but it’s friendly competition. And with very very few exceptions, we all help each other. I’m here because of Laura, and Jerry Healy, and Les Roberts, and a plethora of others who all know who you are. <grinning>
I’m hard at work on the novel I know I was meant to write. Not trying to BSP here…just saying that the past 10 years of writing and growing, and learning from the best, I hope will result in the best novel I could write.
Ten years ago I never could have even gotten the first chapter down on cyperpaper. Once I learned that EVERYbody has that little 8th grade teacher editor whispering in their ear, I threw her out
and kept writing. And sold some stories…and more stories…and am refining my craft.
I said all that to say this: Getting together in a bar at any confab with writers like these guys is the best it gets, except for maybe finally writing THE END…and/or selling the thing. I have friends I never thought I’d have.
And it really jazzes me to know that of the list of names on the 2007 Edgar winning episode of THE WIRE, I know at least four of them!
Ten years ago, that was a dream. Standing in my living room, reading the paper, dreaming of writing…and being a published author…life intervenes, but the writing goes on.
Thanks, Laura. And once again, you deserve all the best.
“and the joke was that, whatever Harlan did, I did …”
I just finished The Woods.
Name this novel: _____________ , with some plot inspiration drawn from a real news story, is a gripping novel about a long ago crime and two young people who may or may not be dead now, which delves into how unsolved crime fractures the lives of those left behind.
I actually could go on but then I’d be in spoilerland. Nonetheless, the ending of The Woods was much less surprising to me because I had read WTDK (I never figure these things out but in The Woods my theory was pretty close). Both are excellent books (and actually they are quite different).