tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post3044650555145722060..comments2024-02-27T04:35:19.394-08:00Comments on and another thing...: Jumping the SharkJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08700441634700745541noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-65768765758916067162010-08-10T16:42:26.268-07:002010-08-10T16:42:26.268-07:00I think that the whole background story to Charlie...I think that the whole background story to Charlie Parker's life helps to stop the shark jumping. Would love to read some stories on Louis'work as an assassin.Hieronymus Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18331033241200273067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-51725926612637656442010-08-02T02:01:31.134-07:002010-08-02T02:01:31.134-07:00I certainly don't think you have "jumped ...I certainly don't think you have "jumped the shark". I thoroughly enjoyed the non series books but i wait in anticipation for the Charlie Parker books. When a character or characters find a place to settle in a readers heart and mind as Charlie, Angel and Louis have in mine (and i'm sure many others)it creates an ongoing relationship.<br />Ilove the fact that Charlie ages, that his life is now, that his challanges change but Angel and Louis remain a loyal though sometimes strained constant!<br />I'm awaiting delivery of The Whisperers as we speak. Can't wait to reaquainted with much missed friends!MOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14379089508076940597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-75827075555358142452010-08-01T03:30:33.415-07:002010-08-01T03:30:33.415-07:00You are one of the few authors that I read and re-...You are one of the few authors that I read and re-read and on each occassion take away something new.Lizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04676728987307092768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-14958960874635083712010-07-11T15:55:31.546-07:002010-07-11T15:55:31.546-07:00I have not gotten the opportunity to read your lat...I have not gotten the opportunity to read your latest, as the books arrived after I left for Chile. :( But I have a feeling that jumping the shark for you would still be a long time coming, if ever.<br /><br />As to Dan Brown movies, to me they rank up there with the books. Some people avoid talking about politics because it is sure to rile people up. People avoid talking to me about Dan Brown books. *shrug* I know what I like, and his books are not it. <br /><br />Hope this finds you well.<br /><br />Kkayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14036374413828047766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-62257593221571696542010-07-09T01:38:03.004-07:002010-07-09T01:38:03.004-07:00I have become increasingly interested in the links...I have become increasingly interested in the links between image and text.<br /><br />The covers for "The Book of Lost Things" are very beautiful.<br /><br />It would be interesting to hear about your reactions to how the European, American and Australian markets produce culturally specific imagery for covers.<br /><br />Writers often have strong reactions to the covers chosen by their publishers and the question of who chooses the cover often comes up on blogs by novelists.<br /><br />I have noticed that the iconography of gaming, often with a Utopian or Dystopian atmosphere has influenced many book covers in recent years...<br /><br />"The Windup Girl" by Paulo Bacigalupi is one example.Tales from the Birch Wood.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15427603252937311851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-1688563614440715202010-07-03T08:18:13.008-07:002010-07-03T08:18:13.008-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Shalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04589489795793388645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-36736770557675759862010-07-03T08:18:11.709-07:002010-07-03T08:18:11.709-07:00Good post. Really enjoyed and agreed with what yo...Good post. Really enjoyed and agreed with what you said about Cornwall and Holmes. I'm sure so many popular writers must come to a creative wall which they must either climb and find new challenges or stare blankly at the wall and come up with nothing! I came to your books by reading The Book of Lost Things first and still find it my all time favourite, but have thoroughly enjoyed the Charlie Parker series. You have managed to keep me hooked by exploring the darker themes and letting Parker and the other characters develop and age. But every book is varied in tone, but still familiar and I think this is what I enjoy the most - whether they be characters or themes you explore, they are still familiar, like a favourite spot on your sofa...Wish I'd seen you here in HK!!Shalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04589489795793388645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-81148255871554921782010-06-29T10:37:14.842-07:002010-06-29T10:37:14.842-07:00your name came up in our local library today. I&...your name came up in our local library today. I'll let the librarian know about this great post the next time I visit.<br /><br />Also, I know it may look self-serving, but I've been mentioning a book edited by Gerard Brennan and Mike Stone whenever possible.<br /><br />The links explain all.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Having <a href="http://moderntwist2.blogspot.com/2010/05/blood-on-carpet.html" rel="nofollow">put my foot in it</a> recently, I now wander the web trying to make amends and give "Requiems for the Departed" a fine mention.<br /><br />Members of Goodreads might like to link to it there?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8428370-requiems-for-the-departed" rel="nofollow">Requiems for the Departed</a>Photographe à Dublinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13555993860377132435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-11393354206908777552010-06-23T05:09:30.350-07:002010-06-23T05:09:30.350-07:00Just finished The Whisperers - a welcome Father...Just finished The Whisperers - a welcome Father's Day gift. Really enjoyed it and its up there with the best of the Parker series ...... it does feel like a major event is looming in the next book or two - bring it on !!<br /><br />My late father met you at a talk you gave to retired corpo members about 8 years ago and mentioned that I liked your books - you sent me a postcard featuring an image from an Ossary - the most bizarre thing I ever got in the post - but much appreciated all the same.<br /><br />Keep up the good work.<br />BrenAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16445670478502637942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-70365401115513901762010-06-18T11:22:12.784-07:002010-06-18T11:22:12.784-07:00Hi john, i have consumed every one of your books w...Hi john, i have consumed every one of your books with a passion,actually i,v read most of them twice! I had never heard of the expression Jumped the Shark,i have to say it brings to mind Stephen Kings 'misery' remember what happened to the author in that film? I had read all of the Parker series and was blown away, then The Book of Lost Things kept jumping off the bookshop shelf to me but was very reluctant to give it a try,i just didn,t want to be disappointed,im glad to say i have read it and by God its now my favourite book...John you could write a shopping list and i,d be excited. I would dearly luv the Parker series to be made into movies but i would fear your unique writing style would be lost in translation,the supernatural twist and turns in your books are what really have me hooked,its so different and leaves me thinking about what i,v just read long after i put the bookdown,but having said all of that you as an author i am a loyal fan whatever you write....with lots of admiration and in anticipation for whatever your talent sends our way...linda...ps.i met you a few yrs ago in Wexford, you were launching a book for a friend of mine, Shane Dunphy, i hadn,t read any of your books at that stage but if i had of you would have been pidgeon holed for the eve while i picked your brain and drove you mad with inane questions...pps.as a fellow Dub i,m seriously proud of you...lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808716577746968833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-62236179289349749432010-06-12T15:00:48.102-07:002010-06-12T15:00:48.102-07:00Dear John
Like many i'm a big parker fan
i'...Dear John<br />Like many i'm a big parker fan<br />i'm reading all the books in order<br />right now i'm reading "the unquiet"<br />and this is your best so far!<br />Perphaps you get even better over the years who knows?<br />The psychological thrill for a thriller lover like myself is intense! In this book you seem to move torwards a more subtle plot somehow and i love it! I hope there will be more to come! <br />best regards and have fun<br />peterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-33738544952563067182010-06-12T10:42:47.080-07:002010-06-12T10:42:47.080-07:00Great post. I think about it a lot--I actually did...Great post. I think about it a lot--I actually did a post this week on jumping the shark...except not for TV/movies, just for random things.<br /><br />I guess every good writer tries not to. Then again, it's hilarious fun for snarkers when people do. :DSadakohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01164802394129505587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-612896835208521172010-06-01T11:42:27.312-07:002010-06-01T11:42:27.312-07:00I reviewed The Whisperers at
http://talesfromtheb...I reviewed The Whisperers at<br /><br />http://talesfromtheblackabyss.com/2010/05/23/the-whisperers-by-john-connolly/<br /><br />Congratulations on another fantastic novel John and also well done for allowing your horror/supernatural side to come through in all it's glory :-)Colin Lesliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03454775379076300427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-32014695567917060842010-05-30T18:50:35.325-07:002010-05-30T18:50:35.325-07:00Thanks for an entertaining and very helpful blog J...Thanks for an entertaining and very helpful blog John. I found it immensely helpful in thinking about characters I am trying to create. I also agree completely with your comments regarding Patricia Cornwell, loved her early books, but her characters are now unrecognizable..Pete Marino as wild biker, gone off the rails..the guy must be at least 60, so it doesn't work for me. The annoying niece seems to be based far too much on Cornwell herself, perhaps why the character is so dreary and irritating. <br />You on the other hand, I don't believe have any need to worry about getting near that shark. I loved the spiders..(well, perhaps loved is not the right word). These are the kinds of characters who Parker gravitates towards, and it works. He's a great character, and also very believable. I love Louis and Angel too. <br />I am unable to comment on Robert Parker, I had heard so many god comments about his books that I went and bought one. I could not put it down...fast enough. It must have been the runt of the litter, so far I have not been tempted to go back. Maybe another time. Like you, I am a great admirer of James Lee Burke, it is not often that a writer of his caliber comes along, however, you're getting there too. Thanks again for a helpful and entertaining blog. :)))Dianemchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03303311612944668301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-53108534936051568192010-05-29T12:43:09.220-07:002010-05-29T12:43:09.220-07:00I've just finished 'The Whisperers'and...I've just finished 'The Whisperers'and (not that i had doubted JC's abilities to begin with) it's yet annother brilliant book to the Parker series.Ever since i read 'Every dead thing' in 2000, not one book has been a dissapointment. You deffinately haven't jumped shark so don't have any worries about Jaw's just yet JC. The series is just as great as when i first read it and is only growing stronger with each book. <br /><br />Related to Angies comment, i was watching Mystic River whilst reading one of the Parker books at the time and couldn't get Sean Penn as Parker out my mind. Who do you think would make a good Louis and Angel??????Mark Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11193356638792351118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-64554470946457275702010-05-28T03:58:35.851-07:002010-05-28T03:58:35.851-07:00I'm partway through The Whisperer's right ...I'm partway through The Whisperer's right now, and I'm loving it so far, particularly the way Charlie is living *right now*, with the fallout of the war on Iraq, and also the economic downturn, and that's playing a part in the story. I love how he's not living in some fictional 'a few years ago', but RIGHT NOW. I've read all your Parker books, btw, and Bad Men and Nocturnes and The Book of Lost Things (that most recently, and it was AMAZING), and I don't think you've jumped the shark at all. I like the things you've explored - I got my best friend onto your books too, and she ate through them. She told me she didn't like The Reapers so much, but I really enjoyed the chance to see inside Angel and Louis' relationship without Charlie's POV getting in the way. It threw me a little, at first - I was about halfway through before I realised that actually, no, this one isn't going to slip into first-person, but I love Angel and Louis fiercely so it was wonderful to see them through their own eyes. They haven't shown up in The Whisperers yet, but I know I will squeal like I never expected it when they do *g*.<br /><br />Also, quite randomly, I was just looking at some pictures on my hard drive of <a href="http://www.zunshine.com/obrien/" rel="nofollow">the Aussie actor Peter O'Brien</a>, and it occurred to me that he would make an awesome Charlie Parker. Some of the images of him (obviously not the mullet-tastic ones from Neighbours) are very close to how I see Charlie. Anyway, yeah, random.Angiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17909644462025984107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-91747497041985185792010-05-24T10:27:04.506-07:002010-05-24T10:27:04.506-07:00I have just started becoming a fan of yours. I sta...I have just started becoming a fan of yours. I started with "The Book of Lost Things," which I could not put down and read in a couple of days. I then moved to "The Killing Kind," which was creepy and well written. I loved the introduction so much about the darkness beneath the surface, that I called my mom to read it to her over the phone. She is an avid mystery reader, as I am not... I like the Charlie Parker character, but I would read anything that you would write. You are such a talented writer, please don't feel locked by a series or genre. Stephen King was locked in as horror, but his short stories, "Different Seasons" were his finest writing.Tiffany Brodahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02562787817117652938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-85910817285497862432010-05-21T12:59:43.154-07:002010-05-21T12:59:43.154-07:00You didn't jump the shark! I just finished rea...You didn't jump the shark! I just finished reading the Whisperers and I've real *all* of your books, and I think Charlie's character development exists and is very interesting! In a way, while the mysteries are always fantastic and it's lovely to read about Louis and Angel...it's always a thrill to discover more about this strange, dual nature Charlie has that was most strongly hinted at in Black Angel. As a reader, I want to know more, I want it to be clearer. Reading the Whisperers in particular gave me the feeling that they're really not stand alone books...it seems so much more interesting with a deeper knowledge of Parker's history. I hope you keep that going. <br />Then again, I will read anything else you write because I adore your books. Thank you!Miahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10329548796200917573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-23276167025946005862010-05-21T08:59:21.069-07:002010-05-21T08:59:21.069-07:00I don't think you've "jumped the shar...I don't think you've "jumped the shark" on your parker novels. I think the super natural elements were always there and waiting to be explored. That was the best part of the first book and really cuminated with the Black Angel. Though you did tone it down in the books after - there still is that central theme to be explored.I admit I love the series book better then your stand alones, but each and every book is well written, entertaining, and always worth the money! <br /><br />Also, thanks for touring! I don't like when authors write and then never tour. Part of the fun of reading and following your favorite author is getting to meet them, takea photo, or hear in their own words what they feel about the series.Jodi's Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07463128715365226001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-43779384267545986692010-05-18T15:56:20.645-07:002010-05-18T15:56:20.645-07:00Oh... I don't know about that.
The characters...Oh... I don't know about that.<br /><br />The characters may age, as should be, but there's always a way of mentoring younger versions and inviting them along.TomHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12805041866275759669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22537743.post-10310945102684762972010-05-18T14:47:16.225-07:002010-05-18T14:47:16.225-07:00HaHa, Fully agree on the Coben part and Cornwall. ...HaHa, Fully agree on the Coben part and Cornwall. Although The book of lost things probably the best book you ever wrote...... its close that or the gates!!! People always ask me about it, sits on my desk in work, its a child's book for adults!!!sorry probably not but thats the way i feel about it. Its accessible and hilarious. i dont Parker was getting older already, Louis and Angel always comment on it and about ho he needs a new relationship. Love the series. <br />Loved meeting you in Dublin, <br /><br />BryanUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04774493534407117459noreply@blogger.com