I’ve never read a bad book by Harry Whittington. Ed Gorman posted an appreciation of Whittington’s A NIGHT FOR SCREAMING on his blog today.
You want twists and turns? You want to be knocked out of your seat not
three but four times in about the last forty pages? You want to change
your politics and take up with a chick with Hooters and run away to the
sunny beaches of Indiana and hold yur breath for six days? Well, this
slender little novel with one of the truly classic cover paintings will
make you do all those crazy things and more. I promise.This is an example of taking a familiar set-up and turning it into
a novel you’ve never read before. I’m in the process of outlining it
now. I want to see how he did it.
What I find fascinating about this post isn’t the rave for Whittington — Ed has done that before and he’ll do it again. It’s the idea that Ed, the acclaimed author of countless mysteries, westerns and thrillers of his own, is outlining Harry’s novel for himself.
It just goes to prove that a true professional writer knows there is always more to learn about their craft — and that the best way to do it is to never stop reading, appreciating, and studying what other writers have done.
“You want to change your politics and take up with a chick with Hooters…”
Um, no. Sorry (not), but I’ll never understand why so many guys think any part of the culture that appeals only to cowardly, selfish guys has some sort of universal value. (Yes, I’m saying quite unequivocably that only cowardly, selfish men think Hooters is anything other than pathetic and creepy. Taken your ten-year-old daughter there lately?) I can tolerate the “lurid” book covers because of a slight kitsch value, but this is too much. Guess this female human is reading the wrong blog. Have nice lives.