Last month while at Bouchercon in St. Louis, I attended a cocktail party hosted by my publisher. I was at a table chatting with several authors I know, but there was one somewhat quiet guy there that I wasn’t familiar with. Not knowing what else to say, I asked, quite stupidly, “So, you’re a writer?”
That somewhat quiet guy was Chris Ewan. And yes, he is a writer. A talented, award-winning one, in fact. Chris is the author of THE GOOD THIEF’S GUIDE TO… series of mystery novels about hack crime writer and globetrotting thief-for-hire Charlie Howard. His debut novel, THE GOOD THIEF’S GUIDE TO AMSTERDAM, won the Long Barn Books First Novel Award, and AMSTERDAM, PARIS and VEGAS have all been shortlisted for CrimeFest’s Last Laugh Award. His most recent novel is THE GOOD THIEF’S GUIDE TO VENICE, and next year will see the publication of his first standalone thriller, SAFE HOUSE. He lives with his wife, Jo, on the Isle of Man. Visit his website at www.thegoodthief.co.uk
Q. Tell us about your book and what inspired you to write it.
THE GOOD THIEF’S GUIDE TO VENICE is all about reversals. First up, my burglar gets burgled — the novel opens with Charlie Howard being disturbed in the middle of the night by the theft of his most prized possession, a signed first-edition copy of Dashiell Hammett’s THE MALTESE FALCON. The thief in question is a glamorous femme fatale cat burglar, who lures Charlie into following a series of clues across Venice until she issues him with an ultimatum — she’ll return his precious book, if he’ll agree to break into a crumbling palazzo on the Grand Canal. The hitch? She doesn’t want him to steal anything — she wants him to return a locked briefcase to a strong room. Oh, and he’s not allowed to peek inside the case. Which for a naturally inquisitive burglar, is kind of a problem…
Q. Did you need to do any special research for the book? If so, what’s one of the
most interesting facts you discovered?
One of the best parts of writing the GOOD THIEF’S GUIDE novels is the research. Sure, I spend a lot of time finding out how to pick locks and crack safes (and I even have my own lock-picks which I practice with), but I also visit each city I’m writing about at least three times (yeah, I know, it’s a regular chore…). Venice was somewhere I’d previously visited on a couple of occasions, but going back to really get to know the city made me fall in love with it on a much deeper level. On a cold and misty night in late November, there’s really nowhere I’d rather be.
Q. Many people are content to just be readers. How did you become a writer?
I always dreamed of being a writer, but never knew where to begin. Then I read Jack Kerouac’s ON THE ROAD and decided to try my hand at writing something without second-guessing myself the whole time. Of course, what I wrote sucked, but it was a start…
Q. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I love reading all kinds of books and watching all kinds of movies. Every day I walk my dog, Maisie, in the woods and along the beaches near to our home. On the rare occasions when it isn’t raining, windy or foggy on the Isle of Man, I drive out in my 1967 split-screen VW camper with my wife, and we pretend we live somewhere where we could drive for more than thirty-odd miles without plunging into the sea…
Q. What are you reading right now?
A whole bunch of things. I’ve just finished Theresa Schwegel’s brilliant OFFICER DOWN, which blew me away with its energy and its compelling first-person narration. Meantime, I’m switching between John le Carré’s TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY, Steve Hamilton’s THE LOCK ARTIST, Lee Child’s THE ENEMY and Peter Millar’s 1989 THE BERLIN WALL – MY PART IN ITS DOWNFALL.
Q. If you were stranded on that proverbial deserted island, what five books would you want to have with you?
The five I’ve just mentioned would be great right now, since I’ve been enjoying every one of them. But five alternative favourites would include:
Raymond Chandler’s THE LONG GOODBYE;
Jack Kerouac’s ON THE ROAD;
Paul Auster’s ORACLE NIGHT;
Margaret Atwood’s SURFACING
Susan Hill’s THE SMALL HAND.
Q. What’s your favorite movie?
It changes daily. For now, I’d say Stand By Me. Or maybe Gattaca.
Q. What’s your favorite food?
At the moment, I’m really hankering after those big American breakfasts. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, coffee…
Q. Cats or dogs?
Dogs, no question. And our loyal hound, Maisie, in particular.
Q. Name one thing that people would be surprised to learn about you.
I had a wisdom tooth removed under general anaesthetic just the other day, and I’m on pain meds at the moment, so I apologise if my responses could make more sense!
