Watching the inauguration yesterday was inspiring. I was
looking forward to President
Obama’s speech, but I was unprepared for how deeply affected I was by some
of the other parts of the program, including Myrlie Evers-Williams’ invocation
and Richard Blanco’s poem,
“One
Today.” As a whole, the inauguration demonstrated clearly the best of what
America must aspire to be, which got me thinking about how I can participate
in a humane, compassionate, and smart society. Which led me to thinking about
heroes.
In many ways, I live a charmed life, which is populated by
people whom I am honored beyond measure to know. Since I was a small child, I
have also found joy, comfort, thrills, and inspiration in books. As an adult, I
have been incredibly fortunate to meet many authors, to get to thank them for
enriching my life in so many ways. Some of these exceptional people I have even
gotten to work with, and some, much to my eternal delight, have become friends.
This isn't a privilege I take lightly. Some days I have to
pinch myself to be sure I haven’t imagined it.
In addition to telling the stories that enrich and enhance
my life, many of these authors—ones I've met in the US, Denmark, Ireland, and
the UK—are also exceptional human beings. They’re brilliant and hilarious, benevolent
and humble. They make this crazy old world a better place, using their
celebrity and their connection with readers to commit acts of kindness large
and small.
There are also certain authors whose books have had an
immeasurable impact on my life, whose stories have shaped my understanding of
and interaction with the world around me. They’re my heroes. Some of them, most
notably, Ed McBain, died before I had
the opportunity to thank him for his stories, but I have met others. Last year,
I finally got to shake Lawrence
Block’s hand. I was pretty much reduced to a babbling idiot when it came to
speaking, but I’m pretty sure I thanked him. John Connolly has been so
incredibly gracious on the occasions I've met him, and his passion for both
stories and the world in which we live motivates me to remain always vigilant about
the choices I make.
There is one author, though, whom I've never met but whose
fiction and world view has shaped me as deeply as any. His kindness has
extended so far as to let me interview
him via email, and I treasure these correspondences. As much as I love virtual
interaction, though, I place great value in looking someone in the eye and
thanking them. To shaking a hand. Even to a hug, should the situation warrant.
As I watched the inauguration, I thought of James Lee Burke. He has
written some of my favorite books and created characters that have accompanied
me through travails and joys over many years. He has also educated me about aspects
of American history and current events I needed to understand and am compelled
to ponder. In short, he has made me think, and made me a better person for it.
So, in considering how I can participate in helping America live up to its
promise, I thought about how I could go about meeting JLB to thank him (which is also high
on my bucket list).
The thing is, JLB doesn't attend many events these days. Not
because he’s anything but tremendously gracious, but he lives in Montana, and
trekking around the country and world isn’t exactly super convenient. Last year
he did one event in Missoula, though, at Fact & Fiction Books, in
support of the release of CREOLE BELLE. I’m hoping he’ll do something similar
when LIGHT
OF THE WORLD is released in July. I’ve looked into transporting myself to
Missoula, and it is quite a pricey journey, but if I can find a way to make it,
I will. I’m going to keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't conflict with Theakstons Old Peculier
Crime Writing Festival.
Assuming there’s an event and I can get to it, I’ll stand in
line, hugging my copy of the book and letting others go ahead of me because I’m
so nervous. When it’s my turn, I’ll introduce myself and hope I’m able to
squeak out some words that communicate what an honor it is to meet a real hero.
As I wrote this, I was
a little concerned I was going to sound like some kind of weird reader-stalker
type of person. So I asked Twitter whether anyone had met hero authors, and got
several lovely responses, which assured me I’m not alone. Authors mentioned
included Lee Child, Daniel
Woodrell, Robert Crais, George
Pelecanos, Jennifer Weiner, Meg Gardiner, Christopher Moore, David Mitchell, James Crumley (who,
interestingly, also resided in Missoula prior to his death), James Ellroy, Carl Hiaasen, and Don Delillo.
