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Overview
Rouge doesn't want to hear this. He's spent the last fifteen years trying to avoid the memories. A little girl has haunted his dreams all these years—and he has three days to finally put her to rest.
Filled with rich prose, resonant characters, and knife-edged suspense that have won so many fans, Judas Child is Carol O'Connell's most powerful novel yet.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781511385848 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Brilliance Audio |
| Publication date: | 02/26/2016 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Product dimensions: | 6.50(w) x 5.50(h) x 1.12(d) |
About the Author
Originally from Southern California, Erika Leigh is now a resident of West Michigan. She divides her time between commercial voice work, community theater, and her family.
Interviews
On Tuesday, June 16th, barnesandnoble.com welcomed Carol O'Connell, author of JUDAS CHILD.
Moderator: We're pleased to have Carol O'Connell join us tonight to chat about her book JUDAS CHILD. Any opening comments, Ms. O'Connell?
Carol O'Connell: Good evening, everyone.
Pac87@aol.com from xx: Do you approach writing differently with a male protagonist?
Carol O'Connell: No, I don't. I think in terms of people. In many respects, men and women are very much alike. I am not naive about the differences, but the humanity is the commonality.
Elke from Bryn Mawr, PA: I am curious to get your opinion of books made into films. I think your books would carry over real well onto the big screen. What do you think?
Carol O'Connell: An author generally gives the book up for dead once they hand it to the agent. They change the characters, they change the title, they change the dialogue, and the plot, and I have no idea why they don't just steal the books.
Tony from Atlanta: Do you dislike having your fiction considered genre fiction? Do you think genre fiction can be every bit as intelligent and profound as "literary" fiction?
Carol O'Connell: I am very happy to be writing in the crime genre, precisely because it is regarded as a stepchild of literature. If there was another genre that was less regarded I would probably be writing in that genre. I am not concerned with labels. I don't really care what the people call the books. I call them books.
Sharon from Jackson, Mississippi: What is the significance of Christmas in this book?
Carol O'Connell: It is a juxtaposition of the most wonderful time of the year for many American families -- Christian, Jewish (there is nothing comparable in Buddhism). But I wanted the contrast of something wonderful with something absolutely hideous.
Lisa from Trenton, NJ: Is this the beginning of a new series, or does it stand alone? Were you concerned that you might be getting a reputation as solely a series writer?
Carol O'Connell: This is a stand-alone novel. I am not concerned about a reputation as a series writer because I have more facets of the Mallory character, which I plan to develop in the next book. But I welcome the opportunity to stretch.
Jackie from Queens, NY: Did you base Rouge on anybody you know? What about Ali? I really enjoyed JUDAS CHILD.
Carol O'Connell: Rouge is not based on any person that I have ever met. I don't do character portraits of real individuals -- it seems a little unfair. Parts of Ali, though, would be based on the marvelous teenage experience of going to a prom with a face that looks like raw hamburger, following a mishap with my motor scooter, which my parents forced me to sell to pay for my broken teeth.
Mike from MMuntz@yahoo.com: That is a fantastic cover. Do you like your new cover? Who determines what will be put on your covers? I think they're unique, and I especially like this cover, as well as STONE ANGEL's cover.
Carol O'Connell: Yes, I like the cover very much. They do give me a great deal if input, and sometimes I do make changes. The only change that I made on this cover was that originally, you just had two little girls running across the bottom of the page, and I forced Putnam to cut up one of the children. They were very good sports, but they would like you to know that it is not their ordinary practice to cut up children.
Bryan from St. Louis, MO: I am a fan of all your books. I'm curious to know, What is your favorite of your books?
Carol O'Connell: My favorite book will always be MALLORY'S ORACLE, for sentimental reasons and because it was my dream to see a catalogue card with my name on it in the New York Public Library. And MALLORY did that for me.
Doug from Connecticut: There are a ton of both female and male authors in the mystery field, but relatively few female authors who write very dark suspense. Why do you think that is?
Carol O'Connell: There are 1,900 new titles coming out every year, and I couldn't possibly do a sampling on all of them, so I wouldn't know how to comment on that. I know Ruth Rendell does some very dark, psychological novels and does them well. I wish I were better read in my own genre. But I have so little time for anything but research anymore. I am sorry -- I just don't know.
Keith from Tampa Bay, FL: Why did you decide to write a non-Mallory book?
Carol O'Connell: It was a book that I wanted to write. The fact that Mallory was not in it was a minor concern to my publishers, so I provided them with the first 100 pages prior to going into any contract, and they were wholeheartedly supportive. I am sure that many serious writers would like to step outside their main protagonist, but it is a very chancy thing to do, or I am sure you would see more of it. The fact that the book didn't have Mallory in it simply wasn't a major issue with me.
Chris Cagle from SC@iamerica.nET: What inspired you to write this book?
Carol O'Connell: One book will begin while I am in the process of writing another. Sometimes it starts with a small vignette of a character, and over time I collect masses of notes that seem to connect together. After I have pushed a manuscript out for the production process, I drag out this mass accumulation of notes, photos, postcards, printouts, and I am looking at a virtual book.
John from JWC901@aol.com: Was there anything in particular that inspired this story? Or at least helped fuel the plot? Any news story?
Carol O'Connell: No, It was just totally a work of imagination.
Earl from La Jolla, CA: Do you find that living in New York City fuels your writing? Does the city inspire you at all?
Carol O'Connell: God, yes! It is the dirtiest, most dangerous town in America. I love New York.
Ned from Batrop, LA: How do you look into the mind of a serial killer? Do you have friends that are either cops or FBI agents?
Carol O'Connell: I have family connections to both and I never use them. And the reason for that is because if I made use of someone's expertise, I might feel obligated to be more polite to the cops and feds than I am. I prefer to be more realistic.
Niki from Sudbury, MA: What can we expect next from you? Are you working on a new novel?
Carol O'Connell: Yes, I am working on a new Mallory novel, and in this novel, I fully realize a character who is only referred to in the second novel. He is an elderly magician named Malakhai, and his dead wife -- who is part of the act.
Susan from aol.com: Do you feel closely connected to your characters? Do you have a hard time killing characters you've created?
Carol O'Connell: I find that you can create the most pathos in a novel if you kill the character you love the best.
Matt from Haverford, PA: Do you think the quality of writing in your genre is as good, better, or worse than in years past?
Carol O'Connell: I think it is always improving. There are very fine writers in the genre. Carl Hiaasen is wonderful. Andrew Vachss -- very good writer. Bret Easton Ellis -- fine writer. The bar is always being raised, and I will always try to keep up.
Bob from Oak Park, IL: What type of research did you do for this novel?
Carol O'Connell: Very elaborate research on mushrooms, very peculiar research on how one would go about growing an oak tree indoors. The experts in the field of oak trees -- which has its own society -- were very upset about this cruelty that I had planned for the oak trees. I think they are more upset than the animal lovers are when I do something despicable to a dog. (I really like dogs and oak trees.)
Norman from San Francis, CO: Why do you think people enjoy reading violent fiction and mystery?
Carol O'Connell: I am not sure that it is the violence that appeals to them, but when you pick up a book in the crime genre, you know that a problem will be posed early on and by the end of the book, it will be resolved, as it so seldom is in real life. I think it appeals most to people who are looking for a bit of justice and not finding it anywhere else.
Maureen from Ft. Collins, CO: How much do you write every day?
Carol O'Connell: I work probably eight hours a day, sometimes a great deal more. Some of the time is spent in research. I can't give an accurate accounting of the actual writing, but I can tell you that I am a slow writer, so consequently, to meet killer deadlines I have just given up the idea of having a life.
Kim from Morris Plains, NJ: Any advice for a writer wishing to get published?
Carol O'Connell: Don't do what I did. What I did was, I realized I couldn't get an agent until I had been published and I couldn't get a publisher without an agent. So I sent the book to London on the theory that it was a smaller country and so it would have smaller slush piles. The odds of this working are a million to one. Perhaps the best way would be to get a job in the field and make connections that way. Another good avenue would be the small presses, which you can find listings of at the local library. I recommend them because they do read the slush piles, whereas the large publishers prefer to have manuscripts screened by agents. Incidentally, I still don't have an agent. I keep meaning to get one, so six books later, I am going to do the right thing, I just don't know when. Good luck.
Richard M. from New Jersey: In a series, do you think it removes from the suspense to have a recurring character throughout the books, since you always assume the protagonist will end up being okay?
Carol O'Connell: Never assume that about Mallory. She was born not okay. There is always a lot of damage in every book. Death is not always the worst thing that you could do to people.
Tina from New York: Who would you cite as some of your favorite authors or influences?
Carol O'Connell: I am too widely read to pick one. I read outside of the genre quite a bit when I was reading, but one of the pangs of the fiction writers is that they read less fiction. The best book in the world is ULYSSES by James Joyce -- its language you can eat like cheesecake. My favorite book is TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee, because it is a wonderful small universe and you are utterly in it. I think that is the hallmark of a great writer and worth emulating. I don't know anyone who would dare to emulate Joyce.
Moderator: Thank you for joining us tonight, Ms. O'Connell. Any closing comments?
Carol O'Connell: It has been a pleasure to be here, and I would like to thank everyone for their interest in the book. Good evening.