A while ago I met a writer who's first novel I enjoyed although it was somewhat of a chore to finish. Anyway, I introduced myself and asked the novelist a couple of questions about his book and his approach to character and setting. My earnestness was snubbed but I shrugged off my hurt as my own petty pride getting in the way again. It wasn't as if I was holding up the line at a book signing or he had anything terribly pressing (looked bored actually and aimless). Could've been his personality or maybe he was having a bad day, but his response did put me off from reading his second book. Well the other day I saw he had a new one one shelves and reluctantly I started reading. Great hook, explosive opening, and all mysteries revealed in the first fifty pages...the rest of the novel was cruise control and character detail. It was a complete departure from his earlier novels, less meaty...it almost seemed as if he took a course in thriller writing or was paying homage to another writer I used to dig before he became boring and ham-fisted with self righteousness.So, I checked the first book and what do you know...hunch confirmed. His voice and style had changed completely. More marketable? Perhaps.
When everything tastes like chicken, do you crave the unusual? A bowl of peppers and pineapple? Drums and opera?
Maybe it's all this rain....