The Marnie Walker mysteries |
| by |
| Leo McNeir |
| "intelligent entertainment for the intelligent reader" |
Message from Leo
I am sometimes asked if I have a favourite among my
books. The truthful answer is no, though it isn’t quite as simple as
that (are things ever what they seem?). The fact is, because I re-read
my books on a regular basis, I tend to like the book that I am currently
reading. I should perhaps explain that I don’t read my own books out of
vanity. I read them as a kind of training exercise. I began writing
fiction at the age of about 50, so I’m always looking for ways of
improving as a writer.
At present, I’m reading ‘Kiss and Tell’, and it
always surprises me to find that I often don’t know what happens next,
and sometimes I can’t even work out who committed the crime, whodunit. I
have to admit that I am sometimes led astray by the false threads – the
red herrings -- that I include in the storylines. Perhaps it isn’t so
surprising; some of my earlier books were written almost twenty years
ago, and a lot of water has flowed over the lock gates since then.
In the past I’ve been amused when people at book
signings tell me what the books are about. That’s fine. After all, once
a book is published, it then becomes the property of the reader, who has
every right to identify what it means to them. Writing and reading are a
two-way traffic.
There are times, when reading ‘Kiss and Tell’, that
I would be quite grateful to someone telling me what it all means.
I began this note by referring to my re-readings as
a training exercise. This leads me to an important question. Does the
exercise help with my writing? I think that is really something for you,
the reader, to judge.
Happy reading!
