On January 27, 2004, KCRW’s Bookworm—Michael Silverblatt’s long-running literary interview show on the public radio station in Santa Monica—aired his conversation with Dutch about Mr. Paradise, just out from Morrow.
He got Dutch talking craft—starting with types, how he lets them “audition,” and follows the ones who come alive. A weak villain, he tells Michael, can sink a story; a side character can take it over. Humor works when nobody’s trying to be funny. Cops live in the gray areas. And he doesn’t preach—he tells stories. A great interview, exactly what you expect from Dutch—his writing mantra never changes.
