"Mystic River"

February 22, 2001

Up-and-coming mystery star Dennis Lehane returns with a new psychological thriller, "Mystic River." In this novel, three childhood friends find themselves brought together after one of their daughters is killed.

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NetCafeLive: Welcome to NetCafeLive! Tonight we are chatting with Dennis Lehane, author of "Mystic River." NetCafeLive is presented by Borders, Inc. and Talk City Marketing Group. Please welcome Dennis Lehane!

Dennis Lehane: Hi. Thanks for having me.

Fire Chief: What kind of research do you do when you're writing your books?

Dennis Lehane: I write them and then I call people to find out if I got it right or wrong. And that's pretty much it. Very rarely do I do research. I had to check some police jurisdictional things on "Mystic River," and that was about it while I was writing it. I'm a very bad researcher.

Jan: Have any personal experiences initiated the ideas in the writing of this book?

Dennis Lehane: No, not really. I tend to go for the flavor of people in places, not so much the autobiographical details.

Darlene: At what point in life did you know you'd become a writer?

Dennis Lehane: I started writing when I was 8. When I was 20, I was pretty sure that I sucked at everything else, and that was the moment that I said, "Well, I'd better do this." Given where I grew up, making that decision to be a creative writer meant that the moment I made the decision, I had to take it seriously. So I would say at the age of 20 I decided to be a writer.

Frank: Is there anyone in your field that you highly respect and look up to? If so, who is it?

Dennis Lehane: Frank, what's my field? (grin) If 'in my field' you mean the mystery genre, there are a lot of people I respect, starting with James Crumley, James Ellroy, James Lee Burke--all the Jims. (grin) As well as Elmore Leonard, Robert Parker, and then newer people such as Michael Connelly, George P. Pelecanos, and Daniel Woodrell.

Gerri: How have your previous jobs contributed to your writing?

Dennis Lehane: My jobs contributed to my writing insofar as I always took jobs that I never took home with me; jobs that allowed me to write. So I loaded trucks, parked cars, drove limos, worked in bookstores, did anything but get near the career track, because my career was writing.

Marco: How long have you been writing, and is mystery your favorite type of theme?

Dennis Lehane: I've been writing since I was 8. Mystery isn't my favorite type of theme. I think mortal acts are, and that probably led me to the genre.

Cimster: When you write, are you able to identify with any of the characters in your book?

Dennis Lehane: I identify with all of them. You can't write well unless you're the character. Not to sound like a method actor, but there you go.

Daw Rie: Do you prefer to set your books in real places, or fictional locations like Buckingham? Which is easier?

Dennis Lehane: Buckingham is nice because I put the Post Office where I want to put it. I put the copy shop where I want to put it, but ultimately it's based on a world that I grew up in. I don't think I'd ever be completely comfortable creating an entirely fictional world. By that, I mean a place that has no relation to the real world.

Miss Q: What was the most difficult part of "Mystic River" to write?

Dennis Lehane: That's easy. The parking lot scene in which you find out what really happened the night Dave came home with blood all over him.

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