Declan Burke

Profile Information:

Hometown:: Dublin, Ireland
About Me:: I'm a freelance writer, editor and author. When I'm writing to pay the bills it's movie and theatre reviews with a variety of Dublin-based magazines and newspapers. Writing for fun means crime fiction: I've had a couple of books published, most recently in April 2007 - it's called The Big O. The first one, published in 2003, is called Eightball Boogie. I've recently started a dedicated Irish crime fiction blog called Crime Always Pays.
Website:: http://crimealwayspays.blogspot.com/
Books And Authors I Like:: In no particular order ... Chandler, Bruen, Thompson, Macdonald, Gifford, Leonard, Banville (V.), McKinty, Willeford, Goodis, Pelecanos, Hiaasen, Burnett, Thornburg, Ellroy, Bateman, Kerrigan, McGilloway ... actually, this could go on all night. I better quit while I'm ahead.
Movies And TV Shows I Like:: TV - The Sopranos, The Simpsons, Arrested Development
Movies - again, it's a long, long list ... classic noir, the Coen Brothers, Jeremiah Johnson, anything with Bogie, Lee Marvin, Robert Mitchum or Robert Ryan on board, the Marx Brothers, Get Shorty, Willy Wonka (the original), The Talented Mr Ripley ... again, I'm quitting now before I run away with myself.

Comment Wall:

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carole gill

Eightball boogie. That's sounds great.
All the best, Declan!

Jul 20, 2007
Bernd Kochanowski

Declan, thanks for your help.

No, I didn't try to get a german translation of "The Big O". [If I would read only German translations I wouldn't read Bruen - only his "Rilke on Black" is translated into German (must be the titel)].

Jul 20, 2007
carole gill

Thanks, Dec!

Jul 20, 2007
Elizabeth Zelvin

Thanks for the comment, Declan. And I'm really glad to hear you've followed my thread on non-readers. On Crimespace, I don't always know if anyone is listening--or interested. :) Liz

Jul 20, 2007
Tony Black

Hey Dec, dropped you an email today...you'll probably get it in a fortnight, seems to be the way my Yahoo's running right now. Hey come over to my page and have a go at the caption competition...bag of Wotsits to the winner!

Jul 20, 2007
Krystal Waters

Hello Declan,
The writing itself is painful however I made a promise to my twin that her death would not go to vain and people will find the truth, even if I can't prove it. I'll let the reader decide. If you want to read a good book, I think this one is going to be a hit. The reason I say this, is because it is true life, a mystery still to the world and anyone willing to read between the lines and get caught up in chaos and realities of the human mind will surely enjoy this novel. Twins do have a special connection, and I truly mean that. Kris

Jul 27, 2007
Eric Stone

Hi Declan, I've always been a fan of Wile E Coyote. Not so much I've got a tattoo, but it sounds like a good one to me. At the moment I've got a couple of earthbound coyotes frolicking in the backyard. As pets go, they're pretty low maintenance since they don't seem to regard themselves as my pets, I don't need to feed them or house them - other than in the trees in the backyard - or take them to the vet when they get sick.

Jul 30, 2007
Donna Moore

You have another book out! Yay! Sorry - I'm a tad slow. I loved Eight Ball Boogie and have been waiting - how did I let it slip past me. Cheers.

Jul 30, 2007
Donna Moore

I did exchange a couple of e-mails with you in the dim and distant past after you saw a review I'd done of Eightball somewhere. Night of The Hunter is amazing - as soon as he starts up with that song it sends a shiver down my spine. And Out of The Past is one of the classic film noirs. "Build my gallows high, baby." I think the others were Jack, and Dinah and Lucy? I loved all the Mallory Towers ones. I wanted to change my name to Wilhelmina and go away to boarding school (I think it was the midnight feasts that attracted me!). My mum was gutted.

Jul 30, 2007
Declan Burke

Hi Donna - I though I'd recognised your name, certainly ... but you don't want to be too forward, especially on Crime Space, they'll only drag you off down a dark alleyway and give you a good lecturing on protocol. Jack, Dinah and Lucy ... they don't ring any bells, sadly. But I still have a vivid memory of the first few chapters of The Valley of Adventure. I loved the boarding school books too, and I preferred Mallory Towers to St. Clares ... which was the one that had the swimming pool carved out of rock, and was filled with seawater at high tide? Crikey, I'll be reminiscing about lacrosse next ... Cheers, Dec

Jul 30, 2007
Donna Moore

Mallory Towers was the one with the swimming pool. And Darrell was the Head Girl, and all those wonderful japes they had with Mademoiselle Dupont. Ah, lacrosse, midnight feasts, adventures, horses, jolly hockey sticks...it reminds me of my schooldays...errrr...actually, no, it doesn't. Just to butch it up for you a bit Declan, did you read Anthony Buckeridge's Jennings books too? I loved those. The boys equivalent with Jennings and Derbyshire and Atkinson and Mr Wilkins, and all the jolly scrapes they got into. Mallory Towers but with slimy stuff and more dirt :o)

Jul 30, 2007
Declan Burke

Hi Donna ... don't know if my last reply went through ... yep, I loved Jennings, he reminded me of a slightly posher Just William, but hilarious stuff ... don't know what all that public school stuff, the cricket and whatnot, had to do with a rural Irish upbringing, but I loved it all ... started reading some Just William again stuff a couple of months ago ... ah, bliss. The innocence of it all ... but probably some of the most satisfying reading of my life.

Jul 30, 2007
Donna Moore

Ditto a girl growing up in a small village and going to the local comprehensive :o) I loved Just William too. My Dad was the one who read me stories at night so from the age of about 5 I had Just William, Jennings, Biggles, The Saint and John Buchan. I spent my formative years wanting to be an adventurering hero who stole from the rich and escaped in his own plane. And right now I am screaming like a girl and flapping my arms because there's a wasp in my living room. I grew up to be an inveterate coward, obviously, despite all the tales of derring-do :o)

Jul 30, 2007
Declan Burke

Hi Donna, got your invite, ta for that ... we should probably by-pass the middle-man at this stage, my email is dbrodb(at)gmail.com ... chat soon, Dec

Jul 31, 2007
Seth Harwood

Dec,
Love the blog. Looking forward to seeing what you'll say about Jack Palms Crime.

Seth

Aug 5, 2007
Donna Moore

It's possible - is the little bird my mother? LOL

Aug 9, 2007
Declan Burke

Erm ... not unless Rhian Davies is your mum, no ...

Aug 9, 2007
Donna Moore

LOL. No she's not (I know that will come as a shock :o) ) But it is the same Donna Moore, yes.

Aug 9, 2007
Declan Burke

Crikey, you kept that quiet. Haven't you heard that you're supposed to be blowing your trumpet every time you get a chance? Any chance of the details, or am I supposed to do some work over here for a change? And when are you going to do a Q&A for Crime Always Pays? Sheesh, we're always the last to know ...

Aug 9, 2007
Sandra Ruttan

I'm nervous about any references to my reputation. I assure you, I'm not as scary as people say. Fiesty and opinionated and always up for a good debate, but what would you expect of someone who had an Irish Catholic grandmother and a grandfather who was a member of the Orange Order? (The marriage didn't work, btw.)

As for Cuddly Kevin, the photo is not too distracting. (Why is it I feel nothing I say on this topic is safe?) It's actually the photo he uses here, which is the one in the back of FOR THE DOGS. I like it because it has character. There are different types of attractiveness. Simon Kernick has that clean-cut boyish good looks thing going for him, but if you tell him that please tack on "for a man his age" or something, so it doesn't go to his head. ;) Ian Rankin looks much better in person, with longer hair. Mark Billingham has the best eyes. I'm an anomaly though. If someone's a jerk, I don't care how "good-looking" they are - they lose all appeal.

We should really narrow it down to sexiest Crimespacers. The photos on here could get very interesting!

Aug 9, 2007
Declan Burke

Yep, narrowing it down to 'sexiest Crimespacers' sounds like it'll cut down on a lot of work ... mind you, I don't know if I'll feel entirely comfortable talking about all these blokes and who has the best eyes or hair ... lol ... not sure if they'd be entirely comfortable with it either. As for your rep, scary doesn't come into it ... rigorous and informed is the general gist ... mind you, given the state of some crime fiction these days, 'rigorous and informed' could be a very scary notion for writers who hear you're reading their books! Cheers, Dec

Aug 9, 2007
Louisa Christy

With a new book out, have you considered attending Bouchercon 2007, allowing American Fans a better chance to get to know you?

Aug 9, 2007
Declan Burke

Hi Louisa - The short answer is yes. The slightly longer answer is that all two - yes, two! - of my American fans know me very well already, seeing as how I blackmailed them into buying the book. Kidding aside, I'd love to get to Bouchercon 2007, but for reasons beyond my control, I probably won't be able to make it ... a real pity. Cheers for asking, though ...

Aug 9, 2007
Ali

Declan -

I'm over in Dublin next week for a few days, if you're around fancy a pint? I'm staying South of the Liffey with my family -

Let me know if you're around, be good to meet

Ali

Aug 9, 2007
Pepper Smith

Hi Declan,

I consider an indie to be a publishing house that's not connected with one of the big conglomerates. They can be either print or ebook or both. At least among the opinions I'm most familiar with, self-publishing is a different beast altogether. I think I'd really have to have a great deal of confidence that I was right and everyone else wrong about a novel before I'd try the self-pub route. It's a hard way to make a buck, from what I hear.

Thanks for accepting! I'm still fairly new to this business. It's a kick to go to the book store and see the names of people I've talked to here on the spines of books. Looks like I've got a lot of reading to do, but that's never a bad thing.

Aug 10, 2007
Michael Haskins

Dec, I love the old Travis McGee novles, but in rereading them, they sure are dated! I guess all our writing will be dated, eventually! I bout Dublin Noir while in LA, but haven't got to it yet. Irish grandparents and great grandparents, so maybe one day I will visit. Read the Irish papers, online, daily. Look forward to meeting you when I do. My character in Chasin' the Wind is Liam Michael Murphy, he's a little bit Irish from Boston, along with an Irish Jesuit who sees and talks to angels!

Aug 10, 2007
Michael Haskins

Dec, my book comes out in mid March, but it was also supposed to come out in Feb, so I would have copies for SleuthFest in Miami. Oh well, the pleasures of publishing! I am going to check the site out and thanks for the idea.

Aug 11, 2007
Pepper Smith

That sounds great, Declan. I'm not a publishing snob. It sounds like you were very sure of your book, and rightly so. I'm still working toward the point where I can be that sure.

If you check back in history, there are a number of writers whose work is now considered required reading who self-published to get it in print. The big houses don't always know a good book when it lands on their desks. Sometimes they know it's good but pass because the market went another direction. And I went with a small indie myself. Great reviews, low sales. Shrug. Depends on what you want out of it, I guess. I personally don't think I have the drive to do the self- or co-pub, but it sounds like you're making it work for you. Here's to keeping it up!

Aug 11, 2007
LC Fraser

Allergies are horrid. I fully sympathize with your wife. We are just lucky enough to be allergic to kids rather than cats and it was too late by the time we found out so we suffer. The cats are great.

Aug 15, 2007
Karen J. Laubenstein

Hi Declan! (*waving from Alaska*). Now you have THREE fans from America.

Aug 16, 2007
Karen J. Laubenstein

Hi Declan -- laughed at the photo vs mom. I got to Alaska by first writing a book about it... see, once you do that, you've gotta come! And it was paid for because of the book. Jack London has come and gone. I think now the world needs a Declan Burke Alaskan original. (hint)

Aug 17, 2007
Declan Burke

Hi Karen - I'd love to get over to Alaska, I really would ... I've had three people ask me this week if I was going to Bouchercon, which would be brilliant ... can't see my circumstances allowing it at the moment, though, I have a job interview coming up next week that I'm pretty excited about, so taking off for Alaska - if I do get the gig - right after getting the job might be a bit suspect. Still, you never know ... Cheers, Dec

Aug 17, 2007
Kelli Stanley

Hey, Dec, pick away, and thanks for the fedora compliment!

I figured that with Chandler and Casablanca on our profiles--and the fact that I live near the Irish Cultural Center in SF and my name is Gaelic--we'd be pals!:)

Nox is set in 83 AD, Londinium and Camulodunum (London and Colchester). The protagonist is a legion doctor and the governor (Agricola's) private physician. The setting and mechanics of the plot, so to speak, are historical, but the emotional drive, characterizations and literary style are purely hard-boiled ... hence, Roman Noir. I've found that the two are very compatible, Rome being Rome. :)

The intersection of people and cultures really intrigues me, and Roman Britain was a very cosmopolitan place. I don't know much about Ireland in the period, though I've toyed with the idea of a prequel (and it may just turn into a short story) dealing with Agricola's apparently abortive attempt to invade it a few years earlier. The tribes of Hibernia were known to and cataloged by Ptolemy, the Egyptian mathematician and geographer by the late 1st century, so there was movement and trade and commerce between the Empire and Ireland.

Anyway, I'm glad we're so much on the same wavelength, and please do email me with any questions--I'd be delighted to be of service! ;)

And I know you'll wow 'em in the job interview! :)

Aug 25, 2007
Kelli Stanley

Thanks, Dec, and yeah, I can definitely hear the Romans saying that, undoubtedly while making a rude gesture with a gladius! ;)

You're absolutely right about the roads--a lasting testament to occupation. Reminds me of one of my favorite scenes from "The Life of Brian"--"What have the Romans done for us?" ;)

I've always suspected that early trade--not only between Phoenicans, but enterprising Greeks--was very active. And there's good ol' Pytheas of Massalia, from the 4th century BC, who gave us our first glimpse of "Albion" (albeit through other surviving texts), and possibly Ireland.

British Celts, like the Brigantes, probably formed kinship links as well as trade settlements. But the Romans had their hands full with the north of Britannia and (at least for a while) with the west, where the tin was, so their interaction would've been more "wham, bam, thank you, ma'am" kinds of deals or "Rough Guide" tourists looking for a thrill, especially early on. I think a few sites in the south have suggested Roman or Romanized settlements, but nothing permanent in the interior.

Anyway, fascinating stuff! Thanks for the brain stimulant, and take care! :)

Kelli

Aug 25, 2007
Kelli Stanley

One and the same, Decumanus! (That's my new Roman name for you). ;)

I *love* Cunliffe. He's an archaeology hero. One of my research specialties is mystery cult and related objects like curse tablets. I've got a giant two volume report Cunliffe did for the Bath excavations, and have given a few presentations on curses in Bath (Aquae Sulis). Last summer I was in England for a Univ. of London conference, and detoured to Bath for some actual (and very lucky) "hands-on" research at the museum.

When I got back home, I started writing my second book, which is set in Aquae Sulis and (naturally) deals with curses. So I really do love Barry Cunliffe--he's the best, and is immensely helpful! Have fun reading!

And I'll email you about the Q&A--I'd love to participate! Thanks!

Aug 28, 2007
Pat Mullan

At 7:04pm on August 31st, 2007, Pat Mullan said…
Dec, you asked:

"Hey Pat, how's tricks man? What's the update skinny on The Root of All Evil? My breath remains bated ... " Cheers, Dec

Ah, yes, bated breath and nape of neck and all that good stuff! Well, I can only say that it's in good hands. Svetlana's out there knocking on all the doors so I'm holding my breath ... in the meantime, I'm distracting myself by working on my next one, CREATURES OF HABIT ...

Read your Crime Always Pays blog religiously! Keep it up! It's just superb. Great interview with Dusty Rhoades. Hung out with him at Thrillerfest in Phoenix last year. Great, great craic!

Slan, Pat. Delete Comment

Aug 31, 2007
Nick Lawless

Thanks, Dec! The rewrite is going to be a challenge, as I'm going from script format to novel, but sleep's for wimps anyway. By the way, The Big O and Eight-Ball Boogie have joined my stack of books on the nightstand. What I've read so far, I dig.

Sep 1, 2007
Charles Kelly

Declan, I love Crime Always Pays! I could read this stuff all day and never get to my writing. Congratulations on The Big O. I was intrigued by your story of getting it published and finally getting rave reviews. This writing business is tough, man.

Sep 2, 2007
David L. Hoof

Declan,
Welcome. In writing about 'lost' Shakespeare plays, two interesting questions arise. One, what laws comparable to the salvage rights in the open ocean, obtain when one finds a lost play. Second, to provide juice for the plot, someone would obviously want to make it part of a very private collection, and pay scads to acquire it. There's much of this going on, more evidently with endangered species, but also art theft. Girst for the mill

Oct 3, 2007
MysteryDawg

good to be company of a fellow Irishman. Welcome aboard and greetings from Southern California.

Oct 31, 2007
Janet Rudolph

Declan, it's not ''just a dream, just a dream'' do wah... It's Left Coast Crime 2009--March! Save your pennies and join us all on the Big Island for the Unconventional Convention.

Dec 4, 2007
Darren Laws

Hi Declan, thanks for the invite. I also qualify as an Irish writer being half Irish on my mother's side and having a wife who parents both hail from Dublin. My mother-in-law's family has a rich pedigree, her aunt was Kitty McShane from the Old Mother Riley films etc. My mother-in-law grew up living next door to the Abbey theatre. I am a big fan of The Club in Dalkey, a great place for a drink and a chat. I head over to your blog to check out the craic. Kind regards, Darren

Jan 12, 2008
Darren Laws

Hi Declan, copied the Q's from a Q&A on the site but where do I send the A's?

Jan 12, 2008
Tom Piccirilli

Glad you've been wandering about the Adios, Declan, feel free to jump in anywhere you like. Ray is more of an ankle-nibbler than actual biter.

Mar 30, 2008
Liam

Quite a shocker that I'm the first. Seriously. You've got mad skills. You have an amazing way of turning a phrase. You make me a better writer. No drugs needed to know that one, mate.

Thanks for the props on Chasing the Dragon. It's the first chapter of my first book. I'm shipping it around to various agents right now. I have a few good ones interested, so if you would be so kind as to cross all extremities right along with me, I'd be much obliged.

I'll drop you a line, for sures. Keep the home fires blazing like a sugar cube atop my glass of absinthe. Wait, that count as a drug? If so, first sip's yours.
Slainte.

May 25, 2008
Declan Burke

Absinthe? Krazy stuff, Liam ... Keep me posted on how CHASING THE DRAGON fares ... We're always on the look-out for new talent over at Crime Always Pays ... Cheers, Dec

May 25, 2008
Donna Moore

Dec - it was great to finally get to meet you. Sorry about your flight delay - I bet you were dying to get home and give Lily a hug. Helena kept you SANE? Jeez-o - there's no hope for you man.

Jun 12, 2008
Brian McGilloway

Hi Dec.
A weekend in Bristol and this is what's become of you. Have a ball at Cohen on Sunday.

Jun 13, 2008
Steven Hague

Hi Declan,

Crime Always Pays is a great site, and I'd love to do a Q&A for it!

Cheers,
Steve

Sep 8, 2008
Linda Brown

Hi, Declan. You're getting quite the following at The Mystery Bookstore-Los Angeles. Our manager, Bobby McCue, is postively thrusting The Big O into people's hands! Come visit when you can. Linda Brown, Asst. Manager

Sep 25, 2008