Timothy Hallinan

Male

Los Angeles and Bangkok

Thailand

Profile Information:

Hometown:: Los Angeles and Bangkok
About Me:: All I do is write and read, with occasional breaks for listening to music, which I also do when I write, via an iPod with almost 5000 songs on it. Because I'm lucky, I get to divide my time between the US and Southeast Asia, which is my favorite part of the world, I wrote a series of six Los Angeles private-eye books in the 90s and now I'm writing a series set in Bangkok and published by William Morrow. The first one, "A Nail Through the Heart," came out in June 2007, followed by "The Fourth Watcher" (2008) and "Breathing Water" (2009). Just finished the 4th in the series, coming out in August 2010, title currently the subject of heated discussion.

I love to write. The happiest I ever am is when the words are flowing, the characters are talking to each other, and I can actually see a couple of pages ahead. Damn, what a thrill. If there's anyone who wants to write and has trouble either getting started or setting up some kind of workable and productive routine, I recommend taking a look at the "Writer's Resources" area of my website -- I've been teaching writing the novel for almost ten years, and I boiled down a lot of what I share with my students, many of whom have finished their novels. (In fact, one of my students had her first novel published the same month "A Nail Through the Heart" came out.)

I also answer questions about writing submitted through my site.
I Am A:: Reader, Writer
Website:: http://timothyhallinan.com
Books And Authors I Like:: Oh, boy: Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto, Michael Chabon, Lawrence Block, Edward White (!!!), Henning Mankell, I.J. Parker, Robert Wilson (especially the Bruce Medway books), Kingsley Amis, Martin Amis, anybody else named Amis, William Boyd, David Fullmer, Kem Nunn, Bill James (the crime novelist, not the baseball statistician), Harlan Coban, Lee Child, Martin Cruz Smith, Cao Xequin, Qiu Xiaolong, Ken Bruen, Anthony Trollope, Raymond Chandler and Raymond Chandler again, Randy Wayne White, did I say Raymond Chandler, Rurh Ozecki, Colin Cotterill, Jane Austen, Anthony Powell, William Gibson, W. Somerset Maugham, Barry Eisler, and way, way, too many more to mention. And Raymond Chandler
Movies And TV Shows I Like:: I like Korean TV serials and contemporary Asian movies. If I could only watch the work of one director for the rest of my life it would be Kurosawa. I also like film noir from the 40s and 50s, anything written by Preston Sturges, and really, really crappy horror movies. I never watch television, unless there's an earthquake or something, but there's not enough room in my house for all the DVDs.

Comment Wall:

Dennis Venter

Hi Timothy, welcome to CS. Good luck with your new novel and thanks for pointing out your website - I can see myself spending many hours paging through all that accumulated info.

cheers
Dennis Delete Comment

Aug 22, 2007
Eric Stone

I think they must be simply looking for ways to steal their writers' identities. Maybe not.

Good to see you too. Welcome to this place. It seems to be pretty useful.

Aug 23, 2007
Meredith Anthony

Tim-- Thanks for your note. Coincidentally, I was just on your website -- it's great! I've been hitting a wall with the book I'm writing and I've been immersed in your Resources for Writers section. Great advice. Thanks! Meredith

Aug 23, 2007
Patricia

Tim...well thanks for the compliment but hey at least the battered Mazda is yours! I love to seek out new to me authors and Em has said I should read you so I shall

Aug 23, 2007
Rick Mofina

Congratulations on your work Tim. If we hook up at a conf some day we can talk process. Rick

Aug 23, 2007
Karen from AustCrime

Hi Timothy - em mentioned your name and I just had to come and say hello. Love your list of favourite authors!

Aug 23, 2007
Karen from AustCrime

Ooooh I love this question - gives me a chance to "push the locals". Adrian Hyland is a new author here making quite a splash in our circles, but for a more complete list you might like to check out:

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/node/2089

Aug 23, 2007
Dana King

I agree with your author list. No way to mention Raymond Chandler too much.

I finished reading A Nail Through the Heart a couple of weeks ago and liked it very much.

Aug 27, 2007
Dana King

Thanks for the link to the Chandler reference. I knew about the small pages, but not that he drove himself to something magical on each one. That's very cool.

From that post, I followed the link to your tips on writing, and was delighted to see we have quite a few things in common. I'm working a full-time job that keeps me away from home for 11 hours Monday through Friday, but I make every effort to write every day, with pre-set targets of what is to be accomplished each day. It usually takes between an hour to an hour and a half (more on weekends), but I have to stay until I'm done. I can do more, but not less.

I poked around in your blog for a bit. Lots of good stuff there. Have you ever thought of adding a feed to it, so folks who are interested can be notified when you post?

As for the twelve or thirteen hundred friends who'd like to buy A Nail Through the Heart, I did my best. I reviewed it ( quite favorably) for the New Mystery Reader web site.

Good luck and thanks for addign me as a friend.

Aug 27, 2007
Naomi Hirahara

Heard a lot of good things about your latest book--I will definitely pick it up. MWA Southern California will be having an informal get-together at the Edison in downtown L.A. on Wednesday after 6 p.m. (Basically we'll be hanging out in the bar.) If you have any questions, direct them to Eric Stone. Good luck and I'm sure that I'll be bumping into you--if not at the Edison, then somewhere else in L.A.

Aug 27, 2007
Joan Conwell

Thank you for your comment on my page. Good to meet you. I had to befriend after reading your 'Soul Patrol' post. It was not only hilarious but sent me thinking in ten different directions at once--Soul vs Mind/ consciousness, the State as artbiter of spiritual experience, Western children identified as reincarnations of lamas and then rebelling, those discarded girls you mentioned coming back as...what? Talk about a horror story with great potential.

Aug 28, 2007
Dennis Venter

Hey, Tim, thanks for the comment. Sorry about the delayed response - script deadlines. I too, am a firm believer in structure. Particularly in scriptwriting which is probably the most technical of the writing arts (crafts?). For me it's also the hardest part - I detest outlining, but in scriptwriting, it's a necessary evil.

Anyhoo, nice to cyber meet you, I'll definitely look out for your book.

Dennis

Aug 28, 2007
Dana King

Tim
I actually received the book from the editor of the web site; it looks like she got it straight from HarperCollins.

The review can be found at www.newmysteryreader.com. Click the New Hardcover tab and scroll down about half way.

And yes, I'd love to be including to receive your future releases. I'll send you a private message with my particulars if you like.

Dana

Aug 30, 2007
I. J. Parker

Timothy, thank you for your very, very nice comment on my page. It meant a lot when, like so many others, I struggle from book to book, wondering if the series will survive one more time.

Sep 14, 2007
I. J. Parker

And thanks again. I see you write about Thailand and that certainly makes my mouth water. I look forward to reading the books. And much good luck with them. I'm not quite happy with Burdett, :)

Sep 15, 2007
D K Gaston

Hi Timothy, I wanted to thank you for becoming my friend. I read some of your blogs, I see you have a good sense of humor. The Fourth Watcher is a good title. And it wouldn't hut to get a few thousand of your books sold become readers think it's from Silva. Maybe I should put Prey in all my titles and catch some of Sandford's fans.

Sep 15, 2007
Bruce Findleton

Hi Timothy,

Just completed "A Nail Through the Heart."

All I can say is 'Awesome!' I am looking forward to "The Fourth Watcher" very much. I always love it when I can add new authors to my 'must read' pantheon. (And you're right, I'd buy "Etruscan Secret Goatherd Techniques Revealed" if it was written by Lee Child... ;)

Oct 6, 2007
Daniel Hatadi

You're most welcome, Tim. Glad you like the place.

Oct 12, 2007
Peg Herring

Tim,
Confidence has a foundation? Mine is a pendulum, and I never know where it's going to be. Today it's stronger than usual because a publisher asked for a complete, but day before yesterday I was thinking I should give up this writing thing and see if working at Subway would allow me to meet Jared.

Oct 25, 2007
MysteryDawg

Welcome aboard and greetings from Southern California

Oct 31, 2007
Olav Guldbrandsen

Thanks for accepting,
Of course, it was the Kem Nunn mention that made me land at your door. Very good man, or writer at least. Just bought the rights for Tapping the Source for the norwegian market. It was published here in the 80's by a very small publisher. But I really wanted to give the book another round. Pocketbook only, but I like the second life the pockets can give to great things. If it works well, we'll start translating more Nunn, but we are realistic. - I'm looking for new angles all the time, and if you have ideas about great, but overlooked crime or thriller novels, I would be very glad to hear from you. - By the way. Good luck with your own good writing!

Dec 5, 2007
Todd Robinson

I'll certainly do so, brudda. And keep on thuggin'.

Dec 5, 2007
Olav Guldbrandsen

Hello again, and thanks for the tip!
The good translators are hard to come by, that's for sure. It's not the english that's lacking for the most part. you can always look up words and discuss meaning in a text. But the norwegian is harder. I'm a writer myself and that helps me a lot when I fill out, or go outside the literate translation. but most of the translators are not writers, they have studied the language, or lived in england or the states. We have to be on the lookout for new ones all the time. - It's always sad when a good book gets flat, and it happens all the time. right now I have a guy translating "miami blues" by willeford, amazingly for the first time into norwegian. I really hope that works out.

your work is, of course, and no doubt about it, even more fascinating. This summer we published John Burdetts bangkok 8. - Your books, are they treating Bangkok and the art of sleuthing in a similar vein?

Dec 5, 2007
Olav Guldbrandsen

Sure, there are easier writers to translate than Willeford. That's the one I worry most about, these days. (There will soon come another worry.) But it's one of the great crime books that haven't been translated into norwegian yet, so we wanted to do it. I'll admit it's a bit of an experiment, but I think we can pull through. The original will always be better, but still...
Got interested in "A nail through the heart." An interesting setting. I've been to Thailand only once, and for only ten days. Went to Bangkok and to Chiang Mai. Liked it a lot, but I'm not surprised when you say that the people and their culture probably keeps holding something back from you, even after decades of living in Asia.
- "A Nail through the heart" is on my list. I'll pick it up!

Dec 10, 2007
len howlett

Thank you, Tim, I appreciate your sympathy. You already seem like a friend after reading your comments on writing. I look forward to your follow up, and would appreciate any suggestions. I have had what has seemed like an appointment with writing all of my life. And I have always supposed every writer drives toward the meaning of existence, regardless of their approach and style, tragedy, comedy, interior decorating tips, whatever. But I never quite glimpsed the core of reality (and I say glimpsed, who knows or has the hubris to ever think they have penetrated it?) until now. I got your meaning about finishing and that is what I want to accomplish in the time I have before me, several times, in fact. I am walking more clearly defined, though far meaner, streets now than before. Actually, I now know they were always what they were. I just didn't want to see the signs. Sorry for the Chandler theft, but Scorsese did it, too, though far better than I. Again, thank you, friend.

Jan 9, 2008
Darren Laws

Might not have to disagree too much about Thomas Harris as his last two novels were stinkers. Mankell's Kurt Wallender novels are excellent. Very atmospheric.

Jan 9, 2008
RJ

Oh, how I wish! We are in the process designing something to build that will eventually cover three walls (similar to the pic...i think...) But, it will be quite a while before it becomes reality! :)

Feb 15, 2008
Kim Smith

An IPOD with 5000 songs?? I think I would be in heaven!

Mar 12, 2008
Kim Smith

I'm with ya Tim, I'm with ya. I just do not know that I personally LIKE that many songs, but I bet if I really tried I could find at least 2000. :) Still... You are the man.

Mar 12, 2008
James K. Bashkin

I'll look forward to your book. I've been reading a bit of crime fiction set in Asia. Thanks for connecting!

Mar 14, 2008
Luis

Thanks for accepting the invite. I look forward to discussing Bangkok and crime fiction!

Mar 28, 2008
L.J. Sellers

Hi Tim
I've seen your posts on DL and thought I'd introduce myself. It's nice to put a face with your name.

Apr 24, 2008
L.J. Sellers

The Sex Club title has been fun, but many traditional mystery readers are not so thrilled. But they won't forget me.

Apr 24, 2008
L.J. Sellers

Thanks for your supportive comment on Fresh Fiction. And congratulations on your book deals. Maybe this will be my year.

Apr 25, 2008
L.J. Sellers

Congratulations on your two great reviews! I hope you sell a zillion copies.

May 12, 2008