Wednesday, 15 February 2012

grisham_timetokillThe stage adaptation of John Grisham's novel A Time to Kill likely is bound for Broadway sometime this fall, according to a variety of theater-related web sites.

And word is it should be a good production. Last year, the world premiere and first stage adaptation of A Time to Kill debuted at the well-respected Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Reviews for the Arena Stage production were respectable, though not universally raves.

One critic called it "a raw and riveting drama that sears with redemptive emotion." Others were not as enthusiastic.

A Time to Kill was adapted for the stage by the very talented Rupert Holmes, who is a composer, singer, songwriter, playwright, and author of novels and short stories. Holmes has won, among others, a Tony, an Emmy, and Edgar awards.

Set in a small Mississippi town, A Time to Kill concerns Carl Lee Hailey, an African American, on trial for murdering the white men who raped his daughter. Carl Lee's defense is handled by the young, idealistic lawyer Jake Brigance, who probably is outmatched by district attorney, Rufus Buckley. The racially divided town makes justice difficult.

The 1996 film version of A Time to Kill starred Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey.

Time to Kill Is Broadway Bound
Oline Cogdill
time-to-kill-broadway-bound

grisham_timetokillThe stage adaptation of John Grisham's novel A Time to Kill likely is bound for Broadway sometime this fall, according to a variety of theater-related web sites.

And word is it should be a good production. Last year, the world premiere and first stage adaptation of A Time to Kill debuted at the well-respected Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Reviews for the Arena Stage production were respectable, though not universally raves.

One critic called it "a raw and riveting drama that sears with redemptive emotion." Others were not as enthusiastic.

A Time to Kill was adapted for the stage by the very talented Rupert Holmes, who is a composer, singer, songwriter, playwright, and author of novels and short stories. Holmes has won, among others, a Tony, an Emmy, and Edgar awards.

Set in a small Mississippi town, A Time to Kill concerns Carl Lee Hailey, an African American, on trial for murdering the white men who raped his daughter. Carl Lee's defense is handled by the young, idealistic lawyer Jake Brigance, who probably is outmatched by district attorney, Rufus Buckley. The racially divided town makes justice difficult.

The 1996 film version of A Time to Kill starred Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey.

Sunday, 12 February 2012

grimesmartha_authorFor me, it was the gloves. Gloves so richly described with supple leather, myriad colors and different designs that I wanted to run out and buy multiple pairs.

Never mind that it was August in Florida; that I had no winter trips planned; and that it was doubtful that I could have found a store in the Sunshine State that would be stocking gloves during the summer.

Still, the more I read, the more I wanted gloves.

Blame Martha Grimes.

Sometimes it's not the sturdy plots or the rich characters that stick in your mind years after you've a mystery.

Sometimes, it's the little things that stay with you.

That's how it's often been with Martha Grimes' novels.

Grimes has been named the richly deserved honor of being Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.

She'll receive this honor during the 64th annual Edgar Awards banquet to be held April 26 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City.

I'll be interviewing Martha Grimes during the Edgar symposium on April 25.

So to prepare for the interview, I have been thinking a lot about her novels, especially those 22 novels with Scotland Yard inspector Richard Jury and his friend Melrose Plant.

The gloves scenes occur in The Blue Last, which has a compelling plot about Jury investigating the accuracy of his own memory as he confronts how World War II’s devastation changed his life. The recollections of WWII are harrowing. But I also vividly remember Melrose Plant's stop at glove shop cross-country tour of Italy. I was as enchanted with the gloves as was Melrose in The Blue Last.

I delved into several Josephine Tey novels after reading Grimes' The Grave Maurice. Tey is a long-time favorite of mine so it was quite fun to rediscover an author I hadn't read in decades. I credit that reading binge on Grimes. In The Grave Maurice, Jury is recovering in the hospital; his days filled with Josephine Tey novels and watching Plant rummage through his fruit baskets. (I don't remember, but am pretty sure I also had a craving for apples and grapes.)

The Old Wine Shades — the only Jury novel named after a wine bar instead of a pub — had me longing for a lovely glass of wine. OK, so that's not so unusual, but The Old Wine Shades made me thirsty.

This will be the fourth interview I've conducted with Martha and the second one in front of an audience. Regardless of the number of times we've talked, I am very excited to interview her during Edgar week and I believe it is an honor to be asked to do this.

Oh, and when I finally did buy gloves, I purchased about 4 pair, as enchanted by the colors and styles as was my old friend Melrose.

Martha Grimes: All in the Details
Oline Cogdill
martha-grimes-all-in-the-details

grimesmartha_authorFor me, it was the gloves. Gloves so richly described with supple leather, myriad colors and different designs that I wanted to run out and buy multiple pairs.

Never mind that it was August in Florida; that I had no winter trips planned; and that it was doubtful that I could have found a store in the Sunshine State that would be stocking gloves during the summer.

Still, the more I read, the more I wanted gloves.

Blame Martha Grimes.

Sometimes it's not the sturdy plots or the rich characters that stick in your mind years after you've a mystery.

Sometimes, it's the little things that stay with you.

That's how it's often been with Martha Grimes' novels.

Grimes has been named the richly deserved honor of being Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.

She'll receive this honor during the 64th annual Edgar Awards banquet to be held April 26 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City.

I'll be interviewing Martha Grimes during the Edgar symposium on April 25.

So to prepare for the interview, I have been thinking a lot about her novels, especially those 22 novels with Scotland Yard inspector Richard Jury and his friend Melrose Plant.

The gloves scenes occur in The Blue Last, which has a compelling plot about Jury investigating the accuracy of his own memory as he confronts how World War II’s devastation changed his life. The recollections of WWII are harrowing. But I also vividly remember Melrose Plant's stop at glove shop cross-country tour of Italy. I was as enchanted with the gloves as was Melrose in The Blue Last.

I delved into several Josephine Tey novels after reading Grimes' The Grave Maurice. Tey is a long-time favorite of mine so it was quite fun to rediscover an author I hadn't read in decades. I credit that reading binge on Grimes. In The Grave Maurice, Jury is recovering in the hospital; his days filled with Josephine Tey novels and watching Plant rummage through his fruit baskets. (I don't remember, but am pretty sure I also had a craving for apples and grapes.)

The Old Wine Shades — the only Jury novel named after a wine bar instead of a pub — had me longing for a lovely glass of wine. OK, so that's not so unusual, but The Old Wine Shades made me thirsty.

This will be the fourth interview I've conducted with Martha and the second one in front of an audience. Regardless of the number of times we've talked, I am very excited to interview her during Edgar week and I believe it is an honor to be asked to do this.

Oh, and when I finally did buy gloves, I purchased about 4 pair, as enchanted by the colors and styles as was my old friend Melrose.

Wednesday, 08 February 2012

bellted_phantomMost Americans probably know Cambridge, England, as the site of one of Britain's most respected universities.

A few might recognize it as the setting for Kate Atkinson's novel Case Histories, Rebecca Stott's Ghostwalk and Robert Harris's Enigma. Sylvia Plath set a number of her short stories in Cambridge.

And here's some real trivia—Pink Floyd was formed here by founding members and former classmates Syd Barrett and Roger Waters.(Puts a whole new meaning to the lyrics "We don't need no education" in Another Brick in the Wall.)

But most of us probably don't know that Cambridge also has strong connections to the practice of espionage.

So it seems fitting that the first official writer-in-residence in Cambridge University’s 800-year-history is a thriller writer who often delves into spies and the world of international intelligence—New York Times bestselling author Ted Bell.

In addition to this unusual and prestigious position, Bell also will work as a visiting scholar at the Department of Politics and International Studies.

Bell's latest novel, Phantom, is, of course, about espionage. Counterspy Alex Hawke, making his seventh appearance in Phantom, hunts a madman about to unleash a new super weapon powered by Artificial Intelligence. In Phantom, Bell shows the dark side of Artificial Intelligence, an expanding area of cutting-edge science, and how it is being applied to modern-day warfare.

In Phantom, Hawke's search for a scientist who specializes in Artificial Intelligence takes him and his MI6 colleague Ambrose Congreve from California to France, Moscow, Cambridge University and the Persian Gulf.

Bell, who lives part-time in Palm Beach and Colorado, started his career in advertising and won myriad awards. By age 25 he'd sold his first screenplay and become the youngest vice president at the firm Doyle Dane Bernbach. In 1982 he joined Leo Burnett Co., Chicago, as a creative director, eventually becoming president, chief creative officer.

Credited with developing numerous innovative and award-winning advertising campaigns, Bell joined Young & Rubicam, London, in 1991 as Vice Chairman and Worldwide Creative Director. After 10 years at Y&R, Bell retired in 2001 to write full time.

In addition to the Alex Hawke novels, Bell writes the young adult series about adventurer Nick McIver.

Ted Bell at Cambridge
Oline Cogdill
ted-bell-at-cambridge

bellted_phantomMost Americans probably know Cambridge, England, as the site of one of Britain's most respected universities.

A few might recognize it as the setting for Kate Atkinson's novel Case Histories, Rebecca Stott's Ghostwalk and Robert Harris's Enigma. Sylvia Plath set a number of her short stories in Cambridge.

And here's some real trivia—Pink Floyd was formed here by founding members and former classmates Syd Barrett and Roger Waters.(Puts a whole new meaning to the lyrics "We don't need no education" in Another Brick in the Wall.)

But most of us probably don't know that Cambridge also has strong connections to the practice of espionage.

So it seems fitting that the first official writer-in-residence in Cambridge University’s 800-year-history is a thriller writer who often delves into spies and the world of international intelligence—New York Times bestselling author Ted Bell.

In addition to this unusual and prestigious position, Bell also will work as a visiting scholar at the Department of Politics and International Studies.

Bell's latest novel, Phantom, is, of course, about espionage. Counterspy Alex Hawke, making his seventh appearance in Phantom, hunts a madman about to unleash a new super weapon powered by Artificial Intelligence. In Phantom, Bell shows the dark side of Artificial Intelligence, an expanding area of cutting-edge science, and how it is being applied to modern-day warfare.

In Phantom, Hawke's search for a scientist who specializes in Artificial Intelligence takes him and his MI6 colleague Ambrose Congreve from California to France, Moscow, Cambridge University and the Persian Gulf.

Bell, who lives part-time in Palm Beach and Colorado, started his career in advertising and won myriad awards. By age 25 he'd sold his first screenplay and become the youngest vice president at the firm Doyle Dane Bernbach. In 1982 he joined Leo Burnett Co., Chicago, as a creative director, eventually becoming president, chief creative officer.

Credited with developing numerous innovative and award-winning advertising campaigns, Bell joined Young & Rubicam, London, in 1991 as Vice Chairman and Worldwide Creative Director. After 10 years at Y&R, Bell retired in 2001 to write full time.

In addition to the Alex Hawke novels, Bell writes the young adult series about adventurer Nick McIver.