Louise Penny rediscovers ‘joy’ of writing
Author’s late husband was inspiration for Gamache
Canadian author Louise Penny has become one of the biggest names in crime fiction in the past decade. She has found a sweet spot with her Chief Inspector Gamache series, which mixes the intimacy of smalltown life (in fictional Three Pines, Quebec) with the horror of murder. In the latest, “Kingdom of the Blind,” 14th in the series, Gamache continues to battle Quebec’s opioid epidemic despite his suspension from the police force; meanwhile, he is named an executor of the will of a woman he never knew. Penny joined USA TODAY’s Jocelyn McClurg in New York for a live #BookmarkThis chat on Facebook. Highlights:
Question: I’m sorry to say that “Kingdom of the Blind” just made its debut on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list at No. 2, but that’s only because Michelle Obama’s “Becoming” is No. 1.
Louise Penny: It’s an honor to be behind her. Though I am annoyed (laughs).
Q: Last year “Glass Houses” debuted at No. 1 on our list, a first for you. You’ve really built an audience since “Still Life,” the first book in the Gamache series, was released in 2005. What did it take to get there?
Penny: It’s thrilling to be No. 1. (Building an audience) is just a grind. I think I’ve been very lucky with my publisher, Minotaur Books, who took (on) this middle-aged woman writing a crime novel (set in) the middle of nowhere, Quebec. ... And (the books are) also somewhat unusual. On the surface they appear to be fairly conventional and tra- ditional, but that is, intentionally, just the most superficial reading. There’s a lot more happening underneath. ... They’re not really about murder. They’re about duality, the public face and the inner turmoil. The gap between what we’re saying and what we’re really thinking, between the pretty village setting and the violation that happens with these crimes. … They’re about goodness, as well.
Q: You tell a lovely story in the afterword of your new novel about believing you were never going to write another Gamache book after your husband, Michael, died two years ago. He was really the inspiration for the character of Gamache.
Penny: Michael (Whitehead, who was a doctor) developed dementia. … Not only was he Gamache in many ways for me, he was so supportive of the books. No Michael, no books. And to lose Michael, I was afraid I was going to lose my attachment to Gamache and to all the characters in the books. You lose the desire to write. You lose all the joy. I was going to take a year off at least after Michael died. I found myself, after about six months, sitting at the laptop with a cafe au lait and a croissant wanting to write. And not wanting to write because I had to – the publishers were great, they said take as much time as you want – but with a joy I hadn’t felt in a long time. I found a new freedom. What I discovered was, far from losing Michael, Michael became immortal. I can visit him any time.
Q. Some readers seem to be coming away with the impression from the ending of “Kingdom of the Blind” that this may be the final Gamache book. Tell us, are there going to be more?
Penny: There are, absolutely! I do one thing in a year, right? I don’t write short stories, I don’t write a second series. Because I love it! I don’t have any desire to kill off Gamache or stop writing them. To be honest with you, I don’t have any other ideas. Riding this one for all it’s worth (laughs).
Q: (From a reader) Are you a disciplined writer who writes every day at a certain time?
Penny: Very disciplined. I once took a personality test in a women’s magazine that asked, “What is your dominant personality?” It turns out mine is sloth (laughs). So I have to be disciplined. I’m generally at the laptop at 7 (a.m.). I’m very goal-oriented. So I have to set a word count for myself. A thousand words a day. Minimum. Seven days a week.
Q: (From a reader) Are you a foodie? You write such delectable descriptions of the food at Clara’s and the bistro!
Penny: I don’t cook but I love to eat. So in that sense I’m a foodie. When I write, I write with a stack of poetry books (her recurring character Ruth Zardo is a poet) and a stack of cookbooks. One great way to evoke the (Quebec) setting is through the cuisine, through the food, which changes season by season. What I’m always striving to do, and I’m not sure I always succeed, is drop that fourth wall. So that readers step into the village: They’re walking with Gamache, they’re sitting at the table with the characters.