Nickie's Ten Questions to Ken Bruen

Hello everyone! Today I have the pleasure of having Ken Bruen (pronounced: Brewing) as a guest to answer my ten questions. Ken latest Jack Taylor novel has just been published, by the way. It’s titled Purgatory.

I can strongly advice reading the Jack Taylor books. Taylor is a detective, but not the ordinary sort. He’s often bad tempered, has a alcohol problem and doesn’t seem to be able to have a normal relation. He was kicked out of the Guards (the Irish police force) and is down on his luck. The only thing he is capable of is… finding things. And thus he becomes a detective of sorts.

1) The obvious question: how did you come to writing?

I only ever wanted to be either an actor or a writer and as I turned out to be brutally bad at acting, it's writing.

2) Were you succesful at your first attempt or did you need more than one try?

I wrote poetry for years, very bad poetry as an apprenticeship and my first crime novel was turned down maybe 30 times.

3) How do you deal with criticism?

Badly, I sulk.

4) You studied at Trinity College. How was that?

Terrific, especially as a catholic who had been refused permission by the church to attend

I met Paul mc Guinness, the manager of U2 there and Chris de Burgh plus sons of Ian Fleming, Yule Brynner.

NOTE OF NICKIE: Awesome! I only was at uni with Dirk Blanchard (musician) and Herman Brusselmans (bestselling Flemish author – big mouth, but good heart).

5) How much of you is in Jack Taylor?

The reading and the bad temper. 

NOTE OF NICKIE: You must have a look at all the books Taylor reads. Shows how well-read Ken is.

6) Why did you make Taylor an alkie?

My older brother died of alcoholism in a horrendous way and I wanted to show that.

7) Is Galway in reality the same you describe it in your novels?

Yes but without the dark crime.

8) Religion still seems to play an important role in Ireland. Is this why it takes an obvious place in your stories?

The church crucified us for so long and even now they will not accept that we are almost.......almost free of their arrogance.

9) What do you think of the Jack Taylor films? (Btw, I think Iain Glenn looked like I imagined Jack would be.)

I think they are very fine and Ian is my perfect Jack plus the cinematography is astounding 

10) How many more Jack Taylor books do you plan to write?

I am currently writing Taylor-made which is a whole different slant on Jack and it is the last as I am writing a series for US TV and I think I have pretty much exhausted the novel form after more than 35 books so it is screenwriting next.