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Glenville Lovell Chat Transcript - January 14 2004

Glenville Lovell is the author of three novels, several short stories and a number of prize-winning plays.

In 1995, his first novel, Fire in the Canes, was published by Soho Press to wide acclaim, as was his second novel, Song of Night, published in 1998.   Too Beautiful To Die is Lovell's third novel

glenville = Glenville Lovell

glenville: LOGGED IN
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 7:58:54 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: *lol* ok.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 7:59:01 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: Of course so is the Titan
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 7:59:06 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: Hello Glenville
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 7:59:21 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: buyaka!
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 7:59:28 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Good evening Glenville. How are you doing this evening? Did you have any trouble getting to the chat room?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 7:59:42 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: not at all. i'm fine
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:00:13 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: thanks for inviting me
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:00:31 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: You're welcome. I won't hold you long. I'm grateful that you came to talk to me.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:00:55 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: my pleasure. it's a rare treat to be able to talk to youo
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:01:29 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: how r u linda?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:02:00 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: I am well and yourself
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:02:13 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: it's all good.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:02:27 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Flatter will get you no where. *big smile* Money can, though. As you already know, I loved Too Beautiful to Die? What made you decide to write a mystery?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:02:39 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Forgive my misspelled words. Obviously I rely on my spell check too much.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:03:16 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: The challenge more than anything. I wanted to see if I could actually write a novel where I had to hold fast to a defined plot
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:03:33 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Also, I thought it would allow me greater exposure
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:03:58 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Since nobody actually read my first two novels
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:04:15 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: When I used to dance I did modern dance, jazz, and all types
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:04:47 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: And that in itself is a crime.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:04:49 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: It seemed to me that being a versatile writer could only be a good thing
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:05:13 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: So I decided the mystery offered me the best chance to show my versatility and get me more exposure
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:05:42 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: I still haven't read your first novel, but your second, Song of Night is a stunningly beautiful novel. I can't strongly recommend it enough.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:05:53 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: So has the exposure been better with this one thus far
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:06:11 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Thanks thumper. Some people find it too dark
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:06:16 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Yes, the exposure has been loads better
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:06:30 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Thumper has noticed.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:06:45 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: Will you try mystery again or branch out more
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:06:56 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: And given me mad props, for which I'm grateful
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:07:04 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: I didn't find Song of Night dark at all. Do you think that the fans of your previous novels accepted Too Beautiful.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:07:35 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Well, the Blades series I hope to continue for a while, but I will be going back to "literary fiction" for another book which i'm working on
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:07:45 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: I was hoping you would say that.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:08:10 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Some do. Some don't. There's this impression by some people who read high brow that mysteries can never really appeal to them
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:08:47 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: They have been very complimentary of the "literary" tones of Too Beautiful
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:09:07 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: but then they say they want to see me write more "literary novels"
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:09:27 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Do you find being "labeled" restricting?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:09:59 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: I've come to realize that a good story is a good story
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:10:02 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Yes, that's one of the reasons I will keep writing the mysteries
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:10:18 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: Soooo true
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:10:20 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: I love writing Blades. The character fascinates me
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:10:40 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: And that to me is the key to good fiction
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:10:52 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Exactly.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:11:03 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Great characters who make you want to find out more about them and I'm anxious to see where Blades is going with his life
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:11:19 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: And the character having one hell of a dysfunctional family doesn't hurt either.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:11:31 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: What do you think about the new trail intohip-hop-street lit
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:11:41 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: lol. Yes, it give you a lot of latitude
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:11:49 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Which Blades does.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:11:49 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Can we expect to see more of them?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:12:08 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: I think it's great. They are so many stories to tell. The world is a vast place. And it is capable of rendering voiceless people invisible. No part of our life should be invisible
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:12:45 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Blades' family?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:13:08 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: yeah, the sister that seems to barely stand him.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:13:48 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: His father, his brother, did his marriage survive. All of that stuff.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:14:24 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Lol. Yeah. I want to explore the whole dynamic of that family. From the father to the mother. The brother and the sister too. I think it's really intersting
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:14:28 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: In the new book (Love and Death in Brooklyn) his father come back.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:14:49 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: His father comes back
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:15:00 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: No kidding!
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:15:14 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: And there's a big surprise at the very beginning which I think deepens Blades' character considerably
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:15:45 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: The mystery portion of the book was tight. Was writing a mystery all that it's cracked up to be?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:16:47 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Filling in gaps, debating what to expose, what not to expose, when to expose it.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:17:39 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Yeah, The wonderful thing about working with this character and writing mysteries, especially hard-boiled mysteries is that it allows me to reflect on the society around me
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:17:45 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: Can you tell us a little about your next project *wink*
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:18:33 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: I try to offer some insight into the social, political and moral climate of New York and America
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:18:47 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Well, the new Blades book should be out in July, after that I'm working on a novel set in Barbados about an American-born woman with Barbadian parents who returns and falls in love with an artist
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:19:58 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Then I'd like to do another Blades novel
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:20:48 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: Hmmm...sounds like romance. Will there be anything else going on in the undertones
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:21:33 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: lol. The romance is only a tease
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:21:48 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: I figured as much *lol*
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:22:04 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: You have a wonderful way of capturing the female voice, as is evident with Cyan and Obe, did it come easy for you.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:22:58 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: This artist is a radical. The government hates him but he is fearless. The woman comes from an upper-class background and defies all conventions by falling in love with this man
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:23:10 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Thank, Thumper. I grew up among women
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:23:28 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: How hard is the trasitions of expanding for you. Is the mystery easier or the lit fiction
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:23:53 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: I listen to them well. Whenever I could I waited for their stories
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:23:57 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: Pardon my spelling!
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:24:11 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Mysteries are hard because of the constraints of plot
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:24:25 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: At least for me. You can't wander. It's good discipline, though for any writer
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:24:48 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Who are the writers that inspired you?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:25:56 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: But I've found that the only mysteries that appeal to me are those that are character-driven, where the main character is well-drawn and all the secondary characters stand out
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:25:58 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: In general or mysteries?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:26:09 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Or storytellers.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:26:16 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Writers in general or mystery writers?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:26:29 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: In general.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:26:44 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: lol. The women in my village were the ones who inspired me to tell stories
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:26:47 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: But the writers I admire are Toni Morrison, Derek Walcott, Garcia Marquez
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:27:10 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Yusef Kuminyaka
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:27:43 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: Excellent choices
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:28:37 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Glenville, our time is almost up. I thank you for dropping by. Do you have any parting words for the people?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:28:45 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Thanks. Go out and buy my books: Too Beautiful To Die, Fire in the Canes, Song of Night. And thanks for the support from the African American community.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:29:49 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: lol
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:30:28 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: Thanks for stopping by Glenville. will we see you at BEA
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:30:28 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Glenville, you're going to the BEA?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:30:45 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: bea?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:31:01 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: Book expo America
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:31:17 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Oh. lol. I'm so clueless
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:31:32 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Book Expo America. I'll send you a link off-line
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:31:39 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: Chicago June 2-6
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:31:53 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: I'm be at the Chester Himes event in Oakland
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:32:02 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Maybe I'll come to Chi-town. I'll check it out
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:32:32 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: When?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:32:34 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: When will you be in Oakland?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:32:50 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Feb 26-28?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:32:59 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: I think it's called the Chester Himes African American mystery conference
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:33:20 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Do you have any other tour dates?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:33:21 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: Ooo...might have to check that one out
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:33:28 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Me too.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:33:39 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Where else can you get all of the African American mystery writers in one room. should be fun
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:34:05 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: If anyone wants to check out my schedule it's posted on my website: www.glenvillelovell.com
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:34:36 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Linda, how come nobody told us? I'm on my way to having my feelings hurt over here.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:34:43 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: big smile
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:35:01 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: I know what you mean. Now I'm hot in the collar
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:35:19 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Thanks Glenville. Can we see you back around July or so?
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:35:28 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Absolutely. It's been fun. I enjoyed it.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:35:45 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: It's been great. Time just flys to fast
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:36:32 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: Good night everyone. Troy's trying to be a taskmaster again. *eyebrow raised*
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:36:36 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: Good night
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:36:57 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Caio. Nice talking to you Linda
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:37:04 p.m. ~
 

 Thumper: I amuse him every now and then. Good night.
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:37:08 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: Thanks again, Thumper
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:37:12 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: You also. Talk to you soon
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:37:45 p.m. ~
 

 glenville: LOGGED OUT
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:38:08 p.m. ~
 

 Linda: LOGGED OUT
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:38:43 p.m. ~ ( IP Address: 205.188.208.41 )
 

 Thumper: LOGGED OUT
 ~ January 14, Wednesday 8:50:31 p.m. ~
 

Related Links

Glenville Lovell Official Web Site
http://www.glenvillelovell.com

Too Beautiful To Die - AALBC.com Review
http://aalbc.com/reviews/too_beautiful_to_die.htm