Linwood Barclay
About Author
Linwood Barclay is an internationally bestselling author of 13 novels for adults, including Trust Your Eyes and No Time for Goodbye.
Barclay was born in the United States but moved to Canada just before turning four years old when his father, a commercial artist, accepted a position with an advertising agency north of the border. His father died when he was 16, and Barclay spent his formative years helping run a cottage resort and trailer park that his family owned.
Barclay graduated with an English literature degree from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, and got his first newspaper job at the Peterborough Examiner, a small Ontario daily. In 1981, he joined the Toronto Star, Canada's largest circulation newspaper. He became one of the paper's most popular columnists before retiring from the position in 2008 to work exclusively on books.
He has now written his first book for children, called Chase.
Interview
CHASE
ORION CHILDREN'S BOOKS
JULY 2017
Bestselling crime fiction writer Linwood Barclay's first book for children is a fast-paced adventure story featuring - as its title suggests - an unrelenting chase across the US as a (talking) dog tries to outwit the scientists chasing it. CHASE has plenty of appeal for readers aged 10+ and especially boys.
In the story, Chipper the dog is at a secret laboratory where he's had millions of dollars worth of technology implanted to enable him to do certain tasks, and communicate with humans. Unfortunately, though, Chipper is considered a failure but when he escapes, he finds his way to a boy, Jeff, who is helping his aunt run a camp for fishermen. The scientists, though, are soon on their trail and now they must both run for their lives....
We asked author LINWOOD BARCLAY to tell us more about CHASE:
Q: You are already a successful adult writer, why did you decide to move into writing for children?
A: It wasn't that I woke up one day and thought I wanted to go in search of a new audience, but I just had to find the right story. The story came to me first. I loved it, but knew immediately it was really a novel for young readers. Well, that's just fine, I thought. This is too good a tale to not write. I hope they'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Q: How different was the writing experience for Chase compared to writing for adults?
A: Not terribly. Of course, the book is shorter, and I certainly cut back on the more mature language I'm accustomed to using in the adult books, but other than that, all the same rules applied. The story had to move, it had to be a page-turner, there needed to be lots of twists, and the characters had to be ones that young readers could identify with. And there's still plenty of darkness. I think we worry too much about protecting kids from dark stories. We loved them ourselves when we were kids.
Q: Why did you decide to feature a 'talking' dog in this story, and how did you make this credible?
A: Well, I hope it's credible. I thought a dog that spoke in the more conventional since - words coming right out of his mouth - might seem a little silly, so I devised a more technical way for my dog Chipper to communicate. His thoughts can be transferred to texts, and our young heroes, Jeff and Emily, figure out how to read those thoughts on a smartphone.
Q: Is Chipper the dog based on pets you've owned? What has been your favourite pet ever?
A: When I was 11 years old, and living at a cottage resort/fishing camp my parents had just bought, a stray dog wandered in that was taken in by several of the guests. But one week, there was no one left to care for him, and I adopted him. Or maybe it was the other way around. I named him Chipper, and he was my best friend.
He had many tricks. He could climb a rickety ladder that would allow him to pursue squirrels across the roof of our place. And he could get back down, too. He was also the only dog I ever knew who liked to chase boats the way other dogs chase cars. Not out into the lake, but parallel, along the shore.
Q: What about the technology Chipper carries - did you do a lot of research into what is achieveable and do you think one day we'll be able to communicate with animals?
A: The technology is all imagined. I think it's unlikely dogs will ever be outfitted with the kind of software that's been implanted into Chipper. But hey, who knows?
Q: And if we could, how do you think the conversation with a pet dog would go?
A: Dog: I want to eat something.
Person: You already ate.
Dog: I want to eat something ELSE.
Person: No.
Dog: Are you going to finish that sandwich?
Person: Go away.
Dog: I'm hungry.
Person: Please take your nose out of my lap.
Q: There is a lot of technology in this story. What gadgets can't you live without and what would you be glad to see the back of?
A: My answer to both questions is my iPhone. It's an amazing device, but I'm addicted to it. I wish I had the strength to lock it away for just one day.
Q: How did your character Jeff develop - and how well do you know your characters before you start to write them?
A: Jeff is very autobiographical. I didn't lose both parents when I was 16, but I did lose my father to cancer. My mother put all the responsibility for running our tourism business on my shoulders. I had to grow up overnight. So there is a lot of me in Jeff. As for the other characters, they tend to develop as I am writing them. I try to sharpen their personalities in subsequent drafts.
Q: How did you choose your settings in Chase, do you need to know places well before you write about them?
A: Although the location names are imagined, I clearly see the fishing camp where I grew up. The other locations are places I already know in southern Ontario - Toronto and environs.
Q: The book, as its title suggests, involves a lot of chasing - what are your top tips for young writers for writing a great chase scene?
A: Every time your hero thinks she's in the clear, throw another obstacle in her way. The chase should consist of one challenge after another.
Q: It ends on quite a cliff hanger, can you give us an indication of what to expect in book two?
A: Book two is finished, and while I think we have a title, it might change. That story begins immediately after the events of book one. For now, Chipper's adventures are holding at two, but I have ideas for subsequent ones.
Q: Are you planning to write other books for children / teenagers?
A: We'll see!
Q: Where do you write and how does your writing day go?
A: We have two places, and I have an office in each. I'm not someone who writes on the road, or sitting at the local Starbucks. I need my comfy chair, my printer, and my toys. (One office is filled with models of Batmobiles and crafts from the Gerry Anderson shows of the 1960s.)
Q: There is a lot about fishing in this story, is that something you enjoy doing? If not, what are your favourite escapes from writing?
A: I was the only operator of a fishing camp who didn't care one bit about catching fish. I loved being out on the water if I was going FAST, but sitting around dipping a hooked worm into the lake was not my idea of a good time.
These days, to unwind, I binge-watch great TV, read, go to movies and travel with my wife, and work on a huge model railway in the basement.
Chase: Book 1
