Featured Interview With Adair Arlen
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and grew up in a residential neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. I now live on the West Indian island of Montserrat in the Caribbean with my husband and our Westie dog.
As an English major, my bent has ever been toward the written word; I’m a voracious reader and like to be entertained, so I usually read fiction with occasional forays into non-fiction — biographies and the like. In addition, I read the weekly U.K. Spectator, covering international news, opinion pieces, entertainment and the arts. My resume includes some wonderful jobs, including Playboy magazine at its Chicago home office and another interesting position in the Department of University Graphics and Publications at Southern Illinois University where I worked with writers and editors as well as artists and designers.
When I left Playboy the Editorial Department asked for me and I still mentally kick myself for declining their offer because that was before I realized I wanted to be a writer. Imagine — Playboy Editorial! I could have had a foot in the door of a publishing company — and I turned it down. Duh….
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always had a fascination with books and whenever possible would immerse myself in one.
Early in our marriage my husband asked me what I would be if I could be anything I chose. I replied that I’d like to be a writer, never dreaming that would ever happen. Well, he took me at my word and built a studio for me where I could write undisturbed and kept after me until I finally wrote, The House of Tomorrow, which would become the first of my Paul Gregory series. That was back in 1997 and I’ve now completely rewritten it, bringing it into the 21st century and cutting 10,000+ words, making it a tighter, better read. So I must admit that it was my darling husband who was my inspiration to begin writing.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Daniel Silva, Bernard Cornwell, Martin Cruz Smith, P.D. James, Robert Crais and others write books that I greatly admire. I read mysteries and books of international intrigue by choise. Although I don’t read romance, it seems I can write it.
My favorite book of all time is The Golden Warrior by Hope Muntz.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
I’m well into The Gift of Rose, fourth in my Paul Gregory series. It’s quite a departure from the foregoing books and in my opinion will be the best. I hope. It will be classified as literary fiction.
In this book the protagonists, Paul and Connie, have been married for about twenty years and have a 15-year-old son, Nick, and an 18-year-old daughter, Rose. Nick seems to be prone to getting into trouble, but Rose is the perfect daughter who never causes her parents to worry; hence, Paul thanks God regularly for “the gift of Rose.” The reader should be interested to learn that Rose, too, can be the cause of significant concern as she meets the son of a criminal known to Paul.
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