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QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Richard Montanari, Bookreporter.com's featured Suspense/Thriller Author for February, answers readers' questions about his research for THE ROSARY GIRLS, his writing routine and future novels.

bjbookman@msn.com: Why so long between books?

Richard Montanari: Three different houses published my first three books. The process of moving to a new house, setting up the project, meeting and finding a dialogue with a new editor, generally adds about a year to the schedule. I believe I have found a home with Ballantine Books and plan to stay put. Look for a book a year from me.

caddgirl7@yahoo.com: Are you a Philadelphian? If not, how did you research this area and get it so right?

Richard Montanari: I grew up (and still live) in Ohio, but I have family in Philly and, as a child, we used to go there every summer on our way to Wildwood. The nuts and bolts of research come from many trips to the city, and having terrific guides to take me from the halls of justice to the basements of abandoned row houses.

MarxC@jocolibrary.org: Where did you get the ideas for this book? What religion are you?

Richard Montanari: I am a classically lapsed Catholic. The seed of the idea for THE ROSARY GIRLS came from finding a very old rosary of mine while I was going through an old trunk. I recalled the Sorrowful Mysteries and counted off the decades. When you write the sort of high body count crime fiction I do, numbers resonate.

whiteReyRay@aol.com: What role does religion play in your life? Are you attempting to make any comments on taking religion too seriously?

Richard Montanari: God knows (no pun) that people can take religion too seriously, but I don't think that was my intention. I will say that, in THE ROSARY GIRLS, I wanted to build a story around a killer who filters his religious belief through a kaleidoscope of madness.

Amherst2@sc.rr.com: How many hours a day do you write? Do you outline your story or allow the plot to progress of its own will and surprises?

Richard Montanari: I write four to five hours a day, usually starting early in the morning. As a general rule, if it isn't written by lunchtime, it doesn't get written. The darker scenes are an exception. I tend to write those late at night. I write fairly loose outlines, which gives me the latitude to veer into some pretty dark places.

gri1@cornell.edu: Why do so many authors succumb to pressure to return to the same characters in subsequent books? I know that some readers are comfortable with returning to something they already know, but there are many of us who still enjoy meeting new characters when we pick up a book for the first time. Isn't that half the fun of reading?

Richard Montanari: I couldn't agree more. I think that some authors who write series neglect to allow their characters to grow and change.

quinn.77@nd.edu: What author do you see as an up-and-coming talent in the suspense field?

Richard Montanari: That's a good question. Most of my crime fiction reading is by past masters. When I read current crime fiction, it is usually by the bestselling practitioners of the genre. I haven't read much by new and upcoming writers lately, but that is not to say there aren't any. Of the current crop of bestsellers, I believe Dennis Lehane is the poet laureate.

jkoonce@earthlink.net: When's another title coming out?

Richard Montanari: Look for the next book around February 2006.

blosskl@lisd.net: Will there be more books with Jessica and Kevin?? Hope so!

Richard Montanari: Yes. I have just completed the sequel to THE ROSARY GIRLS, and it will probably be on the shelves around February 2006. Murder, mayhem and more dark doings in the City of Brotherly Love.

Bobbewig@aol.com: What will the plot be for your next book?

Richard Montanari: All I can say is that it deals with the world of film --- from A-list directors and stars, to the deepest recesses of underground pornography. Suffice it to say, in my world, there is a great deal of overlap, and no one is who they appear to be.

dright2828@aol.com: What is the storyline for your next novel?

Richard Montanari: See the answer to Bobbewig's question above. I will add that the story moves from the elegant penthouses of Rittenhouse Square to the desolate row houses of North Philly to some very private clubs where all manner of bad behavior occurs.

njpa94@cableone.net: Will you consider doing a series including your terrific characters Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano?

Richard Montanari: Yes. Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano return in the next book. Sophie, too. The detectives of the PPD Homicide Unit are rested and ready for whatever evil may come their way. And evil comes.

Towandalhc@aol.com: I found these characters particularly inviting. Do you have plans to create a series featuring Detectives Balzano and Byrne?

Richard Montanari: Yes. I have three Philadelphia thrillers plotted.

kkoverman@opera-stl.org: I noticed that the blurb says this will be the first book in a new series. Are you keeping the Kevin Byrne character? Hopefully you haven't cured him.

Richard Montanari: The next book begins just a few months after THE ROSARY GIRLS ends. Kevin Byrne is still circled by demons, both physical and spiritual, but this time they take him to some very dark places.

tammyc44@adelphia.net: Why did you call Jessica by her first name and Kevin by his last name all the time? Will Kevin and Jessica have any more adventures, or will his stay in the hospital keep him on the sidelines to only help her with her new partner? Will Kevin's deaf daughter help him with a case where the actor is deaf?

Richard Montanari: Character attribution is a narrative choice you make early, then you have to stick with it. No reason, other than the sound their names made in my head. And yes, Jessica and Byrne face a fresh hell in the next novel, in which Colleen Byrne also plays a significant role.

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