FirstWord JEFFERY DEAVER
American mystery and murder author Jefffery Deaver waxes lyrical about Bob Dylan, Bonnie and Clyde and coq au vin
Last time you were chatted up I had a marriage proposal from a woman I’d never met about two years ago at a bookstore in New York City. Does that count as chatting up? I declined. First film you saw that really moved you Shane – the George Stevens’ Western movie.
Last lie you told My partner had fallen and hit her leg, and I told her the bruise was really insignificant, nobody would notice it. And it was the size and colour of an aubergine.
First movie you ever went on a date to Bonnie and Clyde. She never went out with me again.
Last extravagant purchase you made This was literally the last, not the most recent, but the last, and I’ll never make one like this again – it was my BMW. First crush Oh hands down, Hayley Mills (60s actress and star of Disney films including Pollyanna and The Parent Trap). I mean, there was a real person as well, but as an actress, Hayley Mills was my first crush.
Last book you read John Connolly’s book, The Lovers.
First great piece of advice you were given It came from a fellow writer who has since passed away, Stud Terkel, and his advice was ‘Take it easy, but take it’. Last time you were star struck Can I say never?
First thing you’d do if you ran the country My country? I would get our troops out of the Middle East and concentrate on finding terrorists where they really are.
First time you realised you were famous I think when I walked into an event in Italy expecting to see about ten people there, and an audience of 400 people had come to see me. Last time you made an impulse buy and regretted it I saw a Donna Karan sports coat in a store in New York and I had to have it and when I put it on – it was a brown jacket – it made me look like a potato.
Last time you cried I lost a dog about six months ago – I breed and show dogs – and he passed away. I was really upset about that. Last meal on earth – what would it be? That’s a tricky one. It would be . . . chips and a bottle of Chateau Petrus.
First thing you do when you’ve got time off work I throw a dinner party. First song you’ll sing at karaoke I’m such a bad singer, but I would say ‘Unchained Melody’.
Last time someone criticised your work It was very recently when I got an email from a woman who said she liked my books but I described a very technical part of a pistol wrong, and please correct it in all future books. And she was right.
Last great meal you cooked Coq au vin with mashed potatoes, green beans and a salad. And a very nice Bordeaux wine.
Last time you exploited your position to get something Never. I never have and I never would do that. What are the first three words your friends would use to describe you Generous, funny and weird.
First concert you ever attended It was in the 1960s. It was the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. Irish folk music. First thing you think of when you wake up in the morning Getting the dogs outside to do what dogs do in the morning.
■ Jeffery Deaver’s latest novel Roadside Crosses is out now, published by Hodder & Stoughton, £18.99.
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■ We admit that it’s a terrible admission for an arts and culture magazine to make, but it’s been a very lo-o- ong August. If it’s alright with you, we’re just going to take some time out this week, and sit on our sofas beckoning down 2 THE LIST 27 Aug–10 Sep 2009
The Dove From Above in celebration of the return of Shooting Stars. Uvavu! We’re also enjoying international pandemics being given the respect they deserve, too. (Not just the latest rock n roll excuse for cancelling shows then. No way. No sir.) Mike Skinner cancelled his Edinburgh Streets gig ‘because of swine flu’. But as
it was almost immediately rescheduled, we presume it wasn’t his, and he was just being considerate. Sweet guy. We’ve always liked him. Finally, we’ve been watching in half- fascination, half-horror as all out war erupts between British and US Twitterers over a variety of high profile topics this week. We wouldn’t say we ‘liked’ what was going on, exactly . . .