It’s a Jungle out there

Kent Harrington talks to David Montgomery, wearing his Mystery Ink hat, about the frustrations of seeing RED JUNGLE get turned down by a gaggle of major publishers only to get rapturous praise from reviewers and readers alike:

**Q. Forgive me for asking, but why is a writer with such obvious talent as

Kent Harrington not better known? What the hell is wrong with the publishing

business anyway?**

A. The industry’s definition of commercial has probably gotten too narrow.

The editors et al. have gotten too conservative in their choices. Obviously,

this is the case with Red Jungle, as readers seem to be saying the book

is commercial, if by the term “commercial” one simply means “popular.”

**Q. Was it frustrating for you not to get one of the big publishers to take on

Red Jungle?**

A. Yes it was, very much so. Because, being stubborn, I believed in the book,

especially after people said, “Hey Kent, this is a pretty good novel.”

Now it’s a little easier, because the response to the book has been more than

I could have hoped for; readers seem to be embracing it, and that’s very

heartening. You can’t ask for more than that — to have someone come up to you

and say they enjoyed something you wrote. It’s a wonderful feeling, the best.

Read the rest of the interview, and then go out and snare a copy of RED JUNGLE. That book will be cracking a lot of “Best of 2005” lists, mine certainly included.