Headline: Armstrong, author of "Hugely Cinematic" The Game

Why do you write thrillers?
I don't write to any genre, really. I'm more about creating wild characters and then setting them loose. But I've been called a thriller-writer, and I'm good with that because I like to have fun—and to make fun. Mostly I'm out to poke fun at the zeitgeist. My particular target is reality television. What better way to make fun of reality TV than the thriller?

Would The Game make a good movie?
Yes. It's funny, though, it's set against Reality Television, small screen, mainly to give me something to make "fun of." I'm really hopped up on how stupid reality television is these days. But it's a big-screen thriller in every other respect. The characters are cinematic. Your reviewer called it "hugely cinematic."

One reviewer called The Game a mystery, though.
There are mysterious elements, yes. But I wrote it as a thriller. I love mysteries, but if you're looking for the masterful who-done-it, that's not The Game. The Game is more thrills, chills and laughs, although it has lots of sleuthing, lots of red-herrings, all that good stuff.

So, when Publishers Weekly reviewed The Game as a mystery, was that wrong?
It was wrong if you're comparing it as a mystery to all the wonderful who-done-its out there. I don't really write genre. My novels are more about building the whackiest, non-archetypal characters possible. On the other hand, I don't write the "mainstream character-driven" novel because I love the complex plot as well. Why do we have all these definitions? Really, it's just a fun novel. I had fun writing it. I hope readers have fun reading it. I'm told people remember my characters, and chuckle out loud from time to time. I can't ask for more than a good time and a memorable character.

Booklist's Reviewer mentioned The Game "injects the trope with new vigor." That suggests your novel is somewhat derivative?
Everything is derivative. The same reviewer compared Bane to House, the TV doctor, because of his sarcasm. I found that flattering and annoying at the same time. I actually modeled Alban Bane on my mother Anna Kane. She was even more sarcastic than House, and funnier. Booklist is prestigious and they know their stuff, so I was delighted when David Pitt finished off, "But, for all of that, the novel somehow manages to avoid feeling derivative." Then something about satire and chuckles. I loved that review. He's right, too. Everything can be compared to something out there, but the key is to bring an originality. In my case, I work this through character and satire. Oh, sure, Bane is a super sleuth who is after a serial killer, but he's much more than that. He's a single father with a wicked sense of humor. He's borderline suicidal, but he never gives up. He's brilliant an naive. And he makes friends in spite of his attitude, which is why, I think, reviewers and readers — so far — like him.

You don't take yourself seriously at all?
Not really. I'm not as sarcastic as Bane. In fact, I get tongue-tied in public, so my funniest lines are in my head. But, my mother was the model for Alban Bane. She had a brilliant sarcastic wit. Laugh-out-loud funny. And no, I don't take myself seriously. If I get a bad review, I just assume they didn't "get it." Doesn't bother me much. But humor's so incredibly subjective.

You stress humor a lot?
I do, but I don't write humor. I just write humorously, at times. But there's plenty of angst and anguish in my thrillers. In The Game, I attack the stupidity of television. I think, perhaps I'd like to take on the idiocy of the internet in a future thriller. MADicine, the sequel to The Game is far more ambitious, taking on a near-armageddon situation that results from the greed of corporations and pharmaceutical research companies. My historical thriller The Last Troubadour deals with historical tragedies and quite important events. But humor helps keep it interesting, prevents the reader from spiraling into depression at the thought of the injustices done. My characters have humorous sides, and my plots are somewhat satirical. But I'm not writing humor.

How many movie production companies are reading The Game now?
Just over twenty. They're reading uncorrected proofs based on reviews.

Why do you think it will make a good movie?
The characters. Yes, reality TV as a backdrop to a thriller-suspense novel is high concept. But everyone who reads comments on the characters and the dialog.

Do you think it will be a movie?
Some day.

What are you working on now?
MADicine. Bane, my witty "swashbuckling Scotsman" protagonist is back with an amazing new impact character, Doctor Ada Kenner of the CDC. I would have made her the protagonist, but it's Bane's show. It takes thriller to the limit, with science run amok, and the antagonist from The Game back — only he's far more dangerous this time. The world's at stake, not just a few TV stars.

You also write feature articles and columns?
Less and less, but I do always find time to regularly submit to Literary Culture on Suite 101. It's an important connection with readers and the industry. The whole culture of literature is something I'm very passionate about. I was delighted they asked me. I still do some reviews, although not so many now. I'm on the road a lot these days. 

Derek Armstrong is the author of The Game (Kunati Books), The Last Troubadour and The Persona Principle (Simon & Schuster). His books have been translated into five languages. He also writes scripts.