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" In 1995, I sold the rights to Harry Bosch to Paramount. They had several screenplays written, but a movie never happened. Harry Bosch went on the shelf, and I had to wait 15 years to get him back. "

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" My experience as a newspaper reporter was invaluable in terms of getting me to the kind of writing I do now. It gave me a work ethic of writing every day and pushing through difficult creative times. I mean, there's no writer's block allowed in a newsroom. "

Michael Connelly

Writing

Work

Experience

" I never write thinking, 'What would a woman do?' any more than I think, 'What would a man do?' It comes down to what would a solid detective do in these circumstances. "

" All my writing is fun, and that makes it hard to slow down or walk away. "

" The characters I write about are very internal. "

" I think there's a general misconception that anything written quickly lacks quality, and I don't believe that. "

" I'm a disciple of Raymond Chandler, who said in his essays that there's a quality of redemption in anything that can be called art. "

" A movie is like a city. There's, like, 150 people working, and it's all because of something that came out of your head. "

Michael Connelly

City

Head

" My entire career writing novels was wrapped up around Harry Bosch. This character was too important to me to just hand off. "

" That's the irony in the work: the best stories are the worst things that happen. My best times were somebody else's worst. "

" As a former reporter, I wrote 'The Scarecrow' quickly - I didn't have to think about what the character would do the way I do with Harry Bosch. "

" I'm always looking at ways of shaking up the writing experience because I think it helps. "

Michael Connelly

Writing

Think

" I get into this unfortunate thing when I'm touring for my books. I was in Spain, and the media asked me, 'Who's your favorite Spanish mystery writer?' I'm totally flat-footed. I feel that I'm under-read when it comes to foreign writers. "

" I like stories about people who have to go into darkness for a good reason and then have to figure out how to deal with the darkness that seeps into their souls. "

Michael Connelly

Darkness

Good

" The LAPD, like most police departments, is a male-dominated bureaucracy. A woman faces a lot of pushback. "

" As far as characters in fiction that I really admire - it's pretty strong to say you would wish that you had created another character - but I'll throw out Will Graham, the protagonist in 'Red Dragon,' a book I've read several times. "

" I'm not Mr. Hollywood. I'm a book writer. "

" In 'Blood Work,' they made choices I wouldn't have made, but I'm not a filmmaker. I took the money, and they told the story. "

" My history is that I will create a character, and they will have a book to themselves, and then I'll integrate the character into the larger world of all my books. "

" I don't think anyone will believe me, but I've never been pressured by a publisher to churn out a book. "

" As a writer, you look for inspiration wherever you can get it. "

" I get up to write while it's still dark, 5 or 5:30. I start by editing and rewriting everything I did the day before, and that gives some momentum for the day. "

" I'd seen Titus Welliver in a few shows and felt he had some inner demons in his portrayals, as does Harry Bosch. "

Michael Connelly

Few

Inner

" My literary heroes all wrote about L.A.: Joseph Wambaugh, Ross Macdonald, and Raymond Chandler were the three writers that made me want to be a writer. "

" What is overriding that and most important is that readers generally are interested in a good character. They might be more comfortable with Harry because they think they know him, but they always seem willing to give somebody new a chance. "

" I wrote my first real murder story as a journalist for the Daytona Beach News Journal in 1980. It was about a body found in the woods. Later, the murder was linked to a serial killer who was later caught and executed for his crimes. "

" I don't miss being a reporter as a job, but I do miss the everyday interaction with the front line of law enforcement. I still have a cadre of cops who keep me up to date, but I don't have the access I used to. "

Michael Connelly

Law Enforcement

Job

" The books I've written the fastest were the best reviewed and sold the best. "

" I'm just going to write the best books I can. "

" When I write about places in L.A. - like where the best taco truck is or something - it's not about L.A. To me, it's about Harry Bosch, because he's the guy that does these things and has this experience. "

Michael Connelly

Experience

Best

" I write puzzles and mysteries. Nothing too highfalutin. "