Interview with Don Winslow about "Savages"

Published by Simon & Schuster

Don Winslow is on a roll.  The author's 13th novel, Savages, just received rave reviews from Janet Maslin of the New York Times.  It was a review in which Maslin said that this is ". . . the one that will jolt Mr. Winslow into a different league. 'Savages' is his 13th and most boisterously stylish crime book, his gutsiest and most startling bid for attention."

Winslow, who says he doesn't normally read reviews, was in Europe when he heard of the review.  He said, "My heart went to my throat."  As Winslow said, "A great review is great.  A bad review is the worst."  In this case, it looks Winslow is off to a wicked good start.

One of the things that makes Savages so good may be the fact that Winslow was mad when he wrote it.  He says that he was "angry about a lot of stuff."  The political bullying and posturing that has become so rampant in our society propelled him forward.  He said he also wanted to "bust the crime-fiction genre open."  He believes that writers are becoming bound by definitions and sees it becoming increasingly difficult for an author to do anything new or different. 

Don Winslow - donwinslow.com

Winslow describes Savages as an "exciting, wild read that will take the reader on a trip with intriguing characters in a way they haven't seen before."

Savages is the story of two entrepreneurial drug dealer who become too successful for their own good.  But when a Mexican drug cartel wants to take over their turf, the two dealers wind up in a test of wills with the cartel—and in a desperate search for a way to meet the cartel's demands while keeping their turf. 

Winslow considers this to be his "most different book."  He likes reinventing his style every few books and sees this as his most ambitious venture yet.  It includes "Some poetry.  Some screenplay.  It's my most creative work yet."

Winslow has made three trips to Europe this year and is currently on a whirlwind book tour that includes two more San Diego stops:

• July 15 at Mysterious Galaxy at 7:00 p.m.
• July 19 at Warwick's at 7:30 p.m.

In between those local stops, he'll be in Houston, Phoenix, Orange, and South Pasadena.  After that, he's off to LA, Thousand Oaks, and Seattle.  Talk about a guy with a busy schedule.  How's he going to find time to talk with Oliver Stone about making Savages into a movie?  Or write? 

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