Jeffery Deaver on Ian Fleming

The June 10 Houston Star-Telegram is carrying a nicely-done piece about Carte Blanche author Jeffery Deaver’s experiences with the world of Ian Fleming.

A lifelong fan of the literary James Bond after reading his first Fleming novel at the tender age of eight, Deaver says the excitement he felt from those books is one of the reasons he wanted to be a writer. After receiving an invitation from Ian Fleming Publications to write a (one-off) 007 adventure, he “took all of five seconds” to jump on board.

Photo © Associated Press

Carte Blanche, in updating the Bond saga to the right-this-minute post-9/11, post-7/7 world, has rung some changes on the character and his world that we’ve since heard about. He and the publishers also decided that Deaver would retain his own authorial style…

…that he would not attempt to write the book mimicking Fleming’s style.

“Sebastian [Faulks] is a brilliant literary writer and he pulled if off very well in his book… “But I would not presume to do that. Nor do I have the talent to do that.”

David Martindale’s article also lists some of the author’s favorite Fleming things: Favorite Bond novel, Favorite Bond moment, and favorite Bond villains and girls. You’ll have to read Jeffery Deaver attains double-o status as new Bond writer to learn which.

Published in the US by Simon & Schuster, Carte Blanche drops this coming Tuesday, June 14. Watch the HMSS Weblog for pointers to the reviews and reactions from the US-based critics, as well as our own humble editor’s thoughts.

NPR on “Project X”

Jeffrey Deaver in London

Today’s update of the National Public Radio website has a little nugget of a piece of the upcoming “Project X” James Bond novel by Jeffrey Deaver.

(As an immediate side note, the article asks the question

The more we read about this summer’s so-so blockbusters and outright bombs, the more we think … wouldn’t it be nice to have a James Bond movie right about now?

Just imagine how a Bond movie would absolutely rule this summer’s mediocre box office!)

We’re not sure there’s anything in it that’s really stop-the-presses new for fans of the literary 007, but Glenn McDonald’s article Where’s James Bond When You Need Him? On Next Summer’s Bookshelves serves nicely to keep interest up.

(It also gives us the opportunity to say that the next issue of Her Majesty’s Secret Servant will be featuring a much more in-depth interview with the new James Bond author!) Watch this space…