Ray Merritt
has enjoyed a successful writing career for over thirty years. His A Thousand Hounds (Taschen) was selected
Best Book of the Year, 2000, by New York
Magazine. The New York Times called
it a “goody pack.” Entertainment Today
awarded it “most creative book of the season” and Animal Fair dubbed it “a masterpiece.” Full of Grace (Damiani) was named PDN Magazine’s Best Book of the
Year in 2007. Oprah Magazine called
it “dazzlingly elegant, elegiac and exhilarating.” Kirkus dubbed it “gripping” and Publishers
Weekly “captivating.”
Clamour
of Crows, represents Ray’s entry into the world of fiction and similar accolades
followed. Kirkus calling it “A
tightly plotted debut mystery that mixes foul play, wordplay, and humor that will
appeal to mystery buffs who don't require sex and gore—and to those harboring
fond memories of reading J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, and Lewis Carroll.” Library Journal hailed it, reporting
that “Merritt's fiction debut is a sparkling blend of
wit, puzzles, and suspense.” A National
Public Radio broadcast said that “As revelations about money laundering, contested wills and
all manner of financial crimes and misdemeanors continue to make the news, Clamour of Crows could not be a more
timely tale.” And Blackstone Audio
produced an unabridged audiobook version.
Ray, his wife, Carol, and their shelter dogs, live in Sag Harbor and New York
City. With that, I introduce Ray’s blog
*
* *
“The question has
been posed: Why do so many lawyers write
fiction? For some the answer is
simple: Because they can. Eric Gardner gave us Perry Mason, John Grisham created Jake Brigance, while Scott
Turow, Meg Gardiner, Richard North Patterson and Louis Auchincloss all have
created riveting stories told with engaging narratives. Most of these writers were litigators who
honed their writing skill by authoring briefs and arguing cases and in doing so
they often had to use their imagination to craft the defense of clients or
forge the prosecution of defendants.
“I envied their opportunity
and experience, for corporate lawyers rarely create scintillating prose. They write contracts, not briefs. They have no eloquence, no flourish . . .
just the facts, so to speak. No one has
ever been enthralled by a merger agreement, an indenture or an acquisition
contract.
“So why after many decades
of numbing my imagination with turgid dry text would I—a lifelong corporate
lawyer—attempt to cross over and write fiction?
The answer lies in the challenge and also in the opportunity to educate,
elucidate and entertain. Fiction writing
involves creativity and as such is an art form, permitting one to set the facts
and circumstances in such an order that they create a new, albeit imagined,
reality. It is the written embodiment of
one’s own imagination. Einstein said
that imagination is more important than knowledge. Goethe called it the process of 'becoming.' For a writer moving from the frozen prose of
the law, it is indeed that. Writing
fiction releases your inner Cliffy as you go beyond the simple recitation of
facts and reposition them into an alternate reality that informs, educates and
entertains—and hopefully enlightens.
“I find writing fiction a
challenge. It tests your mettle as a
dreamer. Perhaps the difference between
composing fiction and writing facts is the same as the difference between the photojournalist
and the art photographer. The first is
fact-limited and fact-driven; the second has no limits other than the size of
the paper. In a sense, that is what I
find in fiction writing—the page is blank.
There are no restrictions. You
are not limited to reality. You can test
your mettle as an artist... and a dreamer.
Chesterton said that fairytales are more than truth, 'not because they
tell us dragons exists; but they tell us dragons can be beaten.' Clamour
of Crows is in large part a modern-day fairytale.
“I must confess I’m not adept
at public speaking. I would have made a
terrible preacher. Perhaps that is why I
never wanted to be a litigator. For me,
fiction writing is an outlet for creativity—a seductive pulpit. I find it therapeutic and pleasurable. The act of creating a story is a special kind
of high. As a storyteller, fiction
permits me to tell stories without breaking professional confidences. It allows me to explore new challenges
instead of dwelling on old ones and in the process to raise questions without
giving answers. Put under oath, I would
have to confess that I do it because I like it.
Telling a good story puts me in a better place. For me, fiction is not an escape from reality
but a way to revisit it. I like life’s
ambiguities. I respect man’s imperfection. In the preamble to Clamour of Crows, I wrote: 'Most men die forgotten. Heroes
and villains live on. The best and the
worst and a few who were both.' Humanity’s best trait is its imperfection and that is what I like to
write about.”
* *
*
WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS below. If you wish to get in touch with Ray directly you can reach him at rmerritt@willkie.com. Clamour of Crows is readily available from Amazon and other online retailers as a hardcover or ebook, through your local bookstore, or directly from us at a 50% discount if you mention reading about it on this blog by emailing brian@thepermanentpress.com and placing your order, or by phone, Monday through Friday, between 11AM and 5 PM (EST) at 631-725-1101.
Anyone else out there who is interested in writing a blog for The Cockeyed Pessimist can also contact me at that same phone number or by sending me an email (shepard@thepermanentpress.com).
Marty
What a cool post. I like the connection you draw between litigation and fiction, and between man's imperfection and good stories. Clamour of Crows is a really good story!
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