Fantastic article at Grantland: The Many Lives of Donald Westlake

Bookmark this one: “The Many Lives of Donald Westlake: On the man who created Parker and the quest for the perfect character,” by Michael Weinreb.

I was interviewed for the piece, but that’s not why I’m giving it its own post. (I’m barely quoted, which is fine by me as I’m not a big fan of a public profile anyway, but I provided a great deal of information “on background,” as we say in the biz.)

If you aren’t familiar with Grantland, it was created by sportswriter Bill Simmons as an outlet for top-notch writing on sports and pop culture. It has a deserved reputation for excellence, as demonstrated by this fantastic article.

You’re going to love it. I also think it’s the single best way, short of convincing the person to pick up a book, to serve as an introduction for anyone who asks you, “So who is this Donald Westlake (or Richard Stark) guy that you love so much?”

I intend to use it for that very purpose just as soon as I’m done writing this post. Check it out.