JJ Connolly lives and works in London. He was born in North London to Irish immigrant parents. JJ adapted Layer Cake for the screen and now spends his time between novels and screenplays. Viva La Madness is in development as a major TV series.
JJ's view of Layer Cake:
I saw criminals being portrayed as very dumb people but in my experience criminals were very smart guys who wanted to make serious money and not work hard or get caught. There was no kudos in spending decades in prison and drug dealing had opened up a whole new world of criminality and profit. Many years ago, if a bank robber robbed a bank there was alarm bells, sirens, chases and investigations. Nowadays because heavy-duty criminals have moved into the smuggling and bunk distribution of drugs, the police have to work hard to detect that a crime is even being committed. Criminals keep a very low profile and have account for any property or wealth they have accumulated. I wrote the book I wanted to read.
JJ’s view of Viva:
I decided that I wasn't quite finished with the unnamed central character in Layer Cake. Events started happening in my own life that made perfect material for a sequel. And there was a degree of public demand - I kept getting asked if I had any plans for a follow-up.
The difficult part was following Layer Cake, especially after the movie. I'd set a high standard for myself. I also had a lot of distractions and was working on movies too, so I had to disengage totally to write the book I wanted to write. It's a long book, but I'm fond of an epic myself.
I loved it when Viva la Madness started to take on a life and momentum of its own. The characters started talking back. Strange but true: that's the life of a writer. I sent it to the publishers knowing I'd written the best book I was capable of. That's a very good feeling.
Influences...
Kurt Vonnegut is a writer anyone can learn from. He didn't teach you to think outside the box: he taught that there is no box. His voice is like a gentle old uncle telling you a tale. My favourite book is Norman Mailer's The Executioner’s Song - I prefer his factual stuff to his fiction.
Like all writers these days I'm very inspired by film. Human nature has to be the biggest source of stories. It might be a well-worn truism but fact is definitely stranger than fiction. Yet a lot of fiction is strange.
It took me 10 years, on and off. Everything about Viva evolved at an organic pace. I'd write for a couple of months then go off and work on another project and return with fresh eyes and impetus. I didn't want to hurry.
Writing tips: Don't talk about writing - write. Don't tell people your stories. Not because they'll steal them but because you dissipate them. Always finish a day's work by leaving a final full stop - so when you resume, you're up and running as soon as you sit down. Welcome feedback. Listen to what people tell you about your writing. You can choose to ignore it if you want to, but don't let your ego get in the way of opinions that could bring your writing forward. Don't be scared of mistakes.
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