Pub Day Spotlight: William Kent Krueger
Celebrating the 20th Book in the New York Times bestselling Cork O'Connor Series
Our podcast co-host and favorite librarian, Ron Block, interviews a dear friend of the show, William Kent Krueger, on the occasion of the publication of his new novel, SPIRIT CROSSING. The twentieth installment in his NYT-bestselling Cork O’Connor series is in stores today, Tuesday August 20, 2024.
Congratulations on publishing the 20th Cork O’Connor book, Spirit Crossing! Let’s start by having you give an overview of this installment.
The story opens with Waaboo, Cork’s grandson, stumbling across a grave while picking blueberries. At first, the thought is that it might be the burial site of the missing daughter of a wealthy state senator. Instead it turns out to be that of a young Ojibwe runaway. The authorities are far more interested in the missing white girl, so it falls to Cork and the newly formed Iron Lake Tribal Police to investigate the death of the Ojibwe girl. Woven into the story is a protest over an oil pipeline, a health crisis that threatens the O’Connor clan, and a ticking clock as men desperate to hide their murderous tracks plot to put little Waaboo in their crosshairs.
You’ve been a guest with us before, so you know that we also want to know what’s beneath the surface of the story. What’s the book REALLY about?
At the heart of the story is the struggle to protect that which is most precious to us as well as the question of how, when we fail, do we deal with that loss—loss of life, loss of the environment, loss of identity, loss of innocence.
Tell us where the original kernel of idea for Spirit Crossing first emerged and how you decided that this is the story you wanted to tell.
For some time now, my Native friends have discussed with me a crisis in their community: Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. Here are some startling statistics: 1) The murder rate for Indigenous women and girls is ten times higher than that of any other ethnicity; 2) Murder is the third leading cause of death for Indigenous women; 3) The Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates there are 4,200 missing and murdered cases that are still unsolved. In my stories, I’ve often dealt with issues significant in Indian Country. I thought it was time to tackle this one, to do my best to illustrate the difficulties inherent in complicated jurisdictional issues, the prejudice that sometimes gets in the way of effective investigation, and the magnitude of the personal tragedies. Good stories go for the heart, and my hope is that those readers, particularly those readers who are white, might have their eyes and their hearts opened in a more meaningful way to this crisis
In the Cork O-Connor series, how do you keep track of characters, plot points, and details that help retain continuity in each installment? This seems effortless to the reader, but it must take a great effort.
I deliver a manuscript in my Cork O’Connor series pretty much on a yearly basis. So I’m always working with Cork, the O’Connor family, Henry Meloux, and the other adjunct characters who call Tamarack County home. As a result, I’m never far from these imagined folks. Because I’ve never kept dossiers on the characters—but wouldn’t that have been a good idea—I sometimes have to do a bit of reading from previous novels to make sure I’ve got details right. Every once in a great while, I make a mistake, but never one significant enough that it interferes with the story. Usually, I’m the only one who knows I screwed up.
You write with great knowledge about the land and traditions of the Ojibwe people. What is your approach to making sure you are honoring them in your storytelling?
I rely significantly on my friends in the Anishinaabe community for their insights, their perceptions, their knowledge. I’m deeply indebted to them for their generosity. I also do a good deal of research on cultural issues. I have bookshelves lined with works on Ojibwe cultural traditions, history, language, spirituality. Whenever I’ve completed a manuscript in the series, I give it to at least one—but usually two—of my Ojibwe friends to read and vet for me, so that I haven’t said anything that’s too stupid, or worse, offensive.
In all your work you exude great care and respect for your characters, and while there are some tough moments, gentleness persists. Do you know where this approach comes from?
I care about people, whether they’re imaginary or real. I’m in my seventies now, and when I look back at the progression of my stories, I see that over the past twenty years, I’ve become less worried about making sure there’s plenty of danger and suspense, and more worried about making sure that I’ve invested the stories with a deep sense of humanity. It’s important to me that readers care about the characters I’ve created and care about the issues they deal with. I guess, in essence, as I’ve mellowed, my stories have followed suit.
Writing a series seems a vastly different undertaking than your stand-alone novels. What is similar and what is different for you in approaching each?
One big difference is the time it takes to create a story. I write a Cork O’Connor manuscript in about eight months. It takes three years to write a stand-alone. Also, I know the elements that I need to include in an O’Connor story—the O’Connor clan, the great Northwoods, the Ojibwe, Henry Meloux. In a stand-alone, I’m always entering unknown territory. Another big difference is the approach I take. The O’Connor stories are essentially mysteries. They’re puzzles, and I usually try to think out the story and the puzzle as completely as I can before I begin the actual writing. These stories come from my head. The stand-alones come from a different place. They come from my heart, and I want readers to feel as if I’m telling them the story straight from that deep place inside me. So I generally know only a few salient elements I’m going to include in the stand-alone, then I launch into the writing and let the story reveal itself to me. The dynamics of each approach are very different and each has its own pitfalls and rewards. How are they similar? I throw myself and my imagination fully into the creation of both.
You once wrote about Cork, following the publication of the 10th installment: “I’m thinking that even if I write twenty books, he’ll still be able to surprise me.” Well, here we are. What are your thoughts as you reach this milestone?
The question I’m so often asked, and that I often ask myself is where will it end? Truthfully, at the moment, I see no end in sight. I still enjoy immensely writing about Cork, watching him age, grow, change. I love seeing his family develop along with him, becoming more and more integral to every story. I love the challenge of trying to create a story in a different way or offering aspects of the Anishinaabe culture that I haven’t explored before. And there are so many issues still to be dealt with. It could be that I’ll be writing Cork O’Connor stories right up to the moment that they pry the pen from my cold, dead hand.
Can you share any updates on the Cork O’Connor TV Series?
I recently spent some time in the North Country with Jim Kohlberg and Luke Parker Bowles, the two guys who have the option on the series. I took them to a pow wow, introduced them to one of my good friends and an important resource in the Ojibwe community, showed them the Boundary Waters, and capped their visit with a stunning view of Lake Superior from atop a dramatic cliff. They left awed by the beauty of northern Minnesota and a pledge to do their best to make the TV series true to the heart of the stories and the heart of the land. There’s still a lot of work ahead, but I think we have a good shot at creating something spectacular.
Publishers Weekly says, “This long-running series still has plenty of gas in the tank. Cork fans will rejoice!” Will you update us on this thought, and please tell us what’s next for your beloved protagonist?
I have one more novel in the Cork O’Connor series under contract. I’d intended to put the writing of this book on hold because there’s a stand-alone that’s been knocking at my door for some time, demanding my attention. I launched into that project, then a lightning bolt of an idea for the next Cork story hit me. I switched gears and that’s what I’m at work on now. No title yet, but, God willing, it should be out in the fall of 2025.
About the Book
A disappearance and a dead body put Cork O'Connor's family in the crosshairs of a killer in the twentieth book in the New York Times bestselling series from William Kent Krueger-, "a master storyteller at the top of his game" (Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
The disappearance of a local politician's teenaged daughter is major news in Minnesota. As a huge manhunt is launched to find her, Cork O'Connor's grandson stumbles across the shallow grave of a young Ojibwe woman--but nobody seems that interested. Nobody, that is, except Cork and the newly formed Iron Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police. As Cork and the tribal officers dig into the circumstances of this mysterious and grim discovery, they uncover a connection to the missing teenager. And soon, it's clear that Cork's grandson is in danger of being the killer's next victim.
About the Author
William Kent Krueger is the New York Times bestselling author of The River We Remember, This Tender Land, Ordinary Grace (winner of the Edgar Award for best novel), and the original audio novella The Levee, as well as nineteen acclaimed books in the Cork O'Connor mystery series, including Lightning Strike and Fox Creek. He lives in the Twin Cities with his family. Learn more at WilliamKentKrueger.com.
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Looking forward to reading the new Cork O’Connor book! An enjoyable interview - thanks!
And this is why I love William Kent Krueger! I love his books but I also admire the man. Great interview, Ron!