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No Comments [ Add Comment ]League, author meet in Ogden
By J. MICHAEL CALLHalf of Michael Stanley is coming to Ogden.
Don't worry, though, the other half wasn't devoured by hungry hyenas like the unfortunate soul in his murder mystery "A Carrion Death" (Harper, $23.95).
The author will be the keynote speaker Saturday during the League of Utah Writers Roundup at the Marriott Hotel in Ogden. He will discuss with aspiring writers attending the two-day conference what it takes to collaborate on a work of fiction with another person. Stanley should know, since Michael Stanley is actually the pen name for two South African writers, Stanley Trollip and Michael Sears.
Trollip is the one coming to Ogden, and Drienie Hattingh, also a native of South Africa, is excited about his appearance. Hattingh is president of the LUW's Blue Quill Chapter in Ogden, in charge of hosting this year's statewide roundup.
"I know he will be entertaining as well as intriguing," Hattingh said. "Stan is also very enthusiastic about his writing, and I'm sure will encourage the writers to keep on writing and tell them, like he told me, 'Dreams do come true.' "
Trollip and Sears came to writing later in life. Both had successful careers in other fields. Trollip, who left South Africa because of his "strong distaste" for the apartheid system, lived and taught in the U.S. from 1971 until his retirement from the University of Minnesota in 2003. He now divides his time between Minneapolis and South Africa.
Sears was born in Johannesburg, and grew up in Cape Town and Nairobi, Kenya. He is a retired mathematician.
A pilot, Trollip has enjoyed flying safaris through the countries of southern Africa. Some of those trips were with his friend Sears, and their observations of the African wildlife eventually led to the grisly premise for "A Carrion Death," set in the southern African country of Bostwana.
"Often in the bush, we would see lion kill and then the hyenas coming in afterward," Trollip said in a phone interview. "It struck us that if we ever wanted to murder somebody, the perfect way to get rid of a body would be to leave it for the hyenas. They eat absolutely everything -- bones and all."
Once they had the idea for the novel, the duo began the process of writing. Sears sent Trollip the first draft of the novel's beginning and for the next three years -- via the Internet -- they exchanged drafts, rewrites, edits, revisions, suggestions, modifications and more rewrites.
They decided to foil their "perfect murder" when Kalahari game rangers stumble on the corpse mid-meal. The authors then introduce the reader to Detective David Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department. The inspiration for their portly protagonist came from another African wildlife icon -- the hippo. Bengu's nickname is "Kubu," which means hippopotamus in Bostwanan.
"He is a very large black man who is a little unusual as a protagonist in a detective story because he is happily married, he has a strong family orientation ... he enjoys singing and -- within his small budget -- he enjoys wine," Trollip said. "He's sort of a gentle giant in many ways, but he also has some characteristics of the hippopotamus."
Hippos are one of the most dangerous animals in Africa, Trollip said. "When it decides to do something, it is not easily deterred," he said. "You don't want to get on its bad side."
With the determination of a hippo, Kubu follows a blood-soaked trail to solve the crime.
For avid readers, a tale of a rotund black investigator in Bostwana could certainly stir up comparisons to a savvy detective named Precious in Alexander McCall Smith's highly successful series "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," also set in Bostwana. Coincidentally, McCall Smith is speaking later this month at an Ogden Foundation fundraiser.
Trollip, who is a fan of McCall Smith's work, has heard the comparison. But it doesn't bother him because he sees a difference -- and some similarities.
"McCall Smith's books, to use a term in writing, are more 'cozies,' " Trollip said. "They are feel-good books. His detective is a charming, delightful and a shrewd woman. As McCall Smith himself says, there's too much bad stuff going on in the world to want to write more about bad stuff."
In comparison, Trollip said, their book is darker "with some really nasty people and people getting killed and murdered."
However, Trollip said they do inhabit common ground with McCall Smith in their fondness for their African roots.
"What we share is a love of Bostwana," Trollip said. "It's a beautiful country and the people there are just charming and delightful. I think McCall Smith and Michael Stanley, the two of us, try very hard to leave the reader with an authentic sense of both place and culture."
Their efforts have paid off. "A Carrion Death" was released earlier this year, earning kudos from the critics.
"A first novel saturated with local color," wrote the New York Times. "Happily, Kubu is also hugely appealing -- big and solid and smart enough to grasp all angles of this mystery. Readers may be lured to Africa by the landscape, but it takes a great character like Kubu to win our loyalty."
Trollip and Sears have already written a second book and are working on a third.
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