'Elvis' is king of blunders to mystery writer Crais

"Elvis," as in Elvis Cole, is one of Crais' main characters in many of his 16 crime novels.

Crais' most recent book is "The First Rule" (Putnam, $26.95), a fast-paced dose of brain candy featuring his two main characters, Cole and tough guy Joe Pike.

He said that naming his protagonist Elvis, however, was "probably the worst commercial mistake I ever made in my life."

"There's a lot of evidence that it's not the smartest decision I ever made," Crais said. "I wanted a name that would separate him from the pack in the marketplace. … With Joe Pike - it's right there in your face. Very simple, very direct."

Crais, 56, is "in a groove" with Pike, but he'll occasionally delve into other characters.

His first non-series novel was "Demolition Angel" in 2000, which featured former L.A. Police Department Bomb Technician Carol Starkey, who now is a character in the Cole series.

In 2007, "The Watchman" became the first novel in the Cole/Pike series to feature Pike in the title role.

The Louisiana native moved to Hollywood in 1976 where he wrote scripts for TV series such as "Hill Street Blues," "Cagney and Lacey" and "Miami Vice."

In the mid-'80s, Crais decided to become a novelist and created Elvis Cole. The resulting novel, "The Monkey's Raincoat," was chosen as one of the top 100 mysteries of the century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.

Crais has been married to Pat, a former psychotherapist, for 30 years. The couple have three kids and three cats.

Crais' novels have been published in 42 countries.

We recently spoke with Crais by phone in his L.A. home about his books, life and youthful appearance.

First of all, how do you pronounce your last name - is it Cray or Crase?

"It's Crase. It's faux French."

Do you own any guns?

"I'm from Louisiana - you're born with a Browning 12-gauge shotgun. You come out, and you're ready to duck hunt."

Do you have any fellow mystery author friends?

"The mystery community is a really small, friendly community. We tend to see each other at the same places over and over. Mike Connelly is a buddy."

Tell me about your family.

"I come from a family of cops. I have this great network of friends and acquaintances in the law force who help me with stuff.

"I get to shoot a variety of weapons, which is a hoot."

You're an only child. Do you think only children make good authors?

"I think only children make better astronauts.

"As an only child, I would read all the time. I learned to read with comic books. In the day, it was 'Spider-Man.' I like the quote 'Stan Lee changed my life.' (Lee) got me really interested in story and character.

"When I moved on to real books, that was the kind of stuff I really sought out -series work, like Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe series."

Tell me about getting your first book published.

"I wrote it on spec. I had no contract for it.

"I had written two other manuscripts that were so bad. They were just awful.

"One was the world's greatest novel and one was a detective novel, but both those books were abject failures.

"I keep threatening to burn them, but I can't bring myself to."

You look so young in your book photo. Did you start writing at age 8?

"Yes (laughing). … I'm one of the slowest writers I know. It takes me about 10 months to write a book. … The longest time has been 14 months, and the shortest is about six months, my first book. I was under the pressure of going broke."

Why write about crime and justice?

"The easy answer is it's what I enjoy. I know a lot of aspiring writers don't write what they enjoy because they have a certain goal in mind. I think that's always a mistake. It preordains failure."

Your protagonist, Joe Pike, is sort of an ageless warrior. How old is he?

"He's an indeterminate age. I used to think of Elvis and Joe as two or three years older than me. Now they are definitely younger than me.

"In the earlier books, Elvis and Joe were in Vietnam. In the more recent books, I've begun to be more nonspecific by design.

"There is a segment of the readership that wants Elvis and Joe and the characters to age. … My guys are physical guys; there's a lot of action. What, am I going to have geriatric guys in the street?"

I'm a big fan of Pike. Is there any way you could start writing faster?

"Thank you. I wish. I got these buddies who will do two or three books a year.

"I write every day. I haven't been on a vacation in six or seven or eight years. My reality is that six to eight weeks a year, I spend on the road touring. That's nonstop work. I can't write effectively when I'm working.

"I try to maintain a book-a-year schedule, so I already start each year two months in the hole."

Bruce Willis played SWAT negotiator Pete Talley in the 2005 movie "Hostage" (after your book by the same title). Did you have any input in that decision?

"It was my choice to sell my project to him. I thought he would be perfect.

"I'm still a big fan. He's a total family guy. It also really impressed me how important his acting is to him. He's always working with an acting coach. I left with an enormous amount of respect for him."

What are you working on now?

"A new Joe Pike book. I don't know the title. That's pretty much the last thing I do. I am not good with titles.

"I don't really talk about them while they're happening. I do an outline for me. I put it all on note cards. I pin them all on a huge black foam board in my office."

You're very popular worldwide, especially in countries like Italy, France and England. Are you kind of like a David Hasselhoff?

"No (laughing). David is much taller than me.

"It's interesting - the Italians and French view book writers much more seriously than audiences elsewhere."

Tell me about your fans.

"I have great fans. It's interesting how invested people are in my characters. They are so rabid about it.

"It's always a hoot to see people reading me on a plane."

If you go

• What: Crime writer Robert Crais will discuss his career and latest novel "The First Rule."

• When: 2:30-3:30 p.m. Saturday.

• Where: University of Arizona Student Union - Ballroom South.

• Information: tucsonfestivalofbooks.org

Contact Valerie Vinyard at vvinyard@azstarnet.com or 573-4136.