The Answer to Ferrigno’s Prayers

Earlier this month, I heard that Seattle-area novelist Robert Ferrigno was going to spawn more books from his latest work of fiction, Prayers for the Assassin. With some abnormal free time on my hands today (thank goodness for national holidays), I decided to e-mail the author and ask how many sequels he has in mind writing, when those sequels might begin showing up in bookstores, and whether--after making a career of penning noirish contemporary thrillers (The Wake-Up, Scavenger Hunt, etc.)--this detour into futuristic fiction set in an Islamic America might lose him some members of his previous fan base. His reply came swiftly:

I had always fantasized about [Prayers] being a trilogy, but knew it was impossible without sufficient sales. Prayers was the biggest seller I’ve had since [1990’s] The Horse Latitudes (making the New York Times extended and the L.A. Times bestseller lists, and getting reviewed everywhere from The New York Times to USA Today, Tom Tomorrow to Little Green Footballs), so when I suggested it to Scribner, they were eager. Bought the next two [books] at a very good bump in my advance. I don’t see it as a series, but as a trilogy, which will give me room to explore the world I created, without having to sacrifice the creative frisson you can only get when everything is on the table. I mean, no matter what, Harry Bosch ain’t gonna die or betray his principles.

The next book, titled Hymn for the Assassin (branding is the name of the game), takes [protagonist] Rakkim Epps into the [Southern] Bible Belt. Fun ensues. This should come out ... fall 2007, with the final installment a year later.

I don’t worry about losing my longtime readers. Although this is undoubtedly why Pantheon [which had published earlier Ferrigno novels] bailed on Prayers (thank God, because no one could have done as good a publishing job as Scribner), and why my agent evinced huge misgivings (the phrase “career suicide” was mentioned when I first told her about the book I envisioned). It didn’t matter. Prayers was a book I was compelled to write, no matter what happened.

Ultimately, I’m still writing about good and evil and all the shades between; tough guys and girls, smart/cool bad guys; love and honor and greed and grace, and the myriad ways we lose our souls without even being aware of it. All the things that matter the most to me. Just in a more interesting and highly charged fictional landscape. It’s like poker--the game remains the same, but bigger stakes, bigger risks, increase the joy.

Prayers is high-risk writing. Some people just don’t buy into it. Even very positive reviews seemed to take pains to assure potential readers that the book wouldn’t bite, that once you got past the shock of the premise, the book delivered. No problem, I consider myself very well treated by critics and readers.

My work has always been an attempt to make sense of the world, and myself. Writing Prayers helped. When the trilogy is complete, I anticipate starting work on another “big canvas” project, which I would vaguely describe as a religious thriller. But I could change my mind.