Author Nelson DeMille Visits Book Revue Wednesday

Bestselling author and Long Island native Nelson DeMille will speak and sign copies of his new book, "The Quest," at Book Revue Wednesday night. 

A Vietnam War veteran who earned his degree from Hofstra University, DeMille has penned numerous bestsellers, including "The General's Daughter," which was turned into a 1999 movie starring John Travolta.  

Patch spoke with DeMille, who lives in Garden City, about "The Quest," which is being released Tuesday, and his four decade long writing career in advance of his visit to Huntington. 

Patch: "The Quest" was originally published in 1975. What’s the story behind the book’s original publication? 

DeMille: Well, I wrote the book in 74-75 during the Ethiopian Revolution, which is the setting of "The Quest." The old emperor Haile Selassie had been deposed by the Marxists and there was a revolution. It was a war torn country, sort of like a Russian Revolution Doctor Zhivago thing, and against this background, I set the search for the Holy Grail. So when I wrote it, it was contemporary, it was actually happening. And the story wasn’t even over when the book was published because a couple years later the emperor either died or was murdered. But when I wrote the book, it was like a little slice of what was happening in 74-75.  

Patch: Why did you decide to rewrite "The Quest" nearly four decades later 

DeMille: I always thought it was a great story. It was originally published as a paperback. I was not a best selling author at the time. Very few people read the book originally...probably two or thousand in sales. And it was a good story that really needed to be retold and with the popularity of religious thrillers, especially "The Da Vinci Code," I thought this was a book that would have as much resonance now as it did when I wrote it. It was my first major novel back in 75 and it had no audience. The publisher agreed that it was a great story that just needed some rewriting, which is what I did and we are republishing it now as a hardcover and it will be a bestseller this time around. 

Patch: You have used Long Island as a setting for many of your books. Obviously you are a native Long Islander and you still live here, but you could pick anywhere as a setting for your books so why Long Island? What makes it a good place for a setting? 

DeMille: Well, Long Island is interesting. The proximity to Manhattan of course is important, the Hamptons and the Gold Coast. In fact my next book is a John Corey (a recurring character in DeMille novels) book and most of the setting will not be Manhattan, but will actually be the Hamptons. I’ve never done a Hamptons book per se and I really wanted to do a book set in the Hamptons. I just find the place fascinating. It’s kind of like New York City is the center of the world and Long Island is an interesting appendage of Manhattan.

Patch: How do you think you have changed the most as a writer in the past 40 years? 

DeMille: I think I’ve become a better writer. I inject more humor into my books. When I first started writing, like a lot of new writers, I thought of writing as very serious. There was no place for humor in a book and my characters tended to a little bit more serious, a little bit more strident, almost humorless in some cases. Somewhere along the line, I realized that humor works because people really are humorous, especially Americans. I tend to lighten my books a bit with humor, even with serious subjects. 

Patch: You have said in a past interview that Book Revue in Huntington is your favorite bookstore on Long Island. What makes it your favorite?  

DeMille: It’s really my favorite independent. It’s the management there. They know what they are doing. They are book sellers and also, I always draw a great crowd. I usually give a talk followed by a question and answer and I get the most interesting questions. People over there are really passionate about books. The owners are passionate, the customers are passionate and it’s just a nice setting and a nice town.  

Patch: What advice would you give to young people who aspire to be authors one day?  

DeMille: I give the same advice every time which is read read read. Read the classics, read contemporary fiction, read it all. Like if you are going to be a painter, you can’t do abstract art unless you can really do a portrait. So you have to find what kind of writer you want to be. You need the background and the best background is to read a wide variety of authors. Pick any list. There are so many lists out there. Best books ever written, but also pick a lot of the contemporary stuff that may even be a little trashy because you need to be exposed to every kind of writing before you sit down yourself and decide what kind of writer you are going to be. 

DeMille will speak and sign copies of "The Quest" at 7 p.m. at Book Revue on Wednesday. All books signed at Book Revue events must be purchased at Book Revue.