'Prince of Tides' Conroy Back to Dramatic Novels

Apr 08, 10:41 AM

Current Headlines: "The Prince of Tides" author Pat Conroy says he's finishing his first novel in more than a decade, and it will mark a return to the same dysfunctional characters he's known for.

Conroy's last book was a cookbook published in 2004.

"I loved writing that book. ... Now, of course, everybody in this new book is dying and driving themselves off cliffs," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an interview from Fripp Island, S.C. "So I'm back to normal."

The new novel is set in Charleston and is already nearly 700 pages, Conroy said. "It drives me nuts. But long-windedness ... there's nothing you can do about it. I wanted to write a 250-page novel, but I realize I can't even write a prologue that's 250 pages."

Conroy, 62, has not published a novel since 1995's "Beach Music."

(c) 2007 Deseret News (Salt Lake City). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.