Matt Raymond from the Library of Congress speaks with George Pelecanos, who will appear at the 2009 National Book Festival on September 26, 2009, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

George Pelecanos, the author of 15 crime novels set in and around Washington, D.C., spent years developing his writing talent and gathering his material from his life experiences in the national capital area. He was employed as a line cook, dishwasher, bartender and women’s shoe salesman before publishing his first novel. His novels have won several awards, including International Crime Novel of the Year for The Big Blowdown (1996) and The Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Hell to Pay in 2003 and again in 2004 for Soul Circus. His most recent novel is The Way Home (2009). He works regularly as a screenwriter and independent-film producer and was a writer and producer for the acclaimed HBO television series “The Wire.” He lives in Maryland.