Best-Selling Author Touts New Olympic Novel

Best-selling author Chris Cleave couldn't have chosen a better time to make a stop in Portsmouth in support of his new Olympic-themed novel, "Gold."

After all, the 2012 Summer Olympics get underway tomorrow in Cleave's hometown of London.

Cleave, who wrote the New York Times #1 Best-Seller "Little Bee," spent about an hour discussing his latest novel Wednesday as part of The Music Hall's Writers on a New England Stage series. The book focuses on the rivalry between Zoe and Kate, a pair of Olympic-level cyclists.

"It's a timeless novel that's going to become particularly relevant every two years – forever," he joked.

Cleave is not an Olympic level athlete, but he did spend months training as a cyclist so he would be able to understand not only the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, but also the dedication it takes to participate at the top level of any sport.

"I have so much respect for the Olympians; I have so much respect for the Olympics," he said.

Cleave also spoke about the commitment of those elite athletes.

"Sport by definition is nuts," he said. "You're giving yourself a problem you didn't have before."

These top level athletes, he said, have put themselves in a difficult situation. In order for them to be successful, everyone else must fail.

That's far different from being a writer, he said, where he can do his best work without having to beat anyone else out.

Cleave also spoke a great deal about the daily struggle between ambition and love. He told the story of how when he was leaving for his book tour, his 6-year-old son clung to his leg and asked him not to go.

It's a struggle we all deal with, he said, as we attempt to juggle work and family life. That struggle is a key theme throughout "Gold," and he used his two protagonists to illustrate that delicate balance.

"Like everyone else, I find it a daily struggle to find that balance," Cleave said.