I
will begin with a confession: I am woefully lacking in my reading of
female mystery writers. There are only two whom I read everything they
write -namely Laura Lippman and Lisa Lutz - and a handful like Sue Grafton, who I will read periodically but not consistently.
But compare that to male mystery writers, whereby I read everything written by George Pelecanos, Robert Crais, Robert Parker, Donald Westlake and Michael Connelly, just to name some of my favorites. Plus I'm lucky to have been able to interview all of those mentioned so far except Grafton (links provided upon request)
For what it is worth those authors - Lippman, Lutz, Pelecanos, Crais, Connelly, Westlake, Parker - make up much of my top ten favorite mystery writers.
All this is a long way of explaining why you are seeing, and will continue to see, me trying out some new female writers to see if I like them. Today's interview is with Sandra Brown, who has written many best-sellers. I read her latest book while on my cruise and it is pretty good.
In the coming months you can expect to also see interviews with Karin Slaughter (who reminds me of early Patricia Cornwell before her work went south) and Laura Lippman, about her latest novel and story collections, to name just two. More on the way after that.
Which brings me back to Brown.
Brown began her wriitng career in 1981 and since then has published nearly 70 books. Every one of her books since 1990 has become New York Times best-sellers. She has 70 million copies of her books in print worldwide and her books have been translated into 33 languages.
Scott: Why have you opted to avoid writing sequels? Is it ever tempting to try them or do you prefer original casts each time?
Sandra: I've been asked if I would ever consider writing a recurring character or a series, and I'm simply not interested. The writers who do it, and do it well, have my admiration. By the time I'm finished with a plot and that set of characters, I'm ready to move on to the next. I think I would get bored spending so much time with the same character.
What have been the high and low points in your writing career?
The high points are obvious -- making the bestseller lists, being given awards like the ThrillerMaster. The lows, which I hope weren't so obvious to my readers, are more private. I was under contract to write and deliver books when my mother was terminally ill, when life threw me a curve of one kind of another. I still wrote, and a book was never delivered late.
I think the writing grounds me. It keeps me sane. It's a constant when other things are in turmoil. In terms of career, there have been cycles, but largely, I can't complain too much.
Can you speak to this new book. Was it inspired by real events? How much of the book is factual?
My books are never factual. I make up the stories. But sometimes they mirror what's going on in the world -- and not always happily. The pivotal event in SMOKE SCREEN is a catastrophic fire in a Charleston, SC, police station in which seven people died.
I was well into the writing of the book when Charleston suffered just such a fire in a sofa warehouse. Nine firemen died fighting the blaze. It was a bizarre coincidence. For months, I continued writing the story, believing that I must change the setting. I didn't want to appear insensitive to that community or to the families who lost their loved ones that day. But in the end, I decided to go ahead and use Charleston for the setting. It was perfect for the story, which is why I'd chosen it in the first place. But to honor those nine men who died so bravely, I dedicated the book to them.
What's the best and worst part about being a best-selling writer?
The best part of being a writer is the writing. The worst part is taking care of the business.
To what do you attribute your success?
I'm very fortunate to be able to make a living at something I love doing. I would attribute my success to the love of the work, and to the self-discipline it requires. Writing isn't for the faint of heart. One must love it to do it because it's so damn hard to do!
But compare that to male mystery writers, whereby I read everything written by George Pelecanos, Robert Crais, Robert Parker, Donald Westlake and Michael Connelly, just to name some of my favorites. Plus I'm lucky to have been able to interview all of those mentioned so far except Grafton (links provided upon request)
For what it is worth those authors - Lippman, Lutz, Pelecanos, Crais, Connelly, Westlake, Parker - make up much of my top ten favorite mystery writers.
All this is a long way of explaining why you are seeing, and will continue to see, me trying out some new female writers to see if I like them. Today's interview is with Sandra Brown, who has written many best-sellers. I read her latest book while on my cruise and it is pretty good.
In the coming months you can expect to also see interviews with Karin Slaughter (who reminds me of early Patricia Cornwell before her work went south) and Laura Lippman, about her latest novel and story collections, to name just two. More on the way after that.
Which brings me back to Brown.
Brown began her wriitng career in 1981 and since then has published nearly 70 books. Every one of her books since 1990 has become New York Times best-sellers. She has 70 million copies of her books in print worldwide and her books have been translated into 33 languages.
Scott: Why have you opted to avoid writing sequels? Is it ever tempting to try them or do you prefer original casts each time?
Sandra: I've been asked if I would ever consider writing a recurring character or a series, and I'm simply not interested. The writers who do it, and do it well, have my admiration. By the time I'm finished with a plot and that set of characters, I'm ready to move on to the next. I think I would get bored spending so much time with the same character.
What have been the high and low points in your writing career?
The high points are obvious -- making the bestseller lists, being given awards like the ThrillerMaster. The lows, which I hope weren't so obvious to my readers, are more private. I was under contract to write and deliver books when my mother was terminally ill, when life threw me a curve of one kind of another. I still wrote, and a book was never delivered late.
I think the writing grounds me. It keeps me sane. It's a constant when other things are in turmoil. In terms of career, there have been cycles, but largely, I can't complain too much.
Can you speak to this new book. Was it inspired by real events? How much of the book is factual?
My books are never factual. I make up the stories. But sometimes they mirror what's going on in the world -- and not always happily. The pivotal event in SMOKE SCREEN is a catastrophic fire in a Charleston, SC, police station in which seven people died.
I was well into the writing of the book when Charleston suffered just such a fire in a sofa warehouse. Nine firemen died fighting the blaze. It was a bizarre coincidence. For months, I continued writing the story, believing that I must change the setting. I didn't want to appear insensitive to that community or to the families who lost their loved ones that day. But in the end, I decided to go ahead and use Charleston for the setting. It was perfect for the story, which is why I'd chosen it in the first place. But to honor those nine men who died so bravely, I dedicated the book to them.
What's the best and worst part about being a best-selling writer?
The best part of being a writer is the writing. The worst part is taking care of the business.
To what do you attribute your success?
I'm very fortunate to be able to make a living at something I love doing. I would attribute my success to the love of the work, and to the self-discipline it requires. Writing isn't for the faint of heart. One must love it to do it because it's so damn hard to do!
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