Over the past three years, I’ve done many readings and signings in connection with EQUIVOCAL DEATH and THE ANNIVERSARY. The questions below are those that most often come up plus a few others that I’ve been asked at one time or another and just felt like throwing in.

Have questions that aren’t answered here?

Drop me a note, and I’ll get back to you.  (One caveat: I’ll be on tour during much of the summer for THE ANNIVERSARY and may take some time to respond, but I’ll do my best to get back to you just as soon as I can.)  In the meantime, enjoy!

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THE ANNIVERSARY tells the story of three women who cross paths with a serial killer -- his girlfriend, his lawyer, and the writer who penned a best-seller about him--and how these encounters affect their later lives. Where did you get the idea for this book?

The seed of the idea came from The Phantom Prince, a slender out-of-print memoir written by serial killer Ted Bundy’s one-time girlfriend. I was fascinated by the level of denial it took to stay in this relationship. At the same time, I understood it. I thought back to times that I myself had struggled to ignore signs that a man I loved had serious flaws, to pretend that the danger signs just weren’t there. To me, the serial killer girlfriend story became an archetypal story of denial--an example of just how far women may go to hold onto a relationship. I didn’t want to judge the character. What intrigued me were the similarities between her and many women I know, between her and me.

Another source of inspiration was a crime scene photograph I saw at a forensics conference. The slide showed a young woman whose arms had been slit down the backs from wrist to upper arm. At least that’s the image I recall. The wounds had apparently been inflicted post-mortem and were not the cause of death. After the presentation, I asked the medical examiner who’d shown the slide why he thought the killer had made those cuts. He just shook his head,”I have no idea,” he responded.  For some reason the image stayed with me. I came up with my own explanation, which appears in THE ANNIVERSARY.           

Your first book, EQUIVOCAL DEATH, is set in a large law firm in New York and has as  its protagonist a young woman who recently graduated from Harvard Law School. You, too, graduated from Harvard Law School and practiced in a large Manhattan firm. Is the book autobiographical?

Kate Paine and I are alike in a lot of ways but I certainly wouldn’t say that she’s me. I’m happy to say that no partners have been killed during my tenure at any of the firms where I’ve worked. Kate’s also younger than I am. I’m blondish; she’s a brunette. I’d say that Kate and her bohemian friend Tara both represent parts of me. In one scene, defending her job to Tara, Kate says that the eighty-hour work weeks give structure to her life. Incredulous her friend responds, “Kate slavery structured people’s time. I don’t see that as a point in its favor.”  This exchange mirrors an internal dialogue I’d often have with myself while considering my options.

As for the fictional firm of Samson & Mills--S&M, for short--I did do my best to capture the spirit of the New York mega-firm as experienced by young associates, and judging by the response of former colleagues, I succeeded in large measure. Life really was that bad! We really slept under our desks! Some of my one-time colleagues actually suggested that Kate has too much free time.  (Gimme a break, I said, the girl’s boss was murdered. Don’t you think they might give her a few days off?)  Many of the stories that appear in Equivocal Death--the stapler-throwing partner, the associate who drops dead during a late-night conference call--are actual stories that I’ve heard from lawyer friends at various firms in Manhattan. They’re sort of like urban myths. Are they true? Who knows. But the fact that they’re told over and over says something about how those who tell them live.

What gave you the strength and confidence to quit your job and follow your dream of writing a book?

I just really, really wanted to do it. And I was really, really sick of my job. If I’d been any happier practicing law, it might have been a tougher decision. But I was burnt-out, exhausted and depressed. I’d been thinking about the book that became EQUIVOCAL DEATH for a couple of years--at one point, I’d actually cut back to part-time work so that I’d have time to write. Then, after about nine months, my doubts got the better of me. I hadn’t gotten as much written as I thought that I should have, and I was running out of money. I went back to work full-time for a year. The second time around, I quit cold turkey.

Everyone says “Don’t quit your day job.” Well, that’s exactly what I did. And--for me--it turned out to be the right decision. It gave me the mental space I needed to (a) clear out my brain and (b) focus on writing a novel. I told myself that it didn’t matter if my book was published: The goal was just to finish it. In retrospect that was an important decision. It took at least some of the pressure off. Which isn’t to say it wasn’t still incredibly stressful. In fact, it still is. Advances and royalties simply don’t come in with the regularity of a paycheck. Even when you feel like you’re flying high, it can be very hard to budget.

I recently came across the following quote by best-selling writer Tom Clancy: “Success is a finished book, a stack of pages each of which is filled with words. If you reach that point, you have won a victory over yourself no less impressive than sailing single-handed around the world.” I really believe that. If your plan is to quit your job to write then sell your book, I’d think twice. But if your goal is to quit your job and simply write the book, well, that’s something you have a measure of control over. It may be worth a shot. And who knows, you may sell it after all. I stand as living proof that it does, sometimes, happen, though I’m the first to say there’s a tremendous amount of luck involved.

Many best-selling writers--including John Grisham--had a lot of trouble selling their first efforts. Some never did. One of my friends, the mystery writer K.J.A. Wishnia, finally gave up and self-published his novel. The book for which he’d failed to find a commercial publisher went on to become an Edgar nominee (the Edgar awards are the premier award in mystery-suspense fiction), and that recognition led to a contract with a major press. You certainly can’t count on luck like this, but write a good book, and it may happen.

What advice would you give someone who wants to write a novel?

Here are some tips gleaned from my own experience:

(1) Focus on process instead of results. For me, that meant setting a goal of writing a certain number of words a day--500, 1,000, 1,500, rarely more than that--and then doing my best to let go. I’m wildly self-critical and once I started thinking about whether the words were any good, it was all over. (This is still true today.)

(2) Be sure you have a good support network--friends and/or family members who believe in you and your goals. For me this was paramount. When I walked away from a six-figure salary to write a novel, a good number of people I knew thought I was completely crazy. I tried to stay away from them. The last thing you need is someone else confirming your own worst fears.

I’ve found help in writers’ groups, organizations, and classes. Right after quitting my job, I enrolled in a class at the New School in New York with writer Nahid Rachlin. The following summer, I took a two-week class taught by Nicholas Delbanco at the New York State Writers Institute, a summer program housed at Skidmore College. Both classes were extremely helpful and, among other things, helped me to get on a more regular writing schedule. A writing group I joined served a similar function.

There are also various national organizations with local affiliates: Sisters in Crime, for women mystery and suspense writers (though men can be members, I believe), Mystery Writers of America for all mystery and suspense writers, Romance Writers of America for those interested in that genre. (While I don’t write romance I joined RWA to receive their very helpful magazine).  I joined the New York chapters of MWA and Sister in Crime long before I published my first book; the monthly meetings gave me a chance to meet with and talk to writers who’d actually accomplished what I wanted to do. 

(3) Think small. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is setting goals that are too large. I have several writer friends who are astoundingly hard workers. I’ve never been able to write more than a few hours a day (editing is a different story) and for a long time I thought that my fate was sealed: I could never be a writer. But here’s what I’ve discovered: consistency is the key. Even if I don’t write twelve hours at a stretch, I can still complete a novel. I read somewhere that it took Scott Turow eight years to complete his stunning bestseller Presumed Innocent.

Before going to law school you worked as a newspaper reporter in Tennessee and Mississippi.  Did your work as a reporter influence your novels?

Absolutely. Probably the most important legacy of my reporting years is that they taught me just to sit down and write. When you’re a newspaper reporter, you don’t have the luxury of writers’ block or of awaiting inspiration. A perfect story that comes in after deadline is no better than no story at all. I still remember my early days as a reporter at the Nashville Tennessean, when Jimmy Carnahan, our crotchety and legendary city editor, would lean back in his chair, put his hands on his enormous belly, and holler out across the city room as deadline approached: Gut-man! This is a daily paper.” Incidentally, my reporting background was also a huge help during my years of practicing law. I’d learned to write cleanly, quickly and--for the most part--accurately. It was a great advantage.

My two years at the Tennessean also underlie the story I tell in THE ANNIVERSARY. One of my characters, Diane Massey, was a Tennessean reporter in her younger years. The back story of THE ANNIVERSARY takes place in Nashville. I  lived in Nashville for two years during the early 1980s, and it was great fun to draw on my memories in telling the story. As it happens, many of my fondest memories seem to involve food--imagine that!--and like me, Melanie White has a passion for barbecue. You just can’t seem to get real barbecue outside the South. Another old haunt that makes an appearance is 12th & Porter, where I used to go devour the delectable black & blue pasta and dance to the music of ultra-cool singer-songwriter Pat McLaughlin. It’s Pat’s song In the Mood, that provides the backdrop to my protagonist’s flashbacks. (For more information on 12th & Porter and Pat McLaughlin, as well as other real places that inform THE ANNIVERSARY, check out my PhotoAlbum link)  

What are a few of your favorite suspense novels?

There are so many wonderful suspense and true crime books; it’s hard to limit my list to just a few. But here are five longstanding favorites with personal resonance for me.

Loves Music, Loves to Dance, by Mary Higgins Clark. An early effort by the reigning Mistress of Suspense and, to my mind, perhaps her best. It’s one of several books I took apart scene by scene when I first set out to write a thriller and was trying to figure out how to structure one.  

The Bone Collector, by Jeffery Deaver. A masterful novel with great plot twists. Another of the books from which I learned a lot. There’s a small homage to this book near the end of THE ANNIVERSARY. Anyone guess what it is? I’m also indebted to Mr. Deaver for providing a cover comment for my first novel, EQUIVOCAL DEATH. At the time, he’d just met me, and there was absolutely no reason for him to do this except that he’s a really nice guy. 

The Firm, by John Grisham. See Mitch run. The mega-best-selling page-turner that put John Grisham on the map. A personal aside: Back when I was a newspaper reporter covering the Mississippi Legislature, John Grisham was in the House of Representatives. The press sat facing the legislators and Grisham was near the front--probably not more than ten feet away from where we all sat, scribbling away on our notepads. During my first year of law school, I got a call from a legislator friend who said in somewhat wondering tones: “Grisham’s got a book out. It’s seems to be doing pretty well.” That book turned out to be The Firm. 

Crossed Over: The True Story of the Houston Pickax Murders, by Beverly Lowry. A novelist’s haunting tale of brutal murder and personal loss. Part memoir, part true-crime, it retraces the tragic life of Karla Faye Tucker, whose 1998 execution in Texas sparked widespread debate over the death penalty. I have probably read this book half a dozen times.. 

Marrying the Hangman: A True Story of Privilege, Marriage and Murder, by Sheila Weller. The compelling true story of how a New York woman’s picture-perfect life ended in her brutal murder at the hands of her wealthy psychopathic husband. Ms. Weller, a veteran journalist, covered the trial for Ms magazine.

Another personal aside: On my last full day of work, I went directly from the office to a reading held at a public library, where Sheila Weller was scheduled to read. I’d admired this book for a number of years and was excited at the opportunity to see her in person. The reading had already started when two men, wearing tuxes, blew into the room. To say that they seemed out-of-place would be an understatement. Where did they take a wrong turn? I wondered. But they took seats and settled in, so apparently they meant to be there. As it happened, one of these two men was the best-selling writer Nelson DeMille (Up Country, The General’s Daughter), who’d come to hear a friend read (not Sheila Weller but another writer on the program). It was a small group and as we all gathered up front to thank the writers after they’d finished, I found myself being introduced to Nelson DeMille. “And what do you do?” he asked me. “Oh, I’m . . . I’m a lawyer,” I stammered. “But I just quit my job. I want to write a book.” “Do you have an agent?” Mr. DeMille enquired. I flushed, “Oh no. I’m not nearly that far along.” “Well,” he said in jovial tones. “You should meet my agent.” And gestured to his tux-clad companion. Which is how I met Nick Ellison, the man I now call my agent.

Lest this sound too disgustingly lucky for words, remember: I’d had a good bit of discouragement during the past two years, starting and then giving up on my novel, returning to full-time legal work before trying again. I’m a big believer in persistence.

Are you working on a new book?

Yes, another thriller with the working title, THE DARKEST NIGHT. Don’t want to give any details yet, but please stay tuned!

If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be?

My cat. He’s supremely self-confident, utterly pleased with himself. And what does he accomplish in the course of a day? Nothing! I’d love to know how that feels. For those of us caught up in the achievement game, animals can be great teachers. They ground us in reality, reminding us that we don’t have to be productive to be lovable. It’s fun to be successful; a drag to fail, but these experiences don’t define us. They’re both just part of life. 

Who would you hate to be left alone with in a room?

That guy who used to play the tuba on my New York subway platform.

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream: What flavor best describes you?

Phish food! Caramel, marshmallow, chocolate fishes--there’s a lot going on in there! (Plus, it’s my favorite flavor . . . .)

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