Lisa Gardner --- whose most recent thriller CATCH ME is now on sale --- knows what it takes to be a writer. So what is the best and worst part of being a writer? And what would she be doing if she wasn't writing? Read on to find out!
What is the best and the worst thing about your job?
Best thing about being a writer is working in my pajamas, not to mention that chocolate is a “brain food” which explains most of my afternoons. Worst thing is deadlines. I wish I could just play with my characters forever. But sooner or later, all good writers must wrap up their stories and hand them over. D’oh!
Any surprising/hidden talents other than writing?
Actually, I think one of the lynchpins of my career is that this is it. See, I wrote my first book when I was 17 and sold it when I was 20. Normal authors don’t do that, because they’re busy exploring other talents. They’re creative types flirting with drawing, playwriting, TV producing, home decorating, legal, medical or journalistic careers, etc., etc. Not me. I tried a little bit of everything, and failed each time. Can’t draw, suck at poetry, have no patience for the corporate world. But somehow, I love stories. Give me a single line, and I can tell you the movie or book it’s from. Freakish, but there you have it. I love books, books love me, and I’ve been off and publishing ever since.
If you weren’t a writer, what would be your fantasy career?
I would love to be a criminologist! I don’t have a strong enough science background to go into forensics, but it’s the criminal mind that fascinates me the most anyway. I feel each of my novels explores the same basic, primordial question: What is the nature of evil? Interestingly enough, there isn’t one answer. Hence, I’ve gotten to write fourteen novels, instead of just the first. Evil can be born (THE PERFECT HUSBAND), evil can be made (SAY GOODBYE), evil can be both, a combination of nature and nurture (CATCH ME), and I’m sure there are even more answers to that question, meaning I have to get busy writing more books!
