I know some authors say they can’t read novels while working alone, but I’m not one of them. I’m reading something at any time. While researching a novel, I can read more non-fiction on a variety of topics, including true crime (love Ann Rule and Gregg Olsen). Otherwise, my only real quirk is that I like to switch genres. For example, after reading several thrillers in a row, I might read some historical titles or women’s fiction, then maybe fantasy or YA. To me, books are like ice cream and you always want ice cream, it’s just a matter of what flavor you crave right now.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently from a book?
Jon Billman’s “The Cold Vanish,” which addresses the roughly 1,600 missing people on public lands nationwide and the lack of dedicated resources to find them, shocked and scared me. I’m an avid walker, so the true stories of everything that can and has gone wrong hit close to home. Things that I fear end up in my novels. Hence my January thriller, “One Step Too Far,” in which missing persons expert Frankie Elkin goes to a remote wilderness area as part of a search team. From there, bad things happen. I think of the book as “And Then There Were None” goes for a walk. Thank you Jon Billman and Agatha Christie.
What touches you most in a literary work?
I read for character, character and character. I want to see the world through someone else’s eyes, opening my own eyes to new experiences, problems and ideas. So the what, where and when are not nearly as important to me as the who when it comes to choosing novels.
Who is your favorite fictional detective? And the best villain?
I love Sherry Thomas’s Lady Sherlock series, where the acclaimed detective Sherlock Holmes is actually a cover for the very feminine, very brilliant Charlotte Holmes, who must solve crimes while battling the sexist mores of Victorian England. The best villain for me will always be Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter. Not sure if anyone will ever top that, although Anne Rice’s Lestat would be my second choice. I feel like we’re going through this phase of trying to make villains recognizable by explaining their actions through some horribly tragic backstory. Let’s say Lecter and Lestat don’t want to be understood. They boast in their violent nature. To me, that’s what makes them attractive, since a small part of each of us wishes we could just let it go and be who we really are. Not that we’re all secretly cruel killers, but you know what I mean. There is a certain triumph in being unashamedly yourself, and Lecter and Lestat are unashamedly themselves. That’s why I think readers are still fascinated by them decades later.
What makes a good thriller?
The best thrillers excel at combining compelling characters with breakneck pace. You’re heavily invested in the main characters, giving up all household chores, missing your subway stop, and staying up way too late racing from chapter to chapter to find out what happens next. When readers tell me they ignored their kids and showed up late for work to finish one of my novels, I feel good about myself.
How do you organize your books?
By author. Is that boring? Although I suppose that applies to the books in my library. Like any good reader, I have TBR stacks all over my house. They are arranged in the order I intend to read them. Except, of course, that new books keep appearing, which means that no matter how much I read, the stacks never get any shorter. I think this is a good problem to have.
What book might surprise people when they hit your shelves?
I like historical novels. Witty dialogues, great characters, steamy sex. What’s not to like? Favorite authors include Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Tessa Dare, Amanda Quick, and Lisa Kleypas. I love that Shonda Rhimes has brought global attention to the brilliant escapism that is the “Bridgerton” series, and I hope many more adaptations will follow.