Thirty minutes into the two-hour drive to The Poisoned Pen bookstore in
Scottsdale, AZ, enormous black smoke plumes filled the sky over the highway.
As I rounded
the bend on Highway 69, the source of my potential headache, an 18-wheeler
truck in flames, came into view. Not to mention the dozen or so highway
patrol, sheriff’s, and fire department vehicles that had traffic snarled
for two miles. Unfazed, I pulled a U-turn and backtracked to an alternate,
albeit
forty minute longer, route to the metro-Phoenix area. Nothing as mundane
as a truck fire could stop this woman from getting autographed copies of The
Hard Way, by veteran writer Lee Child, and Cornelia Read’s debut, A
Field of Darkness.
I had been following the release of the two novels on various websites and
blogs since early May. One topic that seemed to pop up frequently was Read’s
fear of vomiting on either Lee Child or an audience member during the book
signing event. I hadn’t worn my raincoat, so I hoped her stomach would
maintain integrity.
Half an hour past the two p.m. start time, I arrived at The Poisoned Pen.
A rapt, standing-room-only crowd of one hundred plus packed the small bookstore.
Child and Read’s Q and A session with was already in progress. As
the air conditioner tried vainly to pump enough cool air into the overheated
room,
I parked myself next to a stack of books and listened in.
Lee Child fielded several questions about the future of his popular protagonist,
Jack Reacher. Members of the audience offered ideas for the remaining books
in the Reacher series, one of the best being Cornelia Read’s tongue-in-cheek
suggestion for a plot centering on knitting.
The discussion then veered onto the topic of a possible film version of
a Reacher novel. Child indicated that he has optioned the movie rights to
one
of the novels to Cruise/Wagner, Paula Wagner and Tom Cruise’s production
company. The news that Cruise has expressed interest in playing the role of
Jack Reacher on the big screen was met with gasps and groans of dismay. Child
responded he told Tom Cruise that for enough money he’d be willing to
let Katie Holmes play Jack Reacher. Later in the discussion, Child’s
cell phone rang. He ignored the call, but quipped that he always leaves his
phone on in case it’s Hollywood calling.
Several audience members wanted to know what public figure most resembles
Jack Reacher. Child’s answer was rugby player Lawrence Dallaglio. Recognizing
that his American fans would likely be unfamiliar with Dallaglio, Child offered
retired NFL Hall of Fame star Howie Long as an alternate look-alike. When
asked if he knows a Jack Reacher, Child grinned and said, “every time
I look in the mirror.” The remark was met with delighted laughter.
Debut author Cornelia Read responded to some questions about what it’s
like to be a newly published writer. “I feel like someone put acid in
my coffee…luckily it’s really good acid.” When asked how
she got started as a writer, Read stated that she had been laid off from her
dot com job about four and a half years ago. She decided to write a book in
the mystery genre because, “those were the books I loved to read.” She
also credited her involvement in a writer’s group in the Berkley area
as a key element for the completion of her novel.
Asked if she has another novel in the works, Read pulled a face, and said
that her next novel is due June 1, 2006. She is working furiously to finish
the final draft in the midst of the current book tour. Read gave a few hints
about her next book. She stated that her protagonist, Madeline Dare, does
manage to “escape” from Syracuse, and that she stays married
to husband Dean. Read also indicated that Madeline gets a job at a school
for
behaviorally disturbed girls, and that this figures prominently in the storyline.
The two authors fielded several craft-related questions. When asked about
plot outlines, both Child and Read said that they do not use outlines. Child
said that he generally knows what “the thing,” or the “McGuffin” of
his story is. However, Child said, “I don’t like plans…if
I don’t know what’s going to happen, there’s no way you
(the reader) can.” Read referred to herself as a “seat-of-the-pants” writer,
noting that writers who use outlines always accuse “seat-of-the-pants” writers
of secretly outlining. On the issue of how many drafts are written before
the novel is completed, Read stated she had written four. Child said that
he only writes one draft, but pointed out that he tends to go over the previous
day’s work before moving on to the current day’s writing.
One audience member wanted to know what kind of computers the writers used.
Both Child and Read are Mac users. Child will be buying a new computer soon.
He had evidently just completed the latest Reacher novel at his house in
France when a horrendous thunderstorm struck. According to Child, “everything
with a control panel blew up,” including his iBook laptop computer.
Fortunately for his readers, Child had e-mailed his manuscript just five
minutes prior to the lightning strike.
Another craft-related question was posed about research. Read joked that
she had cut large chunks of her novel out that dealt with the architectural
history
of the canals in Syracuse. Child responded by saying “we’ve all
read authors who’re like, ‘I did all this research and damn it,
you’re going to read it.” The audience laughed in recognition,
and Child went on to suggest that research should be like an iceberg, where
only a small part shows in the novel.
The question and answer session wrapped up. Several people immediately queued
up to get their books signed, while others made a break for the table loaded
with novels by the two authors. Late to the party, and faced with a long wait
in a small, packed store, I raced around the corner for a coffee. By the time
I returned, the store had nearly emptied, and so had the table of books. Horrified,
I went to the front counter where I was reassured that they would bring up
some more books from the stockroom.
While waiting for the books, I talked briefly with Rick Garza, the events
coordinator for The Poisoned Pen. When I told him how much I had enjoyed
the pre-signing discussion, he said, “ Some writers, you have to keep lobbing
them questions. Lee (Child) is a show. You just set it up and he takes it
from there.” He was absolutely right, but it was the combination of
Child and Read together that made this event so interesting. It was a unique
opportunity to hear from an established author and to get an emerging writer’s
perspective on her process to date. In addition, Read has a sly sense of humor
that played well off of Child’s dry wit.
Finally the books arrived and I made my way to the author’s table. After
a flurry of confusion caused by giving a copy of Child’s The Hard Way
to Cornelia Read to sign and asking Lee Child to sign multiple books for different
people, I finally had the chance to speak with Cornelia Read. We compared
tattoos briefly and discussed how the book tour was going. She was tired and
excited, but had done a great job. Just before she was whisked into the back
room of The Poisoned Pen to finish up her business, she said with obvious
pride, “and I haven’t thrown up on anybody yet!”
Lee Child and Cornelia Read are scheduled for two more joint book signings
in June, 2006.
Friday, June 2, 2006
12:00 Noon
Seattle Mystery Bookshop
117 Cherry Street
Pioneer Square
Seattle, WA 98104
206-587-5737
www.seattlemystery.com
Monday, June 5, 2006
1:00 PM
Mysteries to Die For
2940 Thousand Oaks Boulevard
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
805-374-0084
www.mysteriestodiefor.com
ABOUT ANGELA LYNN
Angela Lynn lives in Prescott, AZ with her husband and two dogs.
She worked in the behavioral health field, primarily with children
and adolescents for the past ten years. In December of 2005, she completely
lost her mind and quit her day job to write full time. She is a voice
actress for Coyote Radio Theater and is studying to become a sound
engineer. |
