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Author Interview - C. J. Box


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Q. Three Weeks to Say Goodbye has just been published, could you tell us a little about the storyline?

 

A. After years of trying to have a baby, Jack and Melissa McGuane’s dream has come true with the adoption of their daughter Angelina. But nine months after bringing her home, they receive a devastating phone call from the adoption agency-Angelina’s birth father, a teenager, never signed away his parental rights and he wants her back. Worse, his father, a powerful Denver judge, wants him to own up to this responsibility and will use every advantage his position of power affords him to make sure it happens. When Jack and Melissa attempt to handle the situation rationally by meeting face to face with the father and son, it is immediately apparent that there’s something sinister about both of them and that love for Angelina is not the motivation for their actions.

As Angelina’s safety hangs in the balance, Jack and Melissa will stop at nothing to protect their child. A horrifying game of intimidation and double-crosses begins that quickly becomes a death spiral where absolutely no one is safe…

 

Q. I understand that you based the idea on something that happened to friends of yours, is this correct?

 

A. Correct. Luckily, my friends made wiser choices than Jack and Melissa and everything turned out all right.

 

Q. Where do you generally get your ideas and inspirations from?

 

A. I start with dilemmas I’m mulling over: cultural, environmental, sociological. After doing the research, I try and figure out a way to build a compelling storyline that will pull the reader through the issue in an interesting way.

 

Q. I admit that you are new author to me, what else have you written before this book, and what are the similarities and differences?

 

A. I’ve written ten novels in a crime novel series featuring Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett as well as another stand-alone thriller called Blue Heaven. The books have done extremely well in the US are are in 23 languages.

 

Q. Are there any other genres that you could see yourself writing?

 

A. I honestly don’t think in terms of genres. I think in terms of novels that are interesting and compelling. I’ll let others classify them.

 

Q. I often see crime books described as ‘plot driven’ – do you think it’s just as important to have interesting characters, or can a good plot alone fuel a book?

 

A. I suppose the plot alone can fuel some books, but I’m not a fan of them. If a reader can’t identify closely with the characters I can’t see how the novel will really resonate. A book like that is like empty calories.

 

Q. As a writer, do you also enjoy to read – do you think it’s important to be a reader as well?

 

A. I read constantly and widely.

 

Q. Which authors do you enjoy – do you read within your own genre, or look for something completely different?

 

A. Here is a (too long) list:

- Thomas McGuane

- Ken Bruen

- Cormac McCarthy

- Flannery O’Conner

- Elmore Leonard

- Joseph Heller – Catch-22

- Steven Ambrose

- Raymond Chandler

- Dennis Lehane

- Annie Proulx

- Tom Wolfe

- James Lee Burke

- Donna Leon

- Richard Russo

- Harper Lee

- Ivan Doig

- Anton Chekhov (short stories)

- Thomas Berger

- Farley Mowat

- Herman Melville

- Wallace Stegner

- Edmund Morris

- Michael Kelly

- John Sandford

- Denise Mina

- Jess Walter

- Michael Connelly

- Richard Price

- A.B. Guthrie

- Charlie Huston

- Steig Larsson

- T. Jefferson Parker

-Deon Meyer

 

Q. You’ve won a number of awards for your books, how important are these to you, and is there one which stands out for you?

 

A. I’d have to say the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2008 for Blue Heaven is the most special. I was nominated for the same award for Best First Novel for Open Season in 2001 but didn’t win.

 

Q. How important do you think it is for authors to have a website, and/or promote themselves?

 

A. I think it’s integral these days for authors to be able to interact with readers. Therefore, websites are essential and other social media as well.

 

Interview by Michelle

December 2009

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