Michelle Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Tess Gerritsen Website After a break, our Featured Author section is back, with New York Times bestselling author, Tess Gerritsen. Already well known to some of our members, Tess has written a large number of books (see here for details). Her latest is The Bone Garden, once again featuring Maura Isles. I'd like to thank Tess for taking the time to answer our questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Looking forward to this.....off to think of some interesting questions (I may be a while ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I love Tess Gerritsen! My favourite aspect is the connection of the characters so its not the same people centrally. Jane Rizzio and Maura Isles etc... Boringly how do you come up with the plots ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen1 Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I have to admit that I've never read any of your books before but after having a look at your website, I'll certainly be checking them out in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Tess... Do you get time to read for pleasure? and if so do you have any favourite authors or genres? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tess gerritsen Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I'm an avid reader and news junkie, so I find plots all over the place -- certainly in the news! For instance, VANISH came from a news report about a woman found dead in her bathtub. The police zipped her into a body bag ... and a few hours later, she woke up in the morgue. Whew, that had to be a book. I'm also interested in archaeology, so my next book is going to be about Egyptian mummies and other weird artifacts. I just start off with an idea (say, a mummy in a museum that turns out to have a bullet in its leg) and see where it takes me. I don't plot things out ahead of time, and I like to be surprised! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tess gerritsen Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I wish I did have more time to read for pleasure! I find that when I do, I tend toward history and nonfiction. But I also get a lot of free books (publishers send them to me for possible quotes) so I get a head start on what the hot new thrillers of the next season will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I'm another who hasn't read any of your books... yet (sorry) but my husband has recently read Vanish and absolutely loved it, so I've added it to my 'to read' pile. He's has only recently started reading for pleasure and he read his way through all the Michael Crichton books and then ground to a halt and someone recommended you - I bought him a couple more of your books so he's a happy bunny. Two questions from me (if that's not too greedy!) a) What made you decide to write in the first place? Were you inspired by something or someone? Do you believe the adage "there is a book in all of us"? I really don't believe there is one in me - if there is, it must be very well hidden! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted March 6, 2008 Author Share Posted March 6, 2008 Janet, Vanish is part of a series.. Tess can give her views, but I wouldimagine he'd get more out of it by starting with The Surgeon. Book order here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Hello Tess, I really enjoy thrillers started with James Patterson and then onwards and upwards, but am heavily converted to female American thriller writers like you, Karin Slaughter, Kathy reichs and Alex Kava. I do think that these authors (because they are women?) tend to write thrillers around characters rather than James P etc who are more plot driven, I never feel that Alex Cross does much more (apart from solving crimes and being incredibly clever and brave) than fall in love whereas I think I know Jane Rizzio. Am I talking rubbish or do you think this is the case? Sorry for long question but am so excited to be able to 'chat' (bit of hero worship! ) Also can you make any recommendations (apart from Bone Garden which I am number 98 in the library reservations list!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenmck Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I don't know how many times I've seen your books and been unable to pick them up. When I saw you were the Featured Author I was excited!!!!!! What is the most difficult part for you in your career? The writing part? Or the promo part? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tess gerritsen Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Hi Jen, the most difficult part of the whole process is certainly the writing! I love the promotional part, because it almost always turns out to be a lot of fun meeting readers and seeing towns I'd never get a chance to visit otherwise. But the writing... ah, sometimes it keeps me up at night, wondering whether I''ll ever finish the book. (I'm going through that right now.) Since I don't outline my books, I often write myself into blind alleys and then have to figure out a way to get out. Or I get to the end of the mystery and think, "that solution is lame I have to come up with another villain." I wish I could clone a writer-slave to do the writing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tess gerritsen Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Hello Tess,I really enjoy thrillers started with James Patterson and then onwards and upwards, but am heavily converted to female American thriller writers like you, Karin Slaughter, Kathy reichs and Alex Kava. I do think that these authors (because they are women?) tend to write thrillers around characters rather than James P etc who are more plot driven, I never feel that Alex Cross does much more (apart from solving crimes and being incredibly clever and brave) than fall in love whereas I think I know Jane Rizzio. Am I talking rubbish or do you think this is the case? Sorry for long question but am so excited to be able to 'chat' (bit of hero worship! ) Also can you make any recommendations (apart from Bone Garden which I am number 98 in the library reservations list!) Hi Louise, I can't really generalize about male vs. female authors, but I certainly do pay attention to my characters' emotional lives. It's what women seem to do in real life seem as well -- that's the way it is with me and my girlfriends. We're always tuned in to each others' moods. In my case, I also think that once having been a romance author (yes, you may not know it, but I did write romance novels years ago!) made me focus very strongly on character development. Romance novels are, at their core, all about character and conflict. An author who learns to spin a whole tale about just those elements will probably carry over those lessons in character development to other genres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tess gerritsen Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 I'm another who hasn't read any of your books... yet (sorry) but my husband has recently read Vanish and absolutely loved it, so I've added it to my 'to read' pile. He's has only recently started reading for pleasure and he read his way through all the Michael Crichton books and then ground to a halt and someone recommended you - I bought him a couple more of your books so he's a happy bunny. Two questions from me (if that's not too greedy!) a) What made you decide to write in the first place? Were you inspired by something or someone? Do you believe the adage "there is a book in all of us"? I really don't believe there is one in me - if there is, it must be very well hidden! Janet, I started writing when I was only seven years old -- as soon as I learned HOW to write! I even bound my own books with needle and thread. They're falling apart now, but I still have them. So I've always been a writer. My going into the medical field was more of a side trip. I never really thought it'd be possible to make a living as a writer, plus I loved science, so medicine seemed the perfect field for me -- until I became a mom and realized it was really, really hard to combine motherhood with a job that required me to be on call at night. Is there a book in all of us? Well, there's certainly an autobiography in all of us. But I don't think there's a novelist in everyone. I feel that storytelling ability is something you either have or you haven't -- just as some people have blue eyes and some people have brown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Hi Tess! I was just wondering if there was anything that frustrates you about the world of publishing? Thanks, Kerri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Hi Tess. I'm thrilled to be able to communicate with you, on two counts. First because I am one of your newer readers. I picked up Body Double and just loved it. I have two more ready to be read in the house, and I'm really looking forward to them. Secondly, I have heard you say that you don't plot outlines for your novels and go with the flow...you said earlier on here that sometimes you back yourself into a blind alley. I am in the middle of writing my first novel, but I find it confusing that there is so much advice out there that says, 'do an outline before you start'. I find that once I have an idea, I start to write and other ideas follow. So I was was chuffed that you seem to work in a similar way. So my question is, would you advise going with gut instinct, or what suits a writer, or should a novice adhere to some of the predominant advice about writing? Great to have you on the forum. Thanks Tess. Pp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Janet, Vanish is part of a series.. Tess can give her views, but I wouldimagine he'd get more out of it by starting with The Surgeon. Book order here. Thanks Michelle. Is there a book in all of us? Well, there's certainly an autobiography in all of us. But I don't think there's a novelist in everyone. I feel that storytelling ability is something you either have or you haven't -- just as some people have blue eyes and some people have brown. Thanks for answering my questions. I'm sure you're right on this score - I'm pretty convinced there isn't one hidden anywhere inside me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tess gerritsen Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Hi Tess! I was just wondering if there was anything that frustrates you about the world of publishing? Thanks, Kerri Kerri, what does frustrate me is how much of publishing is purely marketing-driven. If bookstores and marketing departments can't fit your book in a particular well-defined slot, a book has a far poorer chance of getting attention and publicity money, no matter how great the book may be, and no matter how much an editor may love it. Editors, in fact, seem to have less and less power in publishing houses while the sales department has far more. But I suppose this is true in many industries, where the best-paid people are often in the sales department. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tess gerritsen Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Hi Tess. I'm thrilled to be able to communicate with you, on two counts. First because I am one of your newer readers. I picked up Body Double and just loved it. I have two more ready to be read in the house, and I'm really looking forward to them.Secondly, I have heard you say that you don't plot outlines for your novels and go with the flow...you said earlier on here that sometimes you back yourself into a blind alley. I am in the middle of writing my first novel, but I find it confusing that there is so much advice out there that says, 'do an outline before you start'. I find that once I have an idea, I start to write and other ideas follow. So I was was chuffed that you seem to work in a similar way. So my question is, would you advise going with gut instinct, or what suits a writer, or should a novice adhere to some of the predominant advice about writing? Great to have you on the forum. Thanks Tess. Pp Poppy, don't let anyone tell you that there's only one right way to write a book! I've never been able to stick to an outline, so I don't even bother to write one anymore. I know many published writers who just sit down and start writing and let the story take them all the way to the end. Some of us are just seat-of-pantsers, and that's okay. Every writer simply must find the way that works best for her -- and stop paying attention to how everyone else does it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Thanks for that Tess. Makes me feel more confident about what is right for me I could probably find out by hopping onto your website, but it's more fun to ask you...having just read Body Double as my fist TG novel, which book should I read next? I feel I've gone backwards in a way, starting at the wrong end perhaps? Pp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 Tess, thank you for your answers so far. In response to something that has come up a couple of times, can you tell us a little more about the Jane and Maura series? Are they best read in order, or can they be picked up out of order? When you wrote the first one, did you have a series in mind, or did that come later? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tess gerritsen Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Tess, thank you for your answers so far. In response to something that has come up a couple of times, can you tell us a little more about the Jane and Maura series? Are they best read in order, or can they be picked up out of order? When you wrote the first one, did you have a series in mind, or did that come later? Hi Michelle, I think that although the books are best read in order, any one of the books can probably be picked up by itself and still be enjoyable. Jane Rizzoli, the primary character, has changed quite a bit through the series, though, and if you want to see the transitions she's made, it's best to start with THE SURGEON, where she's first introduced. In the first book, she will probably not seem very likable. In truth, she's .. well, a BITCH is the best word for her. But as the series continues, and she finds true love and becomes pregnant, and then a mom, you see her grow happier and become more fulfilled and become far more likable. I didn't intend for this to be a series. In truth, Jane was supposed to die in THE SURGEON, and I had her death scene all plotted out. But then when I reached the climactic scene where she was supposed to die, she did something unexpected. She fought back... and she survived. She became a real person to me, and refused to surrrender, and that's the characteristic that's defined her for me. She's a survivor, and a fighter, and she deserved to live. And so she did. Which is how the series was born. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tess gerritsen Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Thanks for that Tess. Makes me feel more confident about what is right for me I could probably find out by hopping onto your website, but it's more fun to ask you...having just read Body Double as my fist TG novel, which book should I read next? I feel I've gone backwards in a way, starting at the wrong end perhaps? Pp Poppy, I'd suggest going back to THE SURGEON, just to see the history of Jane Rizzoli. Then follow that up with THE APPRENTICE and THE SINNER, just to see how Jane becomes pregnant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 Do you prefer writing the series, or the stand alone books? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esiotrot Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Hi Tess - Nice to read you here. Where do you write? do you have an office or a room at home? I have heard of authors working to a number of words per day - do you have a target amount or write as the mood takes you? Thanks Kx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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