What genre do you write
and why?
I write thrillers because it's a blast to put
characters in peril and watch them wriggle back out again—or not (please
picture me either rubbing my hands evilly or stroking a white cat as you read
this). My characters tend to come up with solutions that I'd never have thought
of.
Who are your favourite authors?
In alphabetical order, they are: Harlan Coben, Michael
Crichton, Nick Hornby, Gregg Hurwitz, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Anne Lamott,
Dennis Lehane, Elmore Leonard, Liane Moriarty, Chuck Pahlaniuk, Rainbow Rowell,
Anne Tyler, and Tom Wolfe.
What's your favourite quote about writing/for writers?
"Write hard and clear about what hurts."
–Ernest Hemingway
What's the best thing about being a writer?
Getting
to live hundreds of lives through my created characters. They do so many things
I'm terrified of doing. I also get to work out emotions through these characters,
to rewrite my own history so things turn out better, turn out differently.
Where can people find out more about you and your writing?
They can visit LSHawker.com to view trailers for my
books, and read about my adventures as a cocktail waitress, traveling Kmart
portrait photographer, and witness to basement exorcisms. Reading guides for my
novels are available there, as well as my podcast The Lively Grind Café, in
which my daughter and I talk about writing. You can also visit my Goodreads and
Amazon pages.
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| http://amzn.to/24C92lf |
Who is your favorite
character in your book and why?
I have a real soft spot for my main
character's three-year-old son, Daltrey, in BODY AND BONE. He doesn't speak but
is able to communicate eloquently via body language, facial expression, and
American Sign Language.
Did you learn anything
from writing your book that was unexpected?
I learned how difficult it is writing fiction on deadline! Before I got
my contract with HarperCollins, I could take as long as I wanted getting to
know the characters, letting them wander around and chat for pages on end. But
with the compressed timeline, I've learned to manage my time better and figure
out the story very quickly.
Who inspires you?
Right now, I'm completely obsessed with the hip-hop Broadway musical Hamilton, so the wunderkind behind this
work of genius, Lin-Manuel Miranda, is my biggest inspiration. He not only
created the show, he stars in it. The show has received a record-breaking 16
Tony award nominations. Miranda's my hero—a guy who made his own luck, who
worked his butt off and made it all happen. He posted the most glorious tweet
recently: "*Gets in time machine, grabs 12 year old me by the face* IT
GETS SO GOOD KID, JUST HANG IN THERE."
How do you research your
books?
A combination of interviews, on-site research, and the good old Internet.
My friend Bob is a deputy sheriff, and he keeps the police-related facts
straight in my novels. I'm also friends with Kacey, a county prosecutor, who helps
me figure out the legal ramifications of the things my characters do. For BODY
AND BONE, I spent a morning at Denver's KQMT The Mountain radio station with
jock Mike Casey, mostly because my own radio experience is ancient history, and
I wanted to make sure that my radio scenes were accurate. In my debut thriller,
THE DROWNING GAME, there's a pyrite mine that figures prominently in the
action, so I traveled up above Leadville to the Climax molybdenum mine to walk
it and secure it firmly in my head.
What are you currently
reading?
I'm listening to the Audible version of See How They Run by Tom Bale, which is a tightly written,
edge-of-your-seat thriller I highly recommend.
