|
INTERVIEW
On
February 21, 1997, THE BOOK REPORT welcomed Steve Martini, the very
successful author of legal thrillers. Interviewers for TBR were
the extravagantly well read BookpgXena and Jesse Kornbluth (Bookpg
JK). Our host was the unflaggingly excellent MarleneT.
BookpgXena: You've taken on
the legal system and errant judges, but in THE LIST you take on
the publishing industry. What has been your experience
with the industry and how did you come to write this book?
SMartini: The book is a departure
from the characters I had written previously. These aren't personal
experiences.... which isn't to say I haven't had these feelings.
Writers aren't always happy with publishers. There's probably more
than a little truth in THE LIST.
Bookpg JK: On the other, you've
been the beneficiary of this wonderful interest in legal thrillers.
If publishers hadn't been so receptive to these kinds of books,
would you still have written them and suffered the indignities of
small reviews and smaller sales?
SMartini: You're right. I'm
one of the beneficiaries of this genre. I might have written different
kinds of books. Anyone who realizes success becomes a captive of
that success. I think I would have written, but not perhaps those
books. I've learned a lot about myself in the process of writing.
There's a certain therapy that comes from composing at the keyboard.
I experienced it as a journalist before I became a lawyer.
Bookpg: John Grisham told me
that the best part of the law for him was leaving it. And for you?
SMartini: I've spoken to John.
We've had that discussion. It's true for me as well. My practice
involved writing a lot of legal briefs, not just for myself but
for others. I'm a much better writer for that. Those
of us who write commercially are probably more talented with a pen
than we are speaking.
BookpgXena: Your second book,
COMPELLING EVIDENCE, had blurbs by Vincent Bugliosi, Dominick Dunne,
Clifford Irving, Edward Stewart, and John Grisham. Pretty
heady stuff for someone new on the legal suspense scene. How
did you manage it and was this a personal thrill for you?
SMartini: It was. I managed
it in large part because of the energetic efforts of my editor at
Putnam....THE JUDGE was dedicated to him.
BookpgXena: You were a writer
BEFORE an attorney, and watching Bugliosi prosecute Charles Manson
was part of what led you to the law. Please tell us more
about this.
SMartini: I was a reporter starting
in l969, living in Southern California. I went to work for the LA
Daily Journal, a legal newspaper... a small paper, with a small
staff....and a tremendous opportunity. I covered all of the Manson
case. It was a major circus..... I had wanted to go to law school...that's
why I went to work at a legal paper. I intended to stay a few months
--- but I was there 5 years. Touching the law in lots of laws, watching
statues being enacted and then seeing them used was very instructive.
BookpgXena: What do you think
about Bugliosi writing a book that in effect is an indictment of
how prosecutors handled the OJ Simpson trial?
SMartini: I haven't read it
so I shouldn't comment. He's well situated to write it.
Bookpg JK: Marcia Clark lost
the case and got $4 million from a publisher. Doesn't that feel
like grist for THE LIST?
SMartini: Perhaps. Publishers
pay what they think a book is worth.... This says a lot about commercial
publishing --- and the pressures on it.
Question: Are we going to see
more of Paul M?
SMartini: I think it's likely.
But don't ask me when. I'm working on a different story now.
Question: What is it about?
SMartini: I can only say it
is set in the legal sphere and deals with grand jury matters.
Question: There are many authors
who deal with similar content that you do. Which writers
do you look to as models, and which ones do you reject?
SMartini: I can't say I reject
any. Of the writers in the legal sphere, the most talented stylist
is, without question, Scott Turow.... The best storyteller
is John Grisham...... I read a lot of non-fiction. I just finished
a 20 year-old biography of Lincoln. I find non-fiction helps when
I'm thinking of characters.
Question: Where did you go to
law school?
SMartini: University of the
Pacific, George School of Law, Sacramento....
Bookpg JK: John Grisham told
us that he might be related to Bill Clinton... and so couldn't comment
on Paula Jones or any of the White House legal troubles. Do you
follow this contuining drama?
SMartini: In a word: yes. I
follow it very closely. Read about it daily. Think about the campaign
financing matter. This is something that could be of constitutional
importance. There is a penchant to mine politics in legal investigations.
But you can't ignore what appear to be serious violations of law.
Bookpg JK: The Clintons, of
course, are both lawyers. Do you think lawyers --- and I know this
is an unfair generalization --- have come to feel somewhat above
the law?
SMartini: I don't think so.
Look back to the founding fathers. Lawyers have always been major
players...always more in government. When a scandal rises, we see
the lawyers. Whether a lawyer skirts the law because he knows the
law...I don't know. I don't think lawyers are more or less honest
than others.
Question: What do think about
waiting to prosecute a President until after his term is up?
SMartini: It would depend on
the offense. I don't know how I feel about the Jones
matter. If it's not a political act --- say illegal campaign activity
--- I might feel less rigid.
Question: Was the Judge the
last book to feature the judge?
SMartini: I'm not sure. The
character wasn't killed off. So....
Question: What do you think
about the other authors in your genre? (i.e. John Grisham) And have
they enriched the genre?
SMartini: It's possible for
lawyers to write other than legal thrillers. Lawyers could even
write literature....
Question: After reading "The
List" I'm curious: have you ghostwritten any books or used other
names?
SMartini: No. Never have. I
have considered it, but never done it.
BookpgXena: Why have you considered
it?
SMartini: I thought about writing
things outside the legal venue.... It's a well-known fact that readers
want you to continue what you do. You don't want to disappoint them
--- thus, a pen name.
Question: What is your favorite
book you've written?
SMartini: Probably Undue Influence.
The story deals with a family and family relationships. It got into
things I had not dealt with.
Bookpg JK: Are you an easy and
fluent writer, as so many ex-journalists are? Or is yours a blue-collar
vocation?
SMartini: I find writing to
be easy --- but I tend to rewrite voraciously as I go. The computer
tends to lend itself to that.
BookpgXena: In fact, Abby says
in The List that "Anyone can write. The question is can you rewrite?"
How important is that for beginning and professional writers?
SMartini: Very. The tailoring
--- the crafting --- of language should be important. I don't believe
in sending out a first draft.
Question: How did you get the
material for Undue Influence?
SMartini: The spark for the
story came from a magazine article. It was only a small
part of the story. It was about the Federal Witness Protection program,
and a computer error that the government made: They failed to erase
the hard drives of old computers. People bought them, and got all
this secret information.
Question: I love all your books,
especially Simeon Chamber. Where did that plot idea come from?
SMartini: From an elderly aunt,
now deceased.... Part of the story is that there was a ghost blimp
that sailed around San Francisco....and the crew was lost. My
parents and my aunt witnessed the ghost blimp rise over the city
and told me about it as a child.
Question: Is the character...Harry...based
on a real life person?
SMartini: No. None of the characters
in my books is based on a real person.
Question: Is Paul Madriani based
on anyone you know?
SMartini: No. He's not.
BookpgXena: There's been a continuing
discussion on our message boards at TBR about whether there are
"female" books and "male" books and do men and women read and buy
different books. What are your views and who do you think is reading
your books?
SMartini: I think the demographics
of my books are older readers --- but that is just a hunch. I think
I get a mix. But I get a sense that there are "male" and "female"
books. THE LIST was an attempt to write from the other side.
BookpgXena: Abby in fact was
your first female protagonist. How do you feel that went?
SMartini: Well. But it was exceedingly
difficult. Writing in a female voice --- I'm not sure I'd attempt
it again.
BookpgXena: The List, the bestseller
list that is, is "everything" according to Abby. Is it?
SMartini: It's very important
to a commercial writer. It tends to brand a writer as successful
--- and people search out success. Unfortunate, but that is the
dynamic. You write a bestseller, they discount your book. They put
it on a special table. All the things I write about --- they're
true.
BookpgXena: Abby also says in
The List that " a good book takes time, like fine wine." How
long does it usually take you to come up with the idea of a book,
research it, and write it?
SMartini: Longer than it should.
Publishers want commercial books every twelve months. It's been
difficult for me. I think a truly well-written book takes several
years. I would say my journalism training helps me here.
BookpgXena: You quote a Greek
phrase in COMPELLING EVIDENCE that says "there is no witness so
terrible, no accuser to powerful as the conscience that dwells in
each of us." Would you rexpress a different
idea in post-OJ 1997?
SMartini: No. I think that's
still true. What we know we have done gnaws on the conscience.
Question: Why do you think the
bulk of legal thrillers are written by American authors, and so
few from say England etc.
SMartini: The genre was spawned
here... And we have a larger readership here than in other countries.
The English novels about the law tend to be more humorous.
SMartini: Maybe their legal
system encourages them to write in this vein.
Question: Are you happy with
the marketing of your books by Putnam?
SMartini: I've had disappointments.
And in other cases, I've been very happy. In regard to THE LIST,
the production quality is very high.
BookpgXena: How was your experience
with the miniseries of UNDUE INFLUENCE?
SMartini: I was happy with it.
I tend to look at the sale of dramatic rights as a different matter.
I knew they'd drop characters and parts of the story.
Question: Do you ever have book
signings anywhere?
SMartini: Oh, yes. I have not
done any national tours. I have done some signings --- but none
on the East Coast.
Bookpg JK: Well, we very appreciate
your willingness to appear in cyberspace --- that is, everywhere
at once. Please come back.
BookpgXena: Thank you, Steve.
SMartini: I enjoyed it.
|
