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QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Stephen White, one of Bookreporter.com's featured Suspense/Thriller authors, answers readers' questions about the inspiration for KILL ME, advice for aspiring writers, and the future of his protagonist, Alan Gregory.

Peggy from Long Beach, CA: What made you decide to do this particular novel?

Steven White: You will find a long answer to this question in the Q&A elsewhere on the Bookreporter.com website. I encourage you to take a look. But briefly --- early in 2003, a friend of mine was dying of stomach cancer. I had asked him whether he had ever thought about ending his suffering early, getting in a car and driving off a cliff. He acknowledged the fantasy but said he couldn’t do it because he was afraid his kids would wonder about his choice.

Driving home that day, I began the “what if” process --- what if a wealthy man like my friend could arrange in advance for someone to help him end his life in a way that wouldn’t leave his family to wonder. And then...what if there were a company that for a price would...? And that’s how the idea was born --- it was a seed blown my way during a conversation with a dying man.

Mike from Oklahoma City, OK: I am curious about one thing concerning KILL ME. Did you ever consider writing this book as a stand-alone? Thinking about it, the role that Gregory served in this story --- as the protagonist's therapist --- could have been served by anyone who he could have trusted; from an old elder friend, a man of wisdom who had secluded himself in the mountains, to a philosophy professor at some obscure liberal arts college. Was the decision to stay with the series, and Gregory, one you made? Or did your publishers not want to stray far from the series? The book works the way it is --- no question. But there's no question in my mind it would have worked without Alan Gregory at all. An excellent book --- maybe your best yet.

Steven White: You are right on all counts. I initially conceptualized the book as a stand-alone thriller, without Alan Gregory. I also recognized early on that the story could not be told in any fashion that approached linear, and that I would need a secondary character to hear the story that the protagonist was telling. That character could have been a friend, a mentor, a priest, a rabbi --- whatever. The decision to use a shrink, and to make that shrink Alan Gregory, was made after consultation with my editor. For all intents and purposes KILL ME reads as a stand-alone --- someone unfamiliar with the series would not know that the book was part of a long series, and someone who loves the series could skip this book and not lose track of any of the series backstory.

LaDonna from Dallas, TX: Why did you select Baylor in Dallas for Lizzie's/Jolie's residency and Highland Park as her last known address?

Steven White: I was doing revisions for KILL ME during a book tour for MISSING PERSONS. The tour took me to Houston, and I spent a couple of hours on the Baylor campus. I decided to use it in the book. Highland Park? I wanted to use a Dallas suburb and had some friends who lived there once.

Janet from Foreman, AR: After writing this book, what is more important: the "when" or the "if?"

Steven White: In Ridley Pearson’s mystery/thriller dichotomy, mysteries are about the “who,” thrillers about the “when.” I try to write stories that stay on the edge --– part mystery, part thriller. With KILL ME, I was able to add the variable of the “if.” My take? Life is richest when there is plenty of both “if” and “when.” Anticipation is lovely. Gratification is just fine, too. All of either? Personally, I wouldn’t choose that.

Ernest from Colorado Spring, CO: What advice or guidance could you share for new and aspiring writers in this genre?

Steven White: I prefer to think of them as pre-published writers. What does it take to break in? Passion, certainly. Skill, usually. Determination, abundantly. Good fortune, absolutely. Polish your work until it shines and then use every avenue you can find to get your manuscript read --- queries, meetings with agents at writers conferences, contacts with friends of friends of friends. Do it all. Then do it all again.

Ann in Polk City, FL: When is the next Alan Gregory book coming out?

Steven White: The next book is likely to be a series book in a much more traditional vein. I say “likely” only because --- although I’m almost done writing it --- I’m still revising the manuscript and my publisher has not yet seen it. In its present form, it will feel familiar to series readers --- it is narrated by Alan Gregory and features a wider variety of ensemble characters than virtually any previous book. KILL ME it is not.

Pat from Milford, PA: Where do you now reside? Are you married with children?

Steven White: I live in Colorado with my family. Early on my wife and son made it clear that this career was my thing, not theirs. I’ve tried to honor their desire for anonymity.

Berniece from Dayton, OH: I really don't have any questions. I just hope you keep the books coming --- but not so fast that your quality goes down. Too many authors do that.

Steven White: Thanks for the vote of confidence. I find that as I get more experienced (read: older), this process becomes more demanding, not less. I’m determined that each new book reflect the lessons I learned writing the previous ones.

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