Lisa Jackson

QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Lisa Jackson answers readers' questions about inspiration for story ideas, overcoming writer's block, favorite authors, and her upcoming book set to release in August.

Jennifer from Kershaw, SC: Will MALICE be the last book in the series, or can we expect another adventure starring Bentz?

Lisa Jackson: Actually, I've been discussing another book with my editor where Bentz will be a part of the investigation. It has to do with the 21 Killer introduced in MALICE, but wouldn't be published for a couple of years; no date is set yet.

Joann from Blackstone, MA: How do you create such graphic crime scenes and still maintain the thread of romance and emotional growth?

Lisa Jackson: I just try to make the scene --- whether it be a crime scene, a love scene, a trip to the coffee shop, or a conversation between a mother and a child --- real, so that the reader can visualize what I'm seeing. I always hope that my characters grow throughout the story as they're all put through their individual wringers.

Joann from Blackstone, MA: Your imagination is intense. Have you had any training as a medical investigator or crime scene investigator?

Lisa Jackson: I wish! Boy, would that be helpful. But no, my scenes are from my own imagination, backed up by my research. (Truth IS stranger than fiction.)

Krishna from Charlotte, NC: How do you come up with the ideas for your stories? Do they come from real life events you see from which you come up with a story, or do you go searching police records for an idea?

Lisa Jackson: I pick my story ideas from the myriads I see on the news or read in the paper, or hear about. Something topical piques my interest and I bandy it about with my editor until a story emerges. Sometimes it comes very easily; other times it's much more difficult. I always try to find a way to make the germ of an idea emotional, though, so that the reader can relate to it.

Jodie from Commerce City, CO: Do you do extensive research for your stories? What does that involve?

Lisa Jackson: My research is extensive, interesting and exhausting. I use the Internet a lot. I also have real people who are authorities in their fields (cops, doctors, lawyers etc.) whom I interview. Also, I have a pretty large personal library that I update, and I watch everything I can on television, true crime stories and the like. The research keeps me very busy.

Jodie from Commerce City, CO: Do you ever get stuck or have writer’s block? How do you overcome that?

Lisa Jackson: I do occasionally get writer's block. Sometimes it's something personal I'm going through, an emotional problem I have to work out before I can get back into the story. Other times, it's a matter of a mistake made earlier in the book. I get to a spot and hit the wall. I often go back and realize the problem that erupts in chapter 10, started out in chapter two. So, I rewrite, sometimes changing the problem or "blocking" a scene entirely.

Jodie from Commerce City, CO: What are your favorite things to read? Who are some of your favorite authors?

Lisa Jackson: I read whatever's current and popular. If a book is continually on the bestseller lists, I want to know why. I also read by recommendation. Oh, I have tons of favorite authors. I like Sue Grafton, William Lashner, Harlan Coben, Charlotte Brontë, Steve Martini, Stephen King, Dan Brown, John Grogan, Chris Bohjalian, Sue Monk Kidd, Daphne DuMaurier, Khaled Hosseini, Nelson DeMille, Tami Hoag, Greg Iles, and Dennis Lehane, to name a few.

Lynne from Fredericksburg, VA: When is your next book coming out and where is it set?

Lisa Jackson: The next book is CHOSEN TO DIE, an original paperback, which will be published in August of 2009. CHOSEN TO DIE is the sequel to last year's LEFT TO DIE. Set in the fictitious town of Grizzly Falls, Montana, deep in the Bitterroot Mountains, CHOSEN TO DIE takes up where LEFT TO DIE ended and is Regan Pescoli's story. You can read an excerpt at www.lisajackson.com!