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" My books are primarily plot driven but the best plot in the world is useless if you don't populate them with characters that readers can care about. "

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" In suspense novels even subplots about relationships have to have conflict. "

" I was editor of my high school literary magazine and a reporter for the school newspaper. "

" I also try very hard to create characters - both heroes and villains - with psychological depth. "

" The outline is 95 percent of the book. Then I sit down and write, and that's the easy part. "

" It means working harder to do the research but I don't really mind - I don't think I have what it takes to chase criminals through back alleys and wade through blood at crime scenes. "

" The easy answer is that writing novels is a lot more fun than practicing law. "

" The recent fascination, I think, reflects the shift in approach by law enforcement officials to embrace technology as wholeheartedly as the rest of the world. "

" The best way to learn about writing is to study the work of other writers you admire. "

" So I work hard to present the human side of my characters while not neglecting the plot. "

" I spend eight months outlining and researching the novel before I begin to write a single word of the prose. "

" I liked the challenge of writing in a very concise structure in which both meaning and form are important. "

" Ideally, I like to integrate the human issues into the suspense story itself. "

" Rule one: Write about settings you're familiar with. "

" To answer that I have to describe what I think is my responsibility as a thriller writer: To give my readers the most exciting roller coaster ride of a suspense story I can possibly think of. "

" Certainly going back to Sherlock Holmes we have a tradition of forensic science featured in detective stories. "

" I've often said that there's no such thing as writer's block; the problem is idea block. "

" Of course, I write crime stories, and I have to describe violence and the aftermath of violence. "

" When it comes time to write the book itself I'll shut the lights out, picture the scene I'm about to write then close my eyes and go at it. Yes, I can touch type. "

" I write pretty much anywhere - on planes, in hotel rooms, anywhere in my house. "

" Of course, all writers draw upon their personal experiences in describing day-to-day life and human relationships, but I tend to keep my own experiences largely separate from my stories. "

" I spend about eight months researching and outlining my book. "

" In other words, the people who populate my books are more than caricatures. "

" For me a thriller is a very carefully structured story. "

" Trying to write books with a subject matter or in a genre or style you're not familiar with is the best way to find the Big Block looming. "