Laura Griffin

An interview by Jennifer
 

After reading Laura Griffin's new release, THREAD OF FEAR, Jennifer was tickled to be granted an interview with Laura Griffin!

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Laura Griffin's Sites:

http://www.lauragriffin.com

Posted October 9, 2008

Jennifer:  Laura, thank you so much for agreeing to interview with us!  I understand that you were once a news reporters.  Did you know you wanted to write fiction before you became a reporter, or did that dream evolve after the journalism career?   

Laura:  Thanks for inviting me, Jennifer! I always wanted to write books, but after graduating from college, being a fiction author didn't seem like a realistic way to pay the bills. So I got a "real job" working as a newspaper reporter.
 

Jennifer:  I understand that journalism had you travelling to several different parts of the world.  Will we see some of those places in your future stories? 

Laura:  I've lived in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Argentina, which are all amazing backdrops for stories. Those are such dramatic settings (especially the Philippines), they would work well for a suspense plot.
 

Jennifer:  Do any of the stories you covered as a reporter find their way into your fiction novels? 

Laura:  Absolutely. The first one that comes to mind is THREAD OF FEAR. I feel like I've had that book in my head since my first summer as a reporter when I covered a child abduction case in Tennessee. That was the toughest story I've ever covered.
 

Jennifer:  Where do you find the inspiration for your stories? 

Laura    Most of my ideas come from real life. I'm kind of a news junkie, so I'm constantly clipping articles that are quirky or make me think, "Hmm, what if...?" I stockpile newspapers, to my family's annoyance.
 

Jennifer:  Do you have playlists for each novel you write?  If so, do you play those songs while writing or do you prefer working with silence? 

Laura:  Wow, I didn't realize this was something common among writers. Yes, I do sort of have "playlists" because for each story, I tend to have certain songs that evoke the characters or setting.
 

Jennifer:  What is your ideal writing environment?  Does your current workspace come close to that? 

Laura:  Uh, no. I have small children. So my ideal working environment is a noisy coffee shop with my phone set to vibrate. I can tune out lots of noise and no one asks me to make them a snack.
 

Jennifer:  What usually comes to you first, the characters or the plot?   

Laura:  I usually start with a character, then throw them into some sort of perilous situation and they react according to their personality.
 

Jennifer:  How would you say journalism and fiction writing are similar and how are they different? 

Laura:  In both types of writing, I believe it's important to keep the story moving forward and get to the point. Most people I know are so busy, they dont' have time to sit down with something that takes 200 pages to get into.
 

Jennifer:  Can you share a little about your new book THREAD OF FEAR with us? 

Laura    Thread of Fear is about Fiona Glass, a forensic artist who is on the brink of a career change when she gets pulled into a murder investigation in south Texas. It's a romantic suspense.
 

Jennifer:  I noticed that there will be a sequel to THREAD OF FEAR.  Can you tell us much about the sequel yet? 

Laura:  Whisper of Warning (the sequel) is the story of Fiona's sister, Courtney. She's been a fun character to write because she's pretty over the top at times.
 

Jennifer:  Are most of the books you read in the same genre you write in?   

Laura:  I read mysteries, true crime, forensics books, literary fiction. But my passion is romantic suspense.
 

Jennifer:  Many of us find new authors by recommendation of our own favorite authors.  What authors would we find on your bookshelf? 

Laura:  My fiction collection is fairly eclectic. Here's a sample: Suzanne Brockmann, Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell, Jennifer Crusie, David Guterson, Tami Hoag, Linda Howard, Karen Robards, Karin Slaughter, J.D. Salinger.
 

Jennifer:  Are any of your books a special favorite?  If so, what about that story makes it your favorite? 

Laura:  I don't have a favorite because every time I sit down to write a story, I get so attached to the characters and hate saying goodbye at the end. It's that way from book to book.
 

Jennifer:  Are any of your characters inspired by real people? 

Laura:  I've met some amazing people in law enforcement. Probably the most inspirational has been Lois Gibson, the forensic artist who shared her experiences with me while I researched THREAD OF FEAR. She's such a gifted person and has touched so many lives.
 

Jennifer:  Laura, thank you so much for interviewing with us!  Is there anything else you would like to share with readers? 

Laura:  I love to talk to readers! Feel free to drop me a line at laura@lauragriffin.com.

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