Ask the Author: Joseph Finder
Answered Questions (49)
Joseph Finder
Thanks for the kind words! My wife and I have since adopted another dog, a mutt named Millie who brightens every day.
Nick Heller was my first series character, and it took me a long time to decide I wanted to create one. In my standalone novels, the lead character's life is turned upside down and inside out. I can't imagine putting him or her through something like that for book after book. A series character is built for a different kind of adventure � usually an investigation that's intensive and maybe even life-changing, but something he or she can recover from.
Nick Heller was intended to go through one adventure after another. He's a different kind of character than I would create for a standalone.
Nick Heller was my first series character, and it took me a long time to decide I wanted to create one. In my standalone novels, the lead character's life is turned upside down and inside out. I can't imagine putting him or her through something like that for book after book. A series character is built for a different kind of adventure � usually an investigation that's intensive and maybe even life-changing, but something he or she can recover from.
Nick Heller was intended to go through one adventure after another. He's a different kind of character than I would create for a standalone.
Joseph Finder
I'd love to, next time I have a book out. I've been a guest at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, and had a great time.
Joseph Finder
Hi Patricia � Great question. It's not difficult at all for me to come up with fresh new ideas for each book, because I've got dozens of ideas in the old file cabinet (literally � I still have a file cabinet!). So many, in fact, that I'll never have time to write them all. Also, I've found that I'm a better writer when I'm fully engaged, and I'm fully engaged when I'm doing something that's new to me.
Joseph Finder
Thanks for reading so closely, and sorry about the belated reply — I don't check Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ as often as I should. You may well be right, but my ability to fix things after a book is published is limited. If you can send this message to [email protected], I'll have my research assistant flag it, and if I can make corrections in a future reprint, I will.
Joseph Finder
Thanks for asking! I am revising the next one right now � hope to have more to say about it this fall. Stay tuned.
Joseph Finder
Thanks for asking! Ideas are never the hard part. Ideas are everywhere: overheard conversations, newspaper articles, waiting in line for coffee, walking through airports. I see something that sparks my curiosity, and think, "What if . . . ?" What if I picked up the wrong laptop at an airport (something that almost happened to me)? What if someone took those business-inspirational books literally? The trick is to find a question like that with enough branches to build a whole book on.
Joseph Finder
Thanks! The next Nick Heller novel, HOUSE ON FIRE, will be on sale on January 21:
Joseph Finder
Thank you very much!
Joseph Finder
It was a busy reading summer! And I was excited to get an early look at some titles coming this fall.
THE STRANGER INSIDE by Lisa Unger
THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides
YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN by Jean Hanff Korelitz
THE HUSBAND'S SECRET by Liane Moriarty
BLUE MOON by Lee Child
LOCK EVERY DOOR by Riley Sager
A DANGEROUS MAN by Robert Crais
THE CHAIN by Adrian McKinty
THE WIFE BETWEEN US by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
THE HUMBLING, EVERYMAN and NEMESIS by Philip Roth
THE STRANGER INSIDE by Lisa Unger
THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides
YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN by Jean Hanff Korelitz
THE HUSBAND'S SECRET by Liane Moriarty
BLUE MOON by Lee Child
LOCK EVERY DOOR by Riley Sager
A DANGEROUS MAN by Robert Crais
THE CHAIN by Adrian McKinty
THE WIFE BETWEEN US by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
THE HUMBLING, EVERYMAN and NEMESIS by Philip Roth
Joseph Finder
My first career choice was espionage, before I realized how much of espionage is drudge work � sifting through detailed economic reports, collecting data to look for pattern disruptions, etc. By the time I realized I'd rather write about that work than do it, I'd picked up a lot of information, but I'd also met a lot of people who do work in the field. They've been kind enough to answer my questions � in generalities, usually, not specifics � and I think they get a kick out of seeing their answers show up in my stories.
Joseph Finder
The next Nick Heller novel, HOUSE ON FIRE, will be available on January 21, 2020. Thanks for asking!
Joseph Finder
I don't use a typewriter – I love my computer, and was an early adopter of word processors. You're welcome to send me a book for signature, with a self-addressed envelope; the address is Joseph Finder, PO Box 15131, Boston, MA 02215. Thanks for reading!
Joseph Finder
Aloha, Merle! I've actually written the screenplay for KILLER INSTINCT, which is lost somewhere in the Hollywood development pile. I'd definitely be interested in adapting JUDGMENT for TV, for instance. Writing for TV or the movies, to be honest, is a lot easier than writing a novel!
Joseph Finder
Thanks for asking! I don't have any Cape Cod stops on the JUDGMENT tour, but I spend my summers on the Cape and usually do at least one event somewhere during that time. I tend to go where I'm invited, so if someone invites me during the time I'm out there, chances are good that I'll accept the invitation. I keep a list of upcoming appearances on my website at , so check back for new events as they're scheduled.
Joseph Finder
Not for the JUDGMENT tour, sadly. It's been a while since I've gotten back to North Carolina. I'm looking forward to returning to Raleigh in April, for the Write Now! conference at NC State and an event at Quail Ridge Books, but I won't get to Charlotte on that trip. Next year, I hope! Thanks for asking.
Joseph Finder
I love Nick Heller, too, but one of the reasons I waited so long to start writing a series character was because I enjoy writing standalones so much. I never wanted to lock myself into something that would become a formula, or get tired of my series character. Moving back and forth between Nick's books and standalones keeps my mind sharp, and I hope it makes the Nick Heller books better. The book I'm writing now is a Nick Heller novel, and it's great to get back to him. Thanks for waiting!
Joseph Finder
Thanks for the support, Jim! If you haven't already read them, I recommend Peter Abrahams, Mark T. Sullivan, Nelson DeMille, Karin Slaughter, Jennifer Hillier, Lisa Gardner, Alafair Burke and Megan Abbott.
Joseph Finder
Thanks, Oscar! I am right now writing the next Nick Heller . . .
Joseph Finder
Great question. But no, I don't keep a log. It's got to be many thousands of hours by now. I do keep files of old research.
Joseph Finder
We lived in Iloilo, in the Philippines, for a few years in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
About Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
