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BIO
Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty books, of which over forty were New York Times bestsellers, including the #1 New York Times bestseller THE ALIBI, ENVY, THE SWITCH, STANDOFF, UNSPEAKABLE, FAT TUESDAY, EXCLUSIVE, THE WITNESS, CHARADE, WHERE THERE'S SMOKE, FRENCH SILK, and THE CRUSH. Her novels have been published in more than thirty languages. She and her husband live in Arlington, Texas.
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AUTHOR TALK
 August 2004
In this interview Sandra Brown discusses her latest novel, WHITE HOT, which takes place in a small Louisiana town. Brown talks about the influence that the South and its people have had on her writing and how the number of "crazy" individuals there make it a fascinating area to write about. She also explains how she keeps finding inspiration after writing more than fifty New York Times bestsellers and provides readers with some hints about her upcoming novel.
Q: While your novels have been set in locations from San Francisco to New York, many are set in the South, including WHITE HOT, which takes place in a small, sultry Louisiana town. What is it about the South that makes it a prime location for your tales of murder and suspense?
Sandra Brown: I once read an article that said --- and I paraphrase --- it's little wonder there are so many Southern writers, because Southerners have so many crazy people to write about. That's funny, but it also has an element of truth. We seem to breed interesting characters.
Q: You've described WHITE HOT as "more of a potboiler" than your previous novels --- how so?
SB: I remember telling my editors Michael Korda and Chuck Adams over cups of hot cocoa that I was in the mood to write something "swampy." They asked me to define "swampy" as it relates to a novel. I described the pervasive and oppressive heat, the unrest and malcontent that kind of climate brews, and characters with sordid pasts. They understood and told me to go with my instincts. WHITE HOT is more character driven than action driven, as most of my recent novels have been.
Q: In WHITE HOT, you once again feature a brand new set of characters and situations. Are you ever tempted to revisit certain characters or write a series with recurring characters?
SB: Often I think about the characters in past books and wonder what they're up to these days, but never to the point of wanting to write another story about them. I admire writers who can keep a recurring character fresh and interesting. I prefer resolving the problems of one set of characters, then moving on to the next. Otherwise, I think I'd get bored.
Q: You've had fifty-two New York Times bestsellers. How do you keep finding inspiration? How has your focus changed over the years?
SB: I'm doing the same thing I was doing fifty-two bestsellers ago --- writing about people and subjects that interest me, and hoping that readers find them equally interesting. I've drawn inspiration from current issues, certainly. More often, I'm fascinated by people --- how they think, behave and feel. Sometimes a story arises out of an emotion to which everyone can relate --- such was the case with ENVY.
Q: Why did you choose to write about the Iron industry, a decidedly unglamorous business?
SB: I needed an industry to mirror the villain, Huff Hoyle. His heart is so black, his tyranny over this one-industry town so absolute, I needed an industry that was equally as dark, ugly and dangerous as he. Metal casting requires extensive training and conscientious micro-management. Without that, there's a high risk of maiming accidents and even death. Workers deal with liquid fire, which contributed to the title.
Q: Your novels appeal to both men and women. How are you able to cross the so-called "gender barrier?"
SB: I'd like to think the answer to that question is simple --- I write a good story. As a reader, it doesn't matter to me if a book is set in outer space or a castle in Spain, as long as the writer entertains me.
Q: Are your characters based either on people you know or celebrities?
SB: Never.
Q: Do you ever base characters or stories on your own experiences?
SB: That would be one dull book!
Q: WHITE HOT includes a special dedication. Can you tell us about Mark Smith?
SB: Mark was my brother-in-law who died this year at age forty from ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He was diagnosed four years ago. This disease slowly but inexorably ravaged him until he died. Anyone interested in learning more about it, or in making a contribution toward research for treatment and, hopefully, a cure, should contact the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Q: What's next after WHITE HOT?
SB: I've moved to the opposite extreme. The next book is about a woman marooned by a snowstorm with a man believed to be a serial killer. While writing WHITE HOT, I sweated. Now, I'm shivering!
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PAST INTERVIEW
 October 10, 2003
New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown talks with Wiley Saichek and Bookreporter.com co-Founder Carol Fitzgerald about HELLO, DARKNESS. She explains how she develops her characters, talks about two authors she likes in the suspense/thriller genre and reveals the premise of her next novel scheduled to be released in the fall of 2004.
BRC: What inspired you to make Paris a radio show host?
SB: For the character of Paris, I needed someone who worked alone in an isolated place. The late night radio show host was perfect because it was also in darkness.
BRC: You did a terrific job illustrating the conflicting relationship between a teenager and parent. Your other characters were just as realistic. How much time do you spend fleshing out the background of your characters, prior to beginning the actual writing? Do your characters often evolve or change as you write?
SB: When I begin a book, I have a rough idea of what I want the characters to be, but I prefer not to flesh them out, rather to let them evolve. They frequently change and become different from what I initially envisioned.
BRC: HELLO, DARKNESS touches on the controversial topic of pornography and the newsworthy topic of Internet safety. What inspired you to write these topics into this book?
SB: I was looking for an issue that would be of grave concern to contemporary parents, so Internet pornography and safety lent itself to that. Unfortunately it's a very timely concern.
BRC: What was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned during your research for HELLO, DARKNESS? How long does it typically take you to conduct research for a novel? Do you enjoy researching a book, or are you more comfortable writing? Do you write and research simultaneously?
SB: I would much rather write the book than do the research, but in the case of HELLO, DARKNESS, the research was interesting and fun. I sat in with a deejay during his program and visited the Austin police department.
BRC: For a long time the suspense/thriller genre was dominated by men. At any point in your career, did you feel it was a challenge to break into this category because you were a woman? Or do you think that for writers these barriers are invisible?
SB: Publishing barriers are not necessarily and solely based on gender. Instead, one's ability to breach them has more to do with telling a good story.
BRC: When you read suspense/thrillers written by others, do you find yourself "taking them apart" to study how the author set up the story?
SB: The test of a really good book to me is whether or not I can read it without thinking of the technical aspect. I want to get totally lost in the story. If I'm thinking about the author's technique, then it probably isn't very good.
BRC: Are there any authors in this genre that particularly excite you? On this same topic, are there any new authors that you would suggest readers keep an eye on?
SB: I read John Sanford and Dennis Lehane. I particularly liked MYSTIC RIVER. But I also read outside the genre. I'm presently reading WIDEACRE, a historical novel.
BRC: A fellow Texan, Wiley enjoyed recognizing the cities mentioned in HELLO, DARKNESS. As the state is so huge, are there any Texas cities that you have not written about that may find their way into future books? Can you share some other settings that intrigue you outside of Texas?
SB: I'm sure I will set other books in Texas, but I haven't determined which cities that might be. I love writing about the Low Country of South Carolina and all parts of Louisiana.
BRC: On your website you have noted that the title HELLO, DARKNESS was inspired by Simon and Garfunkel's hit song, The Sounds of Silence. We love that they announced that they will be reuniting to do a tour shortly after HELLO, DARKNESS comes out. Are you planning to catch their tour?
SB: I hope to catch Simon and Garfunkel somewhere on their tour. I saw Art Garfunkel perform with the Ft. Worth Symphony and when he sang Bridge Over Troubled Water, I got tears in my eyes. I'm a huge fan.
BRC: Do you still have your pet steers? (We at Bookreporter.com love that you have steers as pets!) If so, how are they doing?
SB: I have two steers, Boudreaux and Bowie. Regrettably we lost Bubba last year. He's buried in the pasture.
BRC: What are you working on now, and when can readers expect to see it?
SB: I'm working on my next novel and it will be out in Fall 2004. It's about a feudalistic town in Louisiana, owned by one decadent family.
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PAST INTERVIEW
October 29, 1999
When THE ALIBI came out, TBR Executive Producer Carol Fitzgerald devoured it in a weekend. A longtime Sandra Brown fan, Fitzgerald thinks THE ALIBI is her best book. In this interview, find out about Sandra's new book, what she thinks of all those Harry Potters on the New York Times bestseller lists, her unusual pets, if she can keep a secret, and more. Don't miss this heart to heart between TBR's founder and the diva of romantic suspense.
TBR: I have been a longtime fan of yours, but with THE ALIBI there seems to be a new maturity to your writing and the way you tell a story. Do you feel particularly good about this book?
SB: I'm glad you used the word maturity. I would like to think with each book I mature and improve as a writer. I try to make my writing crisper with each book and make the characters more realistic and identifiable.
TBR: You write so vividly about Charleston. How much time have you spent there? Is it a particularly special place for you?
SB: I've spent a lot of time in Charleston including the time I spent there doing actual research for THE ALIBI. It's a wonderful city. Hospitable, charming, and picturesque. It's the perfect setting for a mystery like THE ALIBI, and for characters like Hammond, Alex and Davee.
TBR: Is the relationship between Hammond and Alex --- where they are completely swept away by each other --- the kind you of relationship that you think many women desire?
SB: The attraction between Hammond and Alex is immediate and explosive. This quote "swept away" relationship would appeal to both men and women readers. I think it's wildly romantic.
TBR: So many of your early books were romance. Do you think that many of your readers made the transition with you to the suspense titles you are writing today?
SB: Yes, I do think that my romance readers have made the transition with me. I might have lost a few along the way, but I've gained many more mainstream and suspense readers.
TBR: Are any of the characters in THE ALIBI based on anyone you know?
SB: Heavens no! None of the people I know are nearly as exciting as the characters I invent.
TBR: Do you like telling stories as much as you do writing them? The way you write, I picture you to be a great storyteller.
SB: Actually, I don't tell fictional stories out loud. It rarely comes out right the first time, so writing is definitely my fiction media. I'm fairly good at anecdotes when giving a speech, etc.
TBR: There are many secrets between Alex and Hammond, and between the other characters as well. Are you a good secret keeper?
SB: I'm an excellent secret keeper. This is the true characteristic of a good friend. I've tried to impress on my children that winning the trust of someone is the most valuable thing one can do. When someone asks me not to tell, I don't tell.
TBR: A few people who read this book remarked to me, THE ALIBI reads really well, like a one of the good ones from Grisham. How do you feel about a comment like that?
SB: I take that as a compliment.
TBR: You are the author of sixty books; thirty-seven of them New York Times bestsellers, but if I am correct, this is the first of your books to get to number one on this venerable list. How did you feel the day you learned you were number one? Was there a particular feeling of "having made it?" How did you celebrate?
SB: Having THE ALIBI appear in the number one position represented the achievement of a career goal. I got the news during my publication party for the book in New York. My editor made the announcement. My publisher, my agent, my publicist, lots of people from Warner Books and the media were there. It was a terrific occasion. But as to your quote "having made it." Never! That kind of complacency would be deadly to a career.
TBR: Do you feel there is more pressure on you now for your next book to also reach number one?
SB: Absolutely. The more you achieve, the more that is expected.
TBR: The NYT list has been dominated by the three Harry Potter titles by J.K. Rowling that sent THE ALIBI from number one to number four after one quick week. Do you as an author wish there was a children's bestseller list so these spots could be freed for adult authors?
SB: By all means! I commend Ms. Rowling's success. But I wish these three books weren't crowding the Times adult list.
TBR: As time goes by, does promoting a novel get easier for you?
SB: Although it's time-consuming and tiring, I've always enjoyed doing promotion.
TBR: Do people in your town see you as a celebrity?
SB: People who meet me for the first time may regard me as a celebrity. To people, (friends and family) who have known me before I started writing, I'm just Sandra.
TBR: Writing as much as you do, you need to be very serious about it. Can you tell us a bit about when and where you write? Do you outline the story in advance, or "see" the entire story when you write?
SB: I write in an office outside my home. Basically, five days a week --- sometimes six or seven days a week. Generally, during the hours from noon until six. In the morning I handle correspondence, business, and questionnaires such as this! In answer to the second part of your question, I write a synopsis and then I try not to look at it again. In others words, I know where I'm going, but not always how I'm going to get there. I enjoy the spontaneity of letting the story unfold as it goes along.
TBR: This book seems like it would make one terrific movie. Has it been optioned yet? If, so can you cast Hammond and Alex for us?
SB: THE ALIBI has not been optioned for the large or small screen.
TBR: Have you ever had a desire to write a screenplay?
SB: I would love to try my hand at writing a screenplay, but I don't see time for it in my immediate future.
TBR: Who are authors you admire?
SB: Too many to list.
TBR: Do you read while you are writing?
SB: I read all the time.
TBR: Do you still have steers as pets?
SB: Absolutely. "I love my boys."
TBR: Who were writers who influenced you?
SB: The authors who influenced me are: Tennessee Williams, Taylor Caldwell, and Evelyn Anthony.
TBR: What's next for Sandra Brown? When can we expect your next book?
SB: My next book will be available next Spring. It's a novella entitled STANDOFF. It's written in real time so that the action transpires in the amount of time it takes the reader to read it.
TBR: What are your thoughts on the millennium?
SB: I remember years ago thinking how old I would be at the turn of the century. Now it's here and I still feel as young as I did when I was thinking that! I'm thrilled to have been born when my life expectancy has allowed me to see the new millennium.
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PAST INTERVIEW
1997
When we caught up with Sandra Brown, she was just coming off of a long morning of telephone interviews. Still, despite the poking and prodding of nosy journalists, Sandra was a delight. Southern women do have a certain special charm --- and Brown embodies it. Stories about flashers at a recent trip to Mardi Gras and her 2,000-pound "pet" steers sound so much better in her mellifluous, Texan voice. So as you read, imagine warmth coming across in every word.
BOOK REPORT: So from everything I've read, you seem so normal, well-adjusted, well-married, happy. How do you manage to write about such evil characters, lewd sex, and such gory murders?
SANDRA BROWN: It must be my alter ego. I had four younger sisters. I was always the big sister and I still am. I think the oldest child is often vested with a lot of responsibility. I always wanted to please. I was on the honor roll, student council, everything. Having done the right thing and been the role model my whole life, I think of my writing as a release from my need-to-please. Writing about some of these nasty characters is a way for me to be nasty with impunity. I can get away with murder, literally. The people I know who live by the rules --- married, raise their kids, go to church --- have somewhat routine lives. There just isn't a lot of adventure there. And a good plot needs that adventure.
BOOK REPORT: So the evil is a necessary plot element. But what about your heroes and heroines?
SANDRA BROWN: I think of my characters as ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances. My heroes and heroines are basically normal people. My novels test their mettle. By the end, they've risen to the challenges and beat them. Someone once said to me that a book is only as strong as your villain. I need to create these totally scary and repugnant and nefarious villains to make my books interesting.
BOOK REPORT: In your new book, FAT TUESDAY, the villain, Pinky, is a well-to-do lawyer. Why create villains that, on the surface, are accepted in polite society?
SANDRA BROWN: The scariest villains are the ones that are invisible --- the people you least expect. In FAT TUESDAY, Pinky is a prominent lawyer. In EXCLUSIVE, the villains are these beautiful, successful, perfect people on the surface, but under the surface.... I think the scariest villains I've ever written about were in THE WITNESS. I wrote about an extremist hate group --- but they weren't skinheads or neo-nazis. They were normal members of the town --- the newspaper publisher, the police officers, the businessmen. Abuse of power is about as villainous as it can get.
BOOK REPORT: Earlier in your career, you were a model, and many of the women you write about (especially in FAT TUESDAY) are trapped by their beauty and circumstance. By the end of the book, they are finally recognized for something beyond their looks. Is this a conscious thought on your part?
SANDRA BROWN: I don't think I'm nearly as beautiful as Vanessa in EXCLUSIVE or Remy is FAT TUESDAY. Seriously, I don't know why I write about so many beautiful women. It's a glib answer, but it's the truth. Maybe it's not so much about beauty but about being recognized for what's beneath the surface. I write --- and care --- a lot about overcoming prejudices. People often immediately peg you for something you aren't based on superficialities. For me, it's my Texan accent. People hear me talk slowly and think, "Oh, she must be dumb."
BOOK REPORT: I know you've written a lot of books in a short period of time. How many is it and how do you do it?
SANDRA BROWN: I think I'm somewhere near 60. I've been writing since 1979 --- coming up on eighteen years. I do everything by computer.
BOOK REPORT: Writing that many books must wreak havoc on your nails.
SANDRA BROWN: No, I still have my nails! I can't type without my fingernails. When I type, it sounds like a mouse on a linoleum floor.
BOOK REPORT: How did you research FAT TUESDAY?
SANDRA BROWN: Although I've never lived in New Orleans, I've visited there frequently. I have several colleagues who are natives who help me out by telling me the best places to go and who to talk to. For FAT TUESDAY, I interviewed a police officer who had left the New Orleans Police Department under a shroud of scandal. He spoke very freely to me about corruption within the NOPD. My husband and I took a tour with a Cajun guide into the swamps. And in February, after I had finished writing FAT TUESDAY, we went to Mardi Gras. We got so many beads, we had to buy a new suitcase to carry them home!
BOOK REPORT: Now, we've heard all sorts of stories about what people will do to get those beads....
SANDRA BROWN: (Laughing) We didn't take any clothes off! Our hosts live right in the French Quarter, so we stood out on the balcony for days watching all the people go by. We had brought our son and his fraternity brother and our daughter and her boyfriend. All those handsome boys attracted a lot of women. We saw a lot of breasts.
BOOK REPORT: And your daughter?
SANDRA BROWN: My daughter attracted a lot of men. We saw a lot of everything else!
BOOK REPORT: On another vein, you're from the South and write about Southern characters. Ever considered moving out of the region in your books?
SANDRA BROWN: No. I think we have so much more to write about! It's what I know. It's where I'm comfortable. Every writer needs to develop a voice. Stephen King sticks in his neck of the woods --- so do I.
BOOK REPORT: Is there something particular to being Texan that aids your writing?
SANDRA BROWN: Perhaps being Texan automatically lends to telling stories and legends. We have a heritage of larger than life heroes and heroines. When you grow up with Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and the Alamo, it's hard not to have a vivid imagination.
BOOK REPORT: What is your work schedule like? Are you an early morning writer?
SANDRA BROWN: I'm not an early morning anything! And I usually work right through lunch. I get to the office at 9:30 or 10 and work for a couple of hours on office tasks and correspondence. I start writing around noon and write all afternoon. Three days a week, I work out with a trainer after writing. I love working out. It's like my reward.
BOOK REPORT: Tell us a little about your pets. I've heard they're a bit unusual.
SANDRA BROWN: We have three steers --- Texas Longhorns. They're 2,000 pounds a piece and have horn-span of 6 feet. We come right up near the fence and they eat out of our hands.
BOOK REPORT: Dare you share with us what you're working on now?
SANDRA BROWN: If I knew, I'd tell you! Today I start sending the new idea to my editor, so we'll see. I've been preoccupied lately --- we've been moving into a new house for the past two weeks. We've been building for two years on land we bought three years ago. We slept in the new house for the first time last Friday.
BOOK REPORT: Thank you, Sandra, for giving us so much of your time. It's been a pleasure.
SANDRA BROWN: Thank you for being interested!
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PAST INTERVIEW
June 17, 1997
On Tuesday, June 17, best-selling author Sandra Brown visited THE BOOK REPORT to discuss her latest novel, FAT TUESDAY, as well as the phenomenal writing career which has seen each of her novels become more successful than the last. TBR's BookpgLiz was our interviewer and BookpgZena our unflappable host.
BookpgXena: Hello, Ms. Brown and Liz. Welcome, and good evening!
Bookpg Liz: Good evening.
Sandra Brown: Hello. Thank you for having me.
Bookpg Liz: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Sandra Brown: I started writing when I got fired from my job in television. Deep down, it was always something that I really wanted to do. I was always an avid reader and admired stories that endured across centuries -- the feeling that what you have created was entertaining to so many people. When I no longer had a job, I had time to pursue this secret ambition.
Bookpg Liz: Was your first child's birth aired on the evening news? And did this experience impact on TEMPEST IN EDEN?
Sandra Brown: Actually, the birth was not on the air. The baby appeared on the air that night because five days prior to her birth, I was doing the weather. I went all through my pregancy on the air. When the baby was born, they shot her and put her on the air. The impact on my books? I can't honestly say. That was several years before I began writing.
Bookpg Liz: Pinkie Duvall, the villain in FAT TUESDAY is so wicked. Did you have a difficult time keeping him from taking over the book?
Sandra Brown: To some extent, your villains should take over the book because your book is only as strong as the villain. When I am creating a villain, I want him or her to be really evil -- a force to be reckoned with -- or my readers are not going to be afraid of the villain or care about the plight of the hero or heroine. If you are certain who will win at the end, you won't care about the book. The stronger the villain -- the better the story.
Question: I'm a great fan of yours, Sandra. I have all your books. Would you mind sharing with us some of your secrets of writing? Do you outline your novels or do you write by the seat of your pants? And, how much research do you do before you begin a new book?
Sandra Brown: I start with a basic story idea and I prepare a synopsis for my editor. I introduce the basic conflict and demonstrate how that conflict will progress and then I show how I will end it and what the crisis point is going to be. I don't do a scene-by-scene outline because I would have already written the book! Part of the thrill of writing for me is going to work and seeing what will happen next.
Question: What is your favorite book? And what is your favorite book that you have written?
Sandra Brown: My favorite book is a tough one, but a long time ago I read a book by Lloyd C. Douglas called MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION. I also love THE TESTIMONY OF TWO MEN. There are so many more! The favorite of my books... well, that would be like choosing my favorite child. I like different aspects of different books. I will say that the TEXAS TRILOGY books were a lot of fun to write. Most recently, I had a great time writing FAT TUESDAY --- a real adventure, a real mystery.
Bookpg Liz: Which of your books are slated to be movies and did you approve of the movie FRENCH SILK?
Sandra Brown: I approved of FRENCH SILK. Making a movie is always a great thing. A movie is a collaborative effort. It is never going to be pure, undiluted Sandra Brown. We just closed a deal with Reba McEntire and Universal to do EXCLUSIVE as a feature. I think she will be very good.
Question: Is it true that last year you allowed your home to be burned down for an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger?
Sandra Brown: Basically, yes! It was two years ago. We are in the new house now that was erected on the site of the old one.
Question: I'm curious as to why you have two different writing styles, one more like a Harlequin romance and the other, longer, more involved novels. For years I thought it was two different people with the same name.
Sandra Brown: The romances that are being reprinted now were written years ago. Those books are at least 10 years old. I started moving into more mainstream stories about a decade ago.
Question: What are you currently working on?
Sandra Brown: I am working on a book for next year, as yet untitled. You'll have to wait for more details than that!
Bookpg Liz: FAT TUESDAY and FRENCH SILK are both set in New Orleans. Is this a favorite city of yours?
Sandra Brown: Absolutely! I love the city, I love the ambience, I love the food. It is just rich for storytelling. The culture and language are so distinctive that you can really create a mood there.
Bookpg Liz: Some of your books have been re-released and the covers indicate that they have been updated. Are they steamier or tamed down and, if so, why?
Sandra Brown: The text is not changed. The publishers decided to change the covers. I think that they are trying to keep them more in tune with the current market.
Bookpg Liz: Why did you use different names in your earlier books and how did you decide on the names?
Sandra Brown: I used different names because I was writing with different publishers. With each house, I used a different name. I thought them up.
Question: What is the most satisfying part of writing?
Sandra Brown: When I meet a reader or receive a piece of mail telling me that a story has touched them in a special way. When they talk about the characters like they know them, when you know that you have really sparked that much emotion... you know that you have done your job well.
Question: Do you do anything to celebrate when you finish a novel?
Sandra Brown: Usually, my husband will take me out to dinner or we will go to our vacation house. I usually treat myself to something, although not always the same thing. I love facials. I love the spa.
Bookpg Liz: Have you considered writing another historical romance?
Sandra Brown: No, unfortunately, as much as I love the ones I wrote, I made a career decision after SLOW HEAT IN HEAVEN in 1988 that I needed to stick with one genre and I decided to stay contemporary. Not a decision I regret, moving into a mainstream market.
Question: Just love your books. Do you do a lot of travelling to do the research?
Sandra Brown: I do only as much research as is necessary. I, frankly, don't enjoy that part of the exercise. I hate reading a book and have an author beat me over the head with information that they researched. I want to be factual and have an air of authenticity, but I don't belabor the point. Anything that draws you out of the story is a distraction.
Bookpg Liz: Do you see yourself writing a different type of book? Is there another genre that's of interest to you?
Sandra Brown: No, I like what I am doing right now. That is not to say that one of these days I won't change. There is a story that sometime in my career I would tell a multi-generational saga. I have given a great deal of thought to it, but it is on the back burner.
Bookpg Liz: In your opinion, how has the romance genre progressed in the last 10 or 15 years?
Sandra Brown: I am a charter member of the Romance Writer's Association. I spoke at the convention last year. In the last 18 years, I and a large number of American writers, began to revolutionize the genre. We had much stronger heroes, the heroines were on much more equal footing. The evolution in the last 10 years -- I am not sure -- I haven't written it in that long.
Question: Where do you get your influence for your steamy love scenes?
Sandra Brown: You don't really expect me to answer that? You don't have to commit murder to write a murder mystery, do you?
Question: To whom did you give your first story to read for you?
Sandra Brown: I actually gave it to the owner of a bookstore, who in turn recommended it to an editor, who bought it.
Question: Where did you come up with the story idea for WITNESS? Was it based upon someone's personal event or something you read about in the papers?
Sandra Brown: Actually, I suppose that I was hearing stories about the hate groups and the secret militias and it interested me. I wrote the story and one month before it was to come out, we had the Oklahoma City bombing. It was eerie to me that the militias that were revealed were so similar to the characters in my book. I can't say that a specific incident influenced the writing of the story. I just made it up.
Question: How many hours a day do you usually write and is it hard to make yourself sit down every day to do it?
Sandra Brown: I coordinate my work schedule with the regular workday and there can be a lot of interruptions. My most productive time is from noon to five or six in the evening.
Question: Do you read romance authors? If so, which ones?
Sandra Brown: I read across the board. I read a lot of things. I read fiction and nonfiction. I read what I consider to be classic literature, but I will read a Stephen King too. Right now I am reading John Sandford's THE NIGHT CREW.
Bookpg Liz: I saw your new home under construction on the television show HAVEN. Are you going to do another interview with them, so we can see the finished product?
Sandra Brown: They filmed the finished house. It will be on in July.
Bookpg Liz: How does being a born-and-bred Texan influence your writing?
Sandra Brown: It has a great deal of influence because our state's history is so loaded with characters larger than life -- heroes AND bandits. When you grow up hearing these stories your whole life, it sort of rubs off. What a storyteller is, is a very good liar. Everyone knows Texans are very good liars.
Bookpg Liz: Do you want to tell us a little bit about your pets?
Sandra Brown: The steers? I have three Texas Longhorn steers. Their names are Bubba, Bowie, and Boudreaux. My husband gave them to me for our 27th wedding anniversary. I am the only one I know who has gotten steers for a wedding anniversary. They weigh 2000 pounds each, but they are very docile. They eat out of our hands. I love them.
Bookpg Liz: What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Sandra Brown: My advice is to read every single thing you can get your hands on and to write every day. Just like any other art form, writing has to be practiced.
Bookpg Liz: Ms. Brown, thank you for talking with us.
Sandra Brown: Thank you so much for having me. I really enjoyed it.
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