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BIO
Iris Johansen is the New York Times bestselling author of PANDORA'S DAUGHTER, QUICKSAND, KILLER DREAMS, ON THE RUN, COUNTDOWN, FIRESTORM, FATAL TIDE, DEAD AIM, NO ONE TO TRUST, and more. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia.
INTERVIEW
 May 27, 2005
Bookreporter.com's Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight Team (Carol Fitzgerald, Joe Hartlaub and Wiley Saichek) interviewed Iris Johansen, author of COUNTDOWN. Johansen talks about the inspiration for the character of Jane MacGuire and the decision to "age" her fiery protagonist, her disciplined writing schedule and details of her next novel, which will be released in December 2005.
Bookreporter.com: A great deal of COUNTDOWN is set in Scotland, in MacDuff's Run, a castle that apparently has some ties, directly or otherwise, to Jane MacGuire. We were impressed with the description of this castle, and the way you brought it so sharply into relief. What inspired the book's Scottish back story? Is MacDuff's Run in COUNTDOWN modeled after a real castle? If so, did you actually visit it in preparation for your writing of the novel?
Iris Johansen: I've always loved Scotland and have visited there many times. I've toured all of the well-known castles and several of the less publicized ones. However, MacDuff's Run is purely fictional and concocted from my imagination. By the time the story was finished, MacDuff's Run was very real to me. I chose Scotland as the background when I was writing BLIND ALLEY and realized that there was going to be another book. Why? I suppose even then I knew where the plot was going and it had to be Scotland.
BRC: COUNTDOWN is an extremely ambitious work, with Jane MacGuire's personality containing elements reminiscent of fictional characters ranging from Nancy Drew to Indiana Jones to Emma Peel, among others. Who, ultimately, inspired Jane's fiery, and arguably controversial, persona?
IJ: Who inspired the character of Jane MacGuire? Not Indiana Jones or Emma Peel. It was Eve Duncan. If you'll remember when they first got together in THE KILLING GAME, I stressed how alike they were. Jane is the person Eve probably would have become if she'd never had Bonnie and all the tragedy that followed. Jane also had a tough life but she's still learning and growing and has had no real trauma to turn her from the path she's set herself.
BRC: Do you see yourself in any of the characters you create? Do you share characteristics with Eve more than Jane, or vice versa/neither?
IJ: I don't believe I'm like either Eve or Jane. If I bear any resemblance, it's probably to Eve. I'm focused and something of a workaholic and I hope I deal with the world in a professional and mature manner.
BRC: Reincarnation is a theme that was hinted at throughout BLIND ALLEY and further explored in COUNTDOWN, with respect to the relationship between Jane MacGuire and Cira, a proud, beautiful and rebellious slave who apparently lived during the years of the Roman Empire. As you were writing BLIND ALLEY did you already anticipate continuing the Cira storyline in another novel? Do you plan to explore the apparent relationship between Jane and Cira in subsequent novels?
IJ: When I started BLIND ALLEY I had no idea there would be a sequel. But toward the end of the book I realized that I couldn't wrap up the story in a neat little package. There was too much to say, too much development that had to happen in the Jane-Cira relationship. Now I could leave the relationship without too much regret but I don't think that's going to happen. Cira is as much alive to me as Jane. If there's a Jane story, Cira probably will be featured in it.
BRC: One of the more interesting, and perhaps controversial, elements of BLIND ALLEY is the emotional and physical attraction between Jane MacGuire and Matt Trevor. While Jane was a minor in BLIND ALLEY she is fully of age in COUNTDOWN, which takes place four years subsequent to the events of BLIND ALLEY. COUNTDOWN resolves at least some aspects of their relationship. Do you plan to develop and explore their relationship in future novels?
IJ: I'll most certainly have to explore the relationship between Trevor and Jane in a future book. At the end of COUNTDOWN I couldn't have them ride off into the sunset together, though I believe the ending was satisfying on a romantic level. It wouldn't have been true to the characters to tell you they were now set to live happily ever after. Jane is too wary and their relationship too turbulent and new. She'll have to have a good many more of those silver mornings before she'll give herself totally to any relationship.
BRC: Did reader/editorial feedback about Jane and Trevor's relationship help you decide to "age" Jane in COUNTDOWN, or had you already planned on aging the character for the next book?
IJ: I was not influenced by either readers or editors to age Jane for the next book. I knew it was going to happen before I finished BLIND ALLEY. I was feeling a little frustrated and planned to put her on an even playing field with Trevor. Eve and Joe always will have an influence on Jane but I wanted to see her old enough to shape events to suit herself as an adult. I'd waited a long time for Jane to grow up and be counted.
BRC: Your characters frequently cross over into your other series. When you first introduced Jane MacGuire in THE KILLING GAME did you anticipate having her step to the forefront of a novel? Do you plan to have Jane MacGuire, Joe Quinn, or Eve Duncan appear in any of your other series as supporting characters?
IJ: I had no idea that Jane MacGuire would someday have a book of her own when I introduced her in THE KILLING GAME. She was a child of ten at that time and although I really liked her courage and toughness in the face of the odds, it was Eve Duncan who was the center of the story. I'm one of those authors who let the characters of a story often dictate the plot, and when Jane appeared I knew she and Eve would be close because they were so much alike. At the end of the book Eve could not let her go and neither could I. She had to stay in Eve's life and therefore she had to stay in mine.
Will I bring Jane MacGuire, Eve Duncan or Joe Quinn in as secondary characters in other series? It's entirely possible. It will probably not be a deliberate decision but it's always easier and more pleasant to deal with old friends than strangers when writing a story. They usually just pop up out of the blue when I need a character to move the book.
BRC: COUNTDOWN introduced new supporting characters such as MacDuff and Jock while others such as Bartlett returned. How much time to you spend on fleshing out your supporting cast? Is there any chance we'll see a novel with Bartlett at front and center?
IJ: I enjoyed the interaction between Jock and MacDuff enormously in COUNTDOWN. I'm sure they will be in other future books. Bartlett is a honey but he'd be harder to feature as a lead in a suspense. He doesn't have an edge.
BRC: What is your writing schedule like? Do you have an assistant who helps with your research or do you do it all yourself?
IJ: My writing schedule is very disciplined. I try to be up in my office by nine every morning and I work until I've completed at least ten pages. Sometimes that takes four or five hours, sometimes ten or twelve. It depends on the flow, the research, and the pace at which the characters are moving the story. There are times when the story is streaking like a bullet. Then I just hang on and stay with it. I do have a research assistant, my daughter, Tamara Brooking. I wouldn't know what to do without her. She's invaluable in finding out both the small details and the big picture, though I do make her want to pull her hair out in frustration sometimes when I ask her if there isn't a way we can make a certain plot point happen. But then she starts to dig and quite often comes up with a way that can be truthful and factual and still keep my story humming.
BRC: What are you working on now and when can readers expect to see it?
IJ: I've just completed ON THE RUN and I had great fun with it. It has entirely new characters and I really liked them, particularly Grace Archer's daughter, Frankie. Grace is a horse trainer being pursued by a criminal who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. This was one of those stories that almost wrote itself. I was surprised when I realized I was almost finished with it. It will be on sale the last week of December 2005.
I'm working on an exciting new project now. I'm only at the beginning and everything is tentative but an old friend just came into my heroine's apartment. I was glad to see him. I hope you will be too.
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AUTHOR TALK: A Q&A: IRIS JOHANSEN and FORENSIC SCULPTOR DANIEL SOLLITTI
  April 1, 2005
Fiction meets fact as bestselling author Iris Johansen and real-life forensic artist and veteran northern New Jersey police sergeant Daniel Sollitti get together to discuss their work. Mr. Sollitti completed his formal forensic art training at the United States Secret Service Training Facility in Maryland and studied 3-Dimensional clay reconstruction of a skull under forensic sculptor Seth Wolfson. Ms. Johansen's newest hardcover, COUNTDOWN --- her sixth thriller featuring forensic sculptor Eve Duncan --- will be released on May 10th, while last year's bestseller, BLIND ALLEY, is now available in paperback.
Iris Johansen: I have a routine as a writer, setting aside time every morning to work on my novels. I've given Eve Duncan a routine for her forensics, retreating into her private studio to work for hours on end, and into the night, when there is a project on hand. You must have a schedule for your forensic work. Is it anything like what I've created for Eve? Does it vary if you're creating a sculpture or drawing?
Daniel Sollitti: As a police officer, forensic art is done in addition to my regular duties. Full time, I'm assigned as a supervisor in the Bureau of Criminal Identification. I oversee a team of police officers who take, classify, and file the fingerprints of all persons arrested. They also do crimescene photography and latent fingerprint work. Since I work in a densely populated city in the Northeast, the finding of skeletal remains is an unusual occurrence. My reconstructions usually come from areas that have desert regions or densely wooded areas and even from the mountains. When a forensic case does come in, however, I throw myself at it, and the hours seem to fly by. I have to be reminded to eat or sleep. Unfortunately, patience is a quality I must remind myself to practice. That is why I enjoy the process of sketching the reconstruction. Once the tedious work of cutting and placing depth markers on a mounted skull is complete, and 1:1 photographs are taken, I love to let my pencil flow and just "find" the victim's features. I can complete a sketch in several hours. By this time, my natural curiosity takes over and I want to see the victim's face as soon as possible. The sculpture method is much more time intensive. Texture in the face that takes hours in the bust is accomplished in a few seconds with some strokes of a pencil.
DS: When I work on a reconstruction, I'm working with existing physical facts and materials. As a writer, you create solely from imagination. One of the motivations in my work is Project EDAN (Everyone Deserves a Name). When you first created Eve Duncan, she had the same desire --- to give anonymous victims a name --- and it motivates her still in the new books like BLIND ALLEY and COUNTDOWN. My interest in Project EDAN is derived from my law enforcement background. How did you come up with Eve's?
IJ: Eve's desire to identify and bring "the lost ones" home was based on her background and character. Her love for her murdered daughter, Bonnie, and the knowledge that she had never found her was a constant torment and spurred Eve to help other parents in similar situations.
Thankfully, I have no such personal history. I first happened on forensic sculpting while watching a TV documentary. It fascinated me and immediately brought a swirling barrage of questions and possibilities: What would lead a person to such a career? What if the motivation was both tragic and personal? In this case, the career preceded the creation of the character.
DS: Let's talk about characters and affiliations. Project EDAN supplies forensic art and reconstruction to "cold case" unidentified missing persons and law enforcement agencies that do not have access to forensic artists. So, like Eve --- and Jane --- the artist is not formally affiliated with a law enforcement agency. Why did you choose to have your heroes be independent artists, as it were? Do you think that makes them more vulnerable to the cases that envelop them?
IJ: Yes, I did want my artists to be vulnerable and independent. The first reason is simply that keeping Eve independent means that her work can come from anywhere. For example, at the opening THE FACE OF DECEPTION --- the first Eve Duncan suspense novel --- she is working on a skull sent to her by the Chicago PD. She lives in the Atlanta area and is known to the police there, so more often than not her work is local. But it doesn't have to be. Secondly, I felt that independence would make them more vulnerable. Eve and Jane have never been trained by law enforcement either in tactics and weaponry or in distancing themselves emotionally from the job. Nor are they bound by the protocols of an officer, partnership, precinct, etc. And finally, frankly, lifting the restrictions of protocol gives me more freedom as a writer. I can fully immerse one or both of them in the suspense itself. I can craft my novels so they brim (I hope) with the adventure and fast-paced, tightly woven plotting that can come from giving your lead characters a personal stake in the outcome of the story.
IJ: My hero Eve Duncan is a forensic sculptor. Jane MacGuire is a sketch artist. You are both. Please tell us a little bit about the similarities and differences of working in these media.
DS: I'm a natural pencil artist in so far as it's a medium I feel most comfortable with. I've drawn since I was a child. Pencil, crayons, chalk ... whatever. I've always loved to draw. My rendering of human faces brought me into forensic art, specifically composite drawing. Two-dimensional reconstruction (sketching) of human remains was just a natural extension. I never had much experience with clay sculpting until I found its forensic application. The sculpture captures the 3-dimensional quality of a person. This is especially useful if the person has a unique profile. I believe in doing both a sculpture and a sketch. Some viewers react better to one form than the other. In the end, whatever type of reconstruction triggers a recognition is the way to go.
DS: You've made Jane a painter, and she, like Eve, has assisted the Atlanta Police Department. We know from your early books that Jane was a computer whiz. Yet, despite forensic sciences relying on computer generation, you've chosen to have her hand-draw her composites. From my work I know that the success rate of hand-drawn composites is higher than computer generated ones since you can incorporate more perspectives and minute details. Is that why you chose to steer Jane the way you did?
IJ: During my research I learned that the accuracy factor was higher in hand-drawn composites. But I also wanted to include the psychological insight between artist and witness. Exploring this connection is yet another way for me to immerse Jane in the novel's action. Focusing on hand-rendered images also allows me to explore concepts that have always personally fascinated me: the artistic force of instinct and the power of the creative drive.
DS: For me, the trickiest parts of recreating a face are the nose, hair, and eye color, as they are subjective rather than scientific. What does Eve Duncan struggle with?
IJ: Eve has problems with the same areas that you do. I expect that most forensic artists would agree that these are the hardest areas. In a profession of exact measurements, as forensic sculpture is, the subjective is always the hardest. As I've become more familiar with forensics, my admiration of the forensic sculptor has grown enormously. That's why I always try to stress the initial painstaking work and then I let Eve's instincts take over. What sets Eve apart from her peers in the novels is her ability to sense the spirit of a "lost one" in addition to his/her physiology.
IJ: Let's turn our attention to everyday practicalities. Eve Duncan works in consultation to the Atlanta PD. Although she has a modern studio and equipment, she doesn't have anything like what television viewers are seeing on CSI and other forensic television shows in terms of manpower, resources, and technology. How real are those shows in terms of what a "normal" police department would maintain?
DS: Believe it or not, I don't watch many cop or CSI type shows. I get enough of the real stuff at work. Sometimes these shows hurt law enforcement because they create unrealistic expectations. The television-educated public, when chosen as jurors, expect some high tech, magical forensic whiz to waltz onto the stand and "crack" the case for them. I think they are disappointed when an investigator stands before them with a blow-up of a latent and points out minute details in a print individualizes it to a suspect. I can attest to this: any real police-maintained facility would probably be cluttered. There would be a caffeinated beverage within reach. And finally, there would be a highly dedicated individual tucked away, doing some very important work to give justice to a person he never met.
IJ: Thank you for taking the time to give my readers even more insight into the work of a forensic artist. Best of luck in your work.
DS: I'm delighted to have had this opportunity to share ideas with you. Thank you for inviting me to participate.
Daniel Sollitti Photo © Stephen T. Golecki; Iris Johansen Photo © Bernard Vidal; Copyright © 2005, Bantam Dell Publishing Group
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