Interview with Lisa Scottoline

From phillyBurbs.com --

Up close with a best-selling author --

By: Sarah McNab --
April 15, 2010 --

This past Saturday, I went to meet local author and national best-seller Lisa Scottoline at one of the last stops on her promotional tour for her latest novel, "Think Twice."



Scottoline was the first author I have ever met who is on the New York Times' Best-Seller List - OK, she's the only author I have ever met. The experience was so much fun (and not at all intimidating like I thought it would be).

They say write what you know, and that's exactly what Scottoline does.

As a Philly native, she sets her books in the city.

In addition to her 17 novels, Scottoline has a hilarious and brilliantly written column, "Chick Wit," which appears in The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sundays. Since I am an aspiring journalist and writer, who better for me to talk to than someone who is so successful in the field?

We got to the Barnes & Noble where she was appearing nice and early. Actually, two and a half hours early because of a miscommunication, but we were able to get our admission wristbands early.

I was number 102, and plenty of people came in the hours afterward, so that should give you an idea of how many people, mainly women, came to see her.

As we waited, I had no idea what to expect. I thought she might say a few words, sign a few books and then be whisked away by a security team to some fancy dinner for famous people.

In reality, Scottoline was the complete opposite.

She came out right on time, led by two of her little dogs on leashes. Anyone who reads her column knows she is an avid animal lover, so it was fun to see some of the pets she writes about. She spoke for about an hour about how excited she was to be there, about her writing process and really just about her life.

She was so open to sharing anything and so down to earth that she seemed like an old friend.

Part of her appeal to women is how relatable she is. When asked how she gets the ideas for her column, Scottoline says: "I write with the assumption that my life is like your life."

Another positive about her writing philosophy is that she is all about empowering women. She writes about strong female main characters in her books and about the strong women in her life. She even shared one of her favorite quotes, which is from Eleanor Roosevelt, with us: "A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she is in hot water."

After she spoke, we got to meet her individually. She took the time to really talk to each person and make them feel important and special for coming. And she also said, "My mother raised me right and taught me that when you come to someone's house, you bring saturated fats," so she brought Tastykakes for everyone.

When it was my turn, she gave me a big hug, we had a mini photo shoot with the surrounding cameras and I asked her if she has any advice on being a successful writer.

So, all reality panelists and aspiring writers, listen up.

Her advice was, "Just go for it."

In fact, she encourages everyone to write and believes that everyone has a book in them.

She even has an outstanding offer to fans who write a manuscript that she will pass it along to her editors!

Interview with Lisa Scottoline

From The Doings Hinsdale (IL) --

Lisa Scottoline talks about latest thriller --

By: Lilli Kuzma --
March 25, 2010 --

Remember the lyrics from "The Patty Duke Show" that described identical cousins: "They look alike, they talk alike, at times they even walk alike, you can lose your mind, when cousins are two of a kind." But murder didn't enter into that light-hearted show.



In Think Twice, the new book by acclaimed writer, Lisa Scottoline, one twin sister definitely loses her mind, and the other may lose her life as a result. With her multiple-viewpoint thriller, Scottoline delivers a fast-forward story that puts the main character in peril by Page 4, bringing new meaning to the description, "page-turner."

"It's important for any novel to do that, to get the reader involved right away," said Scottoline, 54, speaking by phone from her home in Pennsylvania.

"This is a battle between good and evil, and while there is the 'evil' twin, part of the book is about the good and evil in the same person, and the potential for evil in all of us. With Think Twice there is so much more action, darkness. Everyone has dark impulses, someone may wish someone dead."

Scottoline will be at the Borders in La Grange March 29 for a discussion and book signing. Scottoline has written 18 novels since 1994, and she won the prestigious Edgar Award for her second novel, Final Appeal.

Think Twice revisits the characters of Rosato & Associates, a women's law firm in Philadelphia, adeptly incorporating work dynamics, friendships, romantic relationships, parents and family life as interesting sub-plots. The book is also infused with Scottoline's edgy, hip, often "laugh out loud" humor, woven into what is otherwise a harrowing tale.

"I think I'm writing stories about women," said Scottoline. "I write about smart women in difficult situations. And really smart people are also really funny."

Scottoline should know, as she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in three years, then finished law school with honors at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Scottoline also writes a popular weekly column, "Chick Wit" for The Philadelphia Inquirer, and has published a collection of her columns in a humorous book, My Next Husband Will Be A Dog. She is twice divorced and refers to her exes as "Thing 1" and "Thing 2." Her daughter, Francesca, 24, is a Harvard grad and emerging writer.

"I learned to write mostly in law school, logically using facts. And I think my newspaper columns are improving my writing, having to (condense) my thoughts into a short space. It's great to involve Francesca in writing the columns, too."

Scottoline laughs often and speaks freely about her home life, where she dotes on her pet dogs, cats, and even chickens. Her Web site contains many pictures of her beloved animals. Writing with a dog or cat in her lap is the norm for Scottoline.

"I feel as if I live on the edge (in my writing), even though I live the life of a housewife in the suburbs!" she said, chuckling.

But Scottoline did do significant research and field work to develop Think Twice, going so far as to roll around in dirt, creep around a Pennsylvania farm field at night, and travel to the Bahamas to develop the final scenes of the book.

"A cornfield really is near my house and there is a wolf in the woods," she said.

In Think Twice, the "good" twin finds herself buried alive in this field, with a wolf sniffing, biting and clawing at the box she's locked inside of.

"I think I improve with each book," said Scottoline. "Writing in multiple viewpoints, this really changed it up. But I'm not one for lots of exposition. Characters are what they do."

Asked if another book is in the works and what it's about, Scottoline would only say:

"I'm in the middle of it right now. Come to the book signing to find out more!"