Author David Baldacci using self-isolation time to keep writing
American author David Baldacci, who has sold an astonishing 130 million books, says he gets most of his ideas from simply “walking out the door” — so he says he’s not ruling out creating a future series based around a virus outbreak.
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The forced self-isolation from COVID-19 couldn't have come at a better time for prolific thriller writer David Baldacci.
“I’m in a writing phase right now, where I usually socially isolate myself anyway, so this is kind of a sweet spot for me,” he says.
However, the American author, who releases at least two books a year as he juggles several series of crime-fighting characters, is disappointed he can’t hit the road to talk about his new Amos Decker book, Walk The Wire, which is has just hit the top of the Nielsen Bookscan top 10 adult fiction list.
He was able to give three tour speeches and then the rest were cancelled due to the virus.
“I love that,” he says.
“Love speaking to people ands telling funny stories, taking pictures with them and signing their books.
“Writers do tend to spend a lot of time in isolation and it’s nice to get out on the road.”
As an author who has sold an astonishing 130 million books, he says he has a duty to help foster the “small ecosystem” that is book publishing.
“Some authors don’t go out on the road but I feel a real obligation,” he says.
By appearing at bookstores, big authors give those stores a boost, plus touring always helps sell more books, which then puts more money into the pockets of publishers and makes them more inclined to take a risk on publishing a new author.
Baldacci hopes the “silver lining” of COVID-19 is it gets more people reading again.
“It seems like a lot of people are rediscovering books,” he says.
“And books are very different to TV shows and movies. You are an active participant and you can use your imagination with the characters, what they look like and sound like.”
Although, ironically, that task could become easier for fans of Baldacci’s Amos Decker, as he has recently signed a deal with Village Roadshow that he hopes will see the “Memory Man” become a TV series, or movie.
“I’d much prefer a TV show because (solving crime) is really good for episodic television and then over the arc of a season you can develop his character arc,” Baldacci says.
“Whereas with a movie you only have two hours to do this guy justice.”
Walk The Wire is the fifth book in the Amos Decker series. Decker is a former professional American football player who suffered a traumatic brain injury that has affected his memory so now he literally cannot forget anything.
Naturally this helps his new career as a detective but haunts him as he cannot forget the hideous murder of his wife and daughter.
This time the FBI detective is sent out to the wilds of remote North Dakota to investigate a suitably bizarre murder where the body is discovered already having undergone an autopsy.
Decker’s injury has also changed his personality so he struggles to relate to other people and this book sees a “few more layers of the onion” unpeeled, Baldacci says.
With multiple series underway, Baldacci says his favourite character is “the one I’m working on … that’s the ice-cream cone I’m eating right now, so that’s my favourite”.
But, when pressed, says Decker and the Atlee Pine series about a female detective are what he is enjoying most right now — mainly because he is still exploring their characters.
“I haven’t come close to discovering all they have … and that’s kind of the litmus test,” he says.
“If they have no more to give then you’re just bringing them back because readers love them and you’ll sell a lot of books.
“Maybe you’re not going to be so invested in them and you’re not going to knock it out of the park.”
He says that motivation is vital for authors and he never wants to “phone it in”.
“Are you so into the character that it burns inside you until you get it out?” he says.
“Or am I just doing it to make a lot of money, make my accountant and financial planner really happy?”
The idea of a man who cannot forget is a fascinating premise, so does Baldacci have any memories he wishes he could forget?
“I’ve got a couple,” he says sombrely.
“The passing of each of my parents. One I got there in time for, and one I didn’t. They’re not good memories.
“The interesting thing about memories is we all have things we’d rather forget. We try to control our memories but it’s not going to happen.”
Baldacci says writing is a “cathartic way of working through your demons, emotions and the bad times”.
“Putting things on paper — or a computer screen — makes sense of a lot of things for me,” he says.
But he says his ideas for books come less from his own past and more from simply “walking out the door”.
Writers need an “inexhaustible curiosity” and “insatiable zest” for information, he says.
“Everything you see as a writer is motivation … and then you add the fictional pixie dust,” he says.
For instance, he loves American football, detective stories and is fascinated by the brain and brain trauma. Put all three together and that makes his character Amos Decker.
He says that sometimes he will think of a story idea and then assign it to a character, sometimes a character will pop up first and then the story comes around them. And, like many mystery writers, he has learned a huge amount about police work — so could he commit the perfect murder?
“My wife thinks so!” he laughs.
“She’s always told people that if anything happens to her (to tell police): ‘He did it!’
“I’ve learned a lot of stuff and the key to the perfect murder is do not make it so violent there is any blood. Poison is a good way to do it.
“But even then it’s very hard — unless there is no motive, the police always have an angle.”
He says the only reason every murderer is not caught is because police are overwhelmed with work and can’t devote enough time to every case.
As for a future series based around a virus outbreak — “I never say never”.
“I look for drama, plausible situations and high stakes … so a pandemic situation would certainly apply,” he says.
Meanwhile he will keep writing books — and hoping an Amos Decker TV show or movie doesn’t spoil a character he loves.
“That is the $64 million question,” he says.
“You never know (what they will do to a character) until you get to the end. But if you pull the trigger (and sell the rights), don’t mope about it.
“What I’ve done is, when they give me the cheque, I take a picture. Then if I’m not happy with how it turns out, I go back and look at the cheque — and the sun is shining once more.”
Walk The Wire is out now through Pan Macmillan, $33