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19
www.deltalivingmagazine.com
January – March
and Favorite
her Millhone books are among the ve
or six best series any American has
ever written."—Patrick Anderson, The
Washington Post
Sue:
It doesn’t serve me to take these
things too seriously. I’m attered, of course,
but praise...like criticism...doesn’t help me
to write the next sentence well. I prefer to
block out the opinions of others and listen to
that still ever truthful voice from Shadow. She
murmurs her many messages, which I can’t
hear if I’m busy trying to earn more praise or
avoid more blame.Writing is hard enough...
DL:
Was Kinsey and Me a result of
reader’s requests or your own desire?
Sue:
I adore my readers who are always
asking me to write faster.
Regrettably, I can’t produce ction to
order and that’s true of the short stories as
well as the novels. I’m a slow writer and I have
to pick my way from paragraph to paragraph.
My ‘desire’ is to laze about for life, never
lifting a nger, but in truth I present myself
to my computer every morning and hope for
the best.
DL:
Do you have plans to write after Z
is done? If so, what?
Sue:
I won’t nish the alphabet for another
six to eight years. I keep telling my readers
that my intention is to keep writing about
Kinsey Millhone, as long as I have my wits
about me. On the other hand, I may come
up with an entirely new scheme. No linking
titles! I will promise you that. I’ve learned my
lesson on that score.
DL:
Was the alphabet series your initial
intent for a book series, or was the rst
book, "A" is for Alibi your one and only
title, with no plans for future books?
Sue:
It was always my intention to write
26 novels using crime related words in the
titles. I just didn’t know the plan would work.
Who could have guessed?! When I rst came
up with the idea, I jotted down as many titles
as I could think of o the top of my head.
B was always for Burglar, C was always for
Corpse, D was always for Deadbeat. Some of
the later titles have changed along the way,
depending on the storyline or the thrust of
the book.
DL:
What do you love about writing?
Sue:
Occasionally I get it right. That’s
always a joy. Most of the time I’m revising,
dumping, changing, amending, rejecting,
rethinking, and otherwise driving myself
insane.
DL:
Can readers pick up any book in
your series and enjoy that book alone,
or is it necessary to start from the
beginning?
Sue:
Each of the novels is self-contained.
There are some threads that run throughout.
Kinsey, Henry, the California settings, Rosie’s
Restaurant. Many readers tackle the books in
whatever order comes up. I usually advise the
uninitiated to start with "A." As I explain it
– that one’s in paperback and less expensive
than hardback, and if a reader doesn’t like that
one, the rest won’t be of any interest either.
DL:
Has your love for writing changed
over the years? If so, in what ways?
Sue:
Love for writing. Hmmm. Mostly,
it hard work over which I bitch, whine,
complain, and wring my hands. In retrospect,
the tone, the characters, and a particular
storyline seem self-evident. Like how could I
have doubted myself. In the doing, I’m feeling
my way. I work by trial and error...more error
than anything else. I’ve said in the past, the
bravest thing I do is sit down at my desk every
day.
DL:
Which book from your alphabet
series do you connect with the most/
strongest?
Sue:
My current favorites are A, G, J,
sometimes L, which was actually more of a
caper than a murder mystery.The early books
are full of sass.The later ones are more subtle
and complex. All of them felt impossible to
write at the time.
DL:
What is your mantra in life? Maybe
something you’ve told your daughters
over and over again as a mom!
Sue:
My daughters discourage me from
giving advice, as does my son. Occasionally
we consult one another about life’s little trials.
My mantra is this: If you’re not scared, you
ain’t workin’ hard enough.
Here’s another one: Lower your focus, by
which I mean look at the sentence in front
of you. Don’t be veering o target worrying
about future book reviews.
Here’s another one: The Fate of the
Free World does not hang in the balance,
dear, so don’t take yourself too seriously.
DL:
Why is author Ross Macdonald
the strongest in uence on your crime
novels? (This was stated on Wikipedia).
Sue:
My father was a stronger in uence
than Ross Macdonald. My a nity for Ross
Macdonald has to do, in part,with the fact that
he was writing about ‘SantaTeresa’... a name I
at-out stole from him. I was also in uenced
by James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler,
Mickey Spillane, and a host of others.
DL:
Before your writing career, what
odd jobs did you have as a young adult?
Sue:
I worked in the medical eld as
a medical secretary. I did ‘front o ce’ in
a doctor’s o ce, cashiering at a hospital. I
worked in a medical clinic, did ling for
the Kern County Land Company in San
Francisco. I never waited tables,which I regret.
DL:
What is your greatest compliment
from a fan/reader?
Sue:
A reader once said to me, ‘we never
had anything in common as a family until
Kinsey Millhone came along. Now we have
something to talk about at the dinner table.’
DL:
As a "literary celebrity" what brings
you back down to earth, so-to-speak?!
Sue:
I don’t pay any attention to that
stu with this exception. Sometimes if I’m
ordering merchandise online and I spell my
name, the salesperson will say, "Are you the
Sue Grafton?" When I modestly admit that I
am, I feel I get better service. Inevitably, the
salesperson says, "Oh my mother loves your
books!"
Photo by Laurie Roberts