In My Forties, My Optimism Was Boundless.

I Hate The Term "mystery". That's Not What I Write. I Think The Scarpetta Novels Are Much More Character-driven Than An Average Puzzle Solver. Writing Should Be Like A Pane Of Glass - There's Another World On The Other Side And Your Vision Carries You There, But You're Not Aware Of Having Passed Through A Barrier To Get There.

When I Was At College There Were Two Things I Vowed I'd Never Do. One Was Go To A Funeral And The Other Was Deal With Computers. And Then I Ended Up Being A Computer Programmer In A Morgue.

I've Never Taken A Scalpel To A Dead Body.

Has All The Trappings Of A Mystery Novel, Doesn't It?

Even When I Am Writing I Usually Take A Break Around Lunchtime And Go For A Little Walk To Clear Out My Head.