Laurie R. King, who, like Sherlock Holmes may seem to be the same, but there
is something surprising - and a little bit mysterious - every time we read them.
“A writer is not a person with a book. A writer is a person who writes.”
Laurie R. King: Novelist, Mystery, Crime
Explaining a point
Laurie's first drafts generally take two to three months, and redrafts take seven to eight. She is what I call an organic or highwire writer. She tells herself the story — no outline, but there is generally a fair amount of research involved.
And her advice for writers starting out? "To be a writer, read and write. The rest of it comes." Give a listen to what else Laurie has to say about the art of writing. Salli
Books
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
The Beekeeper's Apprentice (1994)
aka Or On the Segregation of the Queen
A Monstrous Regiment of Women (1995)
A Letter of Mary (1996)
The Moor (1998)
O Jerusalem (1999)
Justice Hall (2002)
The Game (2004)
Locked Rooms (2005)
The Language of Bees (2009)
The God of the Hive (2010)
Pirate King (2011)
Garment of Shadows (2012)
Kate Martinelli
A Grave Talent (1993)
To Play the Fool (1995)
With Child (1996)
Night Work (2000)
The Art of Detection (2006)
Anne Waverly
A Darker Place (1998)
aka The Birth of a New Moon
Novels
Folly (2001)
Naked Came the Phoenix (2001) (with Nevada Barr, et al.)
Keeping Watch (2003)
Califia's Daughters (2004) (writing as Leigh Richards)
Touchstone (2007)
Collections
A Study in Sherlock (2011) (Editor, with Leslie Klinger)
Awards
Edgar Award for Best First Novel: A Grave Talent (1994)
Agatha Award Best Novel nominee, American Library Association notable book for young adults : The Beekeeper's Apprentice (1994)
The John Creasey Dagger: A Grave Talent (1995)
Nero Wolfe Award, Best Novel: A Monstrous Regiment of Women (1996)
Nominee for Edgar Awards Best Novel and the UK's Orange Award : With Child (1997)
Macavity Awards Best Novel winner : Folly (2002)
LAMBDA Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery: The Art of Detection (2006)
and more . . .
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Location: |
Santa Cruz, CA |
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Run Time: |
26:58 |
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Genre: |
Mystery |
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Website: |
LaurieRKing.com |
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Raised: |
San Francisco Bay Area, etc. |
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Youthful Influence: |
"I am a writer, because I love and have been nurtured by books." LaurieRKing.com |
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Favorite Authors: |
Peter Dickinson, Dorothy Sayers and many more. |
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Literary Habit: |
With a Waterman fountain pen at first, now on a laptop - with either a pad or computer on her lap. |
Interview Movie
(Embedded version below)
MP3 Audio File
(Note: To download the podcast,
right click on the link if you are on a PC,
or control click if you are on a Mac. )
We caught up with Laurie on a sunny afternoon in Santa Cruz while she was visiting her daughter and grandchild. She was gracious, engaging and funny.When asked what she did with her first royalty check, she says she skipped the champagne and bought central heating for her home. "That's why I became a writer . . . central heating!" she laughed. As a scholar, theologian, builder, traveler, gardener, cook, mother, wife, and writer she was happy to add wood cutter to her past professions.
It is clear that Laurie's varied and extraordinary experiences and occupations inform her work. I have read and re-read King's autobiography on her website and find it is as appealing as her books.
So let me just say up front that Laurie R. King is one of my writing goddesses, and I was just a bit clumsy during this interview. I have always been a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, and have steadfastly disdained anyone who had the temerity to attempt a 'new' Holmes story. That is, until I read The Beekeepers Apprentice and everything Laurie King has written in the Mary Russell / Sherlock Holmes series since (and most of everything else she has written). In 2010, King was inducted into the Baker Street Irregulars, an organization of Holmes enthusiasts originally founded in 1934 with membership by invitation only, as the "Red Circle" - real bona fides from elite Holmes admirers.
A few shots of the beautiful country around Santa Cruz, where King lives and works.
