Interviews
On Thursday, August 21, barnesandnoble.com welcomed Kathy Reichs, author of DÉJÀ DEAD.
Moderator: Hello and welcome to the barnesandnoble.com Live Events Auditorium. This evening barnesandnoble.com is pleased to host debut author and forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, who will be discussing her riveting thriller DÉJÀ DEAD. Welcome, Ms. Reichs! Thanks so much for joining us tonight!
Kathy Reichs: Nice to be here.
Colleen from Newark, DELAWARE: Hello, Ms. Reichs! How did you come up with the title of your book?
Kathy Reichs: I wanted a French word that English speakers would be familiar with. I also like the alliterative, the DÉJÀ DEAD sound. And my son suggested two short words looked good on a jacket.
pritchard from sarasota, fl: Hi! I really enjoyed DÉJÀ DEAD! You are better than Patricia Cornwell! Just curious, how similar is Kathy Reichs to DÉJÀ DEAD's main character Temperance Brennan? Just how different? Thanks for taking my question.
Kathy Reichs: Professionally similar, personally different. I'm having a beer right now. Professionally I'm a professor at UNC/ Charlotte and a forensic anthropologist who works in Quebec. I used bits and pieces of different cases in the story. Personally I'm very different from Tempe. I drink and she's a recovering alcoholic. Her personal problems are really her own. In the story she takes a lot more risks than I do. We share some of the same feelings about violence and concern/sadness for the victim.
Mike Henry from Long Island: What is the difference between a forensic anthropologist and a coroner? What exactly does a forensic anthropologist do?
Kathy Reichs: A coroner may or may not be a medical doctor. A medical examiner is a forensic pathologist. A forensic anthropologist specializes in bones. So the forensic anthropologist works on cases where a normal autopsy won't work. The body is too decomposed or burned or mummified or skeletonized.
CARTER from DETROIT, MI: What do the pins mean on the map of Montreal on the jacket of DÉJÀ DEAD?
Kathy Reichs: Body locations. There is a scene in which Tempe and Ryan place pins on a map to indicate where victims were found.
GIRLZ78 from AOL: Why did you decide to become a forensic anthropologist? Why didn't you go into the archeology or cultural anthropology, like Tempe's friend Gabby?
Kathy Reichs: I started out in bio-archeology. When police brought me cases, I found that I like the applied aspect -- solving a real problem -- which will effect people's lives. I studied all the courses that were relevant to it -- pathology, biomechanics. My dissertation, however, was archeological.
Gracia from Davidson, NC: Hello Dr. Reichs! How much of DÉJÀ DEAD is based on cases that you've worked on? Was there one particular case that inspired you to write this thriller? Are there cases throughout the book reminiscent of cases you've worked on?
Kathy Reichs: I taught at Davidson in the early 80s. The story draws on many many cases I worked on. It's a mix. DÉJÀ DEAD is really a mix of lots of different cases.
Lyle from New Orleans: It's almost a cliche. In pretty much every police drama or mystery inevitably someone is around a fresh crime scene, eating hotdogs or drinking cocoa around a bloody corpse. Does that ever really happen? Do people ever become so immune to a dead body that they can actually eat in front of it?
Kathy Reichs: I'd have to say yes. Especially if you are outside at a crime scene, you need coffee to keep you going. Or if it's very hot, you need something cold to keep you going. I've never seen anybody eat in the autopsy room, however. There are some pungent odors and it wouldn't be a smart thing to do from a health point of view.
Joelle Snyder from Pampano, FL: How fluent is your French? Living in Montreal, it must be pretty good. Do you feel more comfortable talking in French or in English? Have you yet to dream in French?
Kathy Reichs: I am more comfortable in English. I have dreamed in French and all my work here is in French, since I work for the government of Quebec.
John from Troy, NY: Good evening Kathy Reichs. Temperance Brennan is a great name. How did you come up with it? Is temperance evocative of the main character's former drinking problem?
Kathy Reichs: Actually I didn't notice that until I saw that pointed out in an article in Variety. In 1987 I taught a semester at sea -- that's a university ship that goes around the world. There was a student on the ship named Tempe. I liked the name. I have relatives in Troy, NY!
Justin from Ottawa, Canada: I received an advance copy of the book. I am really enjoying it. Do you have any favorite mystery authors?
Kathy Reichs: Yes. James Lee Burke. Robert Parker. Sara Paretsky. I was just in Ottawa. I taught a course at the RCMP.
Eric from Texas: People seem to be comparing you to patricia Cornwell, how do you feel about this?
Kathy Reichs: Flattered! I hope I can live up to the comparison. But her main character is a forensic pathologist. Tempe Brennan is a forensic anthropologist.
Amy G. from NYC: How do you feel about joining the "male genre" of detective fiction?
Kathy Reichs: Well, there are a lot of ladies out there now. Sue Grafton, Patricia Cornwell, Linda Fairstein, Elizabeth George, Faye Kellerman, Sarah Paretsky, Janet Evanovich. Perhaps we are taking over.
Sue from Doylestown, PA: How did DÉJÀ DEAD get published? Did you have a good agent, a good connection or was it sheer luck?
Kathy Reichs: I had no agent. My daughter had a friend at Scribner, so I sent it direct and they bought it. It was the first house I sent it to.
Joanna from Fresno: Is there one thing that you just can't get used to in your job as a forensic anthropologist?
Kathy Reichs: The hardest thing is seeing murdered children. I'll never get used to that.
Dickson from Columbia: Hello Kathy Reichs. Why didn't you set your novel in North Carolina instead of Montreal?
Kathy Reichs: The second book takes place partly in the Carolinas. Montreal is a wonderful city. It's close enough to be comfortable to Americans yet European enough to be exotic.
Liza from Seattle: Ms. Reichs I loved the book and I was wondering if and when you will be doing any bookstore appearances?
Kathy Reichs: I'll be in Seattle, either September 22 or 23. I'm not sure which bookstore, but I am doing bookstore appearances.
Karen Robinson from Salt Lake City: Have the film rights to DÉJÀ DEAD been optioned? Who would you like to play Tempe?
Kathy Reichs: We're not going to option the character yet. We are going to wait a while. I don't know who I would like to play Tempe. Who would you like to play Tempe?
Sherry from San Diego: Are you going to continue the romantic tension between Ryan and Brennan. I love that they always call each other by their last names.
Kathy Reichs: Ryan will be back in the second book. You'll have to wait and see. . .
Moderator: Thanks for joining us live in the barnesandnoble.com Live Events Auditorium! Click on the red button above to submit your queries!! Ms. Reichs will be here for another half hour.
Kathy Reichs:
Matt from New York City: With all you do, as a professor at UNC, working for the state of North Carolina and also for the province of Quebec, how do you find the time to write?
Kathy Reichs: It's hard. I wrote the book on the days I didn't teach. I got up at 6 in the morning and I wrote for 3 hours before going to campus. And then weekends and vacations. It took 2 years.
Barker from S.Royalton, VT: Why did you decide to make Tempe Brennan a recovering alcoholic?
Kathy Reichs: I wanted to give the character texture, complexity. I wanted to make her imperfect, vulnerable but strong.
Lois from Brooklyn: What is the most unusual case that you've ever worked on in your career and a forensic anthropologist?
Kathy Reichs: I currently have a subpoena for a case involving a moose. Since it hasn't gone to trial, that's all I can say. Ask me again in two months.
Linda from Boston: There is a ton of tension between the despicable Detective Claudel and Tempe Brennan and most of it seems to stem from the fact that she's a woman. How prevalent is this attitude in your profession, or would you say it's more a cultural thing, a Canadian thing?
Kathy Reichs: I personally have not experienced those kinds of problems. I have heard stories suggesting it does exist in other places and in other specialties in the forensic sciences. I do not think it's a cultural thing. The law enforcement personnel that I work with have always been very appreciative.
Justin from Ottawa,Canada: When will the next book be out? Late next year?If you are back in Ottawa, you should stop by the airport bookstore to sign a few books. We already have a display up of DÉJÀ DEAD at the front of the store!
Kathy Reichs: I just came through the Montreal airport. Not a book in sight. I'll be in Ottawa on September 15. I hope to complete the second book next summer, so publication would be in the fall of 1999.
Raphael from Chico, NM: In your profession, do you find it hard not to get personally involved in the cases you are working on?
Kathy Reichs: With some cases it's difficult. It's hard to see violence and not have empathy for the victim and the victim's family.
Donna from Brighton, MA: Did you ever gross yourself out writing DÉJÀ DEAD? It is wonderful!! But how could you take reliving all that gore??!!
Kathy Reichs: I cracked myself up occasionally. When you see "the gore" on a daily basis, you become clinical. There's a human being -- no matter what condition they are in -- that deserves to be identified. That's your task and you focus on it.
Paula from Santa Monica: How do you think Tempe Brennan rates against Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta or Linda Fairstein's Alex Cooper? How does she "stack up" -- so to speak -- in comparison to those female protagonists? In my opinion, she is much more human and realistic -- someone I admired and could relate to. Thank you for taking my question, Ms. Reichs.
Kathy Reichs: I tried to make Tempe Brennan a strong heroine but one who also has vulnerabilities. I tried to make her a warm person, someone you might like to know. It's up to you to do the rating with regards to other characters.
Alex from Barnes & Noble Technical Support: How was the cover decided on? Did you and your editor have conflicting views on this topic? And if so how did you come to a conclusion?
Kathy Reichs: The art department -- John Fontana -- he designed the cover. There really wasn't any conflict. We all liked it. I like the tactile quality.
Cynthia Gray from Cedar Rapids, IA: Hello Kathy Reichs! Did you enjoy the process of writing DÉJÀ DEAD or did you find it difficult? How long did it take you to write it?
Kathy Reichs: It was both fun and difficult. My writing experience was exclusively academic writing. Fiction is very different. In some ways it's liberating, in some ways it's more constricting. You can't fall back on jargon as you might in a scholarly article. The book took 2 years.
Steven from Margate, NJ: Who do you like to read? Do you enjoy reading thrillers? Who were your literary influences?
Kathy Reichs: I like to read anyone who writes well, so it's hard to say who my literary influences were. I like Larry McMurtry, I like Pat Conroy. I'm about to start ANGELA'S ASHES. I just read John Douglas's books on profiling.
Kelly from Boulder: WHat was your writing process like? WHere did you write? How long did it take? Did you use a PC?
Kathy Reichs: Yes, I used a computer. I'm very logical, methodical in my writing. I do a chapter by chapter outline. I keep a plot file, a character file, a timeline file, etc.
Peter from SPRINGFIELD, IL: I LITERALLY COULDN'T PUT DÉJÀ DEAD DOWN! Now that you are published, do you think about writing some other form of literature -- maybe nonfiction?
Kathy Reichs: It's actually going the other direction. I've always done nonfiction. DÉJÀ DEAD was the new genre for me. I just did a case in Springfield, IL.
Audrey from Chicago: Will we be seeing Tempe Brennan again? When?
Kathy Reichs: Yes. The second book will be out in late 98 or 99. I hope the series continues for many books. I'll be in Chicago the 12th, 13th and 14th of September. Chicago, Evanston, and Winnetka bookstores.
Karry from Cape Cod: What did you discover about writing books that you had not anticipated?
Kathy Reichs: It can be very profitable. I hadn't anticipated that. And save your work. I had a major hard drive crash.
Robert Baker from Hartford: How careful did you outline your story line before you sat down to write? Were you surprised by anything about the final version of the book?
Kathy Reichs: I did a chapter by chapter, about one paragraph for each chapter. My original outline had 25 chapters. The final version had 44, so I did a lot of splitting and subdividing. The original chapter outline did not have the final 3 or 4 chapters. I knew where I was going and what the climax scene would be, but left that unstructured.
Laura from Columbus: I was so happy to see a strong female protagonist in DÉJÀ DEAD. Did you decide to create her as a female, or did it just work out that way?
Kathy Reichs: I absolutely set out to create a strong female protagonist.
Jane from Larchmont, NY: Will your book be translated into French?
Kathy Reichs: The book has been sold in 15 languages, including French.
Dave Bryant from Hanhattan: As a scientist and a writer, do you believe in the saying that writers HAVE to write? What would you do if you stopped writing?
Kathy Reichs: Science. I'd focus on science.
Moderator: Thanks so much for answering all of our questions here tonight! Best of luck on your future endeavors! Good night!
Kathy Reichs: Well, thank you for your interest. Good night.
