28 S MAGAZINE ★ 28 JULY 2019
He says, “We love what we don’t
understand, like the bogeyman.
We don’t want to look under the
bed but we do it anyway. My books
are a safe scare. You can feel
terrified but you’re in no real
danger. Humans can be the worst
predators of all and the scary
thing is, it could be one of us.”
In his spare time, David will sail,
ski and relax in Virginia, where he
was born and raised. It’s a historic
state which, one way or another,
features in his novels.
“There is so much here to write
about. The revolutionary war, the
Civil Rights Act... it gets into your
blood. It was a world of total
segregation but it’s a better place
now. I’m proud of it.”
It is during his downtime that
thrillers take a back seat to make
way for stand-alone festive and
tear-jerking tales like The Christmas
Train (now a TV movie), One
Summer and Wish You Well, a tale
based on his mother’s upbringing
on a Virginia mountain top without
power or running water.
“I don’t like being lumped into
a genre box,” he admits. “Writers
should be able to tell any story.
You should follow your interests,
no matter what.”
Writing doesn’t get any easier- especially with nearly 50 novels
under your belt – but it won’t stop
David injecting another thrill into
our lives.
“When I sit down to write a
novel, I fear I can’t bring the magic
again,” confesses the novelist.
“That gives me an edge, a little
motivation and a chip on my
shoulder to try harder. I want to be
fresh out of the box every single
time. Terror is a good thing.”
One Good Deed (£18.99,
Macmillan) by David Baldacci is out
now. See Bookshop on page 77.came 75 years too late and wanting
to dry-clean your clothes because
they smell like cigarettes,” laughs
David. “It’s an atmospheric read
with all the hallmarks of a crime
thriller and mystery with a cool
courtroom scene.
“I love the tales of the 40s,
Foyle’s War and Agatha Christie,
Chinatown and The Big Sleep, too.
This book was supposed to be
a short story but it poured out of
me. My publisher had no idea
I was writing it – surprise.”
Becoming a big-time novelist
was not the grand plan for David
Baldacci. He wrote short stories,
but got his thrills defending clients
in the courtrooms of Washington
DC, which was a craft in itself,
he explains.
“My only weapon was words.
Tongue in cheek, I’d say some
of my best fiction writing
I did was as a lawyer. You
emphasise, deflect and shade
a few facts, too. Building stories
helped nicely with my new career.”
Now David gives lectures online
to aspiring writers and instead of
working nine to five, writes every
day until his tank is empty. There
is no perfect time or place.
Anywhere will do. “If I’m in the
zone I can write on planes, trains
and automobiles or in a diner
with 100 people clanging their
silverware. That is my element.”
David writes every word in his
books, unlike some authors who
seek out a ghostwriter to put their
stories on paper. It’s no fun that
way, he says, “And I don’t play well
with others.”
He takes everyday sights and
sounds and turns them on their
head to create a jaw-dropping
climax we’ll never guess until the
end. We’ll keep coming back for
more because we can’t help being
fascinated by crime.what a gift she gave me that day.
She said, ‘Honey I will love you
while I have breath in my chest, but
I needed a little peace and quiet.
You were on my last nerve, boy’.”
The former DC lawyer is no
stranger to a warning or two. He
received a death threat on release
of The Camel Club in 2005, a
novel about a group of misfits whoLicence to thrill
King of crime David Baldacci tells Kirsten Jones the secret of writing a bestseller
I
f you are tempted to write a
novel, a quick chat with David
Baldacci is a good place to start.
The wordsmith is sitting in his
Virginia home giving pointers on
how he became one of America’s
bestselling authors.
“I love to start my books with
a bang. It hooks the reader and
makes them turn the page. Ideas
rarely arrive at my desk. I walk my
dog or take a shower. Not only do I
solve a plot problem, I’m invariably
clean all the time,” he smiles.
The author has written four
dozen books for children and
adults and has a staggering 130
million copies in print. He has
pictures and fan mail from three
American Presidents, including Bill
Clinton and Barack Obama, who
called him a machine. Sadly,
there’s no converting Donald Trump
who is rather vocal about his
disdain for a popular paperback.
His first thriller Absolute Power
was turned into a box office hit by
Clint Eastwood. There’s probably
a well-thumbed favourite Baldacci
on your shelf, whether it’s an
instalment of The Camel Club, a
murder mystery with Memory Man
Amos Decker or crime fighting with
FBI special agent Atlee Pine.
“I only write about strong and
independent women. You won’t
find a damsel in distress in my
books,” says David, who credits
his mother for his literary career.
Like most authors, David was
a voracious reader as a child. He
told tall tales to stay out of trouble
and penning his thoughts began
because he was a chatterbox.
“I was a kid who never shut up,”
he laughs. “One day my mum
bought me a journal. My pen hit
the paper and I never looked back.
I took all the stuff from my head
and wrote it for other people to
read. Years later I told my mum“I set up
each book like
a battle plan.
I call the exper ts
and do my
homework”
seek out and solve government
conspiracies in the shadow of
The White House. His novels are
accurate, authentic and immersive
thanks to detailed research and a
few friends in high places.
“I set up each book like a battle
plan,” he explains. “I call around
to find the experts, do my
homework and travel to almost
every place I write about... apart
from North Korea.”
David’s latest novel, One Good
Deed, winds the clock back to the
1940s to meet a new character
in his addictive collection. Archer
is an unlucky young man fresh
out of prison for a crime he did
not commit. He travels to a small
town to serve his parole and ends
up fighting for his life.
“You’ll come away from this
thinking the Me Too movement●SGUY BELL