Like every Southern writer, I thought that I needed to write the next Gone With the Wind. Karin Slaughter More Quotes by Karin Slaughter More Quotes From Karin Slaughter First and foremost, I want people to have a good read, because I want everything I write to entertain people. There are always different layers to the story, though, so if you want to think about social justice, or sexism or racism or homophobia, or really drill down into why the world is a better place when the police force looks like the people they are policing, then that's there, too. Karin Slaughter justice writing thinking I am a voracious reader myself. I don't stick to one genre. My only criteria is that it's a good story. I try to bring that to my work because I think people can read your excitement about a story. Karin Slaughter trying people thinking A good editor is one of the sharpest tools a writer can have in her toolbox. Karin Slaughter The plot is very important because writers have to play fair with their readers, but no one would care about the plot if the character work wasn't there. So, basically every book I work on starts with me thinking not just about the bad thing that's going to happen, but how that bad thing is going to ripple through the community, the family of the victim, and the lives of the investigators. I am keenly aware when I'm working that the crimes I am writing about have happened to real people. I take that very seriously. Karin Slaughter real character book If you're a smart guy, you should really try to find out what women are thinking. I mean, we are 51 percent of the population. Karin Slaughter smart mean thinking Ultimately, I'm in control of what's going on in the books, so I can back off, if it's scaring me too much. Karin Slaughter too-much ifs book My father and his eight siblings grew up in the kind of poverty that Americans don't like to talk about unless a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina strikes, and then the conversation only lasts as long as the news cycle. His family squatted in shacks. The children scavenged for food. Karin Slaughter family food father children As voters and taxpayers, we must demand that our local governments properly prioritize libraries. As citizens, we must invest in our library down the street so that the generations served by that library grow up to be adults who contribute not just to their local communities but to the world. Karin Slaughter street grow library world If I wasn't a writer, I would probably be a watchmaker. I like putting puzzles together, and that is what a watch is, figuring out how all the gears and everything else works together. I'm patient and good at focusing on a single task. Karin Slaughter everything good single together Even if you live in a big city, everybody lives in a small town. We identify ourselves by our neighborhoods - 'I live in the Village, or in Chelsea.' Karin Slaughter live city you village There's a tendency among some male writers to make the women in their stories weak and needing of rescue so that their hero looks like a manly man. Karin Slaughter man women hero looks Graphic novels let you take risks that just wouldn't fly in the conventional book form. Karin Slaughter fly risks you book Every writer I know got their start in a library somewhere. We read a book, and we thought, 'I want to do that.' Karin Slaughter thought start library book For many children, the library represents their only access to books, reading, and the Internet outside of their home. If you think about how far behind a child would be without access to these fundamental tools - tools that are vital to successful employment later in life - it's a travesty. Karin Slaughter you home life children Equal access to reading is fundamental to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Karin Slaughter liberty reading happiness life I started Save the Libraries in 2010 by hosting a big fundraiser in my city library of DeKalb County in Atlanta. Through that, I learned that even with fundraisers, libraries often don't make money - they just barely break even. Karin Slaughter city big library money That's why I love crime novels so much: When I write a crime novel, the conflict is built in. Karin Slaughter why conflict crime love The book that first made me want to be a writer is Flannery O'Connor's short story collection 'A Good Man Is Hard To Find.' Karin Slaughter good me man book It sounds pretentious to say I 'divide' my time, but when I am home, that usually means my house in Atlanta or my cabin in the North Georgia Mountains. The latter is where I do the majority of my writing. Karin Slaughter mountains i-am home time My typical morning involves some time on the treadmill, but obviously I skip that a lot. Mostly, I wake up, check my email, then get to work on the various interviews and questions and phone calls that come with being an author. Karin Slaughter wake-up work time morning
