Lee Child, the author of the perennially best-selling Jack Reacher series, sits down to write each day unsure of whatโs about to happen.
โI get the same shock the reader gets,โ Mr. Child says, โat the end of a chapter. โWow, I definitely did not see that coming.โ And the really funny thing for me is when, afterward, a reader will say, โOh, I had it all figured out by Page 50,โ and I think, โReally? I didnโt.โโ
Mr. Child is one of several prominent thriller writers who recently spoke about the writing process with Tina Jordan, an editor at The New York Times Book Review and the host of this special edition of the Book Reviewโs podcast. Ms. Jordan is also joined by Meg Gardiner, Megan Abbott, Lisa Gardner and Lisa Scottoline, who shares Mr. Childโs surprise at her own creations.
โI have no outline,โ Ms. Scottoline says. โYou know when people say, โDo you know how it ends?’ I donโt know how it middles, I donโt know anything. But I know the beginning.โ
Listen to the episode for more, including how the Zodiac killer inspired Ms. Gardinerโs interest in crime and how Mr. Child choreographs Reacherโs fight scenes.
We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Reviewโs podcast in general. You can send them to books@nytimes.com.
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