Interview with Michele Martinez

A lot of Most Wanted is very real. The atmosphere, the characters (cops and bad guys alike), the lingo, the brutal pace of a high-profile investigation, the office politics. All that stuff was drawn from personal experiences in law enforcement (which doesn't mean any of it is literally true). But yes -- the story definitely differs from real life in important ways. First of all, I took Elmore Leonard's advice and left out the boring parts. There's a lot of detail work involved in investigating a crime, and I don't think readers need, or want, to get mired in those details. Second, there's more mystery in Most Wanted than there is in a real-life investigation. In reality, the hard part usually isn't figuring out who did the crime, it's building a case brick by brick to bring to justice someone you know did it, but against whom you don't have proof beyond a reasonable doubt. There's none of this putting ten viable suspects in a room, asking them pointed questions and deducing which one is the killer through use of your rapier-sharp wit. That's a convention of crime fiction, entirely made up. I don't ever succumb to the convention wholesale, but I do employ certain techniques of misdirection to make Most Wanted more suspenseful. Hey, it's a story. It should feel real, but it should be fun to read.

2. What's your writing background besides writing briefs? Classes? Writing group? Any book on writing that was helpful?

A lot of the writing I did as a prosecutor (and, importantly, the talking, when I was in court) was amazing training for writing crime novels. A huge part of my job was explaining the facts of crimes in a way that was clear and compelling. What did the undercover officer observe on a surveillance? What did the killer say to his cell-mate about the murder? What did the fingerprint expert find when he examined the weapon? I wrote about that stuff day-in and day-out for so many years that it became second nature. In terms of fiction writing, I have not studied formally. I took a terrific tutorial through the NYU Continuing Education program in which I worked one-on-one with a professor on an early draft of Most Wanted (although it was called something different then -- can't remember what!) I am also a big fan of Stephen King's brilliant book On Writing. He gives lots of sound practical advice and is also terrifically entertaining.

3. Most Wanted seems to be a mystery/thriller with a romantic edge -- is the romance going to be a regular part of the series? A different man every book? Dan and Melanie in an ongoing, increasingly torrid love-chase? Dish the dirt!

Melanie's personal life will always be a key part of the series. This may sound counter-intuitive, but it's my real-life law enforcement background that dictates this focus. I read a lot of crime novels where the heroes are archetypal loners -- bitter people with chips on their shoulders, drinking problems, troubled pasts. But the people I knew in my previous career were as a rule dedicated, upbeat professionals with spouses, kids, mortgages to pay off, and lawns to mow. So the fact that Melanie's personal life unfolds right alongside her work life is just true, as far as I'm concerned. Now, if you're asking me what happens next. . . all I can reveal is that Dan O'Reilly definitely shows up again in The Finishing School (the next Melanie Vargas thriller, coming in January 2006). But then again, so does Melanie's philandering husband Steve.

4. Can you say something about your writing process? Drafting, note taking, outlining? Ripped from the headlines or quiet inspiration that comes to you while sitting on a park bench?

I start with a detailed outline, which can take weeks to get right. Thrillers are heavily plot-driven, and I need to know there's a solution to the problem I've posed for my characters. Otherwise, I could write myself into a box and end up having to discard months of work. But that said, the moment I sit down to write, something more mysterious takes over. Characters show up that I never envisioned. I walk into a room alongside Melanie and find a clue I never knew existed. I might even discover that the killer is a different person than the one I originally suspected. That unpredictability is the best part of writing. As to headlines and park benches -- all that stuff figures in as well. A detail of a real-life crime, an overheard phrase. I have a little notebook I carry everywhere with me, and when I stumble upon a gem I write it down, save it up and use it when I find the place it fits.

In terms of finding an agent, nothing beats networking. Pitching your book to an agent in person or submitting it with a personal referral from one of the agent's clients is a million times more effective than sending a cold query letter. For mystery or crime writers, I advise joining Mystery Writers of America or Sisters in Crime and going to their events. In terms of marketing, my advice is to do as much as you possibly can without compromising your writing.