Lincoln Child was born in Westport, Connecticut and wrote his first fantasy novel while still in high school. After graduating with an English degree from Clarleton College in Minnesota, he gravitated to the publishing corridors of New York City, where worked as an editor at St. Martin’s Press. His affinity for the thrillers grew from editing the company’s mass market horror division. It was here in New York that he found he shared a common interest in the American Museum of Natural History, teaming up with Douglas Preston to write “The Relic.”

With a growing list of popular bestsellers, this dynamic writing duo has a loyal and ever growing following. Their thrillers are immersed in historical detail and fast-paced action, and their popular character, Special FBI Agent Pendergast has taken his place among the annals of famous crime solvers in American popular fiction.

A: Sometimes we take years exploring the historical and scientific detail in our novels. For example, Brimstone is set partly in Italy. I lived in Italy for four years and visited all the places mentioned, taking careful notes and sometimes going back multiple times. I searched all over Tuscany for just the right castle to set the book's finale in. Linc and I want to write books that will bring readers into a fully fleshed out world of incredible realism and detail - not just something slapped together for the sake of plot. Our readers love it. (And we have very good readers!)

Q: Does a theme for a thriller take shape in your mind with sudden inspiration, or does it slowly evolve over time?

A: Both. Sometimes the idea will strike like lightning out of the blue, at other times we'll mull an idea for years. The central twist in Brimstone (which, alas, I cannot reveal!) was an idea that Linc had at least eight years ago. We talked about it, dismissed it, talked about it again... and then bang! We realized just what we needed to do to turn it into an outstanding plot twist. Many of our ideas come from extensive reading, particular of the Scientific American and really strange, offbeat stories we dig up and file away.

Q: Writing as a team for so long must be a challenge at times. How can you be productive but also maintain your sense of humor and friendship??

A: For the past four years we were living 5,000 miles apart; Linc in New Jersey, and I in Florence Italy. That was useful because we couldn't punch each other in the nose. There are two things that make our collaboration work: we respect each other intellect, and we trust each other implicitly. When Linc says to me (in his usual gracious way) that something I've written stinks and must be thrown out, I have to believe him - and vice versa. It's not easy, but it results in some very tightly plotted and exciting novels.

Q: If you were to give a fledging writer some advice, what would it be?

A: It's like becoming a concert violinist: you need to practice every day. And that means writing and reading every day. It's hard, it takes discipline, and it takes an understanding family who will leave you completely alone for that hour or so you need to write.

Q: If you both hadn't become so successful as writers, what would have been your second career choice?

A: Before becoming a writer, I had a nice career going as an editor and publisher, and it would have been fun to continue with that. In another lifetime I would like to be an artist or a composer, two other areas I have great interest in (but, alas, little talent!)

Q: What is your greatest ambition at this point in your life, and how would you characterize any future challenges both professionally and personally?

A: My greatest ambition is to write a novel that will so enthrall and capture the imagination of readers that it will become a number one bestseller. Linc and I have gotten close but never quite made it. All writers want their voices to be heard and I am no exception. I have many ideas for future novels, written with Linc and also solo novels. I consider each one of those to be a future challenge. I've finished a solo novel, entitled The Garden of the Gods, set in the canyons of New Mexico and involving a stupendous discovery which shall remain nameless. I am finding this novel to be a marvelous challenge, very exciting to write-although I miss Lincoln's great input.

Q: Can you share with us something about yourself that is not commonly known?

A: When I play the piano, Chopin and Schubert turn over in their graves...

Q: Do you have a favorite literary character? Favorite book or books?

A: That's a difficult question, like asking which are my favorite children. Among my favorite novels are War and Peace by Tolstoy, The Idiot by Dostoevsky, The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, and A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway. My favorite literary characters are Sherlock Holmes, Count Fosco, Prince Myshkin, Levin, Hamlet, Hercule Poirot, and Leopold Bloom.

Q: If you could choose to have lunch with anyone, who would it be, and why?

A: I would have lunch with Homer and ask him to recite the Odyssey.

Q: What is your favorite past-time other than reading and writing?

A: I have several favorites, including horseback riding, skiing, mountain bike riding, and cooking.

Interview Date: September 2004
Profile and questions compiled by Rosanne L., Matthews Branch Library