A conversation with
Lisa Gardner, author of Touch & Go
How did you come up with the idea for Touch & Go?
I’ve always wanted to kidnap a family. Abduction is a time-honored
suspense hook. Add to that the dynamics of a family in turmoil, and you have great
possibilities for murder and mayhem. The issue was how to take such a classic set up and
make it fresh. I mean, where would you take this family? Wilderness? It’s been done.
Basement? It’s been done. Caverns, bunkers, bomb shelters, ditto. Then, one day I toured a
mothballed prison, and my writer’s mind went, GOT IT.
For your research for Touch & Go, you toured a recently built
prison. What was that like?
Initially, I wasn’t incredibly excited about touring a new prison
facility. Having visited a number of occupied prisons, I thought an empty building would
be pretty boring. But how many times do you get a chance to check out a maximum security
facility before it opens, right? Turns out, empty prisons are creepy. The size and scale
of everything is nearly mind-boggling. Sure, the cells are tiny, but the prison blocks
themselves, the yawning hallways, the sprawling cafeterias, the endless echo of your own
footsteps… Let’s face it. I had to use the space for evil. I also learned there are a
number of unopened new prisons, plus mothballed old prisons around the country. So I did a
bit of digging, and yes, created my own fictional amalgamation. I’d never gotten to design
my own prison before. It was kind of fun!
Touch & Go involves a number of characters, a whole family, the
group of people who kidnap them, and a number of law enforcement personnel. Which
characters were the hardest to write and which came easily? Do you have a favorite?
For Touch & Go I moved the action to my own backyard in northern
New Hampshire. That meant I needed a New Hampshire detective. Thanks to the good graces of
the county sheriff’s department, I got to spend several days interviewing the sergeant
overseeing the detectives unit. It was fascinating! After all these years of looking
through D.D. Warren’s Boston cop eyes, to take on a law enforcement world that is so rural
and back country and crazy… As Sergeant Santuccio put it, north of Concord is a completely
different playing field, where back up can be hours away, most officers have drawn their
weapons at least once on the job, and no one has enough officers, investigative tools or
time to get things done right, and yet that’s exactly what they do again and again.
Amazing! All this research went into the making of my new character, Sergeant Wyatt
Foster, a cop who wants to be a carpenter, or a carpenter who wants to be a cop. I think
he steals the show.
Libby Denbe is a very realistic and flawed character. Did you intend
her to be seen as a hero or as partially deserving of her fate?
Libby is…raw. That’s how I viewed her the entire time I was writing the
novel. A smart, capable woman, astute enough to realize that she has screwed up her life,
but just not emotionally ready to pick herself up and rebuild. She’s hurting, still
grieving for her fractured marriage, her unrealized dreams. Does she deserve what has
happened to her? That’s a good question for book clubs to debate!
How did you start writing?
I’ve always loved to read and I’ve always loved to write. That geek in the
back of Latin class who was working on a short story instead of listening to her teacher’s
lecture—that was me! One summer, I decided to see if I could write a whole novel. I spent
my days drafting a book and my nights working as a waitress. The results were one
complete, albeit truly dreadful novel, plus shorter hair that I’d caught on fire twice
serving an appetizer called flaming saganaki. Realizing my future in food service was
limited, I focused on polishing my novel. The rest, as they say, is history.
How many books have you published so far?
Touch & Go will be my 28th novel.
Can you tell us a little about your writing schedule, editing and
revision process, novel development, etc.? How long does it take you to write a story?
I like to write first thing in the morning. I’m always trying to get a
certain number of scenes done each week. Sometimes that means writing a few hours a day.
Sometimes that means writing ten hours a day. It depends on how fast the hamster is
turning the wheel in my brain. I start with a general outline of each novel. The major
plot points, key scenes, research that needs to be incorporated into the story, etc. I
change a lot as I write, however, so the end novel may bear little resemblance to my
starting idea. Sometimes characters take over. Sometimes I come up with a better idea for
a plot point or a plot twist, so I reorient the story to make the new and improved concept
work. It usually takes me six months to draft a novel, then three months to polish it.
How do you do your research?
Whenever possible, I try to interview professionals in the field.
Personally, I don’t have a law enforcement background, so I generally start with a call to
some poor detective who has the misfortune to pick up his phone. I’m honestly touched and
amazed by the thorough assistance I’ve received. I’ve interviewed FBI agents, ATF agents,
state police, local police, corrections officers, etc., and every single one of them has
taken significant time out of his or her day to answer my questions. They are very nice
people doing very tough jobs.
Who are your role models? Which writers have influenced you the most?
I remember being twelve-years old and reading M.M. Kaye’s The Far
Pavilions. I was completely enthralled by that novel. The way she made the setting,
history, and characters come so richly alive. From the beautiful romance to the gritty
battle scenes, I thought reading that book was one of the most intense experiences I’d
ever had. Of course, I was twelve. But I still love that novel. I reread it every few
years, and every few years I’m enthralled all over again. I also enjoy Stephen King, Lee
Child, Linwood Barclay, C.S. Harris, Tess Gerritsen and Karin Slaughter.
What has been your favorite question or comment by your fans?
I like it when fans tell me I’ve kept them awake all night, or made them
forget to feed their kids dinner, or kept them from going into to work because they simply
had to finish my book. It gives me a warm feeling inside. In all honesty, I’m really
honored by how much people enjoy my novels and I love to hear from readers.
I’m an aspiring writer. Can you give me any advice on finding an agent
or editor?
I recommend that any serious writer join a writers group. Three great
organizations are Romance Writers of America and its suspense subchapter Kiss of Death;
Mystery Writers of America; and International Thriller Writers. These groups offer local
chapters where you can meet other aspiring writers as well as published authors. They also
sponsor local conferences where you learn about the craft of writing, the business of
publishing, and pitch your book ideas directly to agents and editors. All in all, a lot of
support and services in return for fairly modest yearly dues.
What is the best and the worst thing about your job?
Best thing about being a writer is working in my pajamas, not to mention
that chocolate is a “brain food” which explains most of my afternoons. Worst thing is
deadlines. I wish I could just play with my characters forever. But sooner or later, all
good writers must wrap up their stories and hand them over. D’oh!
Any surprising/hidden talents other than writing?
Actually, I think one of the lynchpins of my career is that this is it.
See, I wrote my first book when I was 17 and sold it when I was 20. Normal authors don’t
do that, because they’re busy exploring other talents. They’re creative types flirting
with drawing, playwriting, TV producing, home decorating, legal, medical or journalistic
careers, etc., etc. Not me. I tried a little bit of everything, and failed each time.
Can’t draw, suck at poetry, have no patience for the corporate world. But somehow, I love
stories. Give me a single line, and I can tell you the movie or book it’s from. Freakish,
but there you have it. I love books, books love me, and I’ve been publishing ever since.
If you weren’t a writer, what would be your fantasy career?
I would love to be a criminologist! I don’t have a strong enough science
background to go into forensics, but it’s the criminal mind that fascinates me the most
anyway. I feel each of my novels explores the same basic, primordial question: What is the
nature of evil? Interestingly enough, there isn’t one answer. Hence, I’ve gotten to write
fourteen novels, instead of just the first. Evil can be born (The Perfect Husband),
evil can be made (Say Goodbye), evil can be both, a combination of nature and
nature (Catch Me), and I’m sure there are even more answers to that question,
meaning I have to get busy writing more books!
