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Paging Dr. Tess Gerritsen
February 7, 2008

The first thing I noticed about Tess Gerritsen was her warm and friendly smile.  It made me feel like I'd known her forever and while I felt like I kind of did because I'd been reading her books for years, I'd expected a creepier person.  If you aren't familiar with Tess' books, she writes medical thrillers like Harvest (about the Russian mafia harvesting organs from orphans) and the very popular series with medical examiner Maura Isles and homicide detective Jane Rizzoli.  Yes, these book creep me out, but I love them.

BV:  I understand that you started out as a doctor.

TG:  Yes, I was an internal medicine doctor and my husband is also a doctor.

BV:  Sounds like an exciting career.  Why change?

TG:  One day I had a patient I was working with in the hospital and when she was discharged she handed me a bag of romance novels and told me to relax and enjoy.  I had never read romance and was going to give them away, but I picked one up and started reading it.  I was hooked.  Then while I was on maternity leave I wrote a romantic suspense.  A new career was born.  I do have to say that I've been writing since the age of 7 when I wrote a cloth book that was bound with thread and I still have it.

BV:  What was the best part of writing romantic suspense?

TG:  The first letter I received from a fan said, "Because of you I'm reading again."  It doesn't get much better than that.

BV:  I read that you also wrote a screenplay that became the movie Adrift with Kate Jackson (of Charlie's Angel's fame).

TG:  It was a lark and after writing it, I knew I didn't want to be a screenwriter.

BV:  You just got back from a European tour.  Were the fans different than in the U.S.?

TG:  In the UK the fans are more rabid crime readers, more blood thirsty.  And the avid readers don't need the romance.  The readers there are 50/50 men and women.  In Germany, the book covers are Renaissance paintings and look more literary.

BV:  Do your Isles and Rizzoli books need to be read in order?  

TG:  It makes it more interesting, but most can stand alone.

BV:  One of the author's here, Stacey, told you that she printed up one of your inspirational blogs about writing and has it posted above her computer.  How does that feel?

TG:  I think it's very theraputic to connect with other writers.  There are universal issues and a lot of the same creative problems.

BV:  Do you miss being a doctor?

TG:  Not really.  I have more free time, but it has given me great ideas for books.

For which we are all grateful Tess went to medical school.

Bottom Line:  With her books translated into 31 languages, and more than 15 million copies sold, I'd say Tess Gerritsen has a lot to smile about.

Posted by Barbara Vey on February 7, 2008 | Comments (5)