U Is for Undertow

Q: Can you describe your average workday for us?
A: During the hot months, whether in California or Kentucky, I do a five- to six-mile walk first thing in the morning while the temperature is bearable. I then shower, dress, and reach my desk by 9:30 or 10:00. I work until lunch when I take a brief break and then return to my desk for another three to four hours. When the weather is cold and unpleasant, I reserve my walk for late afternoon when the sun is out. My workday includes research, reading, writing, rewriting, thinking, fretting, getting blocked, getting unblocked, and starting the whole cycle again.

Q: Your father, C.W. Grafton, wrote three mysteries, including the classic Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. How much of an influence did he have on your writing?
A: When I was growing up...ages 6, 8, 10, 12, etc., he often talked about the process of writing. His fiction was relegated to the early to late evenings in the office after he'd met and addressed his responsibilities as a full-time municipal bond attorney. I didn't realize how much he was teaching me, but I've adopted many of his tenets: an appreciation of the English language, proper spelling, proper punctuation, attention to detail, respect for minor characters, and endless revisions. From him, I learned how to deal with an editor and how to handle rejection. I admired his professional ethics, his humility, and all the hard work he put into both the law and his writing. My only regret is that I never had the chance to talk to him about his storytelling skills and how he balanced plot and character, keeping faithful to each.

Q: Forgive us if you've been asked a million times, but how did the alphabet idea come to you?
A: I'd been thinking about a mystery series, wondering how to frame the books so that readers would be alerted that a new one was in the offing. I knew about Harry Kemmelman who linked his titles with days of the week. I'd also long admired John D. MacDonald's whose novels were connected through the use of color in the titles. I was reading a collection of Edward Gorey cartoons...The Gashlycrumb Tinies...which featured pen and ink drawings of Victorian children being done in by fair means or foul. "A" is for Amy who fell down the stairs, "B" is for Basil assaulted by bears, "C" is for Clara who wasted away.... I could feel an imaginary light bulb go on above my head and I quickly sat down and sketched out as many crime-related words as I could think of. When I was confident that there were sufficient nouns in the alphabet to cover a multitude of storylines, I staked my claim, writing "A" IS FOR ALIBI.

Q: The beginning of "U" IS FOR UNDERTOW has multiple narrative points of view, which is a bit of a departure. What inspired that device?
A: I used multiple points of view and shifting time periods for the first time in "S" IS FOR SILENCE. In "T" IS FOR TRESPASS, I used two points of view...that of Kinsey and her nemesis, Solana Rojas. In approaching any new novel, I'm reluctant to impose my will on the nature, the subject, or the structure of the story. I wait until I have a sense of what will best suit my purposes. In other words, I don't tell the book...the book tells me.

Q: This is your 21st Kinsey Millhone novel. How do you manage to keep your stories so fresh after all this time?
A: At a practical level, I've constructed a chart in which I keep track of the nature of the villain, the nature of the victim, the motive for the crime, and the means by which the conflict is resolved. I also keep a log-line for each book so I can see the set-ups I've used in the past. This helps me avoid the temptation to repeat myself. Unconsciously, we tend to gravitate to the known and the familiar so I'm constantly jolting myself out of my own comfort zone. The motto I keep closeby is this: If you aren't scared, you ain't workin' hard enough. I refuse to fake, to cheat, to coast, or to take shortcuts.

Q: Kinsey seems to be learning more about her past and her family in your most recent books. Where do you envision these relationships going?
A: Over the years, I've learned to let characters and relationships evolve as they will. I don't make projections and I can't predict the future for any of us. I trust that if I'm faithful to the moment, the long-term issues will take care of themselves.

Q: Do you see Kinsey ever settling down into a relationship?
A: You'd have to ask her about that. As her biographer, I'm given information and insight on a need-to-know basis. Anything else, she assures me is none of my business. I'll be as surprised as my readers about where she goes, what she does, and where she'll end up. I can assure you she'll outlive the series, as will Henry Pitts and his siblings. As I've said before, given that the series will end in the narrative year 1990, Henry will turn 90 and his sister Nell will only be a 101 years old. Why would any of them die, when they're in good health, good spirits, and fine form?