Kathy Reichs burst onto the fiction scene in the late 1990s with her first novel. Déjà Dead was a thriller rooted in an expert knowledge of science and medicine and powered by a strong female protagonist, Temperance Brennan. Since then Reichs has written eight Temperance Brennan novels and has frequently featured at the top of bestseller lists worldwide. She kindly took some time to answer our Techie's questions.
What made you decide to become a forensic anthropologist?
Well, I was studying doing bio-archaeology which is the study of ancient skeletons. Police started bringing me cases about skeletons they'd found so it was a natural progression really.
And what made you make the leap to writing?
When I became a professor of anthropology at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, I wanted to try something new - and writing was it.
In your last three books you have outlined where your inspiration has come
from. Does this mean that your earlier books were not inspired by true-life events?
No, each book is based on a real case or true-life experience.
The character Temperance Brennan has some striking similarities with your
own life. Is she based on you?
From a professional point of view, yes, she is based on me. Otherwise, in relation to her personal life, Tempe is her own person.
For Cross Bones you spent time in Israel as part of your research. Do you
find the research tedious or interesting?
On the contrary it was absolutely fascinating! Israel is such an amazing place.
Which is your favourite Temperance book? And was it the most fun to write?
It is hard to pick a favourite, each one of my books is like a child to me. However, I loved researching Cross Bones.
In some of the books Tempe ends up in gruesome or sticky situations such
as the sewage pit in Grave Secrets. Have you ever experienced anything like
this yourself? If so how do you cope?
I have never experienced anything quite that bad (thankfully!), though I have had two septic tank cases - both unused, old tanks. You just have to get on with it. It's part of the job.
During the last ten years there has been a huge increase in the number of
female crime fiction authors - yourself, Cornwall, Hoag etc. Why do you
think this is?
Women are moving into many fields they formerly left to the men. Law, medicine, the military etc. Crime fighting is one, why not crime fiction writing?
As a female author in a predominantly male genre, when you were starting out
did you find it difficult to get people to take you seriously?
No, I was very lucky. The first house to whom I submitted Deja Dead published it. The book went right onto the NY Times bestseller list.
As a huge fan of Temperance Brennan what can we expect to see from her in
the future?
I am currently working book on book number nine. Tempe is in the low country of South Carolina, which is a change for her.
Who is your favourite author?
Oh there's too many to name. PD James, Ian Rankin, John Irving, Larry McMurtry…
What was the last good book you read?
A Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde.
