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Today’s guest on THE BIG SCARY BLOG is New York Times bestseller Steve Berry, a former Georgia lawyer who writes globe-spanning thrillers.  At last count there were over nine million copies of Steve’s books in print, and rights to his books have been sold in 50 countries and 37 languages.

JONATHAN MABERRY: What’s the spur that makes you write novel after novel?

STEVE BERRY: Something new and different from the past that catches my attention.  Nothing better than discovering a new mystery.

MABERRY: Have any favorite scenes?

STEVE BERRY: I’m partial toward two in particular.   In THE ROMANOV PROPHECY, the Romanian orphanage scenes, and the climax of THE CHARLEMAGNE PURSUIT that takes place in Antarctica.

MABERRY: You’re an attorney –has anyone commented on your writing during a court case?

STEVE BERRY: Many times.

MABERRY: Who usually brings it up?

STEVE BERRY: Opposing counsel loved to tell the judge or jury that I write fiction.

MABERRY: The ITW is becoming a powerhouse organization.  Tell us about that.

STEVE BERRY: I wouldn’t say ITW is a powerhouse yet.  I would say that it has risen quickly (over the past 5 years) to become a first rate organization of professional thriller writers and enthusiasts.  I give all the credit for that to our members, who have unselfishly given their time and energy to make that happen.

MABERRY: It’s coming up soon, isn’t it?

STEVE BERRY: ThrillerFest takes place each July.  This year it will be at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City, from July 8-11.  It’s an amazing gathering of thriller writers from around the world.   Fans are welcome.

MABERRY: Is that the only thing the ITW does?

STEVE BERRY: No.   It’s a very active organization.  If any of your readers are interested, they can learn more about ITW at thrillerwriters.org.

MABERRY: What’s going to keep publishing from sliding down the economic drain?

STEVE BERRY: The deep desire by readers, worldwide, to be both entertained and informed.  Fiction and non-fiction will not only survive, they will thrive in difficult times.

MABERRY: What’s your process from “Hey, I have an idea!” to “I just sent my manuscript to my editor!”

STEVE BERRY:  It takes a lot research and time to find the right information and marry that to the right plot, with the right characters.

MABERRY:  How long a process is that for you?

STEVE BERRY: For me, that entire process, including the actual writing, takes about 18 months

MABERRY: Talk about your current book.

STEVE BERRY: THE CHARLEMAGNE PURSUIT is Cotton Malone’s fourth adventure, an intensely personal journey for Cotton as he sets out to find out what happened to his father 38 years ago.  It’s a good story, much more character driven than my other novels, but lots of action and adventure.

MABERRY: What are the previous novels in the Cotton Malone series?

STEVE BERRY:  You don’t have to read them in any particular order.  The first book is THE TEMPLAR LEGACY, then there’s THE ALEXANDRIA LINK, then THE VENETIAN BETRAYAL, and now THE CHARLEMAGNE PURSUIT.

MABERRY: You’ve written a couple of stand-alone novels, too, haven’t you?

STEVE BERRY:  Yes.  THE THIRD SECRET was a conspiracy thriller set in the Vatican.  And there were a couple of Russian-themed suspense novels, THE AMBER ROOM and the THE ROMANOV PROPHECY.

MABERRY: Tell us about your next book.

STEVE BERRY: That will be Cotton Malone’s fifth adventure.  THE PARIS VENDETTA,   Coming December 2009.   You can find a teaser chapter in the back of Jim Rollins’THE LAST ORACLE. Lots of surprises coming in that tale. paperback release of

Visit Steve Berry online at www.steveberry.org

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