Author Mariah Stewart
Rob Holden: Mariah Stewart, welcome to Readersroom.com. It’s a pleasure to have you with us here today!
Mariah Stewart: Thanks so much for having me.
Rob Holden: Let's start this off by talking about your latest novel, Final Truth. Can you tell our readers a bit about that?
Mariah Stewart: Final Truth is about a true crime writer who comes across the story of a young man on death row who, as it turns out, was convicted solely on bad evidence. The lab tech lied about the DNA match because he'd lost the victim's sample, and the only witness had been coerced to testify by the cops. The young man is freed, then disappears, and our heroine suspects she may have made a terrible mistake in helping to publicize his plight, after several women are killed, same MO as the victim for whom he'd been convicted.
Rob Holden: There are a few things about Final Truth that interested me greatly -- and I would like to start with the main character, Regan. Can you fill our readers in on where she came from?
Mariah Stewart: Sure. Regan Landry's father was an internationally known true crime writer. He was murdered in one of my DEAD books (the series I wrote before this current series) – Dead Even was the title. Regan had worked with him on several of the last books he'd written, and after his death, she completed the last book on her own, found she had a knack for it, and has been following in her dad's footsteps.
Rob Holden: Regan has been a part of all of the books in the Truth series, but this is really the first of them that she has "carried" by herself. Can you give us some insight into why you chose to go in this direction with the last book in the series?
Mariah Stewart: I felt after having been a secondary character in three or four books, she deserved her own story. I wanted her to have to establish herself as a major writer of true crime, and the only way to do that was to give her a tough case, which I felt this was. Also, there's a secondary plot thread that involves her on a personal level, and I wanted to resolve that. Plus, Regan has a lot of fans among readers, who really wanted to see her and Mitch take center stage I wanted to do a somewhat grittier story for her, because I thought she deserved it. And I've been fascinated by the number of stories coming from all over the country about the mishandling of DNA and the number of inmates who were involved.
Rob Holden: Let's talk about Mitch for a moment. Tell us a bit about him, and the special unit inside the FBI that he works for.
Mariah Stewart: Mitch works for a special unit within the FBI that's run by John Mancini, who'd started out as a very, very minor character in Brown-eyed Girl, which was the first true romantic suspense book I wrote. Mitch has great computer skills (I live vicariously through him - I have no such talents) and he's a really good investigator. He's from a large family in Maine and he adores Regan.
Rob Holden: And the special unit he works for?
Mariah Stewart: John hand-picks the agents - it's invitation only (I don't know if there is such a unit, but you can get away with this in fiction). His team members are all talented - there's a terrific profiler named Anne Marie McCall and a compositor named Kendra Smith and a cast of other characters. They all sort of float from book to book - whenever a profiler is needed, for example, Annie is called in. I like the continuity of the characters – I think it makes the books seem more like real life.
Rob Holden: While the unit is essentially your invention, it is very believably presented both in its construction and its methods. Can you tell our readers a bit about what sort of research you did to create it?
Mariah Stewart: I did a lot of online research on profiling and facial compositing and spoke with several members of different law enforcement agencies to get a feel for how things were done. I mostly made up everything else, though, as it suited the needs of my plots. I have a good friend who is a forensic psychologist and has worked as a profiler, and I run things past her all the time. For the scene in Final Truth where Regan and the killer are going one on one, I wrote the scene and then sent it to my friend and asked her if she felt the way Regan was dealing with the killer - the way she spoke to him, for example, rang true. Fortunately, she felt I'd done well with the interaction, but she did suggest a few details which I gladly accepted.
Rob Holden: Let's move back a book to your previous novel in the series, Dark Truth, which is just out in paperback. Can you tell our readers a bit about that novel?
Mariah Stewart: Dark Truth is the story of a young woman whose professor father had been convicted of raping and murdering several of his students. After her step-mother dies, she comes into possession of a box of his belongings, and in it, finds a letter he'd written to her that shakes her belief that he'd been guilty. To find out the truth, she enlists the aid of the local police department. The hero of the book is actually one of the police officers who had arrested her father. I should add that Nina, the heroine, is Regan Landry's editor, which is how Regan comes into the story.
Rob Holden: Yet again, the same characters appear in that book, as well as the rest of the series. Tell me, do you have any trouble with continuity, or do you find it easier to use the same people, since you already know them?
Mariah Stewart: I do find it easier on the one hand, because, yes, I know them. On the other, if you are going to keep using the same characters from book to book, even as secondary characters, they have to grow. The readers have to learn more about them with each book, or they won't seem like real people.
Rob Holden: And you use the "subplots" to keep them growing?
Mariah Stewart: Yes, to an extent. More often than not, it's through using the characters in their roles as investigators or whatever. If there's a big case and I feel several agents are needed, I will usually bring in one or two from past books, and another one or so who are totally new.
Rob Holden: Now the Truth series has been a VERY successful one for you, and yet Final Truth is just that -- the final book in the series. Can you tell us why you have chosen to end the series at the height of its popularity?
Mariah Stewart: That was really a decision that my publisher made - to have four books connected through the protagonists' relationships with one other character (Regan). But you know, my series never really end! I might focus on one aspect for a new series, but since so many characters recur, I don't feel they ever really end. They'll end when I stop writing about John Mancini's special unit - hopefully not for a while. There are more stories to be told.
Rob Holden: Which brings me to the new series I know you are currently starting. Can you tell our readers a bit about that?
Mariah Stewart: There are three books planned - Second Guess, Second Skin, Second Nature. Each will feature a member of the Shields family - which is a family that had many members in the Bureau. Second Guess is about an agent named Dorsey Collins - a minor character first introduced in Final Truth – whose father had, years ago, had been instrumental in catching the killer of a 14 year old girl. The killer was executed. Now, in 2006, the body of a woman is found in GA, and it's determined that she is in fact the girl who supposed died years ago (her body had not been found at the time but there was lots of blood and circumstantial evidence). Andrew Shields is investigating this new case, and Dorsey takes a leave to try to work unofficially with him to find the truth.
Rob Holden: Is there an approximate date when this novel is due out?
Mariah Stewart: This one will be out in - I think - May 2007. I should add that this is a darker book than I've done in the past, because Dorsey is carrying a lot of baggage, as is Andy, who is under a cloud since his brother was responsible for the murder of their cousin in the DEAD series.
Rob Holden: And is there someplace on the Internet where our readers can keep up with all the latest news about you?
Mariah Stewart: www.MariahStewart.com
Rob Holden: Mariah, can you tell our readers who are also writers a bit about your writing schedule and work habits?
Mariah Stewart: Should I leave out the part about how much I procrastinate? I'm in my office by 8 every morning and try to get through email by 9:30. Work until I'm hungry. Which could be 9:45 or 4 pm. I try to put in 6 hours/day.
Rob Holden: Before we wrap this up, I would like to thank Gilly Hailparn at Ballantine Books for her help in making this happen. Finally, Mariah, is there anything you would like to say to your fans who may read this chat at ReadersRoom.com?
Mariah Stewart: Yes, many thanks to Gilly, who is just the best. To my readers - yes, I'd like to thank them as well, for taking to my books and being so loyal to the series, from the beginning with Brown-Eyed Girl and Voices Carry at Pocket Books, through the present. I'm very grateful.
Rob Holden: Mariah Stewart, thank you for joining us to day, and all the best in the future!
Mariah Stewart: Rob, it's been my pleasure - thanks so much for inviting me today!
Mariah Stewart: Thanks so much for having me.
Rob Holden: Let's start this off by talking about your latest novel, Final Truth. Can you tell our readers a bit about that?
Mariah Stewart: Final Truth is about a true crime writer who comes across the story of a young man on death row who, as it turns out, was convicted solely on bad evidence. The lab tech lied about the DNA match because he'd lost the victim's sample, and the only witness had been coerced to testify by the cops. The young man is freed, then disappears, and our heroine suspects she may have made a terrible mistake in helping to publicize his plight, after several women are killed, same MO as the victim for whom he'd been convicted.
Rob Holden: There are a few things about Final Truth that interested me greatly -- and I would like to start with the main character, Regan. Can you fill our readers in on where she came from?
Mariah Stewart: Sure. Regan Landry's father was an internationally known true crime writer. He was murdered in one of my DEAD books (the series I wrote before this current series) – Dead Even was the title. Regan had worked with him on several of the last books he'd written, and after his death, she completed the last book on her own, found she had a knack for it, and has been following in her dad's footsteps.
Rob Holden: Regan has been a part of all of the books in the Truth series, but this is really the first of them that she has "carried" by herself. Can you give us some insight into why you chose to go in this direction with the last book in the series?
Mariah Stewart: I felt after having been a secondary character in three or four books, she deserved her own story. I wanted her to have to establish herself as a major writer of true crime, and the only way to do that was to give her a tough case, which I felt this was. Also, there's a secondary plot thread that involves her on a personal level, and I wanted to resolve that. Plus, Regan has a lot of fans among readers, who really wanted to see her and Mitch take center stage I wanted to do a somewhat grittier story for her, because I thought she deserved it. And I've been fascinated by the number of stories coming from all over the country about the mishandling of DNA and the number of inmates who were involved.
Rob Holden: Let's talk about Mitch for a moment. Tell us a bit about him, and the special unit inside the FBI that he works for.
Mariah Stewart: Mitch works for a special unit within the FBI that's run by John Mancini, who'd started out as a very, very minor character in Brown-eyed Girl, which was the first true romantic suspense book I wrote. Mitch has great computer skills (I live vicariously through him - I have no such talents) and he's a really good investigator. He's from a large family in Maine and he adores Regan.
Rob Holden: And the special unit he works for?
Mariah Stewart: John hand-picks the agents - it's invitation only (I don't know if there is such a unit, but you can get away with this in fiction). His team members are all talented - there's a terrific profiler named Anne Marie McCall and a compositor named Kendra Smith and a cast of other characters. They all sort of float from book to book - whenever a profiler is needed, for example, Annie is called in. I like the continuity of the characters – I think it makes the books seem more like real life.
Rob Holden: While the unit is essentially your invention, it is very believably presented both in its construction and its methods. Can you tell our readers a bit about what sort of research you did to create it?
Mariah Stewart: I did a lot of online research on profiling and facial compositing and spoke with several members of different law enforcement agencies to get a feel for how things were done. I mostly made up everything else, though, as it suited the needs of my plots. I have a good friend who is a forensic psychologist and has worked as a profiler, and I run things past her all the time. For the scene in Final Truth where Regan and the killer are going one on one, I wrote the scene and then sent it to my friend and asked her if she felt the way Regan was dealing with the killer - the way she spoke to him, for example, rang true. Fortunately, she felt I'd done well with the interaction, but she did suggest a few details which I gladly accepted.
Rob Holden: Let's move back a book to your previous novel in the series, Dark Truth, which is just out in paperback. Can you tell our readers a bit about that novel?
Mariah Stewart: Dark Truth is the story of a young woman whose professor father had been convicted of raping and murdering several of his students. After her step-mother dies, she comes into possession of a box of his belongings, and in it, finds a letter he'd written to her that shakes her belief that he'd been guilty. To find out the truth, she enlists the aid of the local police department. The hero of the book is actually one of the police officers who had arrested her father. I should add that Nina, the heroine, is Regan Landry's editor, which is how Regan comes into the story.
Rob Holden: Yet again, the same characters appear in that book, as well as the rest of the series. Tell me, do you have any trouble with continuity, or do you find it easier to use the same people, since you already know them?
Mariah Stewart: I do find it easier on the one hand, because, yes, I know them. On the other, if you are going to keep using the same characters from book to book, even as secondary characters, they have to grow. The readers have to learn more about them with each book, or they won't seem like real people.
Rob Holden: And you use the "subplots" to keep them growing?
Mariah Stewart: Yes, to an extent. More often than not, it's through using the characters in their roles as investigators or whatever. If there's a big case and I feel several agents are needed, I will usually bring in one or two from past books, and another one or so who are totally new.
Rob Holden: Now the Truth series has been a VERY successful one for you, and yet Final Truth is just that -- the final book in the series. Can you tell us why you have chosen to end the series at the height of its popularity?
Mariah Stewart: That was really a decision that my publisher made - to have four books connected through the protagonists' relationships with one other character (Regan). But you know, my series never really end! I might focus on one aspect for a new series, but since so many characters recur, I don't feel they ever really end. They'll end when I stop writing about John Mancini's special unit - hopefully not for a while. There are more stories to be told.
Rob Holden: Which brings me to the new series I know you are currently starting. Can you tell our readers a bit about that?
Mariah Stewart: There are three books planned - Second Guess, Second Skin, Second Nature. Each will feature a member of the Shields family - which is a family that had many members in the Bureau. Second Guess is about an agent named Dorsey Collins - a minor character first introduced in Final Truth – whose father had, years ago, had been instrumental in catching the killer of a 14 year old girl. The killer was executed. Now, in 2006, the body of a woman is found in GA, and it's determined that she is in fact the girl who supposed died years ago (her body had not been found at the time but there was lots of blood and circumstantial evidence). Andrew Shields is investigating this new case, and Dorsey takes a leave to try to work unofficially with him to find the truth.
Rob Holden: Is there an approximate date when this novel is due out?
Mariah Stewart: This one will be out in - I think - May 2007. I should add that this is a darker book than I've done in the past, because Dorsey is carrying a lot of baggage, as is Andy, who is under a cloud since his brother was responsible for the murder of their cousin in the DEAD series.
Rob Holden: And is there someplace on the Internet where our readers can keep up with all the latest news about you?
Mariah Stewart: www.MariahStewart.com
Rob Holden: Mariah, can you tell our readers who are also writers a bit about your writing schedule and work habits?
Mariah Stewart: Should I leave out the part about how much I procrastinate? I'm in my office by 8 every morning and try to get through email by 9:30. Work until I'm hungry. Which could be 9:45 or 4 pm. I try to put in 6 hours/day.
Rob Holden: Before we wrap this up, I would like to thank Gilly Hailparn at Ballantine Books for her help in making this happen. Finally, Mariah, is there anything you would like to say to your fans who may read this chat at ReadersRoom.com?
Mariah Stewart: Yes, many thanks to Gilly, who is just the best. To my readers - yes, I'd like to thank them as well, for taking to my books and being so loyal to the series, from the beginning with Brown-Eyed Girl and Voices Carry at Pocket Books, through the present. I'm very grateful.
Rob Holden: Mariah Stewart, thank you for joining us to day, and all the best in the future!
Mariah Stewart: Rob, it's been my pleasure - thanks so much for inviting me today!
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