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Bestselling Author Brad Meltzer Rob Holden: Brad Meltzer, welcome to ReadersRoom.com. It's a pleasure to chat with you today! BRAD MELTZER: Thanks for having me (or this electronic version of me). Rob Holden: Let's start this off with your latest bestseller, The Zero Game. Can you tell our readers a bit about that? BRAD MELTZER: The Zero Game is about a secret game that's being played on Capitol Hill right under the noses of the most powerful senators and congressmen, where staffers are literally gambling on Congress...betting on bills. "I bet I can get 7." "I bet I can get 12." "I bet you can't." The Zero Game is on. And when a high money bet goes wrong, two young staffers realize they're no longer players in the game -- they're pawns. It's a thriller and all fiction -- but all based on reality. Natalie R. Collins: Which makes it even more frightening. BRAD MELTZER: I hope so. My mom was REALLY scared! Rob Holden:While there wasn't any part of The Zero Game that I didn't like, I think what impressed me the most about the book was how you developed and handled the character of Viv. Was it difficult for you to write her?

BRAD MELTZER: Viv was the hardest character I've ever written. She's young, female, and African-American. No matter what I do in life, there are 3 things I know I'll never be: young, female, and African-American. In my first draft of the book, my editor loved the book, but said the only problem was Viv -- that she wasn't real enough. And she was right. So I went back, did even more research...spent months talking to friends, hanging out at malls for dialects...even reading developmental books on young female African-American girls. Then I rewrote EVERY scene Viv was in. It was like threading a needle through the entire novel. But the result is one of my favorite characters ever. So thanks!

Natalie R. Collins: Uh, Brad? Hate to point this out, but while you may never be African American or female, but you're still pretty young.

BRAD MELTZER: Bless you for saying that. Have you seen my hairline?

Natalie R. Collins: Hair does not make the man!

BRAD MELTZER: Will you marry me?

Rob Holden: You are BOTH already married!

Natalie R. Collins: Well, since I live in Utah, it's possible. We do things differently around here.

Rob Holden: For me -- as a reader -- the most powerful scene you have ever written was the one in which Harris and Viv are in the mine in South Dakota. What kind of research did you have to do to make that scene so realistic?

BRAD MELTZER: As for the gold mine, that was the craziest thing I've ever done to research a scene for a book. I actually wrote a whole article about it, which you can see for free at www.bradmeltzer.com -- under the Other Works section. But when I was researching The Zero Game, I found out about a gold mine in South Dakota that ran 8000 feet underground. To put that in perspective, that's six Empire State Buildings straight down. But I wanted to get it right, so I went down 8000 feet to the bottom of that mine in South Dakota. And what the government is building down there? What I saw? That's real. I saw it (and dressed it up a bit, but it's real). So I went down into the mine -- why? -- for my readers, I will risk my life. Go Utah!

Natalie R. Collins: That sounds seriously scary.

BRAD MELTZER: It seriously was. And the craziest part was, it was a few weeks before those miners in PA were trapped underground. They were 240 feet down. I was 8000 feet. My wife almost killed me.

Natalie R. Collins: Since we are talking about your penchant for researching yourself to (near) death, let's talk about The Tenth Justice. Did you go down to Disneyworld and hang out?

BRAD MELTZER: You mean The Millionaires?

Natalie R. Collins: Whoops! Well, you knew which book I meant. Did you go behind the scenes with Mickey? It was all so realistic to me.

BRAD MELTZER:And yeah, I went to Disney. And let me say, I've researched the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court -- and Disney keeps its secrets better than all of them combined. Want to know who to put in charge of Homeland Security? Michael Eisner. Seriously, Mickey and Donald and Goofy are nice, but if you cross them, they'll make your family disappear in the middle of the night! But Disney was great -- and what you see down there is real.

Rob Holden: Since we are on the subject, could you tell our readers a bit about The Millionaires -- which is currently out in paperback?

BRAD MELTZER: The Millionaires is about two brothers who steal money - for the very best of reasons -- and go on the run. But what the book asks is: can you disappear these days? Can the government find you? And what are the trails we all leave behind without ever knowing it? I researched The Millionaires pre-9/11, so I had full government cooperation. Again, you'll see the real details in there. And I couldn't write The Millionaires today. Again, I wrote an essay on the research involved in www.bradmeltzer.com (that's officially 2 plugs and counting).

Rob Holden: Plug away!

BRAD MELTZER: www.bradmeltzer.com 3!

BRAD MELTZER: www.bradmeltzer.com 4!

BRAD MELTZER: www.bradmeltzer.com 5!

Natalie R. Collins: You're cracking me up here, Brad.

BRAD MELTZER:Tanks!

Natalie R. Collins: I'm afraid we may have lost Rob. Uno momento, please.

BRAD MELTZER: He's dead!?

Natalie R. Collins: No, just wandering around the back tunnels of Disney.

BRAD MELTZER: He's dead!

Natalie R. Collins:Ha! Okay, so we shall carry on. Let's talk about your work with DC Comics, Brad. Can you tell us a little about that?

BRAD MELTZER: For anyone who doesn't know, besides writing mysteries and thrillers, I love reading comic books. (That's right, smart guy). And so, after director Kevin Smith left his run writing DC's hero Green Arrow, they asked me to take over. I said yes. And now, starting June 9, you'll see the publication of Identity Crisis, a murder mystery starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and all the DC heroes. It's everything I know about thrillers, applied to comic books. But how do you hide from a man who can see through walls? How do you hide from a woman who has a magic lasso to make you tell the truth? You'll see.

Rob Holden: I'm back! Will Identity Crisis be a comic book series, or a stand alone?

BRAD MELTZER: It's a 7-issue series, coming out monthly on June 8th. If you want to subscribe to them all, and don't know where a comic store is, go here -- they'll mail them to you: www.x-worldcomics.com

Rob Holden: Brad, even though we are doing this chat earlier than we'd planned to, we still have a few reader's questions for you. Will you answer them for us now?

BRAD MELTZER: Of course.

Natalie R. Collins: Sara P., Enid, OK: Mr. Meltzer, I read a quote of yours, about writing, "Details drive the ideas, everything else is a gift from God." During your years of writing, what ONE detail did you find that netted the most interesting gift? And what book was it in?

BRAD MELTZER: I remember -- when I was researching The Tenth Justice (my first published work) -- I finally took the time to contact a former Supreme Court clerk and ask her about my plot. I gave her the entire set-up of the book, and there was dead silence on the phone. "What's wrong?" I asked. Her response was simple: "The scariest thing about your book is it could happen." That was when I knew I should write that novel. And The Tenth Justice was born.

Natalie R. Collins: Carolyn K., Moab, UT: How did you feel about writing script for the Green Arrow after you had been a fan for so many years? Did this adoration affect your perspective on the characters?

BRAD MELTZER:Without a doubt. I'd been wanting to write comics my whole life -- so once I had the chance, I almost died. But once it starts, like any novel, you jump into the character and take them on the best ride you can find. If I do my job right, they tell me what to do -- I don't tell them.

Natalie R. Collins: Allison J., Atlanta, GA: Your web site is great, easy to use and lots of information. How often do you read the posts on the message board, and what are your favorite kinds of notes from readers?

BRAD MELTZER: I read the posts every day -- they come right to me. As for which I like best, it's usually something like this: Dear Brad, I love you. You're the best. You're better than margarine. Love, [Your name here]. But I'm glad you dig the site -- I worked real hard to make sure it wasn't just an ad.

Natalie R. Collins: This is our last reader question: Mark L., New York, NY: With your interest in comic books, do you collect old copies and if you do, what is your most treasured copy?

BRAD MELTZER: I used to collect rare books -- but now, I just buy what I love to read. Call me nuts, but to me, the fun of having a book is reading it -- not letting it sit on my shelf. So the collection died that day. These days, I only buy what I read.

Rob Holden: Thanks for answering those. Brad, as I mentioned before, we are doing this chat about three weeks earlier than we intended, because you recently received some GREAT news. It seems a project you are very involved in has been picked up by a major television network. Can you tell us something about that?

BRAD MELTZER: Sure -- the show is called Jack & Bobby and will be a new TV series premiering on the WB this fall. The original idea for Jack & Bobby was simple, but incredibly unique: Jack and Bobby are two brothers (not the Kennedys) -- one of whom will be the President of the United States. He'll be the leader of the free world. He'll make the world's toughest decisions. And he'll be the world's most powerful man. That's when he's President. Right now, though -- he's just a teenager. Throughout each episode, Jack & Bobby follows this young boy who will one day be President. Needless to say, the boy has no idea of his destiny. But the audience does. Welcome to Jack & Bobby.

Rob Holden: And are you writing the show?

BRAD MELTZER: A friend (Steve Cohen) and I wrote the first draft of the pilot. The show was pitched to Tommy Schlamme of The West Wing, who became executive producer. We were then paired with the fantastic producers/creator of Everwood, Greg Bertlanti, Micky Liddell, and Vanessa Taylor (who wrote the final draft). With this truly amazing group of talent, Jack & Bobby came to life.

Natalie R. Collins: Hey, I know Tommy... Well, I've met him, anyway.

BRAD MELTZER:How? He's the best.

Natalie R. Collins: He's married to Christine Lahti, who premiered a film at Sundance. I was her filmmaker liaison. She's wonderful. One of the nicest people I've ever met.

BRAD MELTZER: Totally agree! Christine Lahti plays Jack & Bobby's mom in the show.

Rob Holden: Will you have a continuing involvement in Jack & Bobby?

BRAD MELTZER: I'm a producer in the first year -- but to be honest, I will be getting back to my new novel right after the show gets going. My publisher will kill me if I don't!

Natalie R. Collins:Those publishers!

BRAD MELTZER: Not as bad as Disney!

Rob Holden:Are you finding working in television to be different from the other multitude of things you seem to be involved in?

BRAD MELTZER: TV is hard. In a novel, I control it all. Sets, characters, plot, everything. In TV, the collaboration is just amazing. And it takes a real skill set to keep all the balls in the air.

Rob Holden: One of the questions our readers who are also writers like us to ask is about our guests writing habits. With so many things going on, what is YOUR writing schedule -- and when do you find time to write!

BRAD MELTZER: I treat it like a job -- sitting in front of my computer by 9:30 -- then writing until I peter out -- sometimes at 5, 6, 7, or 8. Depends on the day. As for finding time, that's why I don't do a book a year. If I kept that schedule, my books would be crap -- and readers deserve far better than phoned-in crap.

Rob Holden: You mentioned earlier that you were working on your next novel. Can you give us any idea what that one will be about?

BRAD MELTZER: No hints on the new one. Sorry!

Natalie R. Collins: How long does it take you to write your average book? Um, average as in the time it takes, not that it's just an "average" book...

BRAD MELTZER: A year and a half to 2 years.

Rob Holden:Before we wrap this up, I would like to thank Edna Farley, who helped make this chat happen.

BRAD MELTZER: LOVE Edna!

Natalie R. Collins: Thanks, Edna!

Rob Holden: Finally, is there anything you would like to say to your readers who might read this chat at ReadersRoom.com.

BRAD MELTZER: Let me end by saying one thing: I got 24 rejection letters on my first novel, which is still sitting on my shelf, published by Kinko's. Twenty-four people told me to give it up. Twenty-four people said to stop. But the lesson is not: I'm right and they're wrong. The lesson is: don't let anyone tell you "No." Life is subjective. Whatever you do, whether you're a teacher, lawyer, stay at home mom, whatever, don't let anyone tell you no. Keep going! Seriously, don't stop. Never, ever, ever stop.

Rob Holden: Brad Meltzer, thanks for joining us today, and all the best with Jack & Bobby, the comic books, TV and ... well everything else!

BRAD MELTZER: And Rob and Natalie (who I feel like calling Nat I like so much), you rule school. Thanks for taking care of me! Rob -- thanks for the tech help and understanding too!

Rob Holden:Our pleasure!

BRAD MELTZER: Bye!




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