Q&A with Robin Burcell - Pre-Questions & Answers - August 31st > Likes and Comments
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Question for Robin: when a thriller has both investigative momentum and character history, how do you decide how much backstory to reveal before it starts slowing the present-day danger?
Hi Robin,How long does it realistically take IRL to get DNA results
I have started reading the book and should finish it today. I hope to post my review later today too. Now I need to add the rest of the series to my TBR.
Here is my 4.18 rounded to 4 stars review of The Last Good Place by Robin Burcell:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Police Procedural
reboot of Carolyn Weston's trilogy about the same two detectives
Gritty, atmospheric, authentic procedural details, good characterization
Here are a few questions from me.1. Are there any themes you find yourself repeatedly exploring in your novels?
2. When you finish a book, do you immediately start writing another one or do you take some time away from writing?
3. Is there a genre you haven’t tried yet but would like to?
4. What is your favorite part of being a writer?
5. What types of books do you read for fun? Genres, specific authors???
6. What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
7. What kind of approach do you take to writing (outline, write it all at once, drafts, edit as you go, etc.)?
8. What has you excited about writing next? Can you share any details?
9. The Last Good Place was a great read, but it was published in 2015. I know it was a reboot of Carolyn Weston's series about the same characters. Do you have any plans to write another book in this series?
10. You have several other series. Do you have a recommendation for which one to read first?
Here are a few more1. With a great history of job roles, could you pick which work did you enjoy the most.
2. My one main question was as Pam's mentions is book 2 coming in the Streets Of San Francisco?
3. Who are your favourite authors.
4. Do you enjoy travelling, where are your favourite places.
Hi Robin, I enjoyed your book, especially the two very different detectives. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm also interested to know whether you're planning on continuing with the series?
I only vaguely remember watching re-runs of "The streets of San Francisco" and enjoying them but was wondering how much of the character of Klug has changed (since he would have been very young then) and whether any other characters have made it through to your new time line?
I also really want to know if all the jokes about cops and donut consumption (which perpetuate to this day) are real or exaggerated?
Vera wrote: "Question for Robin: when a thriller has both investigative momentum and character history, how do you decide how much backstory to reveal before it starts slowing the present-day danger?"I like to think of writing like cooking. You don’t just dump in all the ingredients at a time. You add a bit, taste it, add a bit more, etc. If we knew the answers right away, we probably wouldn’t want to read any farther, after all, we know everything. So I only want to give enough info to let us understand a scene, hopefully whet the appetite to want to turn the page and discover what happens next, then dish out a bit more so you turn the page. Maybe like a trail of tasty breadcrumbs? Then, when you think you’ve found the main course, boom! I throw something else in the mix!
Carolyn wrote: "Hi Robin, I enjoyed your book, especially the two very different detectives. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm also interested to know whether you're planning..."
The possibility always exists to resurrect the series, so never say never. I do know that when Brash Books approached me to write this, there were some questions on how to write the characters. Do we keep it in the past or move it to the present? Paramount was actually talking about rebooting the TV show, but decided against it, for whatever reason. Maybe they couldn’t figure out how to update the characters, since (in the original book) some of the “investigative” methods used back then would get cops fired today. Police have come a long ways, IMO (and all bad apples aside).
As far as donuts, the reason it was so pervasive was that back in the day (even as late as when I started on the force), donut shops were the only places open 24/7 that allowed a cop to get a hot cup of coffee at 3 AM. The donut shops offered free coffee and donuts to the graveyard crew, because if the cops were hanging out by the store, the store wasn’t getting robbed. I guess you could say it was a low-cost bribe? These days, (most) cops are a lot more health-conscious, and tend to avoid eating donuts daily! And with the proliferation of 24/7 stores that serve coffee, the donut shops have sort of gone by the wayside. But, yes, back then, it was a thing!
Sean wrote: "Here are a few more1. With a great history of job roles, could you pick which work did you enjoy the most.
2. My one main question was as Pam's mentions is book 2 coming in the Streets Of San Fr..."
I’ve done about everything, and in the end, I think my favorite job was patrol. I really liked being outside, in the weather, meeting people. Some of the calls were a pain (especially those where the moment you hear the address numbers, you *knew* the street name that would follow, and the type of repeat call that always came at that house/apt., etc. Domestic violence, custody battles (the worst, IMO—so much lying about the other parent, with kids caught in the middle!), the occasional unruly teen, etc. Those were the same old, same old. But the very best part was when you meet someone you hadn’t seen in years, maybe don’t even remember, and they’re thanking you for something you’ve long forgotten, but which had a profound effect on their life. Then, all the crappy calls in the world sort of melt away, and you remember why you love the job.
As mentioned elsewhere, never say never when it comes to continuing something such as this series. At the moment, I’m having fun with new grandkids, so it’s not yet in the cards!
Fave authors? Heavens. Too many to mention. But early authors that influenced me: Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke, James Patterson (before his co-writer days), Robert Crais, etc.
Travel? Love it. My fave place was to some of the small, obscure islands in Greece, research for the novel I cowrote with Clive Cussler, The Wrath of Poseidon. Hope to get back to Europe when the grandkids are old enough, since I watch them while their mom is at work. (Love this job!)
PamG wrote: "Here are a few questions from me.1. Are there any themes you find yourself repeatedly exploring in your novels?
2. When you finish a book, do you immediately start writing another one or do you ..."
1. Themes: I always like the good versus evil, but explore the gray areas (in police work), say, when is it okay to bend the rules to get the bad guys? Is it okay? The mental aspect of breaking the rules when it’s ingrained in you that you shouldn’t (and you know you could lose a case because of it.)
2. On finishing a book: I usually do a palate cleanser, reading something in a completely different genre. So when I was doing all the police procedurals and thrillers, I was reading the Game of Thrones books (way back when), until eventually I ran out of titles, because GRR Martin never finished the series! (And I hated the ending they wrote for the TV show!) I read all genres if the story grabs me!
3. A genre I haven’t tried yet… As a matter of fact, yes! Fantasy, à la Tolkien! I’m currently dabbling in some chapters and outline of what I call my dragon book, about 30,000 words into it, and yet to have a dragon make an appearance! But I’m having fun. Will it sell? Good question. But this far in, I need to finish it to find out! Stay tuned!!!
4. Fave part of being a writer: The discovery of something really cool that happens when you’re writing, when plot points you thought would never work magically come together, even after you’ve written yourself into a corner. I also love talking about writing, books, etc. And then, reading to learn the craft, then getting lost in a story you were trying to study! That’s when you know the author is good. You forget you were studying the craft!
5. Books for fun: See getting lost above! But I read across all genres, as a good book is a good book is a good book. If the author creates a character that I want to follow, I’ll follow them anywhere. Time, space, romance, caves, other worlds, or a slice of life in today. At the moment, I’m writing a fantasy, so I’m reading mystery, since I don’t like to read in the genre I’m writing. (I just finished a mystery manuscript, YA, which I’ll be sending out to see if there are any nibbles. I was reading fantasy as I was writing that.
6. The most difficult part of the process is getting past the This-is-the-worst-book-I’ve-ever-written part to the I-love-editing-because-look-how-cool-this-book-is-turning-out part. When you have book that you’ve spent 6 months writing, and you know it’s not working, it’s really hard to not give up and move on to something shinier! I have to remind myself that all of my books started off really, really ugly.
7. Approach to writing: whatever works in that moment! Sometimes I’ll outline, sometimes I’ll just start writing, and outline after. Sometimes I’ll do a mix of both. The important part (for me) is to keep doing it or I lose momentum with the story. I took some time off when my grandkids suddenly appeared in my world, and lost so much time. So now I get up at 5 AM and write before they get here. I’d forgotten how much I can get done when it’s still dark outside!
8. I’m working on a Lord of the Rings type book. It’s new to me, something I’ve always, always wanted to try. Will it work? I don’t know. I’m 30k into it, so will finish it up to see. If it doesn’t work, it’s back to killing people! (Fictionally, of course!)
9. See #8 above. Never say never! I may yet write another in the Kellogg/Krug series!
10. I think the best place to start in one of my other series is THE FACE OF A KILLER, which is the first book in my FBI forensic artist series.
Thanks so much, Robin, for answering our questions. I am guessing your fantasy novel is an epic fantasy. I need a new fantasy series to read so I hope the rest of your novel goes well.
Thanks for the recommendation of a good place to start with your other series. I'm looking forward to adding it into my reading schedule.
Laura wrote: "Hi Robin,How long does it realistically take IRL to get DNA results"
Definitely longer than it takes on TV! It’s faster than it was, but much depends on the priority of the case versus the backlog at the lab.
Technology has advanced, so it could be hours, but if it’s a murder case, it really depends on what sort. A high-ranking politician? That DNA is going to move to the front of the line. A serial-murder victim, in which they may finally have the DNA sample of a suspect who’s left many bodies behind? They’ll move that one up, too, though it might be put behind said politician. A low-life drug addict? It will get shuffled to the end. In fiction, you can move it where you need it. You just need to make it logical.
Thanks Robin.If time away from grandkids, please do drop in to say hello and join in.
Best
Thanks everyone! If you have any more questions, feel free to drop one here, or visit my website and ask via email.
I'm late to the party, but I did have some questions for you. 1. When you're actively writing your story, what does your process look like? Do you outline the entire story before you start, outline as you go, or start writing and see where it takes you?
2. Do you already know how the story will end? Or does the ending develop naturally as you write?
David wrote: "I'm late to the party, but I did have some questions for you. 1. When you're actively writing your story, what does your process look like? Do you outline the entire story before you start, outli..."
It’s never too late, David!
It depends on what day it is! Seriously! 😂 Every book I’ve written has followed a different process, depending on who I’m working with and what is required for that project. Sometimes I’m required to submit an outline before I even delve into the story (more often than not), but there have been a few times where I’ve just written the story before outlining. My very first book (still unpublished) was done this way. I don’t recommend it! Very easy to get lost, writing scenes you think you need, only to discover that, nope, didn’t need them at all. That’s a lot of hours wasted.
The majority of the time (when I’m working on my own stuff, not under contract), I do start writing to see where it takes me, but then I have to stop and outline to make sure I’m not wasting space. Then I’ll go back, write some more, revisit the outline, and finesse either that to move in the direction I’ve written, or finesse what I’ve written to keep it in the direction outlined. But I consider the story and the outline more as guidelines, keeping both fluid as I discover where I’m going with the story.
2. I don’t always know how the story will end. But sometimes I do. When that happens, I am doing my best to get there so it fits. And sometimes it does! But quite often, the ending develops naturally as I write. There are times when I get stuck. I’m this far from the end, and yet… it’s not hitting the paper. Then I need to walk away for a week, then revisit.
I'm wondering which one is easier to write Robin - a book where you know the ending or one where you have a good storyline and the ending develops as you write? Is one more satisfying to write than the other?
Carolyn wrote: "I'm wondering which one is easier to write Robin - a book where you know the ending or one where you have a good storyline and the ending develops as you write? Is one more satisfying to write than..."While it’s really nice to know the ending when you begin, since it gives you something to aim for, and you do get some satisfaction from knowing you’ve achieved the goal, beyond that, I don’t think it’s any easier. Sometimes it can be harder, because you’ve planted that goal post in some crazy rough country with a lot of trees in the way, instead of the cleared field, all while looking at your characters and telling them, ignore the trees, kick the ball, and score! (I can come up with many, many more bad examples, lol.)
Probably for the writers who meticulously plot to the nth, having the end in mind first makes the process easier. For people with messy minds that match their messy desks (me), not much easier at all!
That goal-post-in-rough-country image rings true. When a character develops in a way that makes the planned ending feel dishonest, do you change the destination or look for a more credible route to the same ending?
Steven wrote: "That goal-post-in-rough-country image rings true. When a character develops in a way that makes the planned ending feel dishonest, do you change the destination or look for a more credible route to..."I’ve done both. Sometimes the destination really does need to be changed. Sometimes (especially on the co-written Cussler books) you must create a more credible route, since the ending was chosen ahead of time. The most important part is to stay true to the characters.
That distinction is useful. A fixed ending can still work if the route remains emotionally honest; otherwise the plot starts dictating behavior the character hasn't earned.
We are adding her book The Last Good Place to our August BOTMs. This police procedural and crime thriller is the first book in her Streets of San Francisco series.
"Sgt. Al Krug and his younger, college-educated partner Casey Kellog are investigating a string of strangulation killings when another victim is found at the Presidio…but a surprising, violent incident at the crime scene makes them wonder if everything is what it seems. The two mismatched cops, with sharply conflicting approaches to detective work, are under intense pressure to get results. It’s a race-against-the-clock investigation that propels them into the deadly intersection of politics, real estate, media and vice… the fertile, fog-shrouded killing field of a ruthless murderer"
Author Biography
Robin Burcell spent nearly three decades working in law enforcement as a police officer, hostage negotiator, criminal investigator and FBI Academy-trained forensic artist.
Burcell currently co-writes with international best-selling author Clive Cussler on the Fargo series. Pirate, their first co-written book, was released in 2016. The Romanov Ransom, next in that series, came out in 2017, followed by The Gray Ghost.
What you might not know about Robin:
Burcell was the first female officer for her department. Her badge read "Policeman" and her locker room was actually a converted storeroom. While she'd always wanted to be a writer, her childhood dream was to be an Olympic ice skater. Unfortunately she didn't seriously start skating until her early twenties and by then it was too late. That hobby, however, was instrumental in allowing her to easily pass the physical agility test to get into the police academy.
Burcell has appeared on several true-crime television episodes as a commentator and even did a "forensic" sketch from a witness's description of "Baby Big Foot" for the Icon Films television series, Bigfoot Files, which appeared on BBC and Bigfoot: The New Evidence, which appeared in the U.S. on the National Geographic channel.