Terri asked Michael Finkel:

Michael, you are such a fascinating person...can you share with us some books that you feel had a huge impact on your life? Also I would love to know some of your research methods you do when you write a book. Thanks so much for your time.

Michael Finkel Hi Terri. I've never been able to easily answer the question about favorite or impactful books. While I have always loved to read, since I was very young, the first time I read "The Catcher in the Rye," J.D. Salinger's magnum opus, I was completely smitten – something about the voice of Holden Caulfield, the smoothness of the prose, the feeling that the author was speaking directly to me, the fact that I was so young (maybe 17 years old) just left a deep impression on me. I've since read hundreds of books that have utterly gripped me, and many dozens (like "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy) that I've read in a single, entranced sitting, but like a first true love, the immensity of the emotions stirred by "Catcher" have never been surmounted.

In terms of writing or research, I have no set routine – or, rather, my routine is to not have routine. My work hours really depend on what stage of a project I'm in (researching, writing, editing, head-pounding-on-keyboard-in-frustration – those are pretty much the classic four stages of non-fiction writing). When I'm actually in full-on writing mode, I prefer to write all night, but that's just me. I'm a natural night-owl. Everyone I believe needs to find what works for them.

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