When I first met my now good friend Karin Slaughter several years ago, I’m not sure what I was expecting.  All of her books are nail-biting thrillers.

The night before I met her, one of her books kept me up all night.  Her expertise in crime scenes, forensics and police procedure is carefully woven into compelling stories designed to keep you turning pages.  I guess I pictured a wild-eyed, half-crazed author with blood splattered on her shirt.  Instead, I discovered someone who was warm, irreverent and spontaneously funny.

Karin’s writing talent regularly lands her at the top of the New York Times bestselling lists.  Her many books have sold tens of millions of copies around the world.

Karin’s latest book is called Criminal. 

In this almost seven minute interview, Karin and I talk about:

• The importance of setting
• How writing the book is only part of the success equation
• How growing up in the time of the Atlanta child murders influenced her writing
• How the creative pressure of procrastination drives writing success
• Why libraries are so important to community and to authors