NetCafe Chat at L.A. Times Festival of Books

Alan Jacobson appeared at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books along with Leonard Nimoy, Leonard Maltin, and Marilu Henner on April 24, 1999. He appeared courtesy of Borders Books & Music.

Transcript (Note: this is an unedited, uncorrected transcript.)

OrCCCa: With us now is Alan Jacobson!

Alan Jacobson: Hello, everyone!

greenjeans says: Alan, what makes a plot suspenseful? How do you create this sense in your work?

AJ: Intrigue, mystery, uncertainty are the hallmarks of suspense. How you create this in a book is a complex topic, but suffice it to say that it can be character- driven or plot-driven. Often, beginning a conflict and then breaking away at a crucial moment is the key. You can then come back to it later on. Meanwhile, you keep the reader hanging, wondering what's going to happen.

noodlesthecat says: Alan, is writing suspense different from writing other types of fiction?

AJ: In a sense, yes; in a sense, no. The hallmarks of good fiction certainly apply to suspense: good character development, interesting plot, strong prose that is rich in description, and so on. At the same time, the plot itself is different in that it has to satisfy a reader who expects certain things from a suspense novel.

yourfan says: Alan, what is the premise behind your new book False Accusations? Is it based on a real life situation?

AJ: I took a little from the news as a jumping off point. For example, the Sam Sheppard murder case in the Fifties, as well as the Bay Area case of repressed memory -- both involved the concept of someone being falsely accused of a crime and being unable to defend him or herself. In False Accusations, a prominent surgeon is accused of a brutal double murder and he claims that he's innocent and being framed, even though all the evidence appears to implicate him. I can't say more because there are a lot of twists and turns ... and some surprises!

parkbench says: Alan, how formulaic do you feel a suspense novel can be before it becomes too predictable?

AJ: I don't like formulaic fiction. When I sit down to write a book, I set out to create interesting characters engaged in an interesting story. While I try to adhere to the general tenets of suspense, I resist the urge to write in a formulaic manner. Each book I write I outline in detail, but I allow it to change and be dynamic as the story progresses. So, I don't think formulaic writing would work for me. I'd just like to add in answer to your question that predictability is the antithesis of suspense -- you can't be predictable and suspenseful at the same time. Thanks, everyone!

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