Author Sandra Brown Talks About Writing, Fear in Farmington Hills

Author Sandra Brown has written 76 books, 60 of which have landed on the New York Times best-seller list. And she's still afraid when she sits down to write. 

"It's still scary," the Texas native told fans gathered Thursday night at in Farmington Hills. "I wish I could say after 76 books, it's easier. It's not. It's harder, because it always needs to be better than the last time."

A suspense novelist, Brown appeared as the featured author in this year's "Everyone's Reading" community-wide program, sponsored by public libraries in Oakland and Wayne counties. Each year, a book is selected for shared reading, and libraries offer discussions and other programs around it. This year's selection is Brown's latest release, Lethal. 

Annette Weiss, who represents on the organizing committee, said this is the program's 11th year. Author appearances have been part of the program from the start, she added, and audiences have grown over the years. 

More than 200 people attended Thursday's presentation, during which Brown was interviewed by Emmy-winning broadcaster Cynthia Canty. In her introduction, Canty said that if she printed out a list of Brown's books, she'd have eight pages of titles.

"This is one prolific author," Canty said. 

Writing came naturally to Brown, whose father was an editorial writer and whose mother was an avid reader who read to her "from my earliest memory," she said. She admitted to always having been a day-dreamer, and to a wicked sense of curiosity. 

In answer to an audience question, Brown said writers "are the nosiest people in the world ... You don't want to sit next to me at a dinner party. Everything is material." 

From romance to suspense

Brown said she started writing romance novels, because that was the genre publishers were buying. She wrote under several pseudonyms, "always with the view of moving into bigger books and more complicated plots."

As a new writer, she was advised by a colleague to study plotting, and now Brown's books are suspenseful adventures that sometimes even surprise her. "I know I'm gonna go from point A to point B," she said. "I don't know how I'm gonna get there."

Brown discussed how she approaches her writing and talked about some of her books, answering questions with a quick wit that delighted the audience. Southfield resident Judy Jubas said that, because of the tone of Brown's books, she did not expect the author's sense of humor.

"She's amazing, what an experience," Jubas said.

Farmington Hills resident Holly LaPorte, who was introduced to Brown's work through "Everyone's Reading," said she was fascinated by how Brown thinks and how that translates to the written word. She came with friend Kari Martin, also of Farmington Hills, who said she has never read any of Brown's works.

"I think I'm a fan now," Martin said, adding she was particularly interested in seeing inside a creative mind because her daughter is very creative. "It was inspiring to hear how much (Brown) likes her job." 

After answering audience questions, Brown fielded some from Canty, ala James Lipton, host of Inside the Actor's Studio:

What's your favorite word?

I think "love" is. That sounds so corny, but it truly is. I think it's so fundamental.

What's your least favorite word?

I think self-pity is a pretty bad word. 

What turns you on?

Laughter. Music. Flowers.

If you weren't a writer, what would you be?

The first thing I wanted to be was a dancer ... I love decorating, I love floral. I'd probably have a flower shop.

What sound do you love?

The sound of my grandson's laughter.

What profession would you not like to do?

I don't think I'd be a very good social worker ... I think that would upset me at times. 

What would you like God to say when you get to the "pearly gates"? 

When I get there, I want him to say, "Your mother's right over there."