When I was growing up, my stepmother’s sister was the chief detective in one of the adjoining towns, so she piqued my interest in crime. – Karin Slaughter
I read about violent things. I think what I get out of that is entertainment by learning about different things, and reading the genre and getting an understanding of motivations. But at the end of the day, it’s still a book, and I can walk away. – Karin Slaughter
When I was little, my grandmother would take me to church with her, and she would introduce me to people. – Karin Slaughter
My job isn’t to preach to people, it’s to entertain them. I like letting the characters speak for themselves. – Karin Slaughter
Good writers know that crime is an entre into telling a greater story about character. Good crime writing holds up a mirror to the readers and reflects in a darker light the world in which they live. – Karin Slaughter
My dad believed in scaring us as we were growing up. Scaring the boys who wanted to date us more. – Karin Slaughter
I think crime fiction is a great way to talk about social issues, whether ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ or ‘The Lovely Bones;’ violence is a way to open up that information you want to get out to the reader. – Karin Slaughter
I think that characters who are nice all the time and who you sympathize with can get really boring. – Karin Slaughter
I am hard-pressed to find a successful writer who doesn’t have a similar story to mine – transformation through the public library. – Karin Slaughter
I could type in a closet and be fine. It’s just a matter of cocooning myself. Just me and the story. – Karin Slaughter
My typical morning involves some time on the treadmill, but obviously I skip that a lot. Mostly, I wake up, check my email, then get to work on the various interviews and questions and phone calls that come with being an author. – Karin Slaughter
I’ve always been interested in violence, even as a teenager. I loved ‘Helter Skelter’ and books like that. – Karin Slaughter
Pushing the boundaries of polite society does not just fall under the purview of crime fiction authors. – Karin Slaughter
If I wasn’t a writer, I would probably be a watchmaker. I like putting puzzles together, and that is what a watch is, figuring out how all the gears and everything else works together. I’m patient and good at focusing on a single task. – Karin Slaughter
I love puns. I’ve been known to turn the car around just to take advantage of a good pun situation. It really is the highest form of humor. – Karin Slaughter
Like every Southern writer, I thought that I needed to write the next ‘Gone With the Wind.’ – Karin Slaughter
I never felt isolated; I just liked being alone. I think that some people are good at being alone, and some people aren’t, and as a child, I really liked it. – Karin Slaughter
Everybody had something horrible happen to them at one time or another in their life. – Karin Slaughter
I have a lot of men who will say to me, ‘I don’t read books by women, but I like you.’ – Karin Slaughter
Books are not like albums, where you can simply download and enjoy your favorite chapter and ignore the rest. – Karin Slaughter
I think a lot of people are curious about what makes people do what they do, and I guess my curiosity isn’t hidden in any way. – Karin Slaughter
I’m extremely introverted. I used to think it was shyness, but I got over that, so it must be door No. 2. It’s still hard for me to be away from home much, and I have to make sure I get lots of time alone in my room when I’m touring. – Karin Slaughter
The most enduring stories in literature generally have some kind of crime at their center, whether it’s the bloody butchery of ‘Hamlet,’ the lecherous misanthropes of Dickens or the lone gunman from ‘The Great Gatsby.’ – Karin Slaughter
Books give us insight into other people, other cultures. They make us laugh. They make us think. If they are really good, they make us believe that we are better for having read them. You don’t read a book – you experience it. Every story opens up a new world. – Karin Slaughter
When you read a book, you are letting another person distract your thoughts and work your emotions. If they are adept, there’s nothing better than turning off and getting lost. – Karin Slaughter
