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The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley  It's the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests' healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen. But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor's immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something's not right with the guests. There's been a fire. A body's been discovered. THE FOUNDER * THE HUSBAND * THE MYSTERY GUEST * THE KITCHEN HELP It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it'll end in murder at… The Midnight Feast.   Southern Man by Greg Iles   Fifteen years after the events of the Natchez Burning trilogy, Penn Cage is alone. Nearly all his loved ones are dead, and his old allies gone. Pursued by enemies and demoralized by a divided community, he's found sanctuary on a former cotton plantation above the Mississippi River. But Penn's self-imposed exile comes to an abrupt end when a brawl at a Bienville rap concert triggers a shooting - one that nearly takes the life of his daughter Annie. Before the stunned city can process the tragedy, an arsonist starts torching antebellum plantation homes in Natchez and Bienville. When an unknown Black radical group claims the deadly fires as acts of historic justice, citywide panic ensues, driving a prosperous Southern town to the brink of race war. Drafted by Bienville's mayor to end the crisis and restore peace, Penn investigates the fires as casualties mount and armed marchers move toward a decisive clash. But Penn suspects that the arson attacks may not be what they seem - not retribution by radicals, but false-flag strikes designed to trigger the very chaos he sees roiling the streets. For that mayhem provides state and county leaders the excuse to dissolve the Black-run Bienville city government and seize control. It's up to Penn and a band of locals to uncover the truth and expose those trying to destabilize the city.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Week of 6/23/24 at the Library - All About The Graveyard | Hosts Dylan Posa and Barb Leitschuh go over upcoming events, talk about Holly Browning's cemetery-focused class, and for "Barb The Bookie" recommend 'Southern Man' by Greg Iles.

We speak with best-selling author Greg Iles about his latest novel, "Southern Man." The book, set in the present day, presents a premise in which a tragic police shooting leads to a wave of violence across the country- which is exploited by an ambitious politician. The novelist draws extensively upon his own personal background in writing the book and in shaping the persona of the main character.

May 24, 2024 - Author Greg Iles joins Mitch and the crew to talk about his upcoming book "Southern Man"

This week, Natalia, Shannon, Stacy, Georgina, Melissa, Robin, and Kristeen are sharing some of their most anticipated May releases. Titles mentioned include: Linwood Barclay, I Will Ruin You Lindsay King-Miller, The Z Word Kristan Higgins, Look on the Bright Side Harlan Coben, Think Twice (Myron Bolitar #12) Jenn McKinlay, Love at First Book Cat Sebastian, You Should Be So Lucky Fiona McPhillips, When We Were Silent Kate White, The Last Time She Saw Him Samira Ahmed, This Book Won't Burn Lia Louis, Better Left Unsent Brigid Hunt, Fake Dating a Witch (Bewitching Billionaires #1) Greg Iles, Southern Man (Penn Cage #7) Nghi Vo, The Brides of High Hill (The Singing Hills Cycle #5) Alison B. Hart, April May June July Samantha Young, Skies Over Caledonia (The Highlands #4) Jas Hammonds, Thirsty Kate Tamberelli & Danny Tamberelli, The Road Trip Rewind Nora Roberts, Mind Games Alex Finlay, If Something Happens To Me Skye Quinlan, Don't Be a Drag Tanya Byrne, In the Shallows You can always contact the Book Bistro team by searching @BookBistroPodcast on facebook, or visiting: https://www.facebook.com/BookBistroPodcast/ You can also send an email to: TheBookBistroPodcast@gmail.com For more information on the podcast and the team behind it, please visit: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/book-bistro You can always contact the Book Bistro team by searching @BookBistroPodcast on facebook, or visiting: https://www.facebook.com/BookBistroPodcast/ You can also send an email to: TheBookBistroPodcast@gmail.com For more information on the podcast and the team behind it, please visit: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/book-bistro

This is Staff Selects, where one of the library staff introduces you to a book of their choosing.  Today our reader will be Patrick, our Cataloging and Tech Librarian, reading "True Evil" by Greg Iles. Another Thriller favorite of his that he wanted to share with you all. Remember that if you like the sound of this book you can ask for it here at the library or find others like it! Be sure to check out your local Library to check out what books they may have! Original background track is Concerto for Two Violins by Bach Instrumental cover of 'Vivaldi: Winter' was made for public use thanks to the works of @Lud and Schlatts Musical Emporium. Thank you Alterations were made by us to make it fit the length of our content. Brought to you from the Pike-Amite-Walthall Library system #library #books #readaloud

Lynn Tincher, paranormal investigator from Beyond This Life Paranormal and a Co-host Weirdos In The Wild podcast. Lynn was born just outside of Louisville, Kentucky in the beautiful City of La Grange. One of her fondest memories of growing up was when her English teacher read a short story she wrote in front of the students of Oldham County High School. Since then, her love for writing blossomed. She studied Theater Arts at Eastern Kentucky University hoping to become a Drama/English teacher. Lynn had several articles published in local magazines and online, but the thought of writing a novel always stuck with her. Inspired by Nora Roberts, JK Rowling, and Greg Iles, Lynn wrote Afterthoughts, the first book in the Mind Bending Series, a fictional psychological crime series that follows the life of a young Louisville Police detective named Paige Aldridge. Blackwyrm Fiction picked up Afterthoughts for publication in 2008. When she signed the contract, it landed Lynn on the center page for a story in Leo Weekly. Since then, Lynn released Left in the Dark, Buried Deep, Where There is Light, and the fifth book, Junna will release soon. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-wise9/message

Scaling Up Nation, I'm pleased to introduce you to someone that I've learned a great deal from over the past nine years of our friendship. He retired after working 35 years in the water treatment industry; most recently he served as Regional Manager at US Water Services and he is the Former owner of ChemTechnologies/Solen Inc. If you haven't guessed his name yet, it is the one and only Marty Stephens. I got to know Marty when we served on the AWT Board together. He was one of the directors who didn't say a lot, but whenever he did, it was so profound that the room always went silent. Marty served two terms AWT Board of Directors and in that season, Marty took the time to pour back into this wonderful industry and I am personally and professionally better for it. Marty went to college to become a physician but changed his career direction and became a successful water treatment professional. In today's episode, he shares his career journey and gives some fantastic career advice while entertaining us with his infamous Southern euphemisms. I know you are going to enjoy today's episode. Bottom line: If you are considering joining the water treatment industry, Marty's career journey is something you've got to hear. Your roadside friend as you drive from client to client,  -Trace    Timestamps:  Introducing former AWT board member,  Marty Stephens [3:50] Getting involved with the AWT and Marty's water treater journey [8:30] Marty's advice on how to have successful relationships with your customers [15:30] The first day on the job, AKA learning from a shattered Erlenmeyer flask [21:17] From technician to the owner [24:33] Selling your water treatment company [33:10] Advice for those starting in the industry [41:30] Lightning round questions [43:33] James' Challenge: “When using the EDTA titration method for total hardness testing, add a couple of drops of titrant in prior to the indicator to eliminate other metal interference (but take into account those drops in total drop count or usage).”  [50:24]    Quotes: “I was taught that we all have a responsibility to give back.” - Marty Stephens  “You get out of something what you put into it.” - Marty Stephens  “Our focus should always be on the customer.” - Marty Stephens  “You are always selling, even on a service call.” - Marty Stephens  “You tend to learn more in life from the mistakes you've made, in your career and life.” - Marty Stephens   “It's a fatal mistake to prioritize profit over the customer experience.” - Marty Stephens   “Business should never trump a friendship.” - Marty Stephens   “Run your business like you are going to sell it tomorrow, just like your truck.” - Marty Stephens   “When two companies come together there is a lot of change. And you need to be a good broker of change in order for that to be a smooth transition.” - Marty Stephens  “In every decision you make, think: how does this affect the customer and how will it benefit them?” - Marty Stephens  “Life is better and easier when you have fun.” - Marty Stephens  “Never sacrifice character. Be true to yourself.” - Marty Stephens  “We have the best job in the world!” - Trace Blackmore “When you get down to it, life is about relationships.”  - Trace Blackmore “A company is about people.”  - Trace Blackmore   Get in touch with Marty Stephens:  usws.marty.stephens@gmail.com    Links Mentioned: Rocketbook  The Rising Tide Mastermind Submit a Show Idea AWT (Association of Water Technologies)   Events: The Hang Networking Event- @6pm on August 12 The Waster Expo live in Miami August 24-26 ASHE 2021 Annual Conference Nashville (August 8- 11) and Virtually (September 15-17) AWT Annual Convention on September 22-September 25   Books Mentioned: A Time To Kill - by John Grisham Good To Great - by Jim Collins Mississippi Blood - by Greg Iles  

durée : 00:58:38 - Mauvais genres - par : François Angelier - Avec sa "Trilogie Natchez", le romancier américain Greg Iles a pris place parmi les grands chantres épique du Sud profond et les chroniqueurs des violences sociales et ethniques des états anciennement confédérés. - réalisation : Laurent Paulré - invités : Greg Iles Ecrivain, scénariste (romans, thrillers); Marguerin Le Louvier Auteur, poète et performeur. Il est la moitié du duo poétique queer punk Les Éditions Douteuses, fondé en 2010 avec Élodie Petit. (...)

Hosts Dylan Posa and Barb Leitschuh talk about our Visiting Author program, speak to author Trace Conger, and as part of 'Barb the Bookie', recommend the Penn Cage series by Greg Iles.

With a first hundred days that has brought a flood and a pandemic, we have a conversation with Governor Tate Reeves.Then, small businesses, especially those in African American communities are taking a hard economic hit during the coronavirus pandemic.Plus, in today's Book Club, we revisit a thriller by one of Mississippi's most notable writers, Greg Iles.Segment 1:The coronavirus pandemic is pushing government officials at both the national and state levels in unprecedented ways. Governor Tate Reeves assumed office in January of this year, inheriting a prison crisis that, at the time of his inauguration, had produced a string of violent deaths and a lock down. In February, came the state's worst flood in nearly three decades. And now March and April present the challenge of slowing the spread of COVID-19 - a disease that has already claimed the lives of 67 Mississippians in less than one month. Governor Reeves joined us to discuss his first 90 days and the state's response to COVID-19. Segment 2:Segments of the economy in Mississippi have nearly come to a halt after government officials issued a statewide stay-at-home order to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. While meant to protect the health of Mississippians, these orders have crippled many small businesses - especially those in African American communities. MPB's Ashley Norwood reportsSegment 3:Greg Iles is a Mississippian and a number 1 New York Times Best Selling author. He often uses Mississippi as the locale for his plots as is the case with “Cemetery Road.” Rooted in friendship, betrayal and murderous secrets, we revisit a conversation with Iles about his thriller.… See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

THE ROAD TO MURDER IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS. A razor-sharp thriller with the southern setting of True Detective and Sharp Objects, this is a perfect read for fans of acclaimed US writers like James Lee Burke, Greg Iles, Don Winslow and Michael Connelly. When Detective P.T. Marsh and his partner Remy Morgan are asked to investigate the suspicious death of a local real-estate baron, it's easy for them to name a list of suspects: violent neighbours, a wronged ex-wife and an escort, all of whom have reasons to want the man dead. But as they dig into the case, it becomes clear the death was not an isolated case of revenge...and may be part of a dark web of crimes connected to the accident that killed P.T.'s wife and son a few years earlier. P.T. begins to veer dangerously off track as his search for clues brings him into a seedy criminal underworld where a man's good deeds turn out to be more dangerous than his worst crimes.

London: Der hochrangige Politiker Mathewson wird bei einem Attentat vor einer großen Menschenmenge erschossen. Der Attentäter kann festgenommen werden, doch die Drahtzieher bleiben unerkannt 2 Sicherheitschef Joe Dempsey, der spezialisiert darauf ist, Bedrohungen zu identifizieren und auszuschalten, erlebt das Undenkbare: Das politische Gefüge wankt, die britische Regierung scheint die Kontrolle zu verlieren. 1 Die junge Journalistin Sarah, die das Attentat live verfolgt hat, und der Anwalt Michael Devlin versuchen, die Wahrheit hinter den Toren der Macht aufzudecken … auf Leben und Tod Gelesen von Uve Teschner Tony Kent studierte Jura in Schottland und arbeitet heute als Anwalt in London. Er ist regelmäßig im Old Bailey tätig und war Verteidiger und Ankläger in einigen spektakulären Strafprozessen. Nebenbei ist Kent erfolgreich als Autor und Boxer. Uve Teschner ist vor allem Liebhabern von Hörbüchern bekannt – diese machen einen großen Teil seiner Tätigkeit als Sprecher aus. Egal, ob Thriller oder Sachbuch, Krimi oder Kinderbuch, zeitgenössische oder klassische Belletristik – sowohl die einzelnen Genres, als auch deren Vielfalt reizen ihn. Aktuell sind es ca. 280 Hörbücher, die Uve Teschner in den vergangenen Jahren erzählt hat, darunter von Autoren wie Margeret Atwood, Ramez Naam, Jonathan Safran Foer, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, James Frey, Jo Nesbø, Greg Iles, John Katzenbach und viele mehr. Aber ebenso sind Hörspiele, live auf der Bühne oder im Studio, sowie Lesungen Bestandteil seiner Arbeit. Zudem spricht er Features, Audiodeskriptionen und Voice Over für Radio und Fernsehen. Seine Stimme ist auch in regionalen und nationalen Werbekampagnen oder in synchronisierten Fassungen von TV-Serien und Kinofilmen zu hören. Rezension, Lesung, Schnitt Katharina Glück

Einmal Agent, immer Agent. Dies gilt nicht nur für die ehemaligen, und eher weniger überzeugenden DDR-Spione, die sich gerne "Kundschafter des Friedens" nennen, sondern auch für Tom Cruise in den unüberschaubaren Iterationen der "Mission Impossible"-Reihe. Christoph hat endlich Marvels "Jessica Jones" gesehen und im Urlaub sogar etwas Zeit zum Lesen gefunden und so empfiehlt er Norman Ohlers "Der Totale Rausch" und erheitert sich über das gnadenlos schlecht gealterte "Eros" von Greg Iles. Die dieswöchige Polizeigeschichte kommt von Stefan und bei den Urlaubsgeschichten am Ende könnt Ihr Euch auf eine Fortsetzung freuen, denn kleinere technische Schwierigkeiten zwingen uns heute zu einer ungewöhnlich kurzen Folge.

Bienville is not a sleepy Mississippi town. When journalist Marshall McEwan returns to care for his ailing father, he renews relationships with former lovers and others while also uncovering dark secrets about the Poker Club and others who control every aspect of the town. Narrator Scott Brick gets every nuance of accent and pacing, giving listeners an Earphones Award performance. Published by Harper Audio. Read the full review of CEMETERY ROAD at audiofilemagazine.com. For more free audiobook recommendations, sign up for AudioFile Magazine’s newsletter. On today’s episode are host Jo Reed and AudioFile Magazine contributor Jonathan Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg Iles is one of the biggest, best-selling thriller writers in America. He recently wrapped up his Natchez Burning trilogy starring Mayor Penn Cage. Today, we're going to talk about his latest book, Cemetery Road, set in a fictional town fifty miles north of Natchez. Award-winning journalist Marshall McEwan returns home to run his estranged father's newspaper, while a local business development promises to revitalize the area economy but at the price of how many lives?

We chat with author Greg Iles, and give our audience a chance to win free audiobooks in the Listening Party! Subscribe to the pod here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/harperaudio-presents/id806303320 Then HarperAudio team members Beth and Nathan join to walk the listeners through our first at-home listening contest . We call it THE LISTENING PARTY, and you can see all the official rules of how to enter here: http://harperaudio.hc.com/mar19listeningparty/ Can you identify the secret word that appears in all three of our audiobooks? Then maybe you have what it takes to win the Listening Party!

Greg Iles "Cemetery Road": When Marshall McEwan left his Mississippi hometown at eighteen, he vowed never to return. The trauma that drove him away spurred him to become one of the most successful journalists in Washington, DC. But as the ascendancy of a chaotic administration lifts him from print fame to television stardom, Marshall discovers that his father is terminally ill, and he must return home to face the unfinished business of his past. On arrival, he finds Bienville, Mississippi very much changed. His family's 150-year-old newspaper is failing; and Jet Turner, the love of his youth, has married into the family of Max Matheson, one of a dozen powerful patriarchs who rule the town through the exclusive Bienville Poker Club. To Marshall's surprise, the Poker Club has taken a town on the brink of extinction and offered it salvation, in the form of a billion-dollar Chinese paper mill. But on the verge of the deal being consummated, two murders rock Bienville to its core, threatening far more than the city's economic future. An experienced journalist, Marshall has seen firsthand how the corrosive power of money and politics can sabotage investigations. Joining forces with his former lover—who through her husband has access to the secrets of the Poker Club—Marshall begins digging for the truth behind those murders. But he and Jet soon discover that the soil of Mississippi is a minefield where explosive secrets can destroy far more than injustice. The South is a land where everyone hides truths: of blood and children, of love and shame, of hate and murder—of damnation and redemption. The Poker Club's secret reaches all the way to Washington, D.C., and could shake the foundations of the U.S. Senate. But by the time Marshall grasps the long-buried truth about his own history, he would give almost anything not to have to face it.

“Iles sits alongside the icons at the top of today's crime-fiction mountain. He has made Mississippi his own in the same way that James Lee Burke has claimed Cajun country and Michael Connelly has remapped contemporary Los Angeles.” (Starred review, Booklist, CEMETERY ROAD) And with his newest novel, #1 bestselling author Greg Iles illuminates the intricate and complicated relationships that define not just one small town—but that define human nature. CEMETERY ROAD (William Morrow) is an electrifying tale of friendship, betrayal, and shattering secrets that threaten to destroy a Mississippi town. “Iles once again delivers a sweeping tale of family dysfunction, sexually charged secrets and the power of wealth, with an overlay of violence and Southern sensibility.” (Starred review, Publishers Weekly, CEMETERY ROAD) When Marshall McEwan left home at eighteen, he vowed never to return. As a successful D.C. journalist, the political chaos in the nation’s capital has advanced his career, but his father is dying, and his mother is struggling. Marshall returns home to find the town is experiencing an economic rebirth—but everyone knows there’s more to the story behind the new Chinese paper mill landing in Bienville and the ruling families of the town, a group known as the Poker Club, will do anything to keep their secrets buried. Chaos ensues when a beloved local archeologist is murdered at the site where the new mill is to be built. But it’s a shocking second homicide that threatens not only to ruin Bienville’s ‘deal of the century,’ but reveal a secret so devastating that the lives of those who have kept the truth hidden will never be the same. And by the time Marshall digs up the long-buried truth, he would give almost anything not to have to face it. With a paralyzing twist that will leave you speechless, Iles has created a completely original and unforgettable tale of greed and desire, jealousy and murder, forgiveness and damnation—and proves, once again, he is a modern master of suspense. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/steve-richards/support

Greg Iles "Cemetery Road":  When Marshall McEwan left his Mississippi hometown at eighteen, he vowed never to return. The trauma that drove him away spurred him to become one of the most successful journalists in Washington, DC. But as the ascendancy of a chaotic administration lifts him from print fame to television stardom, Marshall discovers that his father is terminally ill, and he must return home to face the unfinished business of his past. On arrival, he finds Bienville, Mississippi very much changed.  His family’s 150-year-old newspaper is failing; and Jet Turner, the love of his youth, has married into the family of Max Matheson, one of a dozen powerful patriarchs who rule the town through the exclusive Bienville Poker Club.  To Marshall’s surprise, the Poker Club has taken a town on the brink of extinction and offered it salvation, in the form of a billion-dollar Chinese paper mill.  But on the verge of the deal being consummated, two murders rock Bienville to its core, threatening far more than the city’s economic future. An experienced journalist, Marshall has seen firsthand how the corrosive power of money and politics can sabotage investigations. Joining forces with his former lover—who through her husband has access to the secrets of the Poker Club—Marshall begins digging for the truth behind those murders.  But he and Jet soon discover that the soil of Mississippi is a minefield where explosive secrets can destroy far more than injustice.  The South is a land where everyone hides truths: of blood and children, of love and shame, of hate and murder—of damnation and redemption.  The Poker Club’s secret reaches all the way to Washington, D.C., and could shake the foundations of the U.S. Senate.  But by the time Marshall grasps the long-buried truth about his own history, he would give almost anything not to have to face it.

On this go round, Maddie and try to be less garbage-like by fostering new yoga and bike riding habits. An introductory overview of the Penn Cage series by Greg Iles, and a good story about diversity in Wyoming.

This week on Book Tour with John Grisham: Grisham is back in Mississippi at Jackson’s famed Lemuria Books, one of the small handful of Southern stores that helped Grisham get his start. Lemuria owner John Evans, #1 New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles (MISSISSIPPI BLOOD), and Edgar Award nominee Matthew Guinn (THE SCRIBE) join Grisham in conversation.

On this week's author interview episode we feature Greg Iles, the #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of the Natchez Burning series. Greg talks about his experiences as a writer of the South and the importance of dealing head on with the past and the real life situations that inspired his series. Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com Music "Buddy" provided royalty free from www.bensound.com Podcast Overview We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks available through public libraries and schools. Hear about the best books we've read, get personalized recommendations, and learn about the hottest books coming out that we can't wait to dive into. For more great reads, find OverDrive on Facebook and Twitter.  

Learn about Greg Iles' difficult road to finishing the Natchez Burning trilogy with Mississippi Burning. Listen here.

Greg Iles is of course one of the biggest thriller writers in America, having written eighteen books which routinely hit the best- sellers lists. We last spoke with Greg about the first installment of his Natchez Burning trilogy about Mayor Penn Cage fighting against a Klan splinter group called the Double Eagles. We missed chatting with him about the second part, The Bone Tree, but he stopped back by to chat about wrapping it up with book three, Mississippi Blood.

In Part Two of this file, the hyper-prolific, #1 New York Times bestselling author, Greg Iles, returned to chat with me about the conclusion to his epic trilogy, his unique writing process, and making the move to television. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! At 16 novels and counting — all but one of which have hit bestsellers lists — Greg has been called the “…William Faulkner for the Breaking Bad generation,” and his books have been adapted for film, translated into over 20 languages, and published in more than 35 countries. His epic Natchez Burning trilogy clocks in at close to 750,000 words and started out as a single novel that he expanded after a near death experience — a car crash that left him in a coma — which ultimately changed his mind about how he wanted to write it. His final installment in the series, Mississippi Blood, concludes the story of Southern lawyer Penn Cage, (the protagonist of six of his books including The Quiet Game, Turning Angel, and New York Times #1 bestseller The Devil’s Punchbowl). Iles’s epic tale of “… love and honor, hatred and revenge … explores how the sins of the past continue to haunt the present,” and Stephen King described the series as “… extraordinarily entertaining and fiendishly suspenseful.” If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, click subscribe to automatically see new interviews. If you missed the first half you can find it right here. In Part Two of this file Greg Iles and I discuss: The author’s take on writer’s block A tour of Greg’s “space shuttle” desk setup The mad science of how the author intertwined multiple narratives and historical flashbacks over three epic novels Why truly creative people never get bored Some great writing advice from a truly prolific author Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 194,000 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress GregIles.com Greg Iles Event Dates Greg Iles – Author page on Amazon Greg Iles concludes his spectacular Natchez Burning trilogy – The Washington Post Greg Iles on Facebook Greg Iles on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter The Transcript How Bestselling Author Greg Iles Writes: Part Two Voiceover: Rainmaker FM. Kelton Reid: Welcome back once again to The Writer Files. I am your host, Kelton Reid, here to take you on another tour of the habits, habitats, and brains of renowned writers. In part two of this file, the hyper-prolific number one New York Times Best-Selling author, Greg Iles, returned to chat with me about the conclusion to his epic trilogy, his unique writing process, and making the move to TV. At 16 novels and counting, all but one of which have hit bestsellers lists, Greg has been called the William Faulkner for the Breaking Bad generation, and his books have been adapted for film, translated into over 20 languages, and published in more than 35 countries. His epic Natchez Burning Trilogy clocks in at close to 750,000 words, and it started out as a single novel that he expanded after a near death experience, a car crash, that left him in a coma, which ultimately changed his mind about how he wanted to write it. His final installment in the series, Mississippi Blood, concludes the story of Southern lawyer Penn Cage, also the protagonist of six of his books, including New York Times number one best seller The Devil’s Punchbowl. Iles epic tale of love, honor, hatred, and revenge explores how the sins of the past continue to haunt the present. Stephen King described the series as “extraordinarily entertaining and fiendishly suspenseful.” In part two of this file, Greg and I discuss the author’s take on writer’s block, a tour of Greg’s space shuttle desk setup, the mad science of how the author intertwined multiple narratives and historical flashbacks over three epic novels, why truly creative people never get bored, and some great writing advice from a truly prolific author. The Writer Files is brought to you by the all the new StudioPress Sites, a turnkey solution that combines the ease of an all-in-one website builder with the flexible power of WordPress. It’s perfect for authors, bloggers, podcasters, and affiliate marketers, as well as those selling physical products, digital downloads, and membership programs. If you’re ready to take your WordPress site to the next level, see for yourself why over 200,000 website owners trust StudioPress. Go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress now. That’s Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress. And if you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews as soon as they’re published. The Author s Take on Writer s Block Kelton Reid: So, do you have anything to say to writer’s block or the … Is it a thing? Do you believe in it? Have you ever experienced it? Greg Iles: I wrote a line last night in the first chapter of my next book, I went back and revisited. And this writer in residence is having trouble with his book, but anyway, the wife of the dean, kinda catty, in a catty way, he says he’s … She asks when the book’s coming out and he prevaricates. She says, “Not having a bout of writer’s block are you?” And he says, “That’s not a real element.” And she goes, “Oh, you mean like blue balls? Or Fibromyalgia?” So, anyway, writer’s block … my real story’s this. When I was in college, I studied with Willie Morris, who now is a great thing. A lot of writers were in that program right around that period, Donald Tarup, John Grisham, just several people who went on to be writers. And he brought William Styre, James Dickie, a lot of these writers down. But, one of the writers he brought was John Knowles who wrote A Separate Peace. And Willie had talked a lot, with all respect to Willie and he’s passed away now … He talked a lot about writer’s block in that class, to the point where it got kind of scary. So I remember a student asked John Knowles during the Q & A about writer’s block and he just got this bewildered look and said, “What is that? That’s just a fictional thing. That doesn’t exist.” He said, “I’ll never live long enough to get down everything I want to get down on the page.” And that’s exactly how I feel. If I open my Dropbox thing of book ideas on my cell phone, there’s already more stuff there than I’ll ever live to do, so … Writer’s block, in the sense of “I’m paralyzed and I can’t go on,” I guess you could get yourself into that state, but mostly it’s going to be a self manufactured syndrome where you’ve set in mind your goal is to be the next Jonathan Franzen, or the next whatever, and so you re judging every single word you put down on paper. There’s just no point in doing that. A Tour of Greg s Space Shuttle Desk Setup Kelton Reid: Good point there. Well, it sounds like you’ve got a pretty exotic setup there in the office. Are you a PC guy or do you use a Mac? Greg Iles: I’ve got a setup … man, my setup looks like you could fly the space shuttle from it. Three monitors, one s a TV monitor, one’s a Mac monitor, one’s an IMac 5K and the other is a Windows to the right. And the reason is because Bill Gates, or Paul Allen, or whoever are so … I don’t even want to use the word I want to use, but they don’t allow Word for Mac to have the full feature set. So, there are certain things, like the floating command window, wherever your cursor is, that exists in the Microsoft version, but not the Mac version. When you re drafting a novel, that’s fine. But, when you get into the copy edit stage, especially on something like mine with 800 pages with 3,000 queries from copy editors and researchers, you’ve got to go through that markup document with balloons. The Mac doesn’t handle that worth a crap. So, once I get to that point at different times I switch to the Windows machine. I know that was a long answer, but as a matter of practicality, I like Macs much better. But in terms of business, I always have to keep Windows machines ready to go for that reason, and there’s some other software programs that are like that too. Kelton Reid: Yeah, that’s pretty fascinating. I’ve never heard that before. But, of course, with three quarters of a million words to sift through, I’m sure that that comes in handy. So, do you have … with a trilogy like the Natchez Burning Trilogy, how on Earth are you staying organized? With all of that information and these historical pieces and so many characters, do you have any organizational hacks that you can share with other writers that keep you … help you keep it all together? The Mad Science of How the Author Intertwined Multiple Narratives and Historical Flashbacks Over Three Epic Novels Greg Iles: Imagine the most Baroque looking steampunk perpetual motion machine from some artist’s imagination. That’s the state your mind has to get into to pull this off. I’ll be 100 percent honest with you. It was being in that state that caused me to have my wreck and lose my leg and nearly die, because you can’t … I don’t know how other people do it. I guess you could tack 500 notecards to the wall. But, for me, to manage something like this for multiple narrative voices and historical flashbacks and all that kind of stuff, you have to bring it all to life in your head in perfect relationship with each other and that is such an immersive experience that if everything else has to be blocked out. You can’t worry about bills and your kids and .. you have to have somebody in your life or multiple people who protect you from all that, and you have this slowly turning perfectly integrated machine spinning in your head while you are putting it out. That’s not to say you’ll get it perfectly, and I was in that state when I had my accident and nearly died, and once you get to the copy edit phase, what you really need is a brilliant copy editor with obsessive compulsive disorder. All copy editors have that to a degree, but some are truly gifted and you gotta have one of those. Kelton Reid: Wow, wow. Yeah you are kind of a mad scientist, it would seem, of the words sphere. So how does Greg Iles unplug at the end of a day and turn it off? How do you get to a place where you can rest? Greg Iles: I haven’t had a vacation in eight years. You never turn it off. You can’t escape it. That’s the reality. I’m not whining or griping. I wouldn’t want any other job, but you just .. If you get in the kind of state I just told you about, that doesn’t ever go off. Now that I’m at the end, people say, What do you do to chill? Well, a vacation for me is just a different kind of work. I ll work on TV series, or I ll work on my next thing, or whatever. But, I really don’t know how to stop and chill, you know? I mean, let’s just say this. Along the way, certain human experiences that we all know about are so intense that they can take you away from reality. And I’m not talking about drugs, or sex, but something has to rise to the level of intensity that it can blank out everything else. I think that’s the reason. Coming from the music business, I think that’s the reason so many artists wind up with addiction problems because they are seeking escape and they are involved in a career that doesn’t have any structure to it, specifically. It’s not related to days or hours or time or anything like that. The commitments, or the demands, generally overwhelm you so, you just seek escape wherever you can. Why Truly Creative People Never Get Bored Kelton Reid: Well put. Well, your steampunk analogy brings to mind a very creative mind, but do you have a definition of creativity in your own estimation? Greg Iles: You know, I hear people talking about that term a lot. They have developed this noun, creatives, the developed people who are … it can be anything from graphic artists to whatever, you know, but creativity … every kid, I think, to a degree, has a certain amount of creativity, except maybe some engineers. I’m not saying some engineers aren’t creative. I’m talking about that personality type where everything is A + B + C + D = E or whatever, you know what I mean? They see everything in black and white. But creativity is just imagination, is what it is. In a way, it’s what Bobby Kennedy said, “I look at things that aren’t and say why not?” You look at a blank space and you see something there. That’s why I think the … for true storytellers, the form doesn’t even matter … I mean, I’m a songwriter … the first movie I sold, I wrote in 5 days and I’d never written a script in my life. And I’m not bragging about that, I’m just saying writing and telling stories is just what I do. In the same way that somebody who sings … I’m not a great singer, I’m an average singer. I m never gonna be a great singer. I know guys who didn’t even finish high school who can walk in a room and in one cut can make you cry with their voice. People have different talents. Creativity … that’s a big general question. But what I’m saying is that it’s a talent that if you have it, it applies to almost everything. You’re lucky when you have it. It’s not a curse, it’s a blessing, because if you re really a creative person you will never in your life be bored, ever. Kelton Reid: Yeah, I like that a lot. Well, I’ve got a couple fun ones for you. If you could choose any author from any era for an all expense paid dinner to your favorite spot in the world, who would you take and where would you take them? Greg Iles: I’m trying to think of the hottest writer I can think of … nah, I m just kidding … I would take .. I might take Carl Jung, actually, maybe. I might take one of the Greek tragedians maybe. Kelton Reid: You can bring them all. Greg Iles: You can bring them all? Kelton Reid: Yeah, sure. Greg Iles: I thought you said I had to choose one. Kelton Reid: Well, I’m breaking the rules for you. Greg Iles: Or I might … you know the smart thing to do might not be take like Euripides. The smart thing might be to take like Jimmy Buffett, you know? Kelton Reid: And where would you take Mr. Buffett? Greg Iles: I’d get on his sea plane and let him take me to some low surf and go bonefishing or something like that. Kelton Reid: Perfect, perfect. Do you have any writer’s fetishes? Do you collect any first editions or weird pencils or old typewriters that you keep around for inspiration? Greg Iles: I’ve got some first editions. I’ve got a first edition of The Honorable Schoolboy by John le Carre, which is a book that I ve reread a lot. I’ve got a couple of first editions of Thomas Harris who wrote Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs. Kelton Reid: Oh nice. Greg Iles: He is a hippy guy like me; a lot of people don’t know that, but he is. As far as fetishes, though … You know, I do a weird thing that I’ve been trying to … if somebody wants to make a billion dollars, here’s what they need to do. I have this thing where before I go to bed when I m almost just totally passed out, I write longhand in the bed. And I can’t even read my own writing, it’s such a waste, you know? But for note taking, somehow coming through your hand, when I write prose I want to write on the computer, but when stuff flows out of my head, I want to write it longhand. I know Donna Tartt writes longhand. A lot of people do. Peter Strob writes longhand. But almost all of the tablet apps that do that are just non organic, you know? The ergonomics of them are just stilted. If somebody could really, really hack that, to where you could write anywhere on the tablet and it translates into searchable text that’s just worth a billion dollars, man. And nobody has really done it yet. Kelton Reid: Yeah, that’s cool. And I’m sure somebody is patenting that as we speak, hopefully. All right, well, before we leave listeners with your advice on how to keep going, do you want to say a couple more words about Mississippi Blood the final book in the trilogy, the Natchez Burning trilogy, featuring Penn Cage, the protagonist? Greg Iles: Yeah, I’ll just tell yeah. It’s not what you think it is. Don’t hear that it’s this massive epic about the civil rights murders etc., and think it’s going to be dry or pedantic or anything like that. This trilogy is one of those things you start reading and you go, Holy s***, this is real. I like this. I’m not going to waste your time. The other things is, I’d like people to go back to the Natchez Burning, the first one, because really it’s the most intense of all three. But you can start on the third, Mississippi Blood if you want to. I took enough care that someone can come to it cold and understand it, but I’d suggest you go back. And the reason I tell you that is, you know, when President Obama was elected, a lot of people were talking about America being a post racial society, and that just seems like a tragic joke now. Race is and will remain one of the central problems in American life for a long time, and I think there’s a lot of insight about that in this trilogy. Some Great Writing Advice From a Truly Prolific Author Kelton Reid: Yeah, for sure. And it is timely. A very interesting time in history. But, congratulations on the publishing of that final piece of this epic, epic trilogy, that interweaves crime, lies, and secrets, past and present, in a mesmerizing thriller. Listeners should seek that out and they can see you on the road. We’ll link to those tour dates as well. My final question is to your fellow scribes, can you offer some advice on how to keep the ink flowing, how to keep the cursor moving? Greg Iles: I’ll tell you something Grisham said that’s the best advice I ve heard. I’m not very good at taking that advice, but it’s pretty good advice. And that is, when it’s really flowing well for him, he stops. It’s like, Don’t write to the end of what you are into right now, because then you re at a stopping place, and the next day you get up and you re stopped. You procrastinate, you whatever. If you stop while it’s flowing, when you wake up, you know, you want to go on. Now, I’m so damn compulsive that doesn’t work for me. I’ve got to like, fully exhaust myself, okay? But just … the thing about this business, this art, this trade, is every book is different. Even every one of my books is different for me, and certainly every writer is different. So just, man, live in whatever it is you are doing. Once you’ve started, forget about whether it’s going to sell or about what anybody’s going to think or whatever. Just get it out, man. Don’t even say, It’s gotta be perfect. Finish it. Then you can go back. Perfect is the enemy of good. That’s my final advice. Kelton Reid: Love that. Perfect is the enemy of good. Keep going, listeners. Greg, thank you so much for stopping by the show and sharing your writerly wisdom with us. Best of luck in all of your endeavors. We look forward to anything new that comes out from you. Good luck with the tour. Greg Iles: Thanks Kelton. I enjoyed it, man. Kelton Reid: All right, cheers Greg. Greg Iles: Bye, bye. Kelton Reid: Thanks so much for joining me for this half of a tour through the writer’s process. If you enjoy the Writer Files podcast, please subscribe to the show and leave us a rating or a review on iTunes to help other writers find us. For more episodes, or to just leave a comment or a question, you can drop by WriterFiles.FM. And you can always chat with me on Twitter @KeltonReid. Cheers. Talk to you next week.

The hyper-prolific, #1 New York Times bestselling author, Greg Iles, took a few minutes to chat with me this week about the conclusion to his epic trilogy, his unique writing process, and making the move to television. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! At 16 novels and counting — all but one of which have hit bestsellers lists — Greg has been called the “…William Faulkner for the Breaking Bad generation,” and his books have been adapted for film, translated into over 20 languages, and published in more than 35 countries. His epic Natchez Burning trilogy clocks in at close to 750,000 words and started out as a single novel that he expanded after a near death experience — a car crash that left him in a coma — which ultimately changed his mind about how he wanted to write it. His final installment in the series, Mississippi Blood, concludes the story of Southern lawyer Penn Cage, (the protagonist of six of his books including The Quiet Game, Turning Angel, and New York Times #1 bestseller The Devil’s Punchbowl). Iles’s epic tale of “… love and honor, hatred and revenge … explores how the sins of the past continue to haunt the present,” and Stephen King described the series as “… extraordinarily entertaining and fiendishly suspenseful.” If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews. In Part One of this file Greg Iles and I discuss: Why the author decided to take a break from rock’n’roll to start writing novels The importance of finding your unique writing voice How Greg tries to go as long as possible without writing a word On the author’s frenetic writing sprints and impressive word counts Why writers need to not “overthink” the process Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 194,000 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress GregIles.com Greg Iles Event Dates Greg Iles – Author page on Amazon Greg Iles concludes his spectacular Natchez Burning trilogy – The Washington Post Greg Iles on Facebook Greg Iles on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter The Transcript How Bestselling Author Greg Iles Writes: Part One Voiceover: Rainmaker FM. Kelton Reid: Welcome back to The Writer Files once again. I am still your host, Kelton Reid, here to take you on another tour of the habits, habitats, and brains of renowned writers. The hyper-prolific number one New York Times bestselling author, Greg Iles, took a few minutes to chat with me this week about the conclusion to his epic trilogy, his unique writing process, and making the move to television. At 16 novels and counting, all but one of which have hit bestsellers lists, Greg has been called the William Faulkner for the Breaking Bad generation, and his books have been adapted for film, translated into over 20 languages, and published in more than 35 countries. His epic Natchez Burning Trilogy clocks in at close to 750,000 words, and started out as a single novel that he expanded after a near death experience, a car crash, that left him in a coma, which ultimately changed his mind about how he wanted to write it. His final installment in the series, Mississippi Blood, concludes the story of Southern lawyer Penn Cage, also the protagonist of six of his books, including New York Times number one best seller The Devil’s Punchbowl. Iles epic tale of love, honor, hatred, and revenge explores how the sins of the past continue to haunt the present. Stephen King described the series as “extraordinarily entertaining and fiendishly suspenseful.” In part one of this file, Greg and I discuss why the author decided to take a break from rock and roll to start writing novels, the importance of finding your unique writing voice, how Greg tries to go as long as possible without writing a word, on the author’s frenetic writing sprints and impressive word counts, and why writers need to not overthink the process. The Writer Files is brought to you by the all the new StudioPress Sites, a turnkey solution that combines the ease of an all-in-one website builder with the flexible power of WordPress. It’s perfect for authors, bloggers, podcasters, and affiliate marketers, as well as those selling physical products, digital downloads, and membership programs. If you’re ready to take your WordPress site to the next level, see for yourself why over 200,000 website owners trust StudioPress. Go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress now. That’s Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress. And if you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews as soon as they’re published. And we are rolling once again on The Writer Files podcast with an esteemed guest today, and a very busy guest, I would imagine. Hyper-prolific, multi-genre, New York Times best-selling author of, looks like 16 novels now, and counting, I would assume. But, we have Greg Iles on the show today. Thanks for popping on here to talk to us about your writing process. Greg Iles: Thanks, Kelton. The Completion of an Epic Trilogy Kelton Reid: Yeah, yeah. This is an exciting time for you, with your most recent publishing of book three of this amazing trilogy, the Natchez Burning Trilogy, has recently been published as of the date that this will go live. So congrats on that. Greg Iles: Thank you. Kelton Reid: You are just going crazy. You’re kind of on a press tour, press junket, and getting out there and meeting folks. That must be fun for you. Greg Iles: I hope that was sarcasm. It’s fun when you actually get to the place where you’re hanging with readers. But I mean, it’s a lot of work getting from town to town doing two cities a day. Kelton Reid: Well, it looks like you are on the road and got a lot of different dates lined up, so I’m sure that’s great for your fans and readers, to get out there and connect with you. I’ll post a link to that, all those tour dates, so that folks and listeners can hook up with you. So, I mean, to say that this epic trilogy, the epic in quotes there, is pretty amazing, because it’s, I mean, you said something to the effect of like three quarters of a million words, all told. I’m looking at these books. They’re sitting here on my desk. They’re not thin tomes, Greg. You put in a lot of time and energy into this. Greg Iles: You know, it started out to be one book. Now that’s three books at roughly 800 pages apiece. The third one’s 700 pages. But the funny thing about it is the first two books, I kid you not, happen over about a seven day span, and that’s 1,600 pages. Now, there are flashbacks to the 1960s, but still, it’s told in a very granular way, second by second, really. Why the Author Decided to Take a Break from Rock n Roll to Start Writing Novels Kelton Reid: Yeah. Well, as you conclude, I’m sure you’re breathing a sigh of relief getting that out there to the world. You’ve been called the William Faulkner for the Breaking Bad generation, which is a pretty neat tag there. I mean, Stephen King said of the original, or the first installment there, that it was “an extraordinarily entertaining, fiendishly suspenseful” series. So congrats on kind of wrapping it up. But, you know, I want to get into kind of your process. I understand that you kind of write in sprints, and you’ve always been, I mean, hyper-prolific is a pretty apt term, I think. But, if we could dig into your productivity a little bit, and kind of talk about that. I guess first, for listeners who aren’t familiar with your journey just as a writer, how did you go from being kind of like a young rock and roller to a number one New York Times best-selling author? Greg Iles: To an old rock and roller, that s about Kelton Reid: Right. Greg Iles: It’s a … I’ll try to condense it there, really. First, I’m of the school, I’m firmly convinced writing is something you’re just born to do. I think you can make people better writers by teaching, but inherently, storytelling is just something, I think most people have it by the time they’re six or seven years old. It wasn’t something I particularly wanted to do. It was just something I could do. I liked music a lot better. Music is a lot more fun, honestly. After college, I played music till I was about 29. But the first year I was married, I was on tour for 50 weeks out of 52 playing music, and that was just getting old, you know? I realized at a certain point I was never going to be Sting. I could make a living, but I wasn’t going to be the best in the world. At that point it was either do something else in the arts or get a real job, which I wasn’t about to do. That was when I turned to what I had just always known I could do. People frequently … and my first book was really a huge book in terms of size. It was about 240,000 words. It did become a best seller. But the funny thing is, people would say, “What was the last thing you wrote before that?” I’d say, “My college term paper 10 years ago,” which was true. I’ve turned to something that I knew I could do. The Importance of Finding Your Unique Writing Voice Greg Iles: The thing I always say is this, Kelton, writing meant … command of the English language is nothing but a hammer and nails. It’s just a bag of tools, man. That’s not what writing is. Writing is having a voice, and command of narrative and time and these intangible things. That’s the thing that gets sort of baked in when you’re young, I think, and you steer it where you want to go from that. Kelton Reid: Well, I mean, I think it’s interesting to read about this story you tell about kind of shutting yourself in your apartment with library books and just, it’s like you decided to be a writer. Did you have that aha moment, like right then, when the words started to hit the page? Or did it take a little bit longer to kind of set in that this was going to be a lifelong journey for you? Greg Iles: Well, about five years earlier I had, I got one of the first desktop computers that was available to buy. It was an IBM clone, and I mean ’83, I think it was a 10 megabyte hard drive. But anyway, it had a very early word … the very first version of Wordperfect, which is a pretty much moribund software program now. Anyway, I sat down with that, I remember, and I wrote two paragraphs, just out of the blue, of what six years later would become that novel and best seller. It’s like it was just … I didn’t just decide to be a writer one day. It’s just like I said, I just decided one day, I mean, I knew I could write, so I just decided, well, the question is, Can I really pull off a book at the level where people will pay me to do it? That’s all it really was, you know? Kelton Reid: Well, I know that you’ve got this great website where listeners can find all of your books. Obviously, they’re not hard to find out there. Because since the publishing of Spandau Phoenix, I think most of your books have been best sellers. Greg Iles: All but one, and the one that’s not is actually the best one. There’s your typical publishing irony right there. Kelton Reid: Well, I have definitely been a fan since The Footprints of God. One of the definitely different genres that you write in there. You’ve done so many different things. What are you working on now? What could you possibly have up your sleeve? Greg Iles: Man, I’m doing a couple of things. Although Footprints of God, that brings up an interesting thing. If you want to know how hectic and crazy this business gets, back when Footprints of God came out, that was something that broke the … that was so out of the box for me. The publisher didn’t really want to do it, after it was done. But I eventually won that battle. What’s funny, back then a guy who was friends with or working with Dave Matthews, the rock star or whatever, contacted me about making that into a film. And I was excited about it. But, my life was literally so hectic, I didn’t call back, and I didn’t even remember till like three years passed. Kelton Reid: Oh, man. Greg Iles: That’s how crazy things get when you sort of get on this book a year commercial thing. It’s just nuts. Now as far as what I’m doing now, my next book is going to be about a third as long as these books. It’s set in Oxford, Mississippi, at Ole Miss. It’s sort of a film noir put to paper that’s going to be fun. It has sort of a literary side to it. I’ve also gotten some opportunities to do some TV writing, and I’m exploring that right now. Because the new dramatic extended cable series are just where it’s at, man. That is … that’s so much better than feature film, and it offers so much potential for story that you just can’t resist it, you know? How Greg Tries to Go as Long as Possible Without Writing a Word Kelton Reid: That’s cool. That’s cool to hear. When you look at stuff that guys like Elmore Leonard did with Justified, I think, those are cool to see. Then of course there’s so much happening in that space right now for writers. They need great writers like yourself to put words on the page for those actors, for sure. So we’ll be interested to see how that goes for you. When you … before you kind of sit down to get going on a new piece, I mean, it seems like you’re just doing an enormous amount of research. Are you kind of processing, interviewing, researching for weeks on end before you get into something, years on end, before you kind of synthesize everything onto the page? Greg Iles: It depends on what you’re doing. A lot of guys who do this for a living essentially rewrite the same book every time, so that makes it easier. I’ve never done that. I’ve jumped from genre to genre to genre. Certain things I’ve done were enormously research intensive. But my little, the lesson I learned there the hard way is, throw away 99% of what you learn. Never include anything because it’s just so cool you have to put it in, number one. But, once you start writing about what you know and following that ancient dictum, Write what you know. Obviously, a lot of what you need to know has been distilled into you over years and decades. But, also, the thing I want people to understand is, writing is a much more passive thing than people think it is. That goes back to what I said about the actual writing, words to a page is like a bag of tools. The real work is done passively in your mind, deep in you, when you’re doing other things. I try to go as much of the year as I can without writing anything, and the story’s working itself out. On the Author s Frenetic Writing Sprints and Impressive Word Counts Greg Iles: I think of a story as sort of jungian potentials of these different characters, protagonists, antagonists, shape shifters, shadow characters, whatever. I don’t think of them that way, but that’s what they are. It’s working itself out. Then one day it’s like you’re a pregnant woman and your water breaks, and I haul butt to get to my ease reclining chair with the hospital table over it, and I start working in bouts of 12, 16, 24 hours. In the last third of the book I’ve worked bouts of 36 hours straight. Kelton Reid: Wow. Greg Iles: A good day for me is like 30 pages. A bad day for me is like 10 pages. I have a very frenetic, intense, immersive way of working. For me, especially if you’re going to write something that’s supposed to be a thriller, at least loosely a thriller, the fact that you’re living it real time, just boom, boom, boom, boom on the page rather than calculatedly writing three, four pages a day and overthinking everything, to me that’s the way you get that intensity down on the page. Kelton Reid: Yeah, yeah, for sure. I mean, you have a very interesting process, and that kind of illumination phase, obviously, is kind of when you’re sitting there and getting all that stuff out of yourself. There are such cinematic qualities to your writing. Do you feel like listening to music kind of assists that process? Or are you someone who needs to sit in silence and get it all onto the page? Greg Iles: Well, I’ll tell you what. I used to listen to music. Like, I had playlists. I know some writers who do that. Some writers, the writer John Connolly, he actually released a CD of the stuff he listened to while he wrote a certain book. But, I got over that, and I’ve reached the point where now I have this cool setup with multiple screens. To the left of my main screen is like a TV screen, movie screen, whatever. So I actually play movies while I’m writing, sometimes. Like, when I was writing The Devil’s Punchbowl, I watched Michael Clayton probably 436 times in a row. It sort of plays in the background. I’m not really processing it. But something like that, that’s not the ideal background, what I call background movie. But, things that have really well written, tightly written scripts, that are mood pieces can sort of just wash over you without you having to engage. My eyes really stay on the screen, and I do my writing. But I don’t know, man. Why Writers Need to Not Overthink the Process Greg Iles: What you’re trying to do is not overthink the process. If you sit there in dead silence and stare at every word, think of how long you’re going to ask yourself, “Oh, is that right? Is that not quite right? Should it be this?” You can’t do that. You’ve got to get in the zone. It’s like an athlete, really, getting in a peak state. Then once you get in that, the only thing that will really intrude on you is like super sudden noises, or calls of nature, or whatever. That’s it, man, you know? Kelton Reid: Yeah, that’s cool. That flow state seems pretty important to your process, and to a lot of writers, I’m sure. But getting those sprints where you’ve said you get 5,000, 10,000 words, that’s pretty impressive stuff. Thanks so much for joining me for this half of a tour through the writer’s process. If you enjoy The Writer Files podcast, please subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating or a review on iTunes to help other writers find us. For more episodes, or to just leave a comment or a question, you can drop by WriterFiles.FM. And you can always chat with me on Twitter @KeltonReid. Cheers. Talk to you next week.

Marshall Ramsey speaks with best-selling author, Greg Iles, about the Natchez Burning Trilogy. Plus, Gina Carter talks about her breast cancer battle and why she decided to go public about it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Greg Iles talks about his 2nd book The Bone Tree after Natchez Burning. Join the show as we talk about how far we have come in race relations. Are you ready to retire? Do you have enough money... Experience the excitement and energy of Las Vegas each weekend on VEGAS NEVER SLEEPS with Steven Maggi.

We will be discussing Dead Sleep by Greg Iles. You can find it on the BARD site by searching for DB 54133. It is available on Bookshare at:

Why it seems like time flies faster as you get older. College football. When a famous person posts on FB, the response is huge. Our fascination with celebrity weddings. Maya Angelou dies. We speak to bestselling Greg Iles about his new novel "Natchez Burning."

Why it seems like time flies faster as you get older. College football. When a famous person posts on FB, the response is huge. Our fascination with celebrity weddings. Maya Angelou dies. We speak to bestselling Greg Iles about his new novel "Natchez Burning."

  Greg Iles is a superstar thriller writer who has sold millions of books around the world. In 2011, he was grievously injured in a car crash. He's worked hard to recover and has just released his fourth novel to star Penn Cage, a former writer and Prosecutor who is the mayor of Natchez, Mississippi. The new book, Natchez Burning, the first of a trilogy, looks at how the crimes of a domestic, racist terror group in the 1960s have affected contemporary Mississippi and Louisiana.

We thank Alan Lemly for recommending this fine book and for writing the newswire.

Luke never wanted to be a writer, in fact coming from Queec he wanted to be an NHL star. In the winter of 2000, after sustaining a season ending eye injury in hockey, Murphy took up a new hobby. After reading novels by his favorite authors: Greg Iles, Michael Connelly, Harlen Coben, among others, Murphy realized that he wanted to be like them - entertain readers and allow them, like when he read, to escape reality and for a moment be in another place and time. One day, with an idea in mind, he sat down at a computer and began writing. Murphy wrote a little everyday, around an intense rehabilitation schedule, and before he knew it he had completed his first manuscript. He continued to hobby write through the years, honing his craft, making time between work and family obligations. He constantly read, from novels in his favorite genres to books written by experts in the writing field. He continually researched, reading up on the industry and process. He made friends (published and unpublished authors), learning what it took to become successful. In 2006, after 10 years away, Murphy retired from hockey and moved back to his hometown. In the winter of 2007, Murphy began work on DEAD MAN'S HAND