National Book Festival

Books Have Been Selected 'Book Sense Top Mystery Pick' and 'International Book-of-the-Month Club' Selections

International bestselling author Karin Slaughter has been writing novels and short stories since she was a child growing up in a small Georgia town. Her Grant County series consists of "Blindsighted," "Kisscut," "A Faint Cold Fear," "Indelible" and the most recent installment, "Faithless" (Delacorte Press, 2005).

Slaughter was online Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 3 ET to discuss her work and appearance at the National Book Festival .

The transcript follows.

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Karin Slaughter: Hi chatters. I'm looking forward to being here today. Thanks for participating.

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Washington, D.C.: I've been a fan ever since I read "Blindsighted" and am curious how and why you chose the suspense genre for your writing.

Karin Slaughter: I think that all good books have some kind of suspense or crime at the heart of them. Whether it's "To Kill a Mockingbird," The Lovely Bones" or even "Hamlet." It's a great way to explore characters.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I'm submitting early since I have a meeting during your chat! I'm a huge fan - my husband brought back a signed copy of Kisscut from a conference he had gone to, and I've been hooked ever since. Just started Faithless last night, as a matter of fact!

Do you find yourself being compared a great deal to Patricia Cornwell, since you both write about medical examiners / coroners? Have the two of you met?

Thanks! And looking forward to future books, in and out of the series...

Karin Slaughter: First, you have a very wise husband. I've never met Patricia Cornwell. I'm a very big fan of her earlier books. I think the comparison comes because we're women writing about violence, but many women write about violence. I think it's a device that the publishers use.

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Washington, D.C.: What are your thoughts about certain invitees, like poet Sharon Olds, who have declined to attend this year's Festival on the grounds of political protest? Do you feel that attending the Festival indicates a certain level of support of the Bush administration, or do you believe it is an entirely separate issue?

Karin Slaughter: I think it's entirely separate. This isn't a political event. It's an event to support books, reading and the Library of Congress. No matter who holds office, we should support the office of the President.

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Arlington, Va.: Based on the reviews, I looked forward to reading your series, but was really put off by the graphic violence toward the women in your books. It seems as if you're going out of your way to portray gratuitous violent acts toward women. Do you think that sickos reading your books are getting off on this?

Karin Slaughter: I can't speak for the sickos. I know there are a lot of books out there and different people have different taste as to what they read. If you read my series, you'll find that I'm an equal opportunity offender as to who the victim is and who the perpetrator is. I don't find the violence to be gratuitous, but it may be too much for you. Speaking for myself, I enjoy reading dark novels.

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Alexandria, Va.: Did you ever consider changing your last name?

Karin Slaughter: I did when I was interested in writing historical fiction. I always thought as a kid that it would be a detriment to have this last name. Fortunately for me, I kept it because it really lends itself to the types of novels that I'm writing.

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Annapolis, Md: Hi, Karin

I'm a big fan of your books. Did you always know you wanted to write mysteries. And did you know the Grant County series would catch on and be such a hit after the first book?

Karin Slaughter: I don't think any writer can predict how his/her books will do in the market. I'm a big fan of the genre, so that gave me a help as a writer. I always knew that I wanted to write novels that ask questions and I think that a mystery is the best way to do that.

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Augusta, Geo.: How was growing up in Georgia? Did you find teachers encouraging of creative writing?

Karin Slaughter: Very much so. The South has a great history of writers. My ninth grade teacher, to whom my first book is dedicated, was a great influence on me.

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Washington, D.C.: Do you have a favorite of your books?

Karin Slaughter: I really like "Kisscut" because it's such a dark subject matter and it's difficult to write, but my most favorite is always my latest, "Faithless." I got to talk about religion in the South and talk about both the good and bad of things.

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Alexandria, Va.: Hi to Karin from a former RAM-mer who keeps meaning to get back into that crazy world!

The books just keep getting better and better. I can't wait to read this one!

Karin Slaughter: Thank you.

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Arlington, Va.: Where do you make your home now? Do you find that you need to be from the South to write authentic southern novels?

Karin Slaughter: I live in Atlanta and spend a lot of time in the North Georgia mountains when I do my writing. I find it's very important to know the region you're writing about. You can't write about the South and growing up as a southern child unless you've experienced it.

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PK the Bookeemonster: I'm an avid mystery reader (hence the nickname), but an early encounter with an audio of your first book made me shy away from it (the accent was very thick). I've recently found them again and I just want to tell you how much I'm enjoying all of them.

Karin Slaughter: Thank you. It was a real struggle to get my New York publishers to hear what a real southern accent looks like. They were caught somewhere between "Gone with the Wind" and "Deliverance." I'm happy with the reader we have now and thank you for giving it another try.

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Washington, D.C.: Who are some of your favorite contemporary women authors?

Karin Slaughter: Mo Hayder, Denise Mina and Sarah Waters are three of my favorites right now. I think that they're wonderful writers and that they bring something new to crime writing, not just violence against women, but violence in general.

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Anonymous: Who were your biggest writing influences growing up?

Karin Slaughter: I loved Flannery O'Connor, Margaret Mitchell, anything about the South. I also read a lot of crappy stuff that most teenagers read like V.C. Andrews and John Jakes.

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Chevy Chase, Washington, D.C.: Hi Karin:

I just bought "Faithless" based solely on a great review it received in the Post. If the book is half as good as the review I am in for a treat. The reviewer found you a refreshing change from another female protagonist, a bounty hunter that works out of NJ. My wife loves said bounty hunter but I never warmed up to her the way my wife did...do you believe your lead character, Sara?, is more appealing to women?

Karin Slaughter: If you're talking about Stephanie Plum, I love Janet Evanovich's series. I think it's fun and she appeals to me as a woman. I also love reading books with characters like Sara, my main character. I find that women will not be partial to one type of character over others.

You'll have cross-pollination where you can pick up something like a Janet Evanovich book and enjoy it or you can pick up something like my book and enjoy it, too.

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Milwaukie, Ore.: How did you end up getting an agent and being published? Were there many rejections? I have written a mystery-suspense novel that two agents read and asked me to resubmit after making some changes. Each time, I did not quite make it strong enough for them. Now I am working on a revision for a third agent who says I'm close to having something she could sell and that she "couldn't put it down." Any advice/suggestions?

Karin Slaughter: Don't give up. It's much more difficult to get an agent than it is to get a publisher. My agent, for example, probably picks one out of every 500 manuscripts she reads. The houses depend on the agents to filter out the texts that won't be popular or what the house is looking for, so keep trying.

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San Francisco, Calif.: What advice would you give to an aspiring author who cannot find inspiration?

Karin Slaughter: Read as much as you can. Whenever I'm stuck in a book or not able to continue with a story, I always regroup, read and try to recapture why I love writing so much.

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Washington, D.C.: What are your future book plans with Sara? Do we have many future titles to look forward to? Also, what are your thoughts on Kinsey Milhone?

Karin Slaughter: I love Sue Grafton. I think it's amazing how each book still holds my attention. As for Sara, there are plenty of books ahead. Unfortunately, the next book, "Skin Privilege," won't be published until 2007. "Triptych" which is a stand-alone outside the series, which means that it features all new characters except for one you've already seen in Grant County, will be out next summer. Two of the characters from that title will be going back to Grant County after the book is over.

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Washington, D.C.: Have you ever faced criticism from the public for your writings about violence and women?

Karin Slaughter: Sometimes, when I do signings, there will be a man sitting in the back who stands up to say that I shouldn't be writing about violence and women. I think there's something inherently wrong with somebody telling someone else not to write about something. Silence is what predators count on to continue what they're doing. Women should not feel ashamed about sexual assault. By opening up the discussion and being able to tell each other stories and talk about sexual assault and violence, we can start to prevent it and heal.

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Washington, D.C.: Have you participated in the National Book Festival before? I am very excited to attend my first this weekend. Any authors are you excited to meet at the event?

Karin Slaughter: I am always excited when I meet authors. This is my first time at the festival and I'm really looking forward to it.

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Munich, Germany: What was the inspiration for editing, "Like a Charm"? Did you enjoy working with other authors?

Karin Slaughter: It was a blast working with the other authors because they're all friends of mine. The inspiration was books I enjoyed that were serial novels like "The Red Pony" or serial stories like "Accordion Crimes." I thought it would be fun to see who would up leaving the charm bracelet in the grossest place.

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Karin Slaughter: Thank you for participating in this chat. I look forward to meeting you at the festival and encourage you to keep reading.

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Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.