On episode 34 of the show, I spoke with international bestselling thriller author Steve Berry. We discussed:
- why we should write what we love, not what we know;
- what the ebook revolution has made harder and what it’s made easier;
- the mythology of Abraham Lincoln;
- his research and writing process;
- how THE DAVINCI CODE helped spark his career;
- what an audio book “writer’s cut” is;
- his latest Cotton Malone Thriller, THE PATRIOT THREAT.
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About Our Guest:
STEVE BERRY is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of ten Cotton Malone adventures, four stand-alone thrillers, and four short-story originals. His books have been translated into 40 languages with more than 19 million printed copies in 51 countries. A 2010 NPR survey named The Templar Legacy one of the top 100 thrillers ever written.
History lies at the heart of every Steve Berry novel. It’s his passion, one he shares with his wife, Elizabeth, which led them to create History Matters, a foundation dedicated to historic preservation. Since 2009 Steve and Elizabeth have crossed the country to save endangered historic treasures raising more than $800,000 via lectures, receptions, galas, luncheons, dinners and their popular writers’ workshops.
In 2012 Steve’s devotion to historic preservation was recognized by the American Library Association, which named Steve the first spokesman for National Preservation Week (a role he reprised in 2013). Among other honors that came his way in 2013 were the Poets & Writers’ Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award; the International Thriller Writers Silver Bullet Award; and the Spirit of Anne Frank Human Writes Award. The first two awards honored Steve’s philanthropic work with fellow writers and historic preservation. The latter is given to the writer who best exemplifies the spirit of Anne Frank in their work. In addition, Steve was asked to write the forewords for the 2014-2015 re-release of the novels of James Michener, his boyhood idol and one of America’s foremost storytellers.
Steve was born and raised in Georgia and graduated from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He was a trial lawyer for 30 years and held elective office for 14 of those years. He is a member of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries Advisory Board and a founding member of International Thriller Writers—a group of more than 2,600 thriller writers from around the world—and where he served three years as its co-president.
For more information, visit www.steveberry.org
