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Hello from ASIA! I just landed in Taiwan and settled in a hotel with all my podcasting equipment laid out. Be sure to listen to today’s episode to find out why I’m in Asia and to hear the names of the 3 lucky winners of the giveaway contest from Tyler Knott Gregson’s episode.
I’m so thrilled to have Tess Gerritsen on 88 CUPS OF TEA! For my listeners who’ve been a part of my storyteller tribe since day one, you guys may recognize this episode. Thanks to you, this is one of the show’s most popular and well received interviews. I hope you’ll be re-inspired by Tess’ journey and her actionable tips and advice for writers and storytellers.
There’s also been a jump in new listeners so a very warm welcome to 88 CUPS OF TEA and thank you for joining our storyteller tribe. I’m really excited for you to hear Tess’ interview as it’s one of my favorite chats, which is also one of the favorites of our storyteller tribe.
What better way to celebrate 88 CUPS OF TEA’s huge milestone of reaching 20 episodes than by re-playing one of the most popular episodes that epitomizes what our show is about.
I’ve been a huge fan of Tess’ work since reading her very first thriller novel HARVEST, her debut on the New York Times bestseller list. She has written 26 novels with over 30 million copies sold worldwide. Tess is also widely known for creating the RIZZOLI & ISLES book series that inspired the hit TNT television series. Our chat left me on an absolute high with adrenaline and Tess shares a ton of actionable tips and advice. I’m so excited for you to apply her knowledge towards your own writing careers!
Tess’ Recommended Book:
Telling Lies for Fun and Profit: A Manual for Fiction Writers by Lawrence Block
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“I always start (my novels) with what I call the-punch-in-the-gut, which is an idea that has a really powerful emotional resonance for me. I always start with ‘Oh my God, and what happens next?'”
-Tess Gerritsen
What You’ll Learn From This Episode:
- What to do when you’re struggling with resistance— the dreaded writer’s block
- What time in the day Tess finds the most inspiration to write
- What inspired the hugely popular series RIZZOLI & ISLES (You might be surprised!)
- How Tess schedules her writing so she makes it on time for her manuscript deadlines
- The benefits of publishing traditionally and the benefits of publishing online
- Tess’ advice for writers who are interested in publishing novels the traditional way
- How Tess landed her literary agent
- Tess’ take on the importance of the query letter and what to include so it makes an impression
Learn More About Tess Gerritsen
Internationally bestselling author Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A graduate of Stanford University, Tess went on to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was awarded her M.D.
While on maternity leave from her work as a physician, she began to write fiction. In 1987, her first novel was published. Call After Midnight, a romantic thriller, was followed by eight more romantic suspense novels. She also wrote a screenplay, “Adrift,” which aired as a 1993 CBS Movie of the Week starring Kate Jackson.
Tess’s first medical thriller, Harvest, was released in hardcover in 1996, and it marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list. Her 26 novels include Gravity, The Surgeon, Vanish, The Bone Garden, The Silent Girl, Die Again, and Playing with Fire (Oct 2015). Translated into 40 languages, her books have been #1 bestsellers abroad and top-three bestsellers in the US. More than 30 million copies have been sold around the world.
She received the Nero Wolfe Award (for Vanish) and the Rita Award (for The Surgeon) and was a finalist for the Edgar award (for Vanish.)
Her series of novels featuring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the hit TNT television series “Rizzoli & Isles,” starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.
Critics around the world have praised her novels as “Pulse-pounding fun” (Philadelphia Inquirer), and “Scary and brilliant” (Toronto Globe and Mail). Publishers Weekly has dubbed her “the medical suspense queen.”
Now retired from medicine, she writes full time. She lives in Maine.
“If I see (my first draft) on screen, I want to edit it. It stops me cold. I use unlined typing paper. I can’t have lines on it because I feel like it inhibits my creativity. 25 books, and it’s been pen and paper.”
-Tess Gerritsen
