Interviews
On Monday, April 14th, barnesandnoble.com on AOL welcomed Robin Cook, master of the medical thriller. He discussed life as an author, his new TV miniseries "Invasion," and his latest bestseller, CHROMOSOME 6.
Question: What has your profession done to help your writing?
Robin Cook: My medical training afforded me the subject of my writing. I became a writer because I had something to say, instead of being a writer and then looking for some subject matter.
Question: Where did you work when you were writing your latest book? Do you usually travel when you write?
Robin Cook: I traveled to Africa a year ago this month. For VITAL SIGNS I went to the outback of Australia and mainland China.
Question: Mr. Cook, if I wanted to publish a novel, what would I do to get the editors' attention, so they'll want to read my story?
Robin Cook: Write a letter to the trade department of the publisher you are interested in and mention why they should publish your novel.
Question: I'm looking forward to seeing "Invasion" on TV. Are you pleased with the job they did in making the movie version?
Robin Cook: I'd have to be pleased, because I was an integral part of it. I wrote the story, and I would also rewrite the dialogue as it went on.
Question: Can you tell us about your next book?
Robin Cook: All I can say is that it will involve a subject you ought to know about. I am going back to my first mechanism, as in COMA -- I wrote it as a screenplay first.
Question: Do you have a family? Kids?
Robin Cook: Yes.
Question: What made you decide to leave your medical practice and write?
Robin Cook: It was not a sudden decision. I sold my medical practice after I had three bestsellers. The critical point is that I still see myself as more of a doctor than a writer.
Question: Do you hope that readers learn something from your books?
Robin Cook: I think that is what separates my books from others. I believe that everyone learns something from reading my books. The critical factor is that we are all destined to be patients at one time or another.
Question: As a doctor, what type of medicine did you practice?
Robin Cook: I trained in general surgery first, then in ophthalmology. I attended Columbia and Harvard.
Comment: I would like to thank you for the books that you write. I have found every one of them hard to put down. I am looking forward to seeing "Invasion." I just finished the book.
Robin Cook: Thank you!
Question: How is it you seem to have such good timing with current events in the news?
Robin Cook: Actually, I am a little worried. With COMA I was five or six years ahead. With CHROMOSOME 6 I am simultaneous with the news. Seriously, that timing comes from my research.
Question: How much involvement did you have in making the movie "Invasion"?
Robin Cook: They asked my opinion on the actors. I actually was supposed to play a small role in "Invasion." Unfortunately, I was not able to do that. I actually have played a small cameo part in most of my movies. In "Invasion" I was actually supposed to have a speaking part. I am sure I would have been one of the bad guys.
Question: I was wondering if you had ever thought of teaming up with someone such as Michael Crichton for a motion picture instead of TV.
Robin Cook: Well, I actually already did that with "Coma." It will possibly happen again.
Question: You take a hard stand on managed care. What do you see as future medical care?
Robin Cook: I see that managed care is going to evolve in creating a closer relationship with the patient and the physician. In the current situation they are the two disenfranchised groups.
Question: I loved your book INVASION. Do you really believe in UFOs and aliens?
Robin Cook: I definitely believe there is life in the universe beyond Earth. Statistically it just makes sense. How advanced this life is is open to one's creativity.
Question: Love your work. Who are you reading?
Robin Cook: I am very eclectic in my reading. Starting to write bestsellers, I am starting to read them, too. Scott Turow, Robert Ludlum, especially. Very sorrowful when Barbara Tuchman died.
Question: Where do you usually do your best writing?
Robin Cook: I have written a number of books in Florida. It is a good writing environment because there is not much else to do. I handwrite my outlines, then use a computer to write the book itself. I have tried using the Internet to research, but I still feel going directly to the source is the best way. I have the opportunity to call or see whoever is in the field I am interested in.
Question: Dr. Cook, how long does it take to write a book, on the average?
Robin Cook: The research is the longest period. Anywhere from three to six months. Then a month for the outline and about a month and a half to write the book.
Question: Do you plan on going back into practicing medicine?
Robin Cook: Not in the traditional sense. I am still associated with a teaching hospital. I eventually see myself in a teaching capacity.
Question: I loved that you used the two main characters from a previous book. Will that romance develop in a future novel?
Robin Cook: I'd like to think so -- I like them myself. And to tell you the truth, I think they need each other.
Question: Dr. Cook, which one of your novels would you say came closest to a real-life experience??
Robin Cook: THE YEAR OF THE INTERN.
Question: How do you decide what to write about next?
Robin Cook: A lot of research. Also, the daily newspaper. There are topics that the public should see in an emotional setting.
Question: Is it possible to successfully transfer a book to the screen?
Robin Cook: I believe it is quite easy, if you see your story in a very visual way. I conceive of my story lines almost as if I am watching a movie in the back of my mind.
Question: Where did the idea for INVASION come from?
Robin Cook: NBC asked me if I could write a sci-fi thriller. I agreed with the idea that I could write something very different from what had previously been on television or in the theaters.
Question: What is the best part about writing? The worst part?
Robin Cook: The best part is to send the manuscript off, Federal Express, when it is done. The worst part is being on page 150 and it seems like you are facing a mountain. Luckily I have never had "doctor's block," so I have never had writer's block.
Question: How do you relax?
Robin Cook: Athletics is my major hobby. I do something everyday, usually basketball. I have gotten better. I wish I could go back to college. :)
Question: Do you believe that there is as much abuse of science and medical knowledge going on in real world as your books reflect?
Robin Cook: Probably more. What has happened in CHROMOSOME 6 is happening in a biotechnology firm behind closed doors. It is no accident that the creation of Dolly, the cloned sheep, occurred behind closed doors. One can only use their own imagination to wonder what is going on.
Question: Dr. Cook, are there those in the medical profession who would like you to keep quiet about what you reveal?
Robin Cook: I think that my fellow doctors get as much enjoyment out of reading my books as everyone else. I imagine some of the biotech firms are not happy about it. I know a gentleman who runs such a firm -- he was in the middle of CHROMOSOME 6 and dismayed that I was "so much on the mark"
Question: Dr. Cook, I love your books. Which do you enjoy more, practicing medicine or writing?
Robin Cook: Under the current social situation that medicine finds itself, where doctors are being dictated to in terms of how much time they can spend with a patient and what they can tell the patient, I'd rather write novels.
Question: Have you ever considered cowriting a book with another author? (Dean Koontz or Stephen King would be great.)
Robin Cook: I don't really like creativity by committee. It is difficult sometimes.
Question: Do you have anything new about to be released? If so, what and when?
Robin Cook: Two just out, CHROMOSOME 6 and INVASION, in the last three weeks. The next hardcover should be out closer to January of next year.
Moderator: Thank you all for coming! Thank you to Dr. Robin Cook!
Robin Cook: Thank you. Thank you, everyone, for coming -- I enjoyed it!
