Lisa Scottoline

You can really help support a character if you understand the setting. So for that reason I generally write about Philadelphia.

What I'm doing is writing stories about women who care about justice. They are women who think about the difference between right and wrong, what's legal and illegal, ethical and unethical, moral and immoral.

And when I look at my mother, I reflect on her strength and endurance. She's cranky sometimes, but she is lovable and loving. I'd be happy to be there at 86.

I was a lawyer and I loved it, but my Francesca was born, and a divorce followed way too soon after.

I love the dignity in the name Philadelphia, but at heart, we're Philly.

I love my job, and I love books. I read anything, including cereal boxes. I care deeply about what people think of my books, and I memorize my reviews. I love to hear from my readers.

I love everything about Philadelphia, and its food is like the city itself: real-deal, hearty, and without pretension. We've always had an underdog vibe as a city, but that just makes us try harder, and I love our scrappiness and scruffiness.

Truth is, every writer has to be a good editor, and you have to edit yourself. It's a skill every writer has to acquire.

Even if it's not what you planned, you can make a life for yourself on your own and be happy.

My animals are a really important part of my life.

I am really, I think, truly an easygoing, positive, fun person.

I love writing both fiction and memoir. Both have unique challenges; bottom line, fiction is hard because you have to come up with the credible, twisty plot, and memoir is hard because you have to say something true and profound, albeit in a funny way.