Crush by Alan Jacobson

Over a 15 year period, I made repeated trips to the FBI Academy, attended FBI profiling training courses, shot submachine guns in their indoor range, viewed volumes of crime scene photos and offender-created videos of their heinous acts, and edited four published FBI research papers on serial offender behavior. And I got to know the real-life Karen Vail, who gave me valuable insight into how Vail would function as the only woman in an all-male unit.

Though Vail means well, her aggressive approach doesn't always bring desirable results. In Crush, we see that she's learned from the events that transpired in The 7th Victim. Because of the incredibly strong reader and critical response to Vail, I was careful not to change her too much. But I wanted there to be some growth. The Vail we see in Crush is a bit more aware of the consequences of her actions. She thinks before acting or firing back a sarcastic retort. Not always--sometimes she just can't help herself--but, like all of us, she's a work in progress.

Crush takes place in the Napa Valley, an area associated with romantic vacations. What is Crush about, and how did you pull off writing a thriller in wine country?

Crush picks up two months after The 7th Victim ends. As it opens, Vail is involved in a high profile shootout in front of the White House, an incident that spurs her boss to order her to take time off. She travels with her boyfriend from The 7th Victim, Robby Hernandez, to Napa. She's never been there and is looking forward to exploring picturesque vistas, fine wine and food.

But instead of wine, she and Robby find a dead body in a wine cave. It bears all the hallmarks of a serial killing, but the local detective doesn't want her assistance. That changes when the second body is discovered. Vail is named to the task force and what follows is a twisting story that delves into areas of the wine industry most of us never get to see. The Napa Valley becomes a character in the novel as Vail and her colleagues pursue a killer who plays off their interest. Differing opinions as to how to identify and catch the killer sets off internal strife and complicates their efforts.

Writing a thriller in the Napa Valley was something a few people thought couldn't be done. But I've always wanted to set a story there, and it was the perfect location for the next Karen Vail novel. By taking Vail out of her element--across the country and in a region she's never visited, with its own nuances, internal politics and long histories of family feuds--I created stressors that enabled me to explore her character in ways I couldn't otherwise do. Overall, Crush could not have been set anywhere else. Napa is as much a fabric of the story as Karen Vail. And early critical and reader response has been overwhelming, so I guess sending Vail to Napa was the right choice.

You've created a number of female protagonists, from Laura Chambers in The Hunted to Karen Vail and her partner in Crush, Roxxann Dixon. Why female instead of male? Was it difficult to write from the female perspective? What advantage does the female sensibility give you in these stories?

I didn't set out to create female leads (my first novel, False Accusations, features a male). It just happened that way because of the stories I wanted to tell and because of who the characters are as people. My stories emanate from my characters--I can't swap out the main character and tell the same story.

I thought that pairing Vail with another woman (Dixon) would work well in Crush, but I didn't know until the first scene I wrote between the two women how good it would work. Even my editor, after reading the first 60 pages, called me to marvel at the energy between Vail and Dixon. Clearly, what I was feeling came through on the pages.

Writing from the female perspective has never given me problems, but my wife's been there to point out those few times when I've gone astray. It helps that I've always had strong-willed women in my life--and Karen Vail is no exception. Working in an all-male violent crime unit requires self-confidence and a willingness to stand up for what you believe. That can be tricky in a small-group office environment without stepping on egos. But giving Vail such a personality afforded me tremendous opportunities for drama, emotion...and conflict.

Lauren Chambers (from The Hunted) is almost the polar opposite of Karen Vail, as she suffers from agoraphobia (fear of being in public). She must battle these psychological demons when her husband mysteriously disappears and she's forced to search for him. But as the novel progresses, Lauren finds traits in herself she didn't know that she had, and Lauren Chambers' personal growth from the opening pages to the last is clearly evident.

Your books are known for high-level suspense and explosive twist endings.  I understand you're a fan of the O'Henry story structure. Do you know the twist at the end of your plot before you begin to write, or do the characters lead you there?

I know the ending before I start writing. My outlines are blow-by-blow accounts of the plot that take me from the beginning right up to the end. They typically average about 60 pages. So the ending is scripted and arises from everything that happens in the story. Doing it this way gives me specific direction while writing so that I end up where I need to, while affording me the flexibility to enhance or expand on plot points as I write.

I know some authors who don't outline, but with the types of stories I tell, and the way my brain works, that wouldn't work for me.

On your website you mention the role "chance" has played in your career. A seemingly insignificant encounter later plays a vital role--could you give us an example?
 
There are so many. But the "accidental meeting" of Agent Safarik I talked about earlier is a fascinating example. I had been practicing as a chiropractor at the time, but injured my wrist and ultimately had to sell my practice. I was still in the office, as a consultant, when I took a phone call asking for a reference on an employee I'd hired. She'd made application to be a forensic scientist and the director of the crime lab was screening the applicants. I'd started outlining False Accusations, which involved a CSI and a substantial amount of forensics. After providing the reference on his applicant, I asked him questions about my character. He was enormously helpful and--to make a long story shorter--I asked to visit the crime lab (which was met with a swift "no"). However, I was instead invited to audit a class on blood spatter pattern analysis.

There was a four year waiting list for that class; it was attended by FBI agents, criminalists, and detectives. During a break one day, I asked two FBI agents questions I needed answered for a novel I was outlining. Unbeknownst to me, Agent Safarik arranged for me to shoot the seven different types of handguns we were using in the lab portion of the course. He taught me how to shoot and handle the weapons--and we stayed in touch after the class ended. A couple months later, he was promoted to the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit--which started my years of trips to Quantico, and my education on profiling.

So--chance. Had I not taken that phone call; had I not asked those questions; had I not asked to visit the crime lab; had I not audited that class; had I not approached Agent Safarik...Karen Vail would not exist, and Crush (and The 7th Victim) would've never been written. And my longtime friendship with Agent Safarik never would've happened. All of those things significantly changed my life in one way or other.

You credit your high school English teacher, Louis Brill, for the initial encouragement that eventually led to your pursuit of a writing life. Did he teach you a love of reading or writing or both?

It started with that driest of dry subjects, grammar. He actually made it fun. And that set the stage for teaching us good writing skills. We did creative projects that taught us various forms of writing, such as journalism, scripting and performing mock television shows (to teach us the importance of dialogue). Overall, it unlocked an interest I never lost.

There were also three college English major classes that played important roles: playwriting workshop and experimental theater workshop, both of which helped me refine my ear for dialogue; and short story workshop. The latter involved an extremely negative experience. The professor blasted me for a story I'd written about a soldier with an abdominal wound. His point was that belly wounds are extremely painful and my character would've been incapacitated. Because his criticism was so mean-spirited and prolonged, I figured my story struck too close to home. Fifteen years later, I realized the lesson he was trying to teach. If you're going to write about something, do your homework. Don't just "make it up." It's something I've taken to heart with my novels. I love taking my readers behind the scenes of something or to a place they'd never have the opportunity to do or see.

In Crush, we go where most people never get to go: The Napa Valley becomes a character in the story, and the politics and little-known business issues that govern the wine country play a role in how Karen Vail and the task force must battle the killer. The research turned me on to intricacies that became story points I wouldn't have otherwise known existed.

You spent several years practicing chiropractic medicine, which gave you invaluable experience testifying in court as an expert witness. How has that experience been useful in creating your novels?

Testifying in court and working closely with attorneys and judges taught me first-hand the machinations and manipulations that go on behind the scenes. Justice does not always get done--nor is it often the chief concern. Using the "tools" available to them, each side tries to outwit and outmaneuver the other to gain an edge that'll tip the scale in their favor. Somewhere along the way, the pursuit of truth is lost.

That was enormously important to me in understanding how the legal and business worlds work. I used much of this knowledge and experience in False Accusations, in which a surgeon is falsely accused of rape and murder. Some of these legal manipulations figure prominently in the plot and form the motivations for the characters' actions.

In Crush and The 7th Victim, that experience is there, though more often than not, beneath the surface. It's more a case of factoring into my knowledge base as to how things work--or don't--in the legal, political, and business worlds.

The 7th Victim has been optioned for a feature film. Where does that project stand?

An A-list Hollywood producer purchased the rights (his latest film is Tom Cruise's Valkyrie). They've attached a screenwriter and have begun pitching it to studios. The timing couldn't be worse, because Hollywood can't get financing for new projects. Much of it had been coming from Wall Street and private equity groups. It was a high risk/high reward venture. With the financial collapse, these firms stopped making high risk investments. Beyond that, because such investors took huge hits to their portfolios, the capital they had available to "throw at the wall" disappeared. Even Steven Spielberg was unable to fund his new movie projects.

The financing for movies coming out now was locked in before the global financial collapse. The studios are stocked with projects through the end of 2011. Hopefully, the capital markets will have returned to some sense of normalcy by then, because the studios will have to start buying again. And we're hoping that The 7th Victim will be one of the first projects when they do move forward.

You and Agent Safarik recently co-wrote a personal safety booklet, is that right?

Yes. During an interview we'd filmed together, we started talking about how women could avoid falling prey to serial killers and other nefarious types. Afterwards, we decided to co-write an article that we'd post on my website. But there was so much information to include that the article became a pamphlet, which then became a 22 page booklet.

It's filled with important information and tips for home safety, personal safety and cybersafety. Everyone can pick up a free copy at www.AlanJacobson.com. Enter in your email address and the PDF file will automatically be sent to you. Everyone should read it. It could literally save your life.

What's on the horizon for you? More Karen Vail?

Yes! Karen Vail returns in the sequel to Crush--it picks up literally the second Crush ends. Just like Crush, I'm very excited about it. Okay, fine, I'll say it--I love both of them. I can't wait for people to crack open Crush. The reviews for Crush have been stellar. It was great fun to write, and I think that comes through on the pages.

As you'll see, Karen Vail has some unfinished business. And she won't rest until it's done (and, apparently, neither will I!).

Carolyn Haines is the author of the Sarah Booth Delaney Delta mystery series, the latest of which is GREEDY BONES. She is also the editor of the upcoming anthology DELTA BLUES, which will be released in the spring.