Interview with Leslie Glass 
by Jon Jordan
Leslie's Web Site

Jon:  To start with, how would you describe your series with April Woo

Leslie:  The April Woo series really covers a lot of bases. Each book has a very different story, but they're all part police procedural, part psychological suspense. The heroine is Asian American, her boyfriend is Latino. There is a psychoanalyst. I have a big canvas to work on--crime in New York, cultural and gender differences, the way a cop approaches a suspect and a crime, the
way a psychoanalyst approaches a suspect and a crime. And all the while, the killer is out there in the wind, looking to do it again. Big stories, big themes.

Jon:  Do you and April share any characteristics?

Leslie:  We both like bubble baths.

Jon:  What kind of research do you do for the books?

Leslie:  A lot. I've studied psychology and the cops. I'm studying for the job about twenty hours a day. It's never off my mind.

Jon:  You've also written plays, short stories and some books outside the series. What made you decide to do a series?

Leslie:  In 1990, I was offered a three-book contract. After writing free lance for many years, it was a great gift to have a project that kept on going and going, and kept on selling even when I was done.

Jon:  What other things have you done and do you do besides write?

Leslie:  I run a small foundation and sit on a few boards. Not for profit takes up a lot of my time.

Jon:  When you were growing up you had a Chinese couple living with your family. Were there advantages to having two sets of grown ups around?

Leslie:  No, I hated it. They all bullied me and told me my faults and pushed me to work harder and be better.

It's no fun in either Chinese or English. And both sets of parents overfed me, just like Skinny does to April.

Jon:  You are the founder of The Leslie Glass Foundation. What does the foundation do?

Leslie:  We support graduate level research scholarships to ongoing university projects in the mental health criminal justice and social work fields. And a few other organizations.

Jon:  Would you ever want to live any where but New York?

Leslie:  Yes, I love many many places in America. Any one of a dozen would be wonderful home bases. I do happen live in Sarasota, Florida much of the time now. But still commute to New York for family and work.

Jon:  Do you write everyday? Do you have set working hours?

Leslie:  I try to write several hours every day. Always before nine or ten am when real life begins.

Jon:  Do you ever get feedback from actual Police officers on the books? I would imagine they find them pretty realistic in terms of procedure.

Leslie:  They pretty much read them and like them the same way regular readers do. They love the inside stuff, and I never get complaints. They appreciate what I get right and never tell me when I make mistakes.

Jon:  What's the best thing about being a writer?

Leslie:  Getting paid for what I enjoy doing most. Seeing my books in the stores. Not having to dress up to go to work. Talking to readers and store owners. Writing is hell when it isn't working. When it is working, everything about it is good.

Jon:  Do you enjoy doing signing tours and conventions?

Leslie:  I love the opportunity to meet and talk with readers and booksellers. Traveling around the country is also a real privilege. But I don't know if it really sells books, and it does take time away from writing. It's very hard to write and sell yourself at the same time.

Jon:  From what I can tell, you are a very busy lady. Do you ever have free time? And if you do, how do you spend it?

Leslie:  Some days I just look like just I'm lying on the sofa, but I'm always working. For fun, I cook for my friends. I read a lot. I fool around at the piano. I grow orchids, like Rex Stout. And roses, and lilies.

Jon:  If you had not become a successful writer, what might you have done instead?

Leslie:  I've always been a mom. Apart from that, I would have enjoyed being a tap dancer or a lawyer, or maybe a tap dancing lawyer. A chef, an interior decorator, a landscape gardener. A couch potato.

Jon:  Are there any movies that you can watch over and over year after year?

Leslie:  I watch the Jane Austen movies. Can't help it, I'm a sucker for family betrayal and lost and found love.

Jon:  You've got a great website. Do you find that it's a good way to keep in touch with your readers?

Leslie:  The website is really a wonderful way to showcase the books. I love it when people write and say they like it. All readers enjoy getting a good look at the authors they read. It's the next best thing to coming to tea.

Jon:  Your new book is titled The Silent Bride. First, why no "Time" in the title, and what on earth made you think of someone stalking brides?

Leslie:  I get everything from real cases. Someone killed a bride on her wedding day last year in New York, and I just jumped all over it as a good premise for a book.

Title change?

The change in titles is a response to the growing audience outside of the mystery suspense field. Taking the books out of category opens them up to a bigger cross section of fiction readers.

Jon:  What's the one thing always in your refrigerator?

Leslie:  Here are three. Milk, club soda, yogurt.