Today’s New Zealand Herald published a surprising conversation with Nora Roberts. The reason they report the article as “surprising” is that she seldom grants interviews, so everyone will be jumping on reporting about this one.

Examiner.com reported on it as follows:

Karen Wilson conveys Roberts’ views on how she has managed to sell over 300 million books during her career.

Roberts tells Wilson that her Irish background is one factor in her success. “I’m of Irish extraction on both sides and the Irish are great storytellers,” she says.

She credits her parents, too, with giving her the sense of discipline she has needed to write nearly 200 titles. “You can be a great storyteller, but to be a writer you have to sit your butt down and do it,” she points out.

Roberts reveals that part of the joy she finds in writing comes from what she learns in the process. “I know the old chestnut is write what you know, but I don’t believe that,” she says. “I think you write what you want to find out.” Roberts investigated the background of trainers of search and rescue dogs in writing her most recent romantic suspense novel, The Search.

Character development continues to provide the core of Roberts’ novels. Of her characters Roberts declares, “A long as they have backbone, a core of honour, I’m interested in telling their story.”

When it comes to developing plots, Roberts follows her instincts. “A lot of it is just gut because fiction is just a big entertaining lie, but I have to see if it’s plausible,” she tells Wilson. “If I don’t believe it then why would the readers?”

Roberts believes that much of the appeal of her books comes from the interest people have the romance genre. She explains that appeal in these words: “I think every culture is the culture of couples and that leads to family and that is what we strive for as human beings. So we like to read about how other people overcome obstacles, what they each bring to the table that attracts the other, and how they move from attraction to an emotional commitment.”

Roberts will publish three additional titles during the winter of 2010. Happy Every After, the concluding novel in her Bride Quartet, will be released on November 2nd as will Indulgence in Death, the next title in the In Death series which Roberts writes under her J.D. Robb pseudonym. The In Death novella, “Possession in Death,” will appear in the anthology The Other Side on November 30th.

After reading the article, I was truly fascinated. It so went in conjunction with what I was saying in my review of The Search (see my comments post) about Simon.  He’s not Fee’s answer, but he turns out to be exactly what she needs.  This is what Nora’s quoted as saying the New Zealand Herald article:

“I don’t want to write books about women who are waiting to be rescued – I would find that irritating and boring. So in The Search, when Fiona meets Simon, the male protagonist, he is not the answer – he is a gift.”

The Search has been out in hardback for about a month (maybe a little less) and I’ll be honest and say that I read it in ebook form rather than purchase the hefty book.  I LOVE having something in my hand, but lately I’ve found the reader feeling just as comfortable.

Anyway, I was intrigued by the blurb:

To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life-a quaint house on an island off Seattle’s coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescues. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare…

Several years ago, Fiona was the only survivor of the Red Scarf serial killer, who shot and killed Fiona’s cop fiancé and his K-9 partner.

On Orcas Island, Fiona found the peace and solitude she needed to rebuild her life. But all that changes on the day Simon Doyle barrels up her drive, desperate for her help. He’s the reluctant owner of an out-of-control puppy, foisted upon him by his mother. Jaws has eaten through Simon’s house, and he’s at his wit’s end.

To Fiona, Jaws is nothing she can’t handle. Simon, however, is another matter. A newcomer to Orcas, he’s a rugged and in-tensely private artist, known for the exquisite furniture he creates from wood. Simon never wanted a puppy-and he most definitely doesn’t want a woman. Besides, the lanky redhead is not his type. But tell that to his hormones.

As Fiona embarks on training Jaws, and Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona’s life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands…

And, of course, the excerpt (found on Nora’s site) didn’t hurt any…

But in reality, while I’m an avid fan, I am picky about how I spend my reading time these days.  If I don’t get interested in the first three chapters, I will eventually read it but it rarely makes me forget all else while I am…and can take days.

But not this one. The Search was definitely one of those all nighter books that you can’t put down.  Beware though, it’s large so you’ll probably need a whole weekend if you want to get ANY sleep (and, of course, eat!).  It’s worth every second. Even those where you’re reading slower descriptions that you might find either interesting or boring depending on how much you want to learn about Canine Search and Rescue and/or dog training.  I was fascinated.  All the added details only added another layer to this book.  It made it so worth it.

As did the supporting characters. The step-mother who gets along with Fee’s biological mom, the guy best friend who happens to be on her CSR unit, the vet who’s the best friend, the other members of her CSR unit, the deputy, the FBI agents, the sheriff, etc. They each hold their own without distracting from Fee and Simon and the underlying nastiness Fee’s going through.

The villain in this one isn’t really kept secret, which oddly, added another layer too as you just couldn’t wait to see when and where he’d strike next.  I liked that Fee had the opportunity to confront her nightmare and handle the situation beautifully.

There was a sticking point for me at first, however. Simon.  He’s hunky, distracted, an artist, and frankly, a bit of an a$$ at times.  But in the end he certainly comes through.  His gruffness and continued commenting about how she’s not his type finally makes sense by the end when you see that he’s been after people ‘his type’ and none were what he wanted or needed.  It’s intriguing.  I wouldn’t have minded a tad bit more ‘romance’ in this one, but really, it was an interesting, intriguing, nice read that you could sink your teeth into and come out with something fascinating on the other side.

There were a few other things that pulled me out of the read (mainly the over use–by Simon–of the multitude of curse words and sometimes confusing arguments between Simon and Fee).  I was never really clear during all of their arguments/heated discussions if he was fighting with her, trying to break it off, or just being a behind in order to show her that he cared in his way.  Of course, then he’d come up with the F-word and I’d either be put off him for a page or two, or routing for him to shake some sense into her. How strange, right?

Overall, I’d say The Search was a win for Ms. Roberts.  I know there are some out there that won’t agree.  But I liked it.  Definitely a keeper for me.