September 17, 1999
Web posted at: 9:00 p.m. EDT

(CNN) -- The following is an edited transcript of a Book Chat with Ridley Pearson, author of The First Victim, which took place on Tuesday, September 28, 1999.

Chat Moderator: Ridley Pearson is joining us tonight from Idaho!

Ridley Pearson: Land of the root vegetable.

Chat Moderator: Welcome, Ridley Pearson!

Ridley Pearson: It's GREAT to be here.

Chat Moderator: Can you tell us any of your experiences with the "Rock Bottom Remainders?"

Ridley Pearson: We have a rock band of slightly incompetent musicians who raise money for charities by making idiots out of themselves. The band includes Stephen King, Dave Barry, Amy Tan, Mitch Albom, and others. We HAVE SO MUCH FUN. But we aren’t very good!!!! We've had so many WILD experiences... One time, while we were on stage, a Stephen King fan lit all her fingernails on fire and was standing there looking up at him, fingers blazing, with worship on her face.

Question from Chandra: Do you feel being in quasi-isolation helps you get your thoughts on paper?

Ridley Pearson: I'm able to write in almost any location. I love the quiet here in Idaho. We don't worry about muggings...(that's a joke.)

Chat Moderator: How big of a role are you playing in the development of No Witnesses into a movie?

Ridley Pearson: Just today I heard from my agent, Matthew Snyder at CAA. Actually, it's not No Witnesses; it is Beyond Recognition that we're developing for A&E. I will write the script, I'm told, and possibly co-produce (oh sure!) and I'll be working with my good friend Judith James, who is Richard Dreyfus' production partner. I think it will be good fun and the work will start soon.

Question from Mentally_Bereft: Do you watch cop shows or do you get enough of that in your writing life?

Ridley Pearson: Yes. I love "NYPD Blue" and "Law and Order." IF things go well, A&E will soon have "Boldt."

Question from Chandra: Have you moved around a bit? Seattle vs. Idaho is a long way in distance and mindset.

Ridley Pearson: I actually stay in Idaho but I write about Seattle, which is where I have loads of contacts in law enforcement. It's a balance of two worlds.

Question from AnnD: Ridley, what got you interested in this type of thriller?

Ridley Pearson: I started researching the books more and more, just before Undercurrents, and I just found it so interesting -- all the cop stuff -- that I've stayed with it. Arthur Conan Doyle's complete works is what got me hooked on forensics and then once I looked in at that wild world, I was there to stay. Also, I love to READ this kind of novel: fast paced, risky, and tricky... I call it aerobic fiction.

Question from Drake: I guess you can't help but model your characters after the cops you ride along with.… Did you have any sequences that went straight to the page?

Ridley Pearson: Drake, great question: I DO draw from those I interview. In fact, I had an incredible experience of meeting the REAL Lou Boldt a number of years ago. I was set to interview a veteran homicide cop and he opened the door and…I couldn't believe it...there was LOU BOLDT standing right in front of me. And we talked and talked and talked and he's been invaluable to the process ever since. He's helped me with something like six of the Boldt books to date.

Question from millie: Is it true that your books have solved real murders?

Ridley Pearson: Millie, Yes. Undercurrents went on to solve a real-life homicide because detectives used the same research as I did in the novel. A sub-plot dealt with the currents of Puget Sound and bodies washing ashore and they used my same oceanographer (whom I had thanked in the novel) to help solve their case. They put away a husband for 31 years!

Question from Mentally_Bereft: Do you feel that news, etc., is more violent than in the past?

Ridley Pearson: I think that reporting the news has somehow fueled the events. This is a contentious issue but there are certain parallels impossible NOT to see. I wish, for instance, that when mass killings (like school shootings) happened, there were never any names (of the perps) mentioned. I know that's unreasonable, but I still wish we didn't celebrate these individuals.

Question from millie: Did you just adopt a little girl from China because of your research for The First Victim?

Ridley Pearson: Indeed. My wife and I came across research, both for The First Victim and The Pied Piper before it, which indicated that over 40,000 infant girls are abandoned each year in China. Facing the idea of trying for a second biological child, we elected to start the adoption procedure, and have just returned from China where we adopted Storey Ming Pearson. We ARE SO BLESSED to have her!

Chat Host: Congratulations, Ridley. :)

Chat Moderator: When writing a suspense novel, do you map the whole plot out in your mind before you begin writing or do you just start with page one and let the story take you where it will?

Ridley Pearson: Yes, I'm an outliner. In part because my publisher PAYS me once they see an outline they like and also because I'm on a strict schedule that doesn't allow me to wander off for three weeks on a subplot I would eventually lose anyway. I am also a HUGE rewriter. I typically do between six and eight FULL drafts of these novels. That's about 3,000 pages to give the reader 400 pages that work. (At least, I hope they work.)

Question from storey: What got you started on writing thrillers?

Ridley Pearson: I read a lot of John D. MacDonald novels and then a few early Folletts and I was hooked on the thriller. I love the "format" (there really isn't one) of writing for keeping the reader thoroughly engaged.

Chat Moderator: What are the benefits of writing under a pen name? (i.e., why do you do it?)

Ridley Pearson: I wrote under a pen name early on to make a little more money. My publisher didn't want me competing with myself. So I wrote two and then Undercurrents became a bestseller and I stopped. When a story surfaced, however, during a year I spent at Oxford on a Fulbright, I went back to the pen name because the story was just too great and I wanted it told and it wasn't appropriate for Ridley. (I’M SCHIZOID!)

Question from AnnD: When you wrote Chain of Evidence, were you surprised at how the cops tie the evidence of a crime together?

Ridley Pearson: I love the way cops tie evidence together, yes. Touring forensics labs, talking to medical examiners, talking to the investigators -- I once spent a week with the FBI in Washington to research Hard Fall. What an eye opener that was!

Comment from Mentally_Bereft: All I’ve seen is the studio tour (so to speak).

Ridley Pearson: I ended up INSIDE and it was really something. Each floor has a different layout and the woman who was my GUIDE didn't even know her way around. It's THAT secret. Finally, we found the room we were looking for -- kind of like the guy "Q" from James Bond -- and I spent the afternoon with "tech services"…FASCINATING.

Chat Moderator: What is the story on the death that happened subsequently after Beyond Recognition?

Ridley Pearson: To my knowledge, there was a severe fire in Seattle that was not unlike the novel. I received a lot of e-mails (I have a website www.ridleypearson.com) and letters but I'm not familiar with the particulars. The fuel that I used in the story was already in use -- so it's not as if I started anything with that. But Beyond Recognition is slated to be an A&E Mystery Movie sometime next year.

Chat Moderator: Are there any experiences in your life that lend themselves to your writing?

Ridley Pearson: Virtually ALL of my life and my current life ends up in the books as emotions, thought, family, and reasoning. It's a very personal experience. Obviously, I'm not a police officer but I try to humanize each of the characters as much as possible.

Question from Racer_X: What do you think of the dichotomy of how we portray police in general on the screen or page (guiding, somewhat heroic) and the way we see them in daily life (hindrance)?

Ridley Pearson: When you work with police, you realize how terrific these people are, how much they give back to us as a society, and how we've screwed them up on screen. Mind you, we may do that again in Beyond Recognition to a degree because, condensed, a cop can look so stereotyped. But, in reality, police are HARD-, HARD-working individuals with complicated lives and little pay. The experience of working with them is an eye-opener.

Question from CC: Do you believe the current laws tie the hands of law-enforcement officers on the street when dealing with criminals?

Ridley Pearson: There is a pendulum that swings back and forth regarding restricting police. Right now, I'm afraid it favors the criminal a little too much -- but this all gets political. It's not a perfect system. There are cops who abuse it and, when they do, the criminals enjoy the resulting legislation that gives them more liberties. What we need to address is LITERACY. Some 80 percent of maximum-security inmates are technically illiterate.

Question from Pace: How do police feel about the stereotype society has assigned them?

Ridley Pearson: I originally was able to "get in" to the police because I let them know I didn't want to stereotype them and I HOPE I DON"T!!! These are REAL people who have to pick up the kids, go shopping, and get their teeth cleaned. Real lives. I want to show them that way.

Question from Pace: But do they feel we create unfair standards for them?

Ridley Pearson: The system is not fair. No. It can't be perfect. It's just as good as it is that day with whoever is involved. One bad judge or a bad attorney or a missed deadline...on and on it goes. But it’s a sad thing when the criminal benefits and is released for whatever reason and reoffends. That one really frosts me. I know a case (real life) where a guy, while getting his parole, had a woman locked in the trunk of his car outside AT THAT VERY MOMENT. How fair is that? (He was GRANTED the parole.)

Question from Mentally_Bereft: Did they catch him later?

Ridley Pearson: Yes, they did catch him -- but what a system! The thing is SOME OF THESE GUYS are proud of this stuff!

Comment from Pace: Of course, they're proud, they're criminals. Isn't being messed up in the head what makes them criminals to begin with?

Comment from AnnD: Ridley, that is the frustration of most cops who work so hard to apprehend and get them convicted, only to see them get out on parole early.

Ridley Pearson: Absolutely a problem. Some states are eliminating parole altogether. Interesting idea. Makes that sentence actually stick.

Question from lisa: Which states?

Comment from CC: Try Arizona :)

Ridley Pearson: I don't have a list but I believe Washington State has such a system in place for their three-strikes rule.

Comment from CC: Georgia also has a three-strikes rule.

Ridley Pearson: Three strikes is being challenged in some states because THEY ARE LOCKING UP TOO MANY criminals and running out of room.

Comment from CC: Arizona fixed that; they put up tents in the prison yard

Comment from mbro: There's a huge facility that was built next to my hometown. Three huge towers were put up only five years ago and they’re already bursting.

Ridley Pearson: Hey, in my next novel, Middle of Nowhere, I deal with a cop strike. Now THERE is an issue... Hope you'll all check out my website. We want to post a whole bunch of chapters there.

Question from Pace: How do you feel about private organizations contracting with the government to house convicts?

Ridley Pearson: Pace, Middle of Nowhere deals exactly with this issue. That's to be published in 2000 (summer). It deals with a private prison and some assaults that the police can't explain. Boldt and Daphne try to solve some difficult crimes.

Question from sheridazz-I: How about using government facilities such as army barracks?

Ridley Pearson: I'm all for that. There are all these empty bases. The thing is, they have TO MEET THE STANDARDS and they typically don't. There's always a catch!

Comment from AnnD: I don't think privatization is the answer. Too many rogues would be allowed as guards, I think.

Ridley Pearson: Well, get used to it: privatization is really taking off. Several firms are TRADED ON THE STOCK market, and are doing HUGE business. It scares me, but it makes $ sense, so I think it's here to stay.

Comment from AnnD: Yes, but we are always trying to save a dollar and end up spending millions because cost cutting is often not the answer.

Question from Pace: Did you ever have any interest in becoming a police officer yourself or is your interest strictly from a writing point of view?

Ridley Pearson: I AM a policeman -- at least while I'm behind the scene or the pen -- so in a way I get the best of both worlds. Still, I admire law enforcement for all their time and energy.

Comment from Pace: Writing typically doesn't get you shot, though. :>

Comment from CC: Tell that to Salmon Rushdie, Pace. :)

Ridley Pearson: LOL! We get our share of KOOKs, believe me.

Chat Moderator: At which point in your life did you know that writing was for you?

Ridley Pearson: I played music for 10 years on the road. About five years into that (mid-1970s), I started writing full time while playing music at night. I LOVE WRITING, though the hours are a little long....

Comment from lisa: Ridley is a VERY talented musician. I heard him in Maui.

Chat Moderator: How do you compare song writing to book writing?

Ridley Pearson: Song writing actually got me into book writing because I had written 300 songs and the form is very condensed and I wanted to expand. I wrote nine screenplays that didn't sell. Then I wrote a novel (through six drafts), then ANOTHER novel (through eight drafts)...and, finally, I was published.

Question from sheridazz: Your style of writing makes the reader the hero or the victim. Are many of your ideas from real events?

Ridley Pearson: Absolutely. Nearly ALL of the novels are based on a generic crime that I've found happening around the world (through legal search teams like Lexis Nexis) and then I fictionalize them. In the case of No Witnesses, that was VERY close to a real crime that happened in England. I changed a good deal of it but the means of extracting the ransom and the investigative techniques are all from real life.

Question from sheridazz: I can't understand why books such as yours don't make interesting movies. I am often at the edge of my seat while reading one. The visual would be awesome. The producers are missing the boat with you.

Ridley Pearson: Thanks. I have felt the same way for YEARS. Now, it looks as if we'll get our chance, albeit on the small screen. A&E hopes to do as many as six or eight "Boldt Mystery Movies," if we can do the first one right. Pressure is on to turn out a good script. But I'm thrilled. I LOVED Beyond Recognition and feel blessed to be able to revisit this year while writing the script.

Question from Pace: Do you ever exchange notes with the other authors you play with or meet?

Ridley Pearson: Yes...especially the Remainders band members. We're always joking and teasing and sharing. Dave Barry made a character in his NEW NOVEL have Ridley as a last name. I once shared with him a way to poison people in a grocery store and he wrote a column about it. There's an ongoing exchange that's really fun!

Question from millie: How is Stephen King doing?

Ridley Pearson: Stephen King is recovering from that horrible accident. He has a long way to go but he's one determined dude and we're already booking the band for the fall of 2000 at his request. So I know he'll be back in action soon!!!

Comment from CC: I loved all his books ‘till he went off the deep end.

Comment from sheridazz: Stephen King did not go off the deep end. He just has a vivid imagination. I am glad he is recovering.

Ridley Pearson: Try Bag of Bones and his new collection. SK is one fine writer.

Comment from CC: Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's recovering. His style just got too weird for me.

Ridley Pearson: OKAY, here's a contest for you (you'll receive an autographed book). What is Boldt's favorite instrument, other than piano? Bonus points if you can tell me the artist, as well....

Mentally_Bereft: erm…

Chandra: *cough*

Ridley Pearson: lol

CC: Trick question!

Drake: Can we wager a guess?

Pace: Uhhh...He likes...uhh...Metallica?

AnnD: Sax? (I’m guessing).

Ridley Pearson: AnnD wins the book!

Question from sheridazz: Is Liz Boldt going to make it? I think about her a lot. I cannot think of Daphne as the mother of the two little ones.

Ridley Pearson: Sheri, you are GREAT. Yes...so far Liz is pulling through with her faith as her only healer. Stay tuned. The road continues.

Ridley Pearson: Anyone know which Sax player Boldt mentions more than others?

Pace: Kenny G?

Mentally_Bereft: Parker?

Pace: Bill Clinton?

Ridley Pearson: GAG… lol.

Drake: Coltrane?

Ridley Pearson: Close, but contemporary.

Chandra: Sandborn?

Ridley Pearson: Colder.

Ridley Pearson: Okay...it's Scott Hamilton...like Bostic, breathy and ohhhh sooo sexy (and a friend, so I can SAY that).

Chandra: oh!

Pace: My next guess!!!!

Ridley Pearson: AnnD, do you want The First Victim or The Pied Piper?

AnnD: Ridley, The First Victim. :)

Question from sheridazz: I Just finished The Pied Piper. Great twist at the end. You are amazing.

Ridley Pearson: THANK YOU Sheridazz -- you had GREAT questions tonight. You're wonderful!!! Hope you're on the site. If not, sign up and join us!

Chat Moderator: Thanks for joining us tonight, Ridley Pearson!

Ridley Pearson: I'm off to pick up my daughter at a friend's house. Thanks for having me!!!

Chat Host: Thank you, Ridley. Most enjoyable hour.

Ridley Pearson: See you next time!!!