By Amber Cronin<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n A producer in Hollywood read all the books, bought the character rights, and Rizzoli & Isles<\/em> [TNT Monday nights 10 EST] went into production. I don\u2019t have anything to do with the project creatively\u2026They do call me with questions from time to time.<\/span><\/p>\n Does every episode spring from your books?<\/strong><\/p>\n No. Only the pilot came directly from The Apprentice<\/em>. I never know what each episode\u2019s going to bring, so I\u2019m just as surprised as everyone else by every story!<\/span><\/p>\n Is it strange to have your characters take over and begin lives of their own on the small screen? <\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s been kind of a fantasy\u2026listening to words I\u2019ve written coming out of these characters\u2019 mouths [Maura Isles, played by Sasha Alexander, and Jane Rizzoli, played by Angie Harmon].<\/span><\/p>\n The best part of watching R&I<\/em> is knowing these women come What are some specific personality differences between the television characters and the characters from your book?<\/strong><\/p>\n The personality of Jane [Rizzoli] is very similar between the books and the television show, even if Angie Harmon is far more attractive than my fictional Jane.<\/span><\/p>\n The character of Maura [Isles] has been altered quite a bit. The television Maura is much more of a fashionista and also a sunnier and more optimistic personality than the dark and gloomy Maura of my books.<\/span><\/p>\n Did you always want to be a writer, or was it a talent you stumbled upon?<\/strong><\/p>\n I was a writer from the time I was about seven years old, and I went to med school because I was [also] interested in science [she has a degree from UC\u2013San Francisco in internal medicine]. When I went on maternity leave, I had time to pick up writing again.<\/span><\/p>\n Do you use your own experiences as a doctor?<\/strong><\/p>\n The way a doctor thinks and approaches things is taken directly from my experience, but I\u2019m not a forensic pathologist, so I do have to hit the books from time to time.<\/span><\/p>\n How did your writing morph from romantic thrillers like Call After Midnight<\/em> to medical thrillers like the Rizzoli & Isles<\/em> series?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I star<\/span>ted writing [romance thrillers] because I enjoyed reading them, and I began writing medical thrillers because I\u2019ve always followed my own interests. <\/span><\/p>\n With such a busy schedule writing and being on the road, how do you find time to stay healthy and fit? <\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n Time to stay fit while on the road? Hardly! I have ambitions to use the hotel fitness rooms, but tennis shoes are just too darned heavy to lug around in my carry-on. And I indulge in wine at lunch and dinner and eat the richest foods because they give me comfort while I\u2019m away from home. In the UK, I ate french fries just about every single day! But you also burn lots of nervous energy on book tours, and surprisingly, I came home only one pound heavier.<\/span><\/p>\n [At home here in Camden,] I\u2019m careful of what I eat\u2013I don\u2019t eat a lot of carbs and try to eat a lot of protein; I don\u2019t have a sweet tooth. Your body\u2019s a machine; you have to maintain it.<\/span><\/p>\n Take a fledgling writer like me through a typical day.<\/strong><\/p>\n If I\u2019m home, I wake up, eat breakfast, get on my treadmill, dialing it up to the highest incline for 45 minutes before I do my free weights. Then I\u2019m at my desk all day, writing. <\/span><\/p>\n Did you say highest<\/em> incline? Now you\u2019re really scaring me!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t write a word until I finish my treadmill in the morning. I\u2019m a big believer in vitamins\u2013especially calcium\u2013for![\"angietess\"](\"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/angietess.jpg\" "\\"angietess\\"")
Exactly how does a novelist become a TV goddess? <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
\nfrom\u00a0my imagination. I love hearing<\/em> the names of characters with whom I\u2019ve lived for the past ten years\u2026I know
\nwhat a privilege it is.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nwomen of my age.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
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