Monday, July 31, 2017

The Fabulous Linda Fairstein

INGRID THOFT

I'm thrilled to welcome Linda Fairstein to the blog today!  Not only is she a New York Times bestselling author, Linda is also a champion for women and a pioneer in the prosecution of sex crimes.  The former head of the Sex Crimes Special Victims Unit in the Manhattan District Attorney's office, Linda has been fighting for women's rights long before she created whip smart prosecutor, Alexandra Cooper.

Linda is as generous and fun to talk with as she is smart and talented.  See for yourself!

Ingrid Thoft: Tell us about DEADFALL, your latest Alexandra Cooper book, and I want to assure readers new to the series that they don't have to start with book one.

Linda Fairstein:  Exactly.  Readers can start here even though it’s the 19th in the series.  The last book, I did something I think is pretty radical for a writer in a series.  We usually tie up all the ends and give the reader a neat package, and so, when I turned in KILLER LOOK, the 18th in the series, I had two endings.  I had the ending that is now the next-to-last chapter, and I tacked on this two-page scene because I really wanted to do it. I was quite sure my editor would say, "You can't do this."  But she said, "I like it.  I really like it.  I love leaving the readers hanging that way.  Your regular readers will come back."

IPT: Absolutely. This was a real change in terms of how you work, though.

LF:  So starting this book, as you would guess, was the easiest thing, and it's never easy to start.  I knew I had to pick up just hours later after the shooting in [KILLER LOOK]. When you're looking for that first page, "how do you get the first scene that's going to capture the reader?"  I had it!  It’s going to be in the morgue!  I didn’t know whether it would capture the reader or not—I don’t mean to sound vain about that—but I just knew where I had to start.  That was the unexpected boon to ending the book with a suspenseful killing that Alex witnessed.

She becomes the suspect, in the sense that, did she actually lure the man to the assassination that was triggered? I turned the tables on her for the first time in 19 books and made her a suspect, a person of interest, as they now say.  Those first 100 pages were such a wonderful challenge for me to write because it was taking all the interrogations I've done over the years and putting her in that seat.
Linda was recently interviewed by Lesley Stahl for
 "CBS Sunday Morning." Photo: Linda Fairstein/CBS

IPT:  Animal conservation and international wildlife trafficking are central topics in the book.  Have you always been interested in these subjects?

LF:  I’ve been on the board of a wildlife conservation organization, a nonprofit called the White Oak Conservation Center, and I've been interested in this issue for a long time.  I only recently read about the global connection.  It’s only recently that federal prosecutors began to prosecute [wildlife trafficking] in America. The fact that that the predators use what’s called the “heroin highway” to smuggle was totally new to me.  

IPT:  As a reader and lay person, I was fascinated seeing the local versus the federal law enforcement issues. I knew that there were turf wars and issues about jurisdiction, but I didn't have a true understanding of that.  

LF:  It's interesting to me because with my specialty—sex crimes special victims work—there really were not turf battles.  The feds have no jurisdiction for sex crimes unless they’re on Indian reservations, a military base or in a post office.

IPT:  A post office?

LF:  Yes.  We had a couple of West Point investigations, and they usually called me for help.  Bob Morgenthau was the DA for most of my tenure, and at the most vicious point, Rudy Giuliani—when he was a federal prosecutor, before he was mayor—and Bob fought for global cases like children in a sand box.  As an executive in that office—but not in the middle of those cases—I watched with great wonder as these grown men fought.  They were really federal cases, most of them, but Morgenthau was smart enough that if something happened at a bank with a New York branch connection, to just go for it.

IPT:  One of the main settings in DEADFALL is the Bronx Zoological Park.  I was fascinated that this place exists in what is, technically, New York City.  You thank the park in the acknowledgements and mention it was a frequent childhood destination.

Picture courtesy of the Wildlife Conservation Society, an organization
 that aided Linda in her research.
LF:  I grew up in a very un-fancy suburb called Mount Vernon, New York, a town adjacent to the Bronx, and we were a fifteen-minute car ride to the Bronx Zoo.  Spring and fall, there would always be a mother or father to say, "Let's go to the zoo, and spend a few hours there on a Saturday."  I grew up with incredible access to the zoo and learned so much.

Of course, in those days, the '50s and the early '60s, they were horribly different places; the lion had a space probably the size of my living room, and these caged animals were pacing back and forth, but I’ve watched it evolve.  I’ve probably never—and I say this with a big smile—I’ve never researched anything that was more fun than th
is.

IPT:  Did you do a lot of research into big game hunting?  I had no idea these animals are imported into the country for the purpose of hunting them.

LF:  I did a lot of research.  I knew from White Oak where I was involved, that the man who founded it, Howard Gilman (he’s longer alive), would bring endangered species from Africa to a 7,000 acre preserve [in the U.S.].  He had scientists who did DNA, and the whole point was to repopulate the wild.  They were not animals on display like the zoo.

When Justice Antonin Scalia died, I was fascinated that it was at a private hunting preserve in Texas, where they bring in wild animals, the more endangered animals from Africa, for you to shoot.  The price per night of these lodges—not for him I'm sure—depends on how rare the animal is that you want to kill, which just revolted me.


IPT: I'm with you on that.

LF:  My husband has a place in Montana, and it’s obviously a part of the country where hunting is the culture.  I'm not part of, and Mike’s not a shooter, but it also got me reading.  In fact, just at the time I was writing the book, a huge article, "The Ultimate Pursuit in Hunting: Sheep" by John Branch that I credit in the acknowledgments about the bighorn sheep auction, was in the New York Times.  I really just took a left turn and went to Montana with the story because I knew the landscape.  I had no idea that people would pay half a million dollars to come shoot the sheep, and then, that money is used to “save” other sheep.


IPT: That is just bizarre.

LF: It’s bizarre.  It’s oxymoronic.

IPT:  Moving on to a topic dear to both of our hearts, you dedicated the book to the women who were Carolyn Keene.  I assume you grew up reading Nancy Drew?

LF:  Absolutely.  For me it was the gateway to two things: it was the girl sleuth—woman—but she was really a girl, and it was the series.  I remember so clearly if I were home sick with the measles or it was Christmas, my mother would give me the next one.  It was the gateway for me and to my devotion to try—certainly not imitate her—but it's my homage to Carolyn Keene.  Carolyn Keene really set me on my way.

IPT:  One of the things I always loved about Nancy Drew is that there would be an intruder in the night at the house, and after Nancy foiled this person, Hannah Gruen would always serve angel food cake and hot chocolate.

LF: That’s so perfect.

IPT:  Almost makes an intruder seem worth it!  Speaking of girl sleuths, you have a relatively new series starring Devlin Quick.  That’s a middle grade series?


LF:  Yes, middle grade, not young adult.  It's eight to twelve-year-olds.  It's really a kid thing.  No sex, no violence, no drugs.

IPT:  The first came out last fall, INTO THE LION’S DEN, which was set in the New York Public Library.  When can all the parents and grandparents reading this expect the second installment?  And does it also take place in New York City?

LF:  The second one is called DIGGING FOR TROUBLE, and it's coming out on November 5th.  It’s set here in Montana, which is probably the most dinosaur fossil-rich part of the US because there once was an inland sea through this area.  The kids are on a ranch—much like my husband’s— and go on a dig, and they find bones.  It goes back to the Museum of National History in New York.

IPT:  Okay, Here’s my curve ball question.  I love your author photo; you look knowledgeable, approachable, elegant, in charge, but not rigid.  Author photos are really tough to get right.  Like I said in an email to you, my editor warned me, "No small animals, no hats,” which weren't actually an option.

LF: That was hysterical.

IPT:  So how did you approach your author photo?  Did you have help with it?  How did it come about?


Photo by Katherine Marks
LF:  I'll tell you how it came about it.  What I love about this is nobody has ever asked this question.


IPT:  Really?  Right away, I thought, “This photo is fabulous!”

LF:  Well, as a 70-year-old woman—and this started in my 60s—I have a double chin genetically, and I cringe at all those authors' photos where women of a certain age are holding up their jowls with their elbow on the table.

IPT:  Or with their small dog.

LF:  I really wanted to get away from that.  The New York Times did a story, completely unrelated to the book, for their Real Estate section about apartments and where you live.


IPT: I saw that! "The Case of the Disappearing Chintz." I love the Real Estate section of the Times.

LF:  A women named Katherine Marks was hired by the Times to photograph me in my home.  She spent so much time with me because she was photographing objects, so there's just enough time to loosen up and be comfortable.  Katherine came up with the photograph, and when my editor said, "Okay.  New author photo,"  I said, "Why don't you look at these pictures Katherine took. There are three or four that I'd be perfectly happy using."  And so, that came out of a New York Times’ “show me your apartment feature.”

IPT:  This is a slight detour from talking about books, but I wanted to be sure to tell you that I’m a big fan, not only of you as a writer, but also of your work as a prosecutor, and of the work you do for women.  It’s quite impressive.

LF:  Well, thank you.  I'm always grateful when somebody says something about the first career.  It means the world to me, and the work meant the world to me.

IPT:  Thank you so much for spending the day with Jungle Red!

LF:  The Jungle Red women have always been good to me, and it’s a smart, fun site, so I'm happy to be included.

Today is a giveaway bonanza!  Linda is very generously giving away a copy of DEADFALL, a copy of KILLER LOOK, and a copy of INTO THE LION'S DEN!  Three readers will be winners!  Just comment to enter or ask Linda a question; she'll be checking in throughout the day.




DEADFALL

A wild heart beats within New York City. Amid concrete and skyscrapers, the Wildlife Conservation Society works to preserve and protect the animal kingdom both within and beyond the borders of the five boroughs. But dangerous creatures don't always have claws and fangs, as Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper and NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace know all too well. Predators lurk close to home, and in the aftermath of the shocking assassination of an iconic public figure—someone Alex has worked with for years—the trio must unravel the motive behind the shooting to discover who is the bigger snake: the killer or the victim.
 

The murder investigation provides more questions than answers, as a tangled mess of secrets slowly comes to light. From street gangs to secret societies, from big-game hunting to the illegal animal trade, from New York City zoos to the highest offices in city government, Alex has her work cut out for her—especially since the task force handling the investigation, led by the US Attorney, seems to be more against her than with her. As tensions rise between Alex and the feds, she must determine just how far she is willing to go to uncover the truth—and uphold the integrity of the office she has so proudly served.


Linda Fairstein was chief of the Sex Crimes Unit of the district attorney’s office in Manhattan for more than two decades and is America’s foremost legal expert on sexual assault and domestic violence. Her Alexandra Cooper novels are international bestsellers and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. She lives in Manhattan and on Martha’s Vineyard.



59 comments:

  1. Linda, I’m excited to learn about the middle grade series . . . these sound like stories my grandchildren will love.
    For myself, it’s been many years since I’ve been to the Bronx Zoo; I’m looking forward to discovering how the zoo fits into the story in “Deadfall” . . . .

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    1. There's another NYC location that figures into the novel, Joan, that is fascinating and completely unexpected. You'll have to read the book to see what I'm talking about, but NYC seems to have no end of amazing settings, and Linda makes the most of them!

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  2. Ingrid, this interview was one of the best I've read in a long time. Kudos to you for the questions and Linda for the answers! I'm so excited to read this new Alex Cooper book, and this time it's the Bronx Zoo I'll be learning about in NYC. As much as I love this series for Alex and all the other regulars, I love it just as much for the settings. I was first attracted to the series through my love of Edgar Allan Poe when I came across book #7, Entombed, which had connections to Poe. After reading it and being thrilled with it, I immediately went back and read the first seven books, and I've been reading them ever since. Is Nightfall really book #19? I've been reading these a long time. What's wonderful is that they are still as amazing as the first one I picked up.

    The big game hunting, whether it's in the natural habit or imported, disturbs me greatly. It's one, just one, of the problems I have with a certain President's sons. And, I won't eat at Jimmy John's because of his big game hunting passion. I am most interested to see what's going on in Nightfall concerning this important topic. Linda, you always handle the issues of our times with candor and precision. And, of course, your background gives an authenticity to Alex and the workings of the prosecution office and the police procedures like few other authors can do.

    I am embarrassed that I have yet to read Into the Lion's Den, the first Devlin Quick mystery. However, I do own the book and will rectify that situation soon, at least before November 5th. I love reading young adult fiction, too, especially mysteries, and I don't think there are too many of those yet, so I'm delighted that you, Linda, have lent your talents to giving readers one. I am looking forward to giving a copy of Into the Lion's Den to my younger granddaughter, who will be eight the end of August. She has already read the first two Harry Potters, so I think the book will be just right for her, and that Devlin is a young girl is just perfect. I probably should have differentiated between young adult and middle school, but when I was earning my Masters in library science, the YA label covered middle school, too, so old habits die hard.

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    1. Ingrid, agreeing with Kathy. Thanks for a great interview.

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    2. Thanks, Ann and Kathy! It's easy when the subject is so gracious and fascinating! I completely agree about the big game hunting. The activity itself is troubling enough, but add in the trafficking side, and it gets even worse!

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    3. Thank you, Kathy! And thank you, Ann!

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  3. This is a wonderful interview! Ingrid you have a new calling! And Linda, welcome back, we are all such huge fans of you and your work. I really enjoyed INTO THE LION'S DEN and will look forward to another in the series. I also remember that real estate interview--I'm obsessed with that Sunday section! And you are the poster woman for keeping a series fresh--the new book sounds unmissable.

    But a question...do you ever think about writing an entirely new character, or do the ideas for Alex keep rolling in?

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    1. That section is the best, Lucy! If ever I need to find an apartment in NYC, I feel well-equipped given how many "The Hunt" columns I've read!

      Can't wait to hear Linda's answer to your question...

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    2. Hi to you, Lucy - thanks for the kind words….
      Yes, I do think about creating a new character (it was such fun to do my 12 year old
      kid sleuth, Devlin Quick), and I think of writing a stand-alone or two that wouldn’t fit in the series.
      It’s not at all that ideas for Alex don’t roll in - she is, after all, only 38! so many places to go and
      adventures to have. But I have ideas that just wouldn’t be captured in her life, and so ‘yes’ to you,
      I’d love to breathe life into someone else every now and then.

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  4. I do not like the type of hunting people seem drawn to now. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. They do not hunt ( for meat to feed their family ) they just shoot a helpless animal!

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    1. There's a whole business side to it, Gram, which you learn about in DEADFALL. You won't like it any more after reading the book, but you will love the book!

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  6. Congratulations on the new book! You are amazing. I love how you continue to challenge yourself… Every one of your books has something different.
    How are you liking book tour? Are you still enthusiastic about these nonstop treks?

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    1. Hank! How I love your books and need to cross paths with you for some real-time
      conversation. I am one of those fools who loves touring. The writing is so solitary,
      as you all know, that for me when the boxes open and people show up to talk books,
      it’s a real joy for me. But I do remember that when I started writing, the tours had
      a bit of elegance to them - you could stay in LA or Seattle or Boston for three days
      because there were so many indies and so much local media. Now it’s a city a day and
      when that alarm went off at 4am on Friday, I was simply slammed. Then I get to a bookstore
      and readers show up and have attached to Coop and Mike and Mercer. You know what that’s
      like - an adrenaline force of its own. Enthusiastic but exhausted!

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    2. I love touring, too. Yes, it's exhausting, and I collapse on the couch for days after I get home, but it's such a treat to meet the readers. I also love spending time with other writers on the road. As Nick Petrie and I love to say, "We'll always have Houston!"

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    3. I must say, I do too! It is hilarious to wake up in a hotel room and have no idea where you are, right? I always just burst out laughing!
      (Then there is the joy of trying to figure out how the showerheads in each hotel work… and how dark the hotel rooms are. But that's another blog. )
      And aw, thank you for the kind words!
      One more thing--Your Sunday Morning this was great… I can't believe your dinners! How did those start?

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  7. So excited to read this interview after seeing Linda on Sunday Morning. I can't wait to start reading this series and DEADFALL sounds like a great place for me to start!

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  8. Welcome Linda. This interview is sending me straight to Amazon to buy one of your books, maybe beginning at the beginning. Sorry I missed Sunday Morning this week

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    1. Ann, the interview is online at this link. It's a great peek into Linda's life, and her writing cabin is to die for!

      http://www.cbsnews.com/news/linda-fairstein-living-the-dream-one-murder-at-a-time/

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  9. Linda, I love that photo. Congrats on the new book!

    My girl loves going to the Pittsburgh Zoo. They've done so much over the years we've been here to open it up and make the areas as "real" as possible.

    Mary/Liz

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  10. Great interview! The new book sounds fascinating, and I also must look into Devlin Quick! What a great idea, to create a contemporary girl sleuth and role model for younger girls today. Kudos to you for that. We need more fun girls in literature.

    I'm curious about the White Oak Conservation Center. Can you tell us a little more about that? What kind of volunteer work do you do with them? And is there any group out there now lobbying to outlaw "canned" hunts? I think importing animals to kill for sport, or auctioning off opportunities for hunting safaris in the name of wildlife conservation is both shameless, and shameful.

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    1. Gigi - Thanks for asking. The White Oak Conservation Center was founded by one
      of my dearest friends, who was a great philanthropist named Howard Gilman. In the 80’s,
      on his 7,000 acre property in Yulee, Florida (on the Georgia border), Howard and his
      team rescued endangered species animals from Africa and Asia, and worked with scientists
      on his staff - and zoologists - to breed them and preserve species.
      Much of our work (as board members) is with non-profits that work to save specific species -
      like elephants or okapis (one of my favorites) - and you can partner with any organization
      to do this. All my research was done under the aegis of the WCS - Wildlife Conservation
      Society, which I wholeheartedly support for their work around the globe (and running the Bronx
      Zoo - where I am stopping today!)….
      If there are groups lobbying to outlaw ‘canned’ hunts, I don’t think they have made much
      progress. It’s pretty disgusting - and as you say, shameful. Shameful and oh, so sad.
      Thanks for asking.

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    2. Oh! I had the Stieff okapi when I was a little kid! It was my very favorite. have searched and searched for another one just like it… I cannot find it.

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    3. I am totally unfamiliar with that animal and just looked it up. Very curious looking!

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  11. What a perfect way to start a day! With the JUNGLE RED ladies - I just love it.
    And Ingrid, what a generous and thoughtful interview.

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    1. Thank you, Linda! It was a thrill interviewing you! Have a great day at the Zoo!

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  12. The Bronx Zoo is wonderful. And there are black squirrels there!
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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  13. Congratulations on your new release. Your novels are enthralling. What an interesting interview. Best wishes.

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  14. I don't want to be entered into the giveaway, I just want to salute Linda for all those years of work as a prosecutor--that took a deep commitment in the face of what you must have been exposed to year after year.

    My dad was a hunter--small game--and the joy of it for him was not the kill, but working with his dogs. The animals he killed were not trophies--the hides were sold, the meat was sold or given away. I was aware of quite a bit of what you write about in Deadfall--the 'big money' mentality that 'what I want, I get, because I'm filthy rich.' Oh, and that's not a DT quote, but probably should be....

    And, Linda, I really want to read your middle-grade series! Good reads are good reads--never mind the 'age-grade' slapped on them. I can still recall stories I read as a middle-grader--I read right through them all and sailed right into the adult books.

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  15. Your hard work in a demanding area is admirable. Your books being me hours of enjoyment. Your photo is lovely and I am 70 as well. I look forward to enjoying your new release and much success with your middle - grade series which will be wonderful.

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  16. Hi Linda! Thanks so much for spending time with us on Jungle Reds. I enjoyed your interview with Ingrid and being able to learn more about Deadfall. You tackle some tough issues that really need to be brought to light. Your comment about Hannah Gruen serving everyone angel food cake and hot chocolate at the end of the Nancy Drew books brought back memories. I had forgotten all about that and the consequent "debriefing" that took place at the kitchen table. I also loved the way Nancy could get all the criminals to confess every aspect of their crime.

    I'd also like to echo Ingrid and thank you for your work as a prosecutor and for all you have done and continue to do for women, and for sharing aspects of that work with us through your Alexandra Cooper books.

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    1. Celia, remember that if the crisis happened around the dinner hour, lamb with mint jelly way always served. I want a Hannah Gruen in my life!

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    2. Thank YOU very much, Celia!

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  17. I have long been a fan of Linda's series - it is one of those that never gets old. There are always new corners of NYC to explore. And I can't begin to express how happy I am that there are MG "crime" books for new readers. We have to bring kids into our fold early, and this is a wonderful way to do it.

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    1. I felt like I learned so much about NYC in DEADFALL. There are so many fascinating pockets of the city that Linda uncovers for her readers. Having new corners of the city revealed never gets old.

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  18. I have another question for Linda: How did you come up with the name Devlin Quick? It's so memorable and interesting, and it sounds great when spoken aloud.

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    1. Thanks, Ingrid! My favorite movie is Hitchcock's NOTORIOUS.....and Cary Grant's character is named Devlin. Ingrid Bergman calls him Dev, and I've always loved the name. I think it's unusual and strong, and sort of unisex. Since my kid sleuth is named for her late father, he was Devlin....so I figured it would work well for both of them. The surname Quick was something I had played with for a while....I liked the clipped sound of it, and that Devlin is spunky, lively, and well-----Quick. Devlin Quick - kid sleuth.

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  19. Linda Fairstein, welcome to Jungle Reds! Kind of off the topic question for you. Since you live on Martha's Vineyard, do you ever see people communicating in Sign Language? I asked because I read a book by Nora Groce. It was a non fiction book about how everyone on MV communicated in Sign Language.

    Back to topic, I added your books to my TBR list. Look forward to reading your books.

    Diana

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    1. Thanks, Diana....interesting question. There was a small community of deaf people on the Vineyard about a century ago. They communicated with each other by signing, as did others related to them or socializing and working with them. I'm not sure if any islanders still survive from that community, but it was never an island-wide phenomenon, nor have I seen anyone sign in the last 20 years! It was the subject of many medical studies.

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  20. I just don't get big game hunting. I can see killing something you're going to eat. I can see killing something in self defense. I can see orphaned animals going to zoos. I took the grands to the Alaska Sealife Center in Seward, AK a few weeks ago to see the little baby walrus that had been rescued. He had hauled up on a gold mining rig and there were no walruses to be found; he would have died. But I just can't see hunting big game and capturing animals for the sport of it and sticking them in cages. Anyway, good luck on your book and I'm looking forward to reading it.

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    1. How big was the baby walrus, Keenan? Thank goodness he was found!

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  21. I am such a fan!!! My daughter Elizabeth Terry introduced me to Linda when Elizabeth was a producer for the Diane Rehm Show in DC, and Linda was a guest. I have read all the books -- I love the journey into NY's hidden places in Grand Central, etc. I also grew up going to the Bronx Zoo (from Poughkeepsie) and can't wait to open the new book.
    Thanks also for the children's series -- I gave the first one to my granddaughter and she loves it. Good news that there is a new one coming.
    Linda, you are such a hero! And a terrific writer.

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  22. Remember you can always keep in touch with me via my FB author page and author website https://www.facebook.com/LindaFairstein or www.lindafairstein.com. And don't forget Devlin www.devlinquick.com. Your questions and comments here today are terrific - please keep them coming! I'm enjoying every minute!

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  23. What an interesting interview! Thank you so much for doing it. I'm afraid I still haven't pulled your books off the TBR pile, but someday. . .

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  24. Hi Linda! So great to have you here today. I can't wait to read Deadfall, and I'm really intrigued by your Devlin Quick books. I'm putting the first one on my TBR list so I'll be ready for the second. I think if you can get middle grade kids reading, they'll be readers for the rest of their lives. Kudos to you for all your great work. And now I'm off to tell my daughter there's a new Alex Cooper--she's a big fan, too!

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    1. Thank you very much! You are write about middle grade reading!

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  25. So happy to learn Deadfall is in the stores. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.
    I remember the article in the Times about your home, and wonder how the white rug is doing. White Oak's new Safari from the Saddle program looks delightful. I hope it is well filled with eager visitors. I am a long time fan, and treasure your visits to Jungle Reds. Thanks for joining us, and thank you Ingrid for asking such neat questions,

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    1. Good question about the white rug, Coralee! Did it survive, Linda?

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  26. I was born and raised in New York City and when I was born, we lived not far from the Bronx Zoo and the Bronx Botanical Gardens. We moved to other parts of the city, but I still remember visiting the Zoo very often. It's been more than thirty years since I have been to the Zoo and look forward to reading about it.

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  27. What a fabulous interview! Ingrid, you'd make a wonderful reporter and, Linda, you are a fascinating woman. I really think we could devote an entire week to you. Thanks so much for joining us. I can't wait to read the new book - big game hunting is a hot button for me - and I loved the story about your author pic! As a fellow Nancy Drew fan, I really appreciated that your starting place was the same as mine!

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    1. I could have talked to Linda all week, Jenn! I think you'll find DEADFALL fascinating, and it will give you new (and even more appalling) perspective into big game hunting.

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  28. Ingrid, what a great interview. Kudos!

    Linda, congrats on your new book! I just watched your interview, and what a fascinating life you have lead. You deserve your dream job, considering how hard you've worked, and the strides you've made in such an important area. I am still jealous of your writing cottage, though!

    I will definitely add your books to my ever-growing TBR pile. I'm particularly intrigued with your newest, as animal rights are so important. My dad used to take us to the zoo almost every weekend, and I, too, remember the big cats pacing back and forth. I'm glad most zoos have come a long way since then.

    I'm also interested in your middle grade series. I preferred Trixie Belden to Nancy Drew, but I loved the ND books, too. It's good to see middle grade books that are mostly angst-free. These days, kids get plenty of stress in their daily lives.

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  29. Great interview! And that author photo is fabulous.

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  30. Thank you all! And thank you Ingrid and Jungle Red Writers!

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