Interview with Edna Buchanan

Interview with Edna Buchanan, done by Charlie Rose of the Charlie Rose Show on public television. Edna worked at the Miami-Herald for most of her career.  In the interview she talks about writing fiction.

When she worked at the newspaper she was treated like just a piece of furniture, after a while she just blended in, she was just always there.  This gave her an edge against the other reporters she's covered over 5 thousand murders.

In 1988 she left crime reporting to write fiction, however, she misses the day job with all of the excitement. She stated how, "A good reporter can be a victims best friend".  She also shared her opinion about the cops, "There's no better creature than a good cop, but the worst thing is a bad cop, scum of the earth, and can be the same cop both in the same day", she said. For cops, it's not just a job, its their life.

 Was there a gender benefit?  Well, she was the first to cover crime full time.  Britt Montero, her role model, is her fictional character in her book "Act of Betrayal". It's about betrayals of the past, current betrayals and how they connect. 

The moment she saw Miami, she felt home.  It was beautiful and sultry, her love for Florida was exciting to her and is great place for a writer.  There are always stories in Miami, it's always the main character in her books.  She's been married twice, once to cop, but only briefly.  In her opinion, all novelists' character's are what you would be if you were in that particular situation.