Blog Tour: David Baldacci. This is the first stop of David Baldacci's 2014 blog tour, where David tells The Crime Warp about "keeping it fresh"

Last night I got to page 402 of David Baldacci’s new novel, The Escape. An exciting action based plot twist had kept me on the page, but shortly before midnight I just had to stop because I needed to go to work this morning! This is the first of the Agent John Puller novels I’ve read (third in the series) and I found it a great blend of good writing, strong characters and sharp plot. David’s written five different series of novels as well as eleven standalone books.
  
We asked David about how he juggles all the different characters and stories. We wanted to know how he managed to make all his series and the novels within them so distinct so he’s “keeping it fresh”. Here’s his answer.
 

I have several series running now, all of them very different from one another, which forces me to keep things fresh and original. I don’t chase headlines because you run the risk of your plot ending up in a newspaper article before your book is even finished. I like to write about things that interest me and then try to push the envelope to another level. You will see this in The Escape quite starkly. You will also see what are now very timely topics…but keep in mind that I’d written the book before those topics became quite so timely!
 

With so many series running, if I come up with a plot idea I have to decide which characters are best used to explore that theme. Usually it’s not a hard decision because each of my series characters have different strengths and different access to necessary resources to tackle the problem. Obviously, anything military falls to John Puller. The Camel Club takes on the quirky topics that blur the lines between government and the private sector. I employ Robie and Reel if planned killings are required, while King and Maxwell allow me to be a bit more lighthearted and put more of a chemistry-driven focus on a story.
  
The editorial process is critical, and I have been fortunate to work with some great editors. The editor’s job, at least for me, is to identify problem areas and weaknesses in the story. My job is to find solutions.
  

Thanks David for that insight into your writing craft - keep following David on his blog tour over the coming week. The Escape, an Agent John Puller novel is now available in hardback. The Target, number three in the Will Robie series has also been published today in paperback and is number one in the Bestseller charts – I hope you enjoy these exciting novels as much as I have.
  
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