Nightstand
Michael Koryta
Koryta's resume includes work as both a private investigator and a reporter. However, he's best known for his work as a crime novelist, for thrillers including Those Who Wish Me Dead, The Prophet and The Ridge. His newest, Last Words, centers around protagonist Markus Novak, an investigator for a Florida-based pro-bono legal firm. Grieving the loss of his murdered wife, Novak continues to work. He takes on a 10-year-old cold case that leads him to southern Indiana and into some eerie places, away from the light of day. We caught up with the author by phone from his home in Bloomington, Ind. Koryta, 33, will be a featured author at this year's Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading on Oct. 24 at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.
What's on your nightstand?
I just read two books back to back on the creative process. Creativity Inc. is written by Ed Catmull, one of the founding partners of Pixar Animation Studios. They sort of cultivated their culture from storytelling and trying to create an environment where they'd have creativity and be able to produce it consistently. I also read Curious Mind by Brian Grazer. He tries to gather conversations with people he found interesting. They range from politicians to Oprah. He finds an hour of their time and talks about a wide range of subjects. There's things in there I really enjoyed. Then, I'm meaning to read Paul Doiron's mysteries. They are set up in Maine, and I keep seeing great reviews.
What stood out the most for you in the two books on creativity?
I really loved the central concept of Brian Grazer's book. The point that the more questions you ask, the fuller your life will be. I really buy into that. It goes along with the jobs I had, a reporter, a private investigator. If you don't have a healthy amount of curiosity, you won't do as well.
You've become established in just 10 years. When you appear at events, how has it changed for you with your readers?
It's very surreal for me. It's interesting to see people come up with many different books instead of showing up to only buy a new one. When people ask questions at a Q&A about older books and ask a question with true passion, that means a lot. With me, I've always got a sense of moving on to the next book. Most of my conscious mind is thinking about the unpublished, and so getting out on a tour is such a good time to remember previous books, too. I don't pick up and leaf through what I've done, so getting questions about characters from the past is a thrill. It's nice to know that people have stayed on board.
Contact Piper Castillo at pcastillo@tampabay.com. Follow @Florida_PBJC.