What kind of research did you have to conduct to write your book?
I’m a journalist by trade, so I’m a stickler for detail. I poured through everything about the Congo I could find in the libraries for a year — books, movies, even music CD’s. Then I traveled to Central Africa to see what it was really like. I didn’t go to the Congo — the war was raging at the time — but I visited the border regions in Zambia and Uganda. I saw some truly spectacular countryside and met some wonderful people, many of whom served as models for characters in Heart of Diamonds.
What message are you trying to convey with this book?
War takes its worst toll on the weak and powerless, but even a regular person like my protagonist Valerie Grey can do the right thing by standing up to evil. The Congo is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Nearly six million people have died there in the last ten years. I drew heavily on news accounts of rape as a weapon of terror, child soldiers, widespread corruption at all levels of government, and the very sad plight of the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the violence that continues to wrack the nation. Heart of Diamonds is as much about that horrific situation as it is about diamond smuggling and romance.
Why did you choose your particular genre?
I wanted to write something that captures the vibrancy and complexity of Africa, and a suspenseful adventure framed against the endless war in the Democratic Republic of Congo seemed like the perfect approach.
Do you write mainly by day or by night?
I’m a morning person — and I mean real morning. I’m usually at my desk by five AM, work until 7 when I have a bite to eat, chat with my wife and read the papers, then go back at it until noon. If I’m on deadline, I write in the afternoons, too, but usually I reserve that time for research, interviews, and getting some fresh air. I read in the evening, then conk out about ten. I can’t write at night — my mind turns to jelly after dinner.
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