Rutherfurd on Rutherfurd

Life Now

Q. Would you say you have an exciting life?

A. Depends what you mean. I don't hang out with famous people, literary or otherwise. No visits to war zones. Hemingway ran with the bulls at Pamplona, but I thought I'd leave that until I'm older. So apart from a fair amount of travel, and happy times spent with my kids, wider family and friends I'm usually to be found in a library or sitting quietly at a desk - pacing about the room, actually. A typical author, I suppose. But is that exciting? Yes. So is the life of the ordinary man taking the commuter train to the office and returning to his wife and kids in the evening. So is the single librarian who reads a lot and lives with her mother. The greatest spiritual heights and richest emotions may be experienced in the quietest lifestyles. I'm fortunate though, because I love my work. Many people don't.

Q. Do you read much?

A. Mostly for research. Also for relaxation; Grisham, Sheldon, that sort of thing. Sheldon's The Other Side of Midnight is one of the most perfectly constructed novels I ever read.

Q. What are you working on at present?

A. I've six or seven books in preparation. I'll just have to hope that in due course, my publishers will want to publish one of them.