Profile: Sue Grafton Solves Her Literary Problem

Jennifer Hewlett, of the Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader, recently wrote a profile of Sue Grafton, author of the Kinsey Millhone mystery series, the most recent of which is "S" is for Silence.

Now the author, who figures it will take her 10 to 12 years to finish the alphabet, is on her seventh or so go at "T."

"I am struggling with 'T.' Why would I not?" she said.

With each book in the series, writing has become more difficult, she said.

The former hospital secretary holds a bachelor's degree in English with minors in fine arts and humanities from the University of Louisville. Her father, the late C. W. Grafton, a municipal bond attorney in Louisville, also wrote mystery fiction.

"I started my first novel when I was 22 years old. That one was never published," said Grafton, who turns 66 on April 24. She wrote two more books that went unpublished. Her fourth and fifth books were published when she was in her 20s. Her sixth and seventh books went unpublished. Grafton's eighth book was "A" Is for Alibi, the first in her highly successful Kinsey Millhone mystery series.

"I started writing in 1962 seriously and didn't publish 'A' until '82," she said. "You teach yourself to write by writing badly for a very long period of time."

Read Hewlett's entire profile of Sue Grafton here.

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