--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm unique for a suspense author in that…" description: "\"I'm unique for a suspense author in that I don't have a specialty background. A lot of suspense writers used to be lawyers or crime beat reporters. I d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/lisa-gardner-7497_backgrounds_i-m-unique-for-a-suspense-author-in-that_3046182.jpg" --- # I'm unique for a suspense author in that I don't have a… ![“I'm unique for a suspense author in that I don't have a specialty background. A lot of suspense writers used to be lawyers or crime beat reporters. I didn't even know a cop when I started out. I finally figured out that I could visit prisons - I just had to be willing to make the phone calls.” quote by Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/lisa-gardner-7497_backgrounds_i-m-unique-for-a-suspense-author-in-that_3046182.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/lisa-gardner-7497_backgrounds_i-m-unique-for-a-suspense-author-in-that_3046182.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/lisa-gardner-7497_backgrounds_i-m-unique-for-a-suspense-author-in-that_3046182.jpg) > “I'm unique for a suspense author in that I don't have a specialty background. A lot of suspense writers used to be lawyers or crime beat reporters. I didn't even know a cop when I started out. I finally figured out that I could visit prisons - I just had to be willing to make the phone calls.” [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A suspense writer can succeed without a traditional background by seeking real-world exposure. **In simple terms:** Non‑traditional paths work with effort. Key Takeaway Seek authentic experience for credibility. Themes creativity research authenticity Mood curious determined Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - writing a novel - researching a case - building a plot - interviewing experts Key Concepts Storytelling journalism law crime prison life Questions to Reflect On - How can you gain insight without formal training? - What unconventional source could enrich your story? A Different Perspective Access may be limited or costly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cop/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) [Phone calls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phone-calls/) [Phones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phones/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Reporters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reporters/) [Suspense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspense/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Writers are used to being re-created, and need it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/writers-are-used-to-being-re-created-and-need-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Writers used to be treated (except for the few brand name authors) as the bottom rung of the food chain.  We were interchangeable parts. …](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mayer/writers-used-to-be-treated-except-for-the-few-brand-name-authors-as/) [Bob Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mayer/) > [Writers have to get used to launching something beautiful and watching it crash and burn. They also have to learn when to let go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/writers-have-to-get-used-to-launching-something-beautiful-and/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Years ago I used to think it was possible for a novelist to alter the inner life of the culture. Now bomb-makers and gunman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/years-ago-i-used-to-think-it-was-possible-for-a-novelist-to-alter-the/) [Don Delillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [Writers are so used to books being optioned and then the movie never happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/writers-are-so-used-to-books-being-optioned-and-then-the-movie-never/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [I feel like if writers used writing as therapy we'd have a ton of happy writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/i-feel-like-if-writers-used-writing-as-therapy-we-d-have-a-ton-of/) [Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/) > [Writers who used to show off their erudition no longer sing in the bare ruined choir of the media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/writers-who-used-to-show-off-their-erudition-no-longer-sing-in-the/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [When I got my very first phone call that I'd hit the 'New York Times' list, I had a small rush of 'I've made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/when-i-got-my-very-first-phone-call-that-i-d-hit-the-new-york-times/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [My specialty as a collector is books that almost have value. When I love a book, I don't buy the first edition, because those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/my-specialty-as-a-collector-is-books-that-almost-have-value-when-i/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [There's so much knowledge to be had that specialists cling to their specialties as a shield against having to know anything about anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/there-s-so-much-knowledge-to-be-had-that-specialists-cling-to-their/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [This is my specialty, I never lost hope, I never ever wanted to learn something, it is my weakness,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/this-is-my-specialty-i-never-lost-hope-i-never-ever-wanted-to-learn/) Mak\_786 > [The scientist rigorously defends his right to be ignorant of almost everything except his specialty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-scientist-rigorously-defends-his-right-to-be-ignorant-of-almost/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [We have had actually a decline in government service overall, but the growth is in high-tech areas, specialty areas in the Labor Department and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-herman/we-have-had-actually-a-decline-in-government-service-overall-but-the/) [Alexis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-herman/) > [Mr. Presley has no discernible singing ability. His specialty is rhythm songs which he renders in an undistinguished whine; his phrasing, if it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gould/mr-presley-has-no-discernible-singing-ability-his-specialty-is-rhythm/) [Jack Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gould/) > [Public interest in most of the Middle East was slight at that time; the Arab-Israeli conflict was all that people were interested in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/public-interest-in-most-of-the-middle-east-was-slight-at-that-time/) [Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) ## More by Lisa Gardner > [It's kind of the yin and yang that fascinate me. That for all the evil men do, there are also people who work obnoxiously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/it-s-kind-of-the-yin-and-yang-that-fascinate-me-that-for-all-the-evil/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [Everyone should say what they wanted. It saved time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/everyone-should-say-what-they-wanted-it-saved-time/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [You try as a parent. You love beyond reason. You fight beyond endurance. You hope beyond despair. You never think, until the very last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/you-try-as-a-parent-you-love-beyond-reason-you-fight-beyond-endurance/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [“The results are about as meaningful as a sixth toe - gives you something to look at, but doesn't do a damn thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/the-results-are-about-as-meaningful-as-a-sixth-toe-gives-you/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [Post-apocalyptic novels tell you that in the future there is some great war. I would tell you that most cops say that it's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/post-apocalyptic-novels-tell-you-that-in-the-future-there-is-some/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [“Not the cute kind of cuckoo, or the lights-on-but-nobody's-home loony. She's really, genuinely, sold my-soul-to-the-devil crazy. She don't care about me or anyone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/not-the-cute-kind-of-cuckoo-or-the-lights-on-but-nobody-s-home-loony/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [“God give me the strength to change the things I can change, the courage to let go of the things I need to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/god-give-me-the-strength-to-change-the-things-i-can-change-the/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [If you choose to do something, do it with your utmost. And remember, expect nothing and life will be velvet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/if-you-choose-to-do-something-do-it-with-your-utmost-and-remember/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [I still read romance, and I read suspense. I read them both. And part of it is, I like stories with strong characters, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/i-still-read-romance-and-i-read-suspense-i-read-them-both-and-part-of/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [“MY PAIN IS NAMED”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/my-pain-is-named/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [You can be the hunter, or you can be the hunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/you-can-be-the-hunter-or-you-can-be-the-hunted/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [“Alex said, his voice subdued, tense. “So it would seem,” D.D.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/alex-said-his-voice-subdued-tense-so-it-would-seem-d-d/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [All I've really ever done is write since I was 17, so I don't know anything about anything. For me to do a novel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/all-i-ve-really-ever-done-is-write-since-i-was-17-so-i-don-t-know/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [My secret vice is Sudoku puzzles. Can't stop playing them. My parents are accountants. I blame them entirely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/my-secret-vice-is-sudoku-puzzles-can-t-stop-playing-them-my-parents/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [“For a bit, he picked up the paperbacks, thumbed the worn edges. Military thrillers. Books with clear right and wrong where the good guys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/for-a-bit-he-picked-up-the-paperbacks-thumbed-the-worn-edges-military/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) [Explore all 86 Lisa Gardner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) ## More Backgrounds quotes > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [Eventually the consumer will come to appreciate the editorial point of view of every different brand. User-generated content without editorial oversight will simply be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eisner/eventually-the-consumer-will-come-to-appreciate-the-editorial-point/) [Michael Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eisner/) > [I bring my classical training - some of it, but not all of it - and also my background and culture, to spirituals. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-battle/i-bring-my-classical-training-some-of-it-but-not-all-of-it-and-also/) [Kathleen Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-battle/) > [The acting background helped a lot when I started writing. I was training for it. In acting class they teach you about the stakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-higgins-clark/the-acting-background-helped-a-lot-when-i-started-writing-i-was/) [Carol Higgins Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-higgins-clark/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [I think it is a sin to look at another person as inferior to yourself because of race or because of ethnic background and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/i-think-it-is-a-sin-to-look-at-another-person-as-inferior-to-yourself/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [The thing that is making jazz healthy today is that people are coming out of other backgrounds - from rock, folk, from ethnic music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-taylor/the-thing-that-is-making-jazz-healthy-today-is-that-people-are-coming/) Billy Taylor > [We do not have to be ashamed of what we are. As sentient beings we have wonderful backgrounds. These backgrounds may not be particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-do-not-have-to-be-ashamed-of-what-we-are-as-sentient-beings-we/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [People from my sort of background needed grammar schools to compete with children from privileged homes like Shirley Williams and Anthony Wedgwood Benn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/people-from-my-sort-of-background-needed-grammar-schools-to-compete/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Persons who have cleansed themselves of any transgression and who have shown their ability to deal with homosexual inclinations and put them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/persons-who-have-cleansed-themselves-of-any-transgression-and-who/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [I come from a theater background, so I always like to dissect the scene and try to get some hint about what the author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adina-porter/i-come-from-a-theater-background-so-i-always-like-to-dissect-the/) [Adina Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adina-porter/) > [And, of course, some SF is set close enough to here and now that Anglo and European do apply. Since many of the writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/and-of-course-some-sf-is-set-close-enough-to-here-and-now-that-anglo/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [For me, I try to look at a person's swagger and a little background on them if I already haven't liked them as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bivins/for-me-i-try-to-look-at-a-person-s-swagger-and-a-little-background-on/) [Michael Bivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bivins/) Browse all 1,648 Backgrounds quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm unique for a suspense author in that I don't have a specialty background. A lot of suspense writers used to be lawyers or crime beat reporters. I didn't even know a cop when I started out. 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