Author Lee Child has found huge success with his Jack Reacher series of novels, two of which have been adapted into films starring Tom Cruise in the title role.
The Midnight Line is the 22nd book in the series. Lee Child describes Jack Reacher - the son of a marine who joined the army - as "a perpetual wanderer" who likes his lifestyle, but who starts this book a little unsure.
Lee says that when he started writing the books, the character "must have been fully formed, but I deliberately didn't design it in any way. Success is always accidental."
Success as a novelist came late for Lee. After university he worked for Granada Television in Manchester, a job he loved. He says he would probably still be there had he not been fired at 39: "The question was, what am I going to do next?"
"I'd always been a big reader, and I thought I'd try writing a book."
After 22 years, during which time he has averaged one Jack Reacher book a year, Lee has learned a lot about what it takes to construct a good story. His main advice as a writer is, "Don't write what you know - write what you feel."
Some fans were not happy with the choice of casting for the Jack Reacher films, as the character is six foot five while Tom Cruise is not. What does Lee have to say about it?
"He doesn't look like Reacher at all, but the question was whether any actor looks like that. Not really."
"We needed a great actor because Reacher is a very internal character, and we needed the talent to get that stuff on the screen. We compromised on a physical mismatch. The readers were not happy about it, but if you want a movie, you've got to take what you're given."
It takes Lee six months to write a Jack Reacher book, and he enjoys connecting with his readers.
"If somebody says to me, 'I stayed up way too late to finish that book', I think the plan worked."
