"The Passage" by Justin Cronin

"CBS Early Show" anchor Jeff Glor speaks with Justin Cronin about his book, "The Passage," now out in paperback.

Jeff Glor: What inspired you to write the book?

Justin Cornin: I actually wrote "The Passage" on a dare from my then- eight-year-old daughter, Iris, who challenged me (her words) to write a book about "a girl who saves the world." I was banging around inside another manuscript that wasn't going very well, and since parenting is ninety percent pretending to know how to do things you don't, I took it up. At the time Iris and I were hanging out together after school, doing what we called our "run rides." While I jogged, she rode on her bike beside me. Usually we played some kind of word game. This time, I suggested we plan the story together. You asked for this, I said, fine, but you have to help me. My daughter was, and remains, a voracious reader, with a sharp sense of story, so this wasn't as strange as it seems. But the truth is, I had no intention of actually writing the thing. It was just a game to pass the time in the Houston heat, and maybe introduce my daughter to the family business. But after a couple of months, I found myself hopelessly in love with the story and its characters. I sat down record what we'd come up with and was shocked to lift my eyes from the keyboard a couple of days later to find I'd written a thirty page outline. I decided to write the first chapter to see how it felt. It felt terrific. You write the novel that wants to be written, and THE PASSAGE wanted to be written. I never looked back.

JG: What surprised you the most during the writing process?

JC: I had to learn to do some new things. My other novels focused on small groups of people. But "The Passage" has literally hundreds of characters and over a dozen main characters. The relationships are complex and occur over many years, so keeping everything straight in my mind was a challenge, not just in terms of mental focus but record keeping. Most of all, what struck me was how much fun I was having with the story. I'd planned the whole thing very carefully, and as long as I stuck to this plan, I was on firm enough ground to do the things I most enjoy as a writer, playing in the sandbox of language and delving deep into my characters to see what's really on their minds. A kind of motto I have is that you can't fully understand a character until you know what they're not saying. What's the secret history they tell no one? What's their private pain, the stone they wear around their neck? Even if it doesn't come up directly in the story, you have to know it as a writer.

JG: What would you be doing if you weren't a writer?

JC: I've been an English teacher for many years; that's my first career. In some other life I'm a jazz pianist, but that is, as I said, another life. One thing I know for certain is that if I weren't writing, I'd be driving my family crazy.

JG: What else are you reading right now?

JC: The book on my nightstand is E. L. Doctorow's "Ragtime". I read it many, many years ago and was prompted to re-read it by "Homer and Langley," Doctorow's most recent book, which I loved. Doctorow gave a talk in Houston not long ago and he charmed me completely. The man practically vibrated with wisdom. I remembered liking "Ragtime" a great deal when I first encountered it; twenty years later, I think the book is pure genius. It's a wonderful rediscovery for me.

JG: What's next for you?

JC: My current project is the second of the three books of "The Passage" trilogy, entitled "The Twelve." It's scheduled for publication in 2012, so it's keeping me pretty busy. In the back of my mind I'm simultaneously planning volume three. I'll also be traveling this spring and summer for the paperback release of "The Passage". Touring is like a magnificent desert after a long, filling meal. It surprises you how much appetite you have left.

For more on "The Passage," visit the Random House website.