I read in an interview with you in Publishers Weekly that you called one of Warner Book's editors out of the blue, before your first novel was published, and asked her to read your manuscript. What happened next?

I had written a couple of novels in my twenties, but remained unpublished. When I hit forty, I became determined to go back to it. I wrote Epitaph, and decided to do what never works.

I looked up some names in the Writer's Workshop and wrote a letter to one of them. Sara Ann Freed - at Warner Books. She, unbelievably, responded. I sent her the book, waited, fretted, waited some more, and eventually heard back from her. She confessed to loving it. But she also told me I needed a good agent, and she went so far as to recommend one. The Arthur Pine Agency. They read it, loved it, and signed me up. I received a two-book contracts from Warner Books.

The publisher has big promotion plans for Derailed including a television commercial that you created. How did that come about?

I had never seen a book commercial that I thought was particularly compelling. Since writing TV spots is what I do, I offered to do one for Derailed. Larry Kirshbaum, who has been a cheerleader for this book, enthusiastically agreed. I created a spot, contracted a young director, and went off to Los Angeles to shoot it. The result is kind of hot. At the very least - I think it'll get noticed.

What's next for James Siegel?

I have signed another two-book deal with Warner Books and am currently working on another thriller.