Jack Reacher author Lee Child: ‘More sex is medically implausible and I'm as rich and famous as I need to be'
Born in the West Midlands, Lee Child, 70, studied law before working in television. After losing his job following a corporate restructuring, he published Killing Floor, the first in the Jack Reacher series, in 1997. His novels have been adapted into two films, starring Tom Cruise, and an Amazon Prime series. He now writes with his brother Andrew and they headline Theakston Old Peculier crime writing festival in Harrogate next month. The 30th Reacher thriller, Exit Strategy, is out in November. He is married with a daughter, and lives in the north of England.
When were you happiest?
In 1993, making love on the beach of a deserted island in the Bahamas.
What is your greatest fear?
I'm from Birmingham. I'm not afraid of things. Things are afraid of me.
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
The exact median middle-aged black woman in the US. If hard work guaranteed success, she'd be the most successful person on the planet. But she isn't, yet she keeps on going.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Always saying yes to people. For example, I'm doing this.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Appearing on US breakfast radio. I heard the DJ say that after the news we would hear from the author Lincoln Child. I had to choose between making a guy with a mixed-up PR release look like an idiot or pretending to be Lincoln. I pretended.
Aside from a property, what's the most expensive thing you've bought?
A painting by Renoir, paid for by demanding a huge fee for a screenwriting deal with a producer I didn't want to work for. The movie was never made.
What makes you unhappy?
That people my age honestly believed the arc of the universe bent towards justice. Oops. A lot to rethink, at this late stage.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My chin. You could hang a kettle off it.
What is your most unappealing habit?
This year I'll have been a smoker for 60 years. I started when I was 11. I really enjoyed it then, and I really enjoy it now.
Who is your celebrity crush?
Has to be either Alice Roberts or Lucy Worsley. Can it be a threesome crush?
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
First loved, then laid, then paid.
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What's the worst thing anyone has said to you?
'Try this, you'll love it.'
What do you owe your parents?
They made sure we got the best education available. They encouraged books. Otherwise, very little.
What would you like to leave your children?
More than I can, sadly. I led the softest of lives in the softest of times, and my daughter will face sterner challenges.
What keeps you awake at night?
Nothing. If I'm worried or upset or tormented, I go to sleep quickly and easily, to find welcome oblivion.
Would you rather have more sex, money or fame?
More sex is medically implausible, I have plenty of money, and I'm as famous as I need to be.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Do the secret thing you know you were born to do.
Tell us a secret
I love ironing.
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