Guy Lamolinara from the Library of Congress speaks with author Patricia Cornwell, who will appear at the 2012 Library of Congress National Book Festival on Sept. 22-23, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Biography

“Red Mist” is Patricia Cornwell’s 19th novel featuring the medical examiner Kay Scarpetta. In 1979, Cornwell started as a reporter for The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer and soon thereafter became a crime reporter. Five years later, she found a job in the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where she stayed for six years. While there, she wrote three novels that were rejected for publication before she found success with “Postmortem,” her first Scarpetta novel. Cornwell’s influence can be seen in such television shows as “CSI” and “Cold Case Files.”