 Welcome back. Well, she's the New York Times best-selling author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book. And this weekend it's your chance to meet Susan Orlean as she visits the Jacksonville Public Library for two days of bookish excitement. Now tonight, Orlean will be in conversation with local author Michael Wiley about her best-selling books and what it's like to have your work and your life adapted for the big screen. Then on Saturday morning, she'll come back to share her writing secrets with aspiring local authors. Both events take place in the conference center at the Jacksonville, Maine library. Hey Susan Orlean, it's so good to have you here in Studio 2 and thanks for joining us. I'm thrilled to be here. Alright, so you're coming into town to talk about all of your best-selling books, but let's begin with The Orchid Thief, a national best-seller and it inspired the Academy Award-winning film adaptation, of course. And what an amazing journey. How did you decide to become a writer and did you ever anticipate this level of success? I have wanted to be a writer since I could lift a pencil. And I know that makes me sound precocious, but there was something about writing that seemed like magic to me, even when I was a tiny kid. I used to write little books about my family trips, about stories I thought of, and I never seriously entertained any other profession, which either means I have a lack of imagination or I really felt drawn to the process of writing. I don't know that I ever dreamed that I think the first time you see a book of yours on the New York Times best-seller list, you do a lot of pinching and saying, okay, I'm dreaming, right? But I felt so passionate about doing the kind of work I wanted to do that I never really saw any other path. It was like, this was what I was going to do. This is what I love doing. And somehow it would work. It would connect. It sure did. And not only did the orchid thief become a huge hit, it inspired a movie. What was it like to see the movie version? Very strange, very much an out-of-body experience. And the particular adaptation of the orchid thief, which was as a film known as adaptation, was probably the most unusual experience imaginable, because instead of just adapting the story of the book, which was about a Florida man who was arrested for poaching rare orchids. It's always a Florida man, isn't it? It is always a Florida man. I feel like that. I've written a lot about Florida thanks to the many Florida men that we have out there. Yes, we do. But it was also an adaptation that was about the adaptation of the book. And I became a character in the movie, which was not at all what I expected. And initially I was very resistant and said, no, no, no, no, no, you can't do this. And then I gave in and said, all right, fine, go ahead and let's see what happens. Seeing Meryl Streep on a big screen say in the movie, hi, I'm Susan Orlean, you know, watching that, it's a moment that you can't quite explain to anybody except that it's totally surreal. And it really was totally surreal. The movie is amazing. It is a classic. And to have a work adapted into a film that has really stood the test of time is, of course, an enormous pleasure and honor. Well, what a thrill to have Meryl Streep play you in a movie. I can't even imagine. Now, in your book, the library book, you explore the history and the future of libraries. You're adapting that into a limited series with Paramount TV, which is great. You've got a newest book on animals, you're prolific. And you're going to be giving a writer's lab workshop on Saturday so people can learn a little bit about how you did all this. What are some of the most common questions aspiring authors ask you? It's, I think most people grapple with some of the basic issues of motivation, confidence. You know, writing is an act of nerve. You have to believe you have something to say. Excuse me. So I think a lot of people start with the question of just pure confidence. How do I feel confident enough? But what I'm really going to focus on is beginnings and endings. I think a lot of people feel most challenged by really how do I start? How do I get a reader interested in what I have to say? And it's a lot of fun to look at that aspect of writing because there's certain mechanical tricks that can help you work your way into a story. And so it'll be fun to talk about that. I would think. Now, how many rejections did you get from publishers before you finally got that first deal, book deal? Well, that's not a fair question because I got very lucky. And I will say, I don't think my experience was typical. Okay. You hit it right away. Well, I should say I went out with a book idea. I met a publisher who said, I'm really interested in you as a writer. I don't happen to like, is this really the book you want to write? And I said, well, no, actually it's not. What I really want to write is this completely sort of eccentric book about Saturday Night in America. And she said, okay, good, let's do that. And that's how it began. And that's how it began. And it is not a typical story. So I don't mean to present it as a typical story, but it was a very marvelous, very fortunate way to begin. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. And I invite everyone to come on out to the main library tonight at 6.30 p.m. for a Lit Chat author interview with New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean. She will sign some books. And then on Saturday morning, 10 a.m., a Writers Lab workshop. Free and open to all current and aspiring writers. That's Saturday at 10 a.m. Susan Orlean, a pleasure. Have fun. Thank you. It's so nice to be here with you.