Nora Robert's Secret Weapon: a Guilty Conscience

Posted on September 29, 2006

Bestselling author Nora Roberts discusses her legendary work ethic in a new interview. She has a new romance novel, Angels Fall, as well as new romantic fantasy novels. Roberts also writes mystery novels under her J.D. Robb pseudonym.

Nora Roberts was asked in the interview if she is "some kind of machine."

Roberts said, ""I often say I'm not a machine. I think I have a really strong work ethic, plus I really love the work. I think if you love what you do, you do a lot of it. I have a lot of discipline ... and I have a fast pace."

She also said, "I had nine years of Catholic school, and grew up in an Irish Catholic family, with parents who expected you to do what you were told and do your job. And while I'm extremely lapsed, I still have the core of Catholic guilt. ... If I just blew off a day and didn't have a really good reason, I would feel guilty about that. I mean, it would just not be worth it to me."

There you have it: the secret to Nora's success is an overload of Catholic guilt. Guilt: for a writer, it's a good thing.

Nora's latest book is a Morrigan's Cross, which is the first in her new paranormal series, The Circle Trilogy.