Harlan Coben is one of the world’s best-selling authors, and he is coming to Kent this week to promote his latest thriller Six Years. Kathryn Tye spoke to him ahead of his visit.

“Writing for me has always been hard, never fun.”

It is an unexpected statement for Harlan Coben to make, after an amazingly successful career during the past two decades which has seen him sell millions of novels, receive numerous awards and have Hollywood clamouring to adapt his books.

The 51-year-old, who lives in New Jersey with his wife Anne and their four children, continued: “I do not like writing. I like having written.”

Indeed, while many novelists recount romantic stories of writing and telling stories from a young age, Coben freely admits that it wasn’t something he ever aspired to.

He said: “I know you hear some authors say they started writing at the age of five, and would tell stories to other children in the playground. I would have got beaten up for that where I grew up. I came to it later. I always loved stories, but I did not realise I would be good at telling them.”

Coben’s first foray into writing was inspired by working as a tour guide in the Costa del Sol as a young student.

He said: “I wanted to write about my experiences, but my first novel was awful, very self-conscious and difficult to read. It didn’t put me off writing though. I just decided to start writing what I love reading.

“I wanted to create a book that would keep me up all night, like a virus. I kept writing until I got published.”

His first two novels, Play Dead and Miracle Cure, published in the early 1990s, were recently reprinted, and Coben’s critical approach to his own work is demonstrated in his decision to include a foreword which begins, ‘Okay, if this is the first book of mine you’re going to try, stop now. Return it. Grab another. It’s okay. I’ll wait.’

Explaining his decision, Coben said: “I understand some people wanted to read my first books so they had the full set, so I was happy for them to be reprinted, but I wanted to let new readers know that I have progressed since then.”

There could be no better evidence that he is at the top of his writing game than the fact that his last five novels went straight to No.1 on the New York Times bestseller list – and his latest novel, Six Years, has continued that trend.

Coben said: “I never imagined how successful my books would be. When I started out I thought maybe one would skim the bestseller lists.

“I don’t think there is any secret. I just hope to write books that grip the reader and are impossible to put down. I also try to create characters that you care about and stay with you after you have read the book.

“I wouldn’t say success adds pressure. The real pressure was in the old days when I wondered if I would get another book deal.”

That isn’t something likely to concern him anymore, with a Hollywood bidding war breaking out for his latest work Six Years before it was even in print.

The thriller tells the story of college professor Jake Sanders, who watches Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man.

Six years later he comes across her husband’s obituary and goes along to the funeral, only to find that the mourning widow is not Natalie, prompting him to search for the truth. Paramount Pictures will film the book, with Hugh Jackman in the lead role as Sanders, a choice welcomed by Coben.

Coben said: “He is a nice guy and I know he has read a few of my books, so I think he is a great choice for the role.”

A French film adaptation of his novel Tell No One, starring Kristin Scott-Thomas, proved a huge critical and commercial success, yet Coben remains keen to keep his distance from Hollywood.

He said: “I don’t really get involved in the making of films of my work. I like watching it when it’s made but the process is so ridiculous.”

`It is great to meet fans but I miss home'

Harlan Coben writes at least one novel every 12 months and spends much of the rest of the travelling the world to promote his work.

He said: “I love the book events, as it is great to meet fans and discuss my work with them, but as the musician Dan Fogelman sang: “The audience is heavenly but the travelling is hell.” It can be exhausting, and I always miss home.”

When at home, Coben doesn’t have a specific writing routine, simply doing what works at that time, whether it is working early in the morning at home, or late in the afternoon at a coffee shop. And he claims not to be a big fan of research, describing it as an ‘excuse to put off writing’.

He said: “My top tip for aspiring authors is that you have to write. Outlining is not writing. Having coffee with friends is not writing. Thinking of characters is not writing. The only thing that counts is putting words on a page.”

Extra time

Harlan Coben was born on January 4, 1962, in Newark, New Jersey.

While studying political science at Amherst College, Massachusetts, he was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity with Dan Brown, now also a famed novelist of works including The Da Vinci Code.

He published two stand-alone thrillers, Play Dead in 1990 and Miracle Cure in 1991, before his major success came with the Myron Bolitar series of thrillers. The first book was published in 1995 and follows former basketball player Bolitar who becomes a sports agent and frequently finds himself having to investigate and solve murders involving his clients.

His books are published in 41 languages and have been No.1 bestsellers in over a dozen countries.

At the moment he is reading The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper.

Harlan Coben will be at Waterstones in Bluewater at 1pm on Saturday, April 27, signing copies of Six Years, on sale now priced £18.99.