Coping with the Covid-19 crisis: Douglas Preston

American journalist and bestselling author Douglas Preston, best known for his thrillers in collaboration with Lincoln Child, tells Anand Raj OK how he is using the time indoors watching movies and playing music. He’s right now learning to play the middle movement of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced working during this time?

Worrying about my family members who are not with me —a daughter in New York City, a son in Colorado. As president of the Authors Guild, I’ve been intensely concerned about our members who have books coming out during this time, when bookstores and libraries are closed and author tours cancelled.

[Flesh-eating diseases, venomous snakes and the search for a lost city in the Honduran jungles]

How difficult has it been to adjust to this new reality?

For me, as an author, I work alone anyway, so my work has not been disrupted. I hike with the dog every morning, work, then cook dinner, then read in the evening, practice the piano, and maybe watch a movie. I keep to a routine.

How are you and your family spending time? Favourite activities? Exercise routine?

I hike a couple of miles in the hills outside Santa Fe with our dog as exercise. I play classical piano so I am learning a new piece and enjoying that, the middle movement of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Beautiful music.

What are you and your family doing to manage the anxiety that is stemming from the pandemic?

The best thing for all of us is work and exercise, and trying not to eat too much.

What are some of the things you miss the most from your life when Covid-19 had still not affected us?

I miss visiting with friends. I miss traveling, which I normally do a lot.

What will be the first thing you’d like to do once this scare of Covid-19 is over?

Go to Maine and go out on the ocean in my boat.

What have you learnt about yourself during this trying time?

That I need to have access to nature in order to stay sane.

What will be your favourite memory from this experience?

Going up to my remote ranch and hiking with my wife and daughter, then eating a steak dinner cooked over the open fire.

The book(s) you are reading at this time.

I read quite a few books at once. Sutherland Springs by Joe Jolley, Lost Boy Found by Kirsten Alexander, and The Chimney Sweep’s Boy by Barbara Vine.

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