Summary
Overview
Patricia Cornwell joins Morbid to discuss her new memoir 'True Crime,' the highly anticipated Scarpetta TV series starring Nicole Kidman, and shares decades of insights from her work in forensics and crime writing. The conversation covers everything from safety tips and autopsy experiences to Jack the Ripper theories and the importance of never giving up on your dreams.
The Scarpetta Series Comes to Television
Patricia celebrates the long-awaited Scarpetta television adaptation featuring Nicole Kidman, Jamie Lee Curtis, and multiple Oscar winners. She discusses how working on the show has influenced her writing, teaching her to show rather than tell stories. The adaptation represents decades of reader anticipation finally coming to fruition, with an embarrassment of riches in terms of talent involved in the production.
- The Scarpetta TV series features three Oscar winners: Nicole Kidman, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ariana DeBose
- Patricia feels working on the show is making her a better writer by teaching her more dramatic storytelling techniques
- Bobby Cannavale plays Marino, with his son playing younger Marino
" I'm surrounded by some of the most talented people in the world right now that I have the privilege to work with, and I'm hoping it teaches me a few new tricks. "
Writing the True Crime Memoir
Patricia discusses her new memoir 'True Crime' and why she finally decided to tell her own story after decades of resistance. The book uses source material from a college autobiography she wrote after leaving a psychiatric hospital for an eating disorder, giving readers authentic childhood perspectives. She emphasizes the importance of controlling her own narrative rather than having others piece together her life story inaccurately.
- Patricia initially didn't want to write a memoir but was prompted when a TV show character based on her wasn't recognizable
- She used a college autobiography written at age 19 as source material to capture authentic childhood memories
- The memoir is titled 'True Crime' which has multiple meanings and hadn't been used before
" You don't even know what your real story is until you start telling it. "
" It gives you a bird's eye view of your entire life. You put it in perspective. It's almost like you're in a spaceship looking down. "
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