‘I was outed as gay in the 1990s by a Vanity Fair article’

Patricia Cornwell is a crime novelist and ex-journalist. Born in Florida, she moved to North Carolina and began her career as a crime correspondent for the Charlotte Observer. After gaining a name in journalism for an investigative series on prostitution, Cornwell left the industry for a position at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia, where she pursued crime writing alongside her day job. Best known for her Kay Scarpetta series, she is now internationally  recognised and has been the recipient of multiple awards. She has also dedicated a large part of her work to attempting to prove the theory that the Victorian painter Walter Sickert was Jack the Ripper, through a self-funded project. She now lives in Boston, Massachusetts with her wife, Staci Gruber. 

Best of times

Best moment as a reporter?

One of my best scoops was really small but I was so lucky to get it. I was leaving the newsroom [at the Charlotte Observer] at midnight and I came across a wire [breaking news alert] that John Lennon had been shot dead in New York City. Instead of going home, because my beat was over, I sat back down at my desk and started calling every police precinct in Manhattan to see if I could get hold of the police officer who responded to the shooting at the Dakota. Lo and behold, I managed to get the officer on the phone. He told me he asked him, “Are you John Lennon?”, and all he did was groan because he was bleeding very badly and flipping in and out of consciousness. I could not believe I actually got this person on the phone – it taught me to never give up, just keep trying.  

Best career moment?

In December 1990 when I won the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger at the Crime Writers’ Association awards. It was the first thing I’d ever won, and I was in the morgue when I got the call saying I’d won. It was remarkable because the ceremony was in London and the award was to be presented by Princess Margaret – I was going to be in the presence of royalty. So that was a pretty big moment. The other one was getting the Gold Dagger, which was presented by Agatha Christie’s grandson. Then when I found out that one of the judges was Christie’s daughter, I became weak at the knees. I would have given anything to have met her. I’m so sorry I didn’t; I’m a huge fan. 

Best thing about the UK?

I like everything about the UK, pretty much. The food is good, I enjoy the people, and I like to drive out to the countryside. I’m one of those silly Americans who goes, “Oh look, sheep!” We’ll stop at a pub and get some cider and a ploughman’s platter and the fire is on; I find it really charming. One really interesting pub is called the Prospect of Whitby, which is one of the oldest ones. It’s in Wapping and it goes back to the 1500s where the ships set sail for Jamestown from the Isle of Dogs. They used to hang pirates on the bridge there. The UK has always been a big place to me and very important. I’ve always been so excited and happy when I get to go over there. 

Best part about being an author?

I explore people, places and things. For Unnatural Death, I spoke to the Bigfoot expert Jeff Meldrum. When you talk to someone about their experience with such a legendary creature, whether you believe it or not, it’s exciting; it fills you with wonder. I was given a tour of Scotland Yard in 2001 and this legendary investigator, John Grieve, told me about the Ripper case. It was a kind and gracious tour, because I was there for other reasons. He said: “How about tomorrow I drive you around Whitechapel and I’ll show you what’s left of the crime scenes?” I was supposed to go to Ireland the next day, but I thought, I can’t say no to this. It was Grieve who said to me: “If you’re going to look into this, you should look into a painter called Walter Sickert – I’d be curious to know what you think.” And that’s how it all started. Next thing I’m like, “Oh my God, I think this guy did it!” Then I went into a full-on investigation and brought in experts. I thought, I have to follow this; it’s not that I want to, but if I think I might know who killed these people, I have to tell this story – I owe it to those victims, whether people believe it or not. 

Best relationship?

My wife, Staci. We’re soulmates; she knows me better than anybody and she’s very funny, so we laugh at the same stuff. She’s smart, kind and helpful; whenever she finds out somebody has some kind of need, she’ll go out of her way to help them, sometimes without them necessarily knowing. I feel very privileged that I know somebody like that, because there aren’t many people in this world who are so unselfish. She’s also a force to be reckoned with. She may be nice, but she can also be naughty and you don’t want to mess with her. I’ve known some special people in my life, and I still do, but I’d pick her over anybody. 

Worst of times

Worst childhood memory?

Christmas Day when I was five. That’s the day my dad walked out. I was sitting under the Christmas tree, waiting for everyone to come out. Instead, my dad came through with his suitcases. My mother was hysterical. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was devastated. I loved him, I begged him not to go. I ran across the room and wrapped myself around one of his legs to try to stop him from going, but he went anyway. I missed him terribly. For a while, he would see us now and then on the weekends, but by the time I turned seven, my mother had moved us to North Carolina. When I was grown, I made an effort to get to know him myself. 

Worst period in your life?

I was outed as gay in the early 1990s, when I was in my late 30s, by a Vanity Fair article. It was a very difficult time, and it shouldn’t have happened that way. I had a couple of friends that started out in journalism with me, and when I became successful they didn’t seem to like me that much any more. They knew a lot about me and went around various journalistic sources, divulging personal information. To have all that come out about me in what I wouldn’t call a particularly positive way, was withering to me at the time. It was early on in my career and when the story came out I didn’t even want to leave the house. I was mortified. My mother was not happy about it – she got used to it, but it got pretty ugly at the time. It gave me a thicker skin. I’ve had a lot of publicity that I wouldn’t say is fun, but I’m a big girl and you learn to handle it. 

Worst childhood experience?

When my mother was sick, she was hospitalised a couple of times, so a woman would foster us. She was cruel. We were staying there because we had nowhere to go, and for some reason she was really hard on me. She did emotional stuff. She was severe and harsh. We weren’t allowed to leave the house. When you’re in the care of someone like that, you can’t just decide you’re going to pack up and walk out. It was oppressive, because she was very unkind to me and wouldn’t leave me alone. All I can tell you is that it was wicked. I had lost my father, my mother was in hospital and I didn’t know if I’d ever see her again. Why would you mistreat a child like that? 

Worst habit?

I have a tendency to eat and drink exactly what I want, even though it’s not good for me, whether that’s getting into the Fritos [corn chips] at night or pouring myself another tequila when I know I’ve had too much. I’m careful with alcohol now. I try to drink in moderation and I might be better off if I didn’t drink at all, but I like to do it. By and large, I’m disciplined about most things, but I’m not disciplined about everything and I don’t think shame is helpful to anything. In fact, I think it’s disruptive, and it can become a health problem itself.

Worst part of America? 

America has and should be a land of opportunity, where we do not oppress people and allow people to be who they are. But when I look at America I’m scared of what I see. It’s not the same land of opportunity it was. We are fraught with terrible conflicts and large groups of people who don’t believe in democracy and have no respect for the rule of law. The notion that we don’t give women the right to choose abortion in certain states… if a nine-year-old is pregnant then good luck to her? That’s insane. Banning books? That’s insane. Waving nazi flags? That’s insane. I was born in Florida but I won’t go back there until things change; it’s not safe. 

The absolute worst? 

Being locked up in a room with somebody. To be confined with somebody that you absolutely cannot get along with and will not leave you alone. I’m a big believer in respecting people’s boundaries, and for me, I need my quiet. It’s incredibly aggravating when people think that they’re not interrupting you because you’re “just a writer”. It interrupts my flow of thought.