L-word: When you have writer’s block, what do you do and what advice can you give to the other writers?

TG: Writer’s block for me is essentially plot block where I just can’t pinpoint or I don’t know what happens next in the story or I can’t figure out who the bad guy is or what are his motivations. Very often my plots are quite complex so to tie them all together takes time. I don’t always have the answer. I get almost to the end and I thought, “I’ve got to come up with the answer now because I don’t have much time.” So I’ll stop writing. I find that taking a shower or, especially for me, driving helps. You know, just getting behind the wheel of the car and driving and nobody’s talking to me. I can’t have anybody talking to me. Or sometimes a walk or sometimes just lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling (laughing). Even though we don’t look like we are working, we are working. The writer’s brain is always moving.

L-word: After this new book comes out, what do you envision for your girls in the future?

TG: I envision an interesting story having to do with my travels in South Africa. When I was there I remember thinking, “You’re there on safari with a ranger, a guy who’s responsible for you living or dying.” And I thought, “What if this guy is not who he says he is? What if he killed a real ranger and I’m out in the middle of nowhere with a killer. And maybe that was his whole plan all along.” So I want to play with that idea of having a hunter who’s now in Boston.

L-word: Is it going to be Maura or Jane with him, or someone else?

TG: There’s going to be a young woman who survives in the wilds in Africa and she’s the only one who’s ever seen his face. Jane is going to realize eventually that there’s one woman who survived and seen his face and they are going to need her.