Another in our series of author workspaces. as always click on pictures to see them larger, and please, no wagering.
 
Ian Rankin:
Yes, it’s the back room at the Oxford Bar in Edinburgh, where Rebus goes to drink and I go to think. People send mail to me there. People offer me ideas for stories there. Full-blown characters may occasionally wander in and hold court. In effect then, this is my office; it’s just that I write the books elsewhere.
Nik Korpon:
Important things to note about the picture, from right to left:
-That weird edge on the longboard is from the iPhone panorama, not wiping out and snapping the board numerous times. Though I do wipe out a lot.
-That is in fact a dusting rag on my typewriter. It’s a ’27 (?) Smith-Corona and I meant to dust it before taking the photo but forgot. That’s probably pretty telling.
-The blue sheet over my desk is the first picture my son colored for me. Hanging over it is the medal I got for surviving the Zombie 5k I ran with two friends last year, though we got passed by a girl in a tutu and ten-eye Doc Marten’s, so I think they just gave medals to everyone.
-The stuffed koala bear on top of the bookshelf came home with me from the hospital when I was born. I’ve had it ever since, with the intention of giving it to my children. When my wife told me it needed to be dry cleaned before I could give it to my son, I said, “Sure. Of course. No problem.” He’s now three and the bear is still up there.
-Hidden behind my Dia de los Muertos statuettes on the top bookshelf is the bottle of Whistle Pig rye I bought to celebrate a book deal with Exhibit A. I bought it because Hank drinks it in Breaking Bad, and he drinks it because Vince Gilligan loves it. Somewhere in my grey matter, I figure if I drink it, maybe I’ll write something like Breaking Bad. Again, that’s also pretty telling. Either way, I want to sell more books because I can’t justify buying it without an occasion and it is delicious.
Duane Swierczynski:
My work space these days is pretty much wherever my laptop is. Sometimes it’s at a desk in my bedroom; sometimes it’s on the kitchen table.. But two to three days a week, I take it to a co-working place in Center City Philadelphia. I usually pick a spot at the end of a long table, where I’m surrounded by people who have real jobs. Outside one of the windows is a view of an old bath house tagged up with graffiti. It’s pretty great, actually. I wrote most of my next novel here, actually. And yes that is a cup of tea next to the laptop, because: middle age.

Ian Rankin, at The Oxford

Nik Korpon’s Office

Duane Swierczynski