ANNIE ASKS Dete Meserve

ANNIE ASKS Dete Meserve

Where would you most like to live?

I love LA! While some criticize the city for its challenges, I'm grateful for its year-round outdoor living and the surprising nature that thrives even in urban areas like ours—doves, songbirds, and hummingbirds visit our garden throughout the day, raccoons and possums make nighttime appearances, red-tailed hawks soar overhead, and chattering parrot flocks brighten our mornings.

Minutes from home, we can experience everything from exceptional orchestral concerts by the phenomenal LA Philharmonic to divine choral music by the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus to the electric atmosphere of Kings hockey or Dodger baseball games to world-class culinary experiences. And contrary to LA's car-centric reputation, our neighborhood offers remarkable walkability—within just a 10-minute stroll, we can enjoy an organic grocery at LA Grocery and Café, James Beard-winning Filipino cuisine at Kuya Lord, comfort dishes like corn ribs and honey-glazed chicken tenders at Le Coupé, or indulge in divine ricotta pancakes at Café Telegrama.

What is your greatest extravagance?

I work with a trainer at my home twice a week. This can feel like an extravagance to some, but it’s a strategic investment in my long-term health, strength, and wellbeing. Given my demanding schedule, these focused sessions complement my daily walking, running, and indoor cycling routines and provide dedicated time to build strength and agility while also reducing stress—elements that are essential, not optional, for finding balance in my intensely busy life.

Which talent would you most like to have?

Easy. Composing music feels like pure alchemy to me but I don’t have that talent. I remember attending an awards event where Steven Spielberg sat at the next table. After the show, while many rushed to speak with him, I made a beeline for composer John Williams, who was also there. I’ve always believed—and still do—that composers are the true creative force behind any film or TV show.

What is your motto?

I would rather fail on what I believe in than succeed in what I don’t. I believe in staying true to my vision, even if it means risking failure, rather than compromising for guaranteed success. I pour my energy into writing books and developing TV and film projects that reflect the ideas that inspire me instead of chasing industry trends or market demands. I'd rather create something meaningful than something hollow that succeeds simply because it follows a formula for commercial appeal.

What is your most treasured possession?

My greatest possession is my memories. My memories allow me to spend time with people I’ve lost, places I’ve traveled, people I’ve known, experiences that shaped me. 

But if you’re talking about a physical items, I’d have to say my Estonia piano. As a life-long pianist, I spent years searching for the perfect instrument for my home. Each year at the National Association of Music Merchandisers conference in Anaheim—admission thanks to friends who owned a music store!—I would play every piano available.  Steinways, Bösendorfers, Faziolis—all beautiful instruments but often beyond my budget, and more importantly, none of them truly “spoke” to me. 

Then one year, while riding an elevator with my husband, I heard gorgeous piano music drifting from the floor above. Following the sound, I discovered an Estonia piano. They’re crafted with solid European spruce soundboards and beech and maple for structural elements. They only make 200 pianos annually, so I assumed it would be unaffordable, but the Estonia rep encouraged me to try it anyway.

The moment I played, I fell in love. Playing this piano feels like having a conversation with a long-time friend who truly understands me. Even more surprising was that this exceptional instrument was very affordable. It remains my most treasured physical possession to this day.

When and where were you happiest?

I think a lot of parents would say they were happiest when their children were little—the world was filled with wonder, excitement, silliness, and joy in the simplest things. But while that is true, I would say that I’m happiest now. My kids are grown or nearly grown and they continue to amaze me by the ways they approach life, their talents and ambitions, and the way their relationships and friendships shift and changes as they grow older. Part of why I’m happiest now is that I’m healthier than I was when they were little—I’m no longer sleep deprived, I have time to exercise and think, and I’m no longer picking up every single virus they brought home from school or other activities! But on a more serious note, I also love our conversations, which are deeper now. While I loved engaging in my children’s world of imagination when they were little, it’s truly a gift to hear them share their dreams, their grown-up thoughts and discoveries, and their perspectives on our world. 

Fun Extras:

Favorite book: Of all time? The Secret Garden has been a favorite for the longest. But Harlan Coben’s Trust No One and Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook were books that sparked my interest in writing novels. Meg Shaffer’s The Lost Story is one I’m loving now.

Something readers might not know about the writing process: The amount of time that goes into research is staggering! I love this aspect of writing, especially the ‘rabbit hole’ moments that inevitably arise. What may seem like just a couple of sentences in a novel often comes from hours of research. For The Memory Collectors, for instance, I spent months researching the concept of ‘closed time loops’ to condense it into just a few lines. For The Space Between, which features an astronomer, Sarah Mayfield, as the protagonist, I dove into everything from black holes to nebulas to constellations to Trojan asteroids—all topics I’m intrigued with—to fully immerse readers in her world.

If you could spend an hour in the past, what would you do? I’d choose to go back to a time when my parents and grandparents were still alive, and my kids were very little. I’d view it all with a renewed sense of wonder, appreciating it in a way I couldn’t then.

Dete Meserve is a best-selling novelist and an award-winning creator and producer of films and television series. She wrote the screenplay adaptation of her debut novel, Good Sam, and produced it as a feature film for Netflix.

Inspired by a question posed to readers—”What would you do if you could spend an hour in your past?”—her fifth novel, The Memory Collectors, explores the universal desire to revisit pivotal moments in our lives, whether to reconnect with a loved one, undo a painful mistake, or relive a joyous memory. In this suspenseful and emotional journey, four strangers step back into their pasts only to find themselves trapped in time. A shocking twist forces them to unravel hidden connections between them—uncovering secrets that change everything.

She is also the author of three novels in the Kate Bradley Mystery Series: Good Sam, Perfectly Good Crime, and The Good Stranger and a fourth standalone mystery/suspense novel The Space Between. Her first non-fiction book, Random Acts of Kindness, co-authored with journalist Rachel Greco is in development as a feature film.

Her first novel, Good Sam, was produced as a feature film for Netflix Original Film and was released worldwide. The film was produced by Meserve based on a screenplay by Meserve. The film stars Tiya Sircar (The Good Place). Watch it here.

When she’s not writing, she is a film and television producer in Los Angeles and owner of Silver Creek Falls Entertainment. Her recent credits include Executive Producer of What Men Want (Paramount), Executive Producer of Ready Jet Go (PBSKids), and Producer and Screenwriter of Good Sam (Netflix), Producer of the feature film Ready Jet Go Space Camp (DreamWorks), Executive Producer of an animated series for Apple TV+ (To be Announced), and Executive Producer/Showrunner of Weather Hunters in partnership with Al Roker Entertainment for PBSKids.