An interview with David Mitchell, the author behind 'Cloud Atlas'

David Mitchell came to Los Angeles because of an 8-year-old book. Thanks to the movie by Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, Mitchell's novel "Cloud Atlas" has landed on American bestseller lists -- right behind the decidedly less literary trilogy "50 Shades of Grey." Mitchell sat down with the L.A. Times' Carolyn Kellogg -- in this extended interview, which has been edited for length and clarity, he talks in detail about his writing process, what makes a book last and the "Cloud Atlas" adaptation. The movie opens nationwide today.

By Carolyn Kellogg

October 26, 2012