Lee Child, the author of the Jack Reacher crime novels, starts a new book each September and finishes sometime in spring, 20 books in 20 years. The most recent, “Make Me,” just took over the No. 1 spot on the New York Times best-seller list. He spends Sundays the way many writers do, in his own bubble. “It’s hard for others to understand, because you’re living in this made-up zone of fantasy, where that seems real to you, and the real real stuff seems odd,” he said. Mr. Child, 60, whose real name is Jim Grant, lives on the Upper West Side with his wife, Jane Grant.

EASTERN EXPOSURE My bedroom faces east, so I get woken up by the sun. What I really love is a winter Sunday when it has snowed overnight. You get that special quality of light, and you get the silence because there’s no traffic. You have that paralyzed feeling that’s always fun for a while.