During the launch of The Lie She Told I opened the forum and asked for people to send their questions. I had the most fun answering them, and here they are in written form for everyone to enjoy!
How important do you think it is to ensure policing done is crime fiction novel is realistic?
Very! Readers are very discerning when it comes to crime fiction, and even though it might be the first book you’ve written in this genre it won’t be the first time they’ve read it so accuracy is everything – and they will tell you if you get something wrong!
How do you ensure you work to ensure you do so?
Lots of research, and it’s about building your contacts too. You can’t just Google something and take that as the correct version or answer. Speaking to serving or past police officers, CID experts, forensic pathologist etc has to be part of your contact list. I worked with Steve Gaskin, former met detective with Scotland Yard and watching loads of his online tutorials that he runs as part of The Crime Lab. Steve was very generous with his time and I will work with again for future books. If you’re interested in all that kind of stuff then you should take a look at the website, it’s fascinating!
When did you get your initial ideas for this book?
The character of Kate has been with me for a long time. Then on a visit to Scotland, I realised that I’d found a home for her and it went from there.
What made you properly go for it?
Writing full-time? I turn 50 in January 2021 and it’s been a long-held dream of mine to be a published author so with the support of my wonderful husband I threw caution to the wind dived in!
Who has influenced you?
Clare Mackintosh, C.L Taylor, L.J. Ross and Mark Edwards plus of course the absolute God of writing Stephen King.
When can we expect Book 2?
Ha, well it’s written and currently with my editor so watch this space! It’s planned for January 2021 at the moment but that may change.
How many drafts do you write?
Usually, 2 or 3 plus I add and remove chapters, delete sometimes up to 20k words so it really is a labour of love.
How do you know when you’ve ‘finished’?
When you can’t bear to give it one more read through! The Lie She Told was written and sat on the corner of my desk for weeks before I plucked up the courage to invite beta readers for their opinion. In the ned I just had to say ‘sod it, just do it!” So I did and here we are!
Do you ever base characters on people you know or have met?
I didn’t intentionally but many people have compared the character of Joe (the little boy in The Lie She Told) to my son Daniel so I guess on some level I do!
Do you prefer to write Goodies or Baddies?
Baddies, without hesitation. Ryan really took me to my limits and pushed my research to the max. It was good to see how far he would go and how brave I could be with the writing of gory scenes. Needless to say, I loved it so expect more of that in future books!
How do you choose character names?
Haha, it’s very scientific – not! In Book 2 I have 2 character surnames that are based on biscuits I was eating at the time 😂 and there’s an accountancy firm called Wheel and Barrow as I could see the wheelbarrow from the Shed window 😂
Do you have time to read for pleasure?
I read constantly and usually have 2 or 3 books on the go at any one time. Some of them are non-fiction for research but if I’m looking escapism then I turn to historical fiction.
To watch the full launch party and join in the hilarity take a look at the Facebook page.Â
