Personal
Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre?
At first it was a personal experiment to see if I could but once I began, it released a darkness I found strangely compelling. I am constantly amazed by people who live ordinary lives and yet have strange perspectives. During recent years I have seen people create drama in their lives as a form of compensation for being so ordinary and as a writer it is manna from heaven.
Books
Tell us about your book?
‘Crushing Curiosity’ is a suspenseful thriller taking the reader into a number of twists as the main protagonists stories unfold.
“Some people have a disposition for the macabre. Some prefer fantasy to an unfulfilling existence. Some find that a single moment injects itself into their lives repeatedly until all they live for is that moment. Is that me?”
In this extraordinary thriller a man with an unnatural obsession is in pursuit of his perfect victim. A chance encounter with a young woman then challenges his patience, perspective and strict lifestyle. Misunderstandings transform the relationship between two unique characters while they both face danger neither suspect. This disconcerting story will provoke your emotions as the killer’s personality is revealed and his victim’s plight is uncovered.
What makes your book stand out from the crowd?
Crushing Curiosity dares the reader to respond emotionally in ways they don’t expect to while enjoying the rollercoaster of twists and twisted characters.
What is the main thing you want readers to take away from your book?
Readers are left with conflicting emotions and questions about themselves….is the real villain in the book or, is it the reader for becoming ensnared in the story of Crushing Curiosity?
Characters
Have you ever based characters on real people?
When I was a child, one of my friends was a strange boy. As a child, you either accept or repel strangeness but, he was a challenge and we stayed friends for a few years. He moved away in his teens and I never saw him again but, as I grew older I often thought about what happened to him. There was something unnerving about him and although I can’t say why for sure, every hair on the back of neck stands on end at the thought of knowing him as an adult.
Tell us about your protagonist(s)? A good villain is hard to write.
I had to push my main protagonist, Barri, to the edge of reason and I could only do this by introducing him to his perfect victim. She had to be the one he had dreamed about since a boy but, she also had to be a creature of secrets and surprises that would baffle him. A reader told me that he was disturbed because he’d liked the villain so much and had lain awake at night thinking about him. I believe the secret of writing a good villain is to release the evil then, release his inner-self slowly. After all, how well do we think we know ourselves? We evolve, we mature and therefore that is what must happen to a good villain.
On Writing
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
Research is part of my process before I begin writing. The first stage is travelling to places I use as inspiration for scenes, taking the physical journeys I want my characters to take. I speak to people in that location, make notes and take photos. The second stage consists of online research and speaking to professionals who are able to provide detail I need. Using everything I collate, I am then able to create the bones of a story. Visuals help me get me into the zone when writing.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Writing my first murder scene was an unsettling process. I was fully prepared to write it but as the words filled my laptop screen I didn’t see them, I saw beyond them to become both the killer and victim. When I’d completed the task I had to go away and compose myself. I wasn’t then able to return to my laptop until the following day. I needed to distance myself in time and space. When I then read what I’d written a day later, I was amazed. I didn’t have to make any changes whatsoever. It was just as I’d visualized it at the time of writing
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
Conversations between my two protagonists developed a weird poetry. Time would fly by whenever I wrote their dialogue. It was like I was in a theatre seat and watching them rather than writing their words. It would take me ages to wind-down afterwards.
Do you outline books ahead of time or are you more of a by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?
I nurture my ideas and imagine possible outcomes for a long while before putting together an outline. I cherry-pick my research to create a collage of visuals and notes which, I can then use to create a definite story line and overview of what each chapter should contain. My visuals and notes are a foundation but I then allow myself to write freely within my framework. I have to get into the zone of being in the scene and my characters shoes so that they can take their first steps. At that point I step away and allow my characters and their stories to evolve. Although I am disciplined and like structure, I also like the idea of turning things on their heads if I want to.
AMAZON UK AUTHOR PAGE – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Denise-Greenwood/e/B075WVHRT1/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1506946594&sr=1-1
AMAZON UK CRUSHING CURIOSITY PAGE https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=a9_sc_1?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Acrushing+curiosity&keywords=crushing+curiosity&ie=UTF8&qid=1506603535
AMAZON US AUTHOR PAGE – https://www.amazon.com/author/denise.greenwood_thrillers
WEBSITE – http://www.denise-greenwood.com/
GOOGLE + – https://plus.google.com/115482295351119416326
FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/DeniseGreenwoodAuthor/
TWITTER – https://twitter.com/denisegauthor
GOODREADS – https://www.goodreads.com/DeniseGreenwood_thrillers
The following links are to where my thriller suspense can be bought (paperback and eBook):
Booktopia Australia – https://www.booktopia.com.au/crushing-curiosity-denise-greenwood/prod9781999741648.html
Foyles Bookstores – http://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/fiction-poetry/crushing-curiosity,denise-greenwood-9781999741648
Indigo Books Canada – https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/home/search/?keywords=crushing%20curiosity&internal=1
Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/crushing-curiosity
The Book Depository – https://www.bookdepository.com/Crushing-Curiosity-Denise-Greenwood/9781999741648
Waterstones Bookstores – https://www.waterstones.com/book/crushing-curiosity/denise-greenwood/9781999741648
W H Smith Bookstores – https://www.whsmith.co.uk/search/go?af=cat1%3Abooks&w=crushing+curiosity
Best Regards
Denise Greenwood
http://www.denise-greenwood.com/