Are there any books or authors that inspired you to become a writer?
I loved writing stories as a child and always wanted to be Enid Blyton; then around the age of about 14 I wanted to be Stephen King; then when I reached my 20s I discovered Barbara Vine and knew that I wanted to write psychological thrillers.
Later, when I was in my 30s, I did a degree through the Open University, studying English Language and Creative Writing. My writing tutor was the award-winning author Ray Robinson (‘Electricity’) and he was impressed with my stories, telling me that I should write a novel. It was some years later that I decided to take his advice, but I acknowledged him in my debut, ‘The Perfect Girlfriend’.
How did you get a book deal and how did you feel to get it?
I’d previously had an agent and she had offered my debut to the big publishers. Although they liked my writing style, most of them turned it down because they didn’t like the ending or didn’t think the story was commercial enough. I decided to do a big rewrite and changed the ending, however by the time this was completed my agent had moved jobs so couldn’t represent me anymore. So I approached around three or four publishers who were willing to accept manuscripts from unagented writers, and within a week an editor from Bookouture (digital imprint of Hachette UK, one of the top publishing companies) had got in touch to say that she loved my novel and wanted to meet and discuss a book deal. It was an incredible feeling when I opened the official email to say that they wanted to publish my book (and further books that I hadn’t even written!) My lifelong dream had come true!
Where do you get your inspiration from?
General life and the places I live in and visit. Unusual news articles. And I always carry a notebook and love to do people-watching everywhere. I write down snippets of overhead conversations to use at some future point. People who know what I do for a living now probably avoid me because of this!!
Of the three books you have written, which one is your favourite and why?
I think my debut, The Perfect Girlfriend, is my favourite one because there are some dark and quirky characters in it which I loved writing. Also, there is so much of my local area described in it and readers often get in touch when they think they have guessed locations of the different scenes.
What is it about the psychological thriller genre that you enjoy?
I’ve been heavily influenced by writers like Barbara Vine and Lisa Jewell, and I love writing dark characters. It’s very much about background: why do people behave like they do?; what has happened to them in the past?; what are their day-to-day lives like? It’s an exploration of the unsettling bits of the mind, it’s a puzzle to solve and I enjoy constructing all the twists and turns that make a page-turning thriller.
Do you play music while you write — and, if so, what’s your favorite?
I don’t play any music while I write as I find it too distracting. However, I LOVE music and it is a big part of my life. Folk music was also a big feature in my debut novel, The Perfect Girlfriend, where many of the characters were musicians.
For 13 years I have been part of a team that has organised an annual 3-day music festival; I also play the electric bass and sing, and over the years I have been in bands and performed in ceilidhs at parties and weddings.
In my previous job as a youth worker, I organised many teenage Rock Nights at local youth clubs for young up-and-coming bands to gain experience performing to an audience (some of these even went on to gain national BBC radio play).
And for my debut book launch I put on an event which featured Luke Concannon of Nizlopi fame (remember the No. 1 hit ‘The JCB Song’?)
How do you come up with the titles for your books?
I always choose a working title for each book that I write. However, it always gets changed by my publisher! Apparently, my editor and her team read each novel and then decide on the best title – the whole package of title, cover and blurb is done with regards to marketing and I have no say in any of it.
Out of interest, my debut, The Perfect Girlfriend, was originally called Black is the Colour (in reference to a folk song). My second novel, Such A Loving Couple, was only ever previously called Book 2 (!) and my most recent novel, The Childminder had had the working title of Our Darkest Secrets.
How do you come up with character names for your stories?
I have a notebook where I keep a list of names that I add to when I hear any that pique my interest. I have also been involved in Facebook groups where I have asked people to nominate names for my characters – some of them would obviously have to be baddies! – but that was a very useful exercise and I did thank the group members in the acknowledgements.
How long does it take you to write a book?
My debut actually took around ten years from starting it to publication, but I had to do a lot of rewriting including four different endings!! The two that I have written since then have both taken around eight months each, including all the edits, but I have worked on them full-time. In some ways it gets easier because I’m familiar with the editing process now and what is required of me. Although I do sometimes wake up at 3am in a panic, trying to figure out where to place the twists and turns! My mind is forever plotting.
Name an underappreciated novel that you love.
One of my favourite authors (an auto-buy for me) is Lesley Glaister. She’s so underrated but her writing is stunning, a mixture of literary/psychological. I think ‘As Far As You Can Go’ is probably my favourite novel of hers, a tense story of a couple abandoning the UK after they apply to an advertisement for a job in the Australian outback.
My most recent psychological thriller, THE CHILDMINDER, was published by Bookouture last month. It’s a story about a childcare circle of five parents who are planning a weekend away. However, the secrets that they are all hiding start to emerge and culminate in an unpredictable series of events. Full of twists and turns, and with a one-more-chapter vibe, it’s perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, KL Slater etc.
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