In this series we go behind the scenes to speak to the people who take a book from the author’s desk to the reader’s shelves. In last week’s post, what does an editor do? we met Cath Burke, one of the two editors with whom I worked on my latest book, LET ME LIE. Once […]
Building a book: what does an editor do?
Publishing is a mystery to anyone outside the industry (and to a fair few within it, if we’re honest). In a recent post I answered the frequently asked question, how long does it take to write a novel? by taking you through each stage of the publishing process. I thought it would be interesting to […]
How long does it take to write a novel?
One of the questions I’m asked most frequently is how long does it take to write a novel? I wrote last year about the way life sometimes gets in the way of work, so I thought I’d follow that up with a post about when things do go to plan! How long does it take to write […]
What happens on a book tour?
I’m often asked what happens on a book tour, and although there isn’t a simple answer (tours vary hugely from author to author, country to country, and book to book) here’s a ‘day in the life’ of my most recent tour. I spent a few days in Italy to promote I See You, spending time in […]
Mental health in crime fiction: how flawed is too flawed?
As a life-long reader of crime fiction and suspense, I’m always intrigued by people who don’t like the genre. Too scary, too dark, too depressing… they’re all reasons I understand, even if I don’t relate to them, but a recent comment from a friend demanded further investigation. ‘I can’t bear psychological thrillers or crime fiction. […]
Why does it take so long?
Much as I love chatting to enthusiastic readers – whether online or face-to-face – there is one question I dread. ‘When’s your next book coming out?’ ‘I’m working on it!’ I say; which could, of course, mean anything from ‘it’s off to the printer next week,’ to ‘I’ve started a new Word document and have […]