Answering your questions!

Thanks to all of the newsletter subscribers who sent in their questions for the Q&A. We had some really good ones which I will try to answer below - I’ve started with a handful of the most frequently-asked questions…

You mentioned you were doing edits of your next book, how do you handle criticism/your work being evaluated critically?

It’s a crucial part of the process, and I know after eight novels that constructive criticism almost always makes the story better. To have another point of view – from my editor, for example – is a really important element of crafting a book because she will see things that I won’t, or things that I’ve overlooked. For me, I think it was also helpful that I was a journalist for eight years, because as a reporter your copy is checked every day by sub-editors and often tweaked, improved, or re-written. So you get used to it. But I do still have some favourite scenes that didn't make the final cut, that you can read here.

How do you come up with titles for your books?

Titles are tricky! Sometimes they just come to me and feel right – like Lies – other times they will be much harder to pin down. My initial ideas usually change: the working title of my third book was Four Friends and then Don’t Look Down before my publisher came up with a much better alternative, The Holiday. While I was working on it, 29 Seconds was called Every Good Deed; my most recent book The Dream Home was initially The Annexe. I tend to come up with a list of possible ideas and these are discussed back and forth with my publisher until we find one that sticks.

Why do your book covers sometimes change (from hardback to paperback)?

With my last two books (The Dream Home and The Mother) we tweaked the jacket for the paperback, partly because of the timing of publication. So the hardbacks come out in February or March with a moody, atmospheric and slightly darker cover; but because the paperback comes out in the summer we wanted to bring in a little more colour and light to reflect the time of year – while still retaining that ‘thriller’ feel.

What else are you reading/what other books would you recommend?

I’m currently reading an advance copy of a brilliant thriller coming in January called Notes on a Drowning by Anna Sharpe – one to look out for. On audio I’m listening to Finders Keepers by Stephen King, who I loved reading back in the 80s and 90s and am now rediscovering through his more recent (fantastic) crime fiction. I’ve also just read No Exit by Taylor Adams, which is a full-on thriller set over one dark night in a snowbound rest stop in the Rocky Mountains. Very tense!

Thanks again to everyone who sent in a question and apologies if I didn’t get to yours this time around – I hope to return to them in future newsletters so watch this space.

Or… why not ask me in person? 😊 I’m hitting the road in October and November for events in Bury St Edmunds, Sandwell, Basingstoke, Birmingham, Reading and Nottingham. I always love to take questions from the audience so if you can come along, there’s more info on my events page.

Some of my forthcoming events - October 2024

I hope to see you there!