Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

I’ve been writing literally as long as I can remember, so I feel like being an author was always inevitable, really. I remember even from a really young age writing my own stories, and the creative writing sessions we had at school were my favourite.  One Christmas, my nan bought me a Jacqueline Wilson Write Your First Novel kit, and I was off.

That first story started off with a spooky cabin in the middle of the woods that was home to a time-travelling monster called Mustard who, despite first appearances, was actually very friendly. And this then turned into a three-book story about two orphaned kids called Danny and Megan who discover this alternative world where people can turn into animals. Think Harry Potter, but all transformation. And the evil headmistress is up to no good, and they have to stop her. It’s still one of my favourite stories that I’ve written because I created this whole world from scratch. All through school, I worked on it, and even now, I have notebooks packed full of all the world-building.

What is something unique/quirky about you?

I went to a military boarding school as teen (between the ages of 11 and 18) and I loved it. I had so much fun. I didn’t enjoy the military side so much (I’m much happier curled up with a good book) but I loved how every day felt like a sleepover with my friends and everything just felt so fun all the time. I have so many good memories from those times and developed some really important life skills too. It’s always fun when comparing my school experience with others because it was just so different and they’re always quite shocked.

Where were you born/grew up at?

I’m a military kid so we moved around a bit. But I was super lucky that we were able to stay in Germany until I was 11. I was born there so in a lot of ways it feels more like home than the UK. I speak a little of the language and my Dad still lives out there so I do visit regularly. It’s such a beautiful country and I find the people are so friendly and welcoming too.

How to find time to write as a parent?

This is a super tough one. I have a little boy who’s now three and he definitely takes up most of my spare time (and energy!) but the secret is having a really supportive husband who’s happy to sacrifice some of our time together so I can put pen to paper (or should I say fingers to keyboards). A lot of my writing is done in short bursts in and around our schedule. It often means taking my laptop to soft play at the weekend or squeezing in 20 minutes on my lunch break or taking my laptop on holiday (I find I usually get more done on holiday than in a typical week). My secret weapon is the cloud. My current WIP is always saved in my Dropbox so if I happen to find myself with some spare time, I can log on with whatever device I have, whether that’s a computer or my phone, and do a few hundred words.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?

Oh the Jason Hunter series for sure. They’re so high octane I feel like they would make great movies. I mean, that’s how they feel in my head. And with the Formula One angle too, it makes for great tension.

I always say Blake Lively would be the perfect Stacey James. She’s just got the right attitude and she’s so bolshy. Plus, she’s gorgeous too. As for Jason, I always imagine he’s more of a Jason Statham kind of guy. Perhaps a little less gruff, but certainly the right look.

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

I once visited Ernest Hemingway’s house in Key West. I hadn’t really planned on it but when I realized his house was not too far from where we were staying, I just knew I had to visit. It doesn’t get much more iconic than that really does it?

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Murder in Plain Sight?

We have a few main characters that all play different roles in the story:

Jason Hunter. He’s our main guy. And  I really love him. He’s such a good egg and he really takes it personally when things go wrong. While he’s this big guy who’s not afraid to throw his weight around, he also has a beautifully human side to him. You get a real sense of this in book 2 when his ex-wife’s new husband dies and he’s the shoulder she cries on. In this book, we see it where he’s doing everything he can to find Stacy but it’s just not enough.

And then there’s Stacey James. World-famous Formula One racer showing all the boys how to do it properly… I didn’t really intend for this book to take the turn it did and I feel for Stacey because I’ve accidentally cut her career short. There’s no way she could bounce back from the trauma she goes through but I have a feeling she’ll be able to put her energy into something else – I may have dropped a few hints in this book and the previous one as to what comes next for her.

Then there’s DI Hayley Irons who just doesn’t want to deal with everyone’s drama. I love her because she’s such a straight talker and she’s happy to put Jason in his place. She calls him out when he needs it but she’s also the logic and reasoning to his impulsivity.

And let’s not forget Sam Thornton. Jason’s right hand man. A man of very few words. I actually love how he has such a large, calming presence. Everyone loves him even though he barely speaks. Like you know he’s in your corner and you wouldn’t dare go into battle without him. I also loved putting him in some uncomfortable situations in this book – I mean, he actually blushes! Which just had be cackling as I wrote it.

Lastly, I really have to mention Cameron. She’s ne of those characters who just walks into the spotlight from nowhere and demands attention. Every time she walks into a room I feel like we have to appreciate her. She’s bold and sassy, just like Stacey, but she exudes sexuality and uses it as a weapon to get whatever it is she wants. She’s glamourous and dangerous and I just love how I was able to give her a bigger part in this book.

How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?

For me, I find I start with a scene or a concept and the characters kind of just walk into the picture. I’m a pantser so it’s such a strange way of working because I know as much as the reader at this point and it all unfolds as the story goes on.

Stacey has always been my favourite. I mean, she’s not the nicest character in the first book but she’s so sassy and bolshy that I just love her anyway. And the moment she comes storming into Jason’s office an giving him a piece of her mind is just pure gold. It’s still one of my favourite scenes to this day.

As for Jason. I have no idea where he came from. It was only after someone once asked me if my characters are inspire by real people did I realise that he’s basically my dad (in a good way) who also works as a security guard, although he’s not in personal protection.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I really loved the whole section in Italy. I love Italy anyway so it felt like a really nice way of feeling connected to the place. But also, just the little side quest with Bill Cooper felt so fun. Bill has a few appearances in books 1 and 2 – he’s a dangerous gun-for-hire and there’s a complicated history there with Stacey being his ex – and I loved how he got pulled into this one due to the fact that he still clearly has feelings for Stacey. It was a fun dynamic to write too because Jason is obviously not a fan; hanging out with his current girlfriend’s ex is not an ideal way to spend time. But Jason knows he needs Bill’s expertise. The man literally hunts down people for a living. So their whole side quest was super fun and I loved the dynamic between them.

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?

I’ve always said Blake Lively would be the perfect Stacey James. As for Jason, I think someone like Jason Statham would work well. Maybe even Bruce Willis in his younger days.

Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?

When I first started writing, I would have said they were completely imagined but as time goes on I realise there’s a lot of my dad in Jason Hunter. My dad works in security too, and he very much has that protective instinct when it comes to family. In this book, it’s the first time I’ve explicitly referred to Jason’s military background (I think we get a couple of hints in the previous books) but this definitely leans more into my dad’s experience.

And then I’d say DI Hayley Irons is a lot like me. The way she dresses, the way she talks, the way she tackles things. They’re all very me. It’s quite nice thought because I wouldn’t ever want to write myself in as the main character!

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing literally all my life. As long as I can remember, I’ve been writing stories. I think I really came into my own when I was at school and I started doing it more. I then remember a friend told my mum that Creative Writing was a degree you could do and that was it. What else would I possibly do?!

I did take a break after university, mostly because bills needed paying and so I started helping indie authors edit their manuscripts and built a really solid portfolio over about 5 years. I loved reading all the different stories and helping them be the best they could be. But there was a point where I felt like I’d lost a little bit of me, and so I came back to writing just after COVID-19 and now I have so many stories in my head I have no idea when I’m going to write them all!

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?

I’m a pantser mostly. So that means I do not plot my stories. I’ve been trying to change that a little recently because I do find I get so confused and lost and muddled in my own story because I don’t know where it’s going. And fixing a manuscript that’s written is a lot harder than just getting the story right in the first place.

I do find that I start with a scene. The characters are already there and they’re often very fleshed out but I’ve still got to work backwards to figure out how we got there (and who they are). Once I’m started on a story though, they just waltz in like uninvited house guests. It’s super annoying actually because I often find myself being derailed by random characters showing up and then they become really critical to the plot later on, so I’m like ‘oh okay, now I know why you’re here’. I’m hoping it’s my subconscious pre-planning things for me.

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?

I don’t…not before I start writing at least. I definitely do research as I go. I often find I can get really stuck on a single detail and then spend ages looking for the right way to describe something or the right process. Or I spend aaaages on Google Maps walking the streets of a specific location so I can describe it.

I do like to spend time speaking to people in specific jobs. I find it really helps get a handle on how things would work in real life. And that can be a lot of fun. I’ve had face-to-face meetings with a bunch of different guys who work in personal protection. And I’ve had email conversations with so many different businesses and people willing to spare a little bit of time to answer my questions. My favourite is probably when the team behind Susie Wolff put me in touch with the Formula 3 racer Tatiana Calderón who gave me a really detailed run down on her workout regime.

Describe your writing style.

I like to write short and punchy. There’s not a massive amount of description (I always get so caught up in the action, I forget to describe stuff). I love playing around with points of view. You’ll find I start with first person and then I’ll jump to different people and it will be super random just because I like to mix things up.

And I’m a big believer in short chapters too. Especially for crime fiction, they can be so effective for keeping the pace of the story moving forwards.

I’ve had people tell me my writing style is similar to the Jack Reacher books, or even James Patterson. Both of which I take as huge compliments!

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

This totally depends. The first book in this series took me about 10 years from start to finish. But then book 2 took me about 6 months. This book took about 8 months to write, but a full year if you include editing and getting it ready for publishing.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Yes. Yes. Yes! It’s horrible, though, because I find it’s a form of procrastination. If I haven’t written for a few days, I get this niggling sensation in the back of my mind, and it literally won’t go away. But if I’ve got writer’s block, I do everything I can to avoid confronting it. It’s just too taxing to want to work through it.

But the only way for me to get over it is to literally sit down and force myself to write. I can often see in my drafts where I’ve had to battle through the block because it just feels so all over the place. But the important thing is to just keep writing. That’s the only thing that fixes it!