Monday 24 June 2013

Crime Fiction Week Interview: Cath Staincliffe

This week is going to be a busy week as I've got plenty of interviews lined up, the first of which is with bestselling author Cath Staincliffe.  Her books include the Sal Kilkenny mystery series, as well as books based on the Scott and Bailey TV series.  Cath is also the creator and scriptwriter for ITV series, Blue Murder.

Her latest standalone book, Blink of an Eye, is due to be published on 18th July which I will be reading and reviewing next month so don't forget to pop back and check out my review.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to be a crime writer?
I always loved writing and it was through going to writing workshops that I developed the confidence and determination to do more with my writing.  Crime writing was an accidental development, an editor suggested I give it a go after reading a story of mine.  I never looked back!

Tell us something about yourself that your readers probably don’t already know? 
I once won a knobbly knees competition.  (My knees are even knobblier now.)

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book?
Blink of an Eye is about a young woman who knocks over and kills a little girl while drunk driving.  The book looks at the aftermath of the tragedy and how the nightmare affects those involved.

Percentage-wise, how much time do you spend researching and how much time do you spend writing?
Ten percent research (if that) and the rest writing.  Don’t like doing research.

How do you relax/unwind after writing gruesome scenes?
It doesn’t bother me really, once I’ve stopped writing I’m back to normal life.

Are you one of those writers who wake in the middle of the night with ideas for plots, new story etc.?
Yes, but I never have a pen and paper to hand and I have always forgotten them come the morning.

Have you ever had writer’s block?  
If I’m stuck writing, can’t get into a scene or don’t know where the story is going, I just write any humdrum stuff and that gets me back into the flow.  Or sometimes I have to sit and work the story out with post it notes and coloured pens. 

If you weren’t a writer, what career path would you have chosen to follow?
Before I wrote full time I worked in community arts as a drama worker.

How long did it take you to get your first book published?  
It was pretty quick as I entered it for a competition run by Commonword in Manchester and it won!

Do you have a set daily writing routine?
No set routine but I write all the time that I’m not doing other things like emails or blogs or questionnaires J

If you could write another style of genre, what would it be and why?
Some of my work is general fiction but other than that I like science fiction – like crime you can examine big issues and social problems but you can create fantastic other worlds.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring author, what would it be?
Keep writing.

Are there any crime fiction books that you wish you’d written? 
They are legion.

If you'd like to learn more about Cath and her books, then why not head over to her website.

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