Debut Spotlight: Emma Kavanagh

The wait is finally over for today's debut spotlight guest as her debut novel Falling is published today. 

Emma Kavanagh lives in South Wales with her husband and toddler son. A trained psychologist, she spent seven years working as a consultant providing training to police forces and military units throughout the UK and Europe. Now she gets to write for a living, which thrills her beyond belief. Falling is her first novel.

A plane falls out of the sky. A woman is murdered. Four people all have something to hide.

Jim is a retired police officer, and worried father. His beloved daughter has disappeared and he knows something is wrong.

Tom has woken up to discover that his wife was on the plane and must break the news to their only son.

Cecilia had packed up and left her family. Now she has survived a tragedy, and sees no way out.

Freya is struggling to cope with the loss of her father. But as she delves into his past, she may not like what she finds.

'Before the plane crash, after the plane crash, such a short amount of time for the world to turn on its head. '

Can you tell us a little bit about your debut book Falling?
Falling is a psychological thriller about a plane crash and a murder. It tells the story of Cecilia (a survivor of the crash), Tom (her husband and the detective responsible for investigating the murder), Freya (the daughter of the pilot who is forced to question her father’s role in the tragedy) and Jim (a father dealing with the murder of his daughter). Nothing is quite as simple as it seems, and as the story unravels we come to understand the way in which these events and the lives of these characters intertwine.

The book involves several different plots, where did the inspiration come from to write multi-character storylines/points of view as opposed to one central characters point of view? 
I am always intrigued by stories that are told from multiple points of view. They are my favourite kind of books to read, as a love the scope and the depth that multiple points of view can give. It just seems to come naturally to me. I also love the challenge of it. It’s like a giant puzzle, figuring out how you can weave all of these stories together in the most effective way. 

Are you currently working on a new book? If so, are you able to tell us anything about it? 
I am indeed! I’m currently editing my next book. The Casualties begins with a mass shooting - a horrendous act by a mysterious gunman. It then moves back a week, and tells the story of the lead up to the shooting - from the point of view of the shooter himself, and three of the casualties, whose innocent actions have inadvertently fed into the horrors of that day

Have you got anything exciting planned for publication day? 
I’m having a launch party (woohoo!), but that won’t be on the day of release. I’m not sure what we’ll do yet, but I am very confident that there will be both champagne and chocolate involved! I’m also fairly confident there will be little sleep going on, and much nail biting. 

Are you going to treat yourself to something nice to celebrate?
Oooh! Excellent question! Perhaps I should. I am such a jewellery junkie. I LOVE to find unique pieces that represent where I am in life. I think it’s wonderful to be able to wear something that serves as a powerful reminder of moments of happiness. Excuse me. I need to shop now. 

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer? 
I announced to my parents that I wanted to be an author when I was five years old. It has been something that has always been with me. But I also believed (rightly or wrongly) that you had to have life experiences in order to have something to write about, so I kind of veered away from writing for a number of years and spent time working as a police and military psychologist. It was a fascinating and exciting job, and it has certainly given me plenty of ideas to write about. 

Where would be you idyllic location for a writing retreat? 
Hawaii’s big island, in a beautiful house overlooking the ocean. My husband and I honeymooned here, and it’s one of the most magical places I have ever been. In my fantasies, I have a writing room where I can watch the whales and dolphins swim by. So, if anyone was wondering what to get me for Christmas…