In The St Hilda's Spotlight - Imran Mahmood

Name:- Imran Mahmood

Job:- Criminal and Civil Barrister and author

Twitter:- @imranmahmood777

Introduction:-

Barrister and author Imran Mahmood's first novel You Don't Know Me was published in 2017. It was also selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club Choice and was shortlisted for the Glass Bell Award in 2018. It was also longlisted in 2018 for the CWA Gold Dagger and the Theakstons Old PeculierCrime Novel of the year Award. It was also made into a BBC drama (to great aclaim) in 2021. His second book I Know What I Saw was published in 2021 and was one of The Times best thrillers of 2021. His most recent book is All I said Was True was published iin July 2022.

Current book? (This can either be the current book that you are reading or writing or both)

I have just delivered 3rd draft of book 4. It is about grief and regret as well (obviously) as murder! I loved writing this book and it’s the one I'm proudest of. I can't wait to see it out next year.

Favourite book?

This is a always To Kill a Mocking Bird. It deals with everything – race, class, poverty, wealth, slavery, human rights, power, justice, morality, truth, integrity, coming of age – the lot. A few other books try to do all of this but the genius of Harper Lee was that she told stories of horror through the lens of an innocent - child. The effect is devastating. 

Which two characters would you invite to dinner and why?

Staying with To Kill a Mockingbird I would like to have Atticus Finch and Scout round for a home-made curry!

How do you relax?

I write of course! And cook. Or if I have time I paint (badly) or do a little woodwork. I make things for the kids that they don’t have any appreciation for. 

Which book do you wish you had written and why?

I'm going to sidestep Harper Lee this time (because there is no way I could have written that). I’m going to say The First Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman for its modest sales!

Also, it displays a great understanding of the market. There’s a whole section of society (that read) but who find themselves totally invisible in culture. Osman realised that and boy did he make the most of it! Also it’s such a perfectly delivered mystery. Can't fault it.

What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as a writer?

Writing is very difficult. Reading is much easier. Just read.

What made you decide to write standalone novels as opposed to a series and would you write a series?

I had only intended to write the one book! I had no idea that when you write one – publishers and agents just expect you to carry on. There was no way to turn book 1 into a series so book 2 was a standalone. And by then I liked the idea of meeting new characters that I knew nothing about. I have since thought about a returnable series. I think it’s a lot of work despite the impression you get and it takes a long time (4 plus books I think) to establish a series. I don’t think I have the patience to do that

With Town and Country: Green Lanes to Mean Streets being the theme at St Hilda's this year, Where is your favourite town and where is your favourite country? Why have you chosen these?

London (which is about 100 towns really rather than one place). It’s my adoptive home (from Liverpool) and I love 2 things about it. That you can become anonymous in London very easily. And that the tolerance levels are so high (as a rule) that you can be any version of yourself that you want to be without (usually) ever attracting a second-look. I love that I sat on the Tube last week and someone wandered on wearing a tutu, a blonde Elsa wig to their waist, drinking beer from a Pringle can. She was probably in her sixties. Nobody batted an eye. I love that. The price of being left alone when you want to be left alone is often being left alone when you don’t. So it’s not a perfect city – but where is?

Favourite country – UK. Not a natural patriot. But the UK (despite everything) feels free and safe and there aren’t many places I could spend the rest of my life in. There’s always something to spoil a great country. Geographically/geologically/structurally? the USA has everything. Mountains, lakes, deserts, snow, beaches, big modern cities, slow lazy cities, canyons, waterfalls, huge national parks. But then – you know it has people like Trump in it. And a lot of guns! 

What are you looking forward to at St Hilda's?

Meeting so many new people after so much hiding away for the last 2 years!

All I Said Was True by Imran Mahmood (Bloomsbury Publishing PLC)

I didn't kill her. Trust me...When Amy Blahn died on a London rooftop, Layla Mahoney was there. Layla was holding her. But all she can say when she's arrested is that 'It was Michael. Find Michael and you'll find out everything you need to know.' The problem is, the police can't find him - they aren't even sure he exists. Layla knows she only has forty-eight hours to convince the police that bringing in the man she knows only as 'Michael' will clear her name and reveal a dangerous game affecting not just Amy and Layla, but her husband Russell and countless others. But as the detectives begin to uncover the whole truth about what happened to Amy, Layla will soon have to decide: how much of that truth can she really risk being exposed?

In The St Hilda's Spotlight:- Nadine Matheson

Name:- Nadine Matheson

Job:- Criminal Solicitor and author

Website:- https://www.nadinematheson.com/

Twitter:- @nadinematheson 

Introduction:-

Nadine Matheson is the author of the best selling D I Henley and the Serial Crimes Unit series. In 2016, she won the City University Crime Writing Competition and in 2019 The Jigsaw Man was won by HQ (HarperCollins) in a six-publisher auction. Her second novel The Binding Room was published in July 2022.

Current book? (This can either be the current book that you are reading or writing)

Reading: The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Writing: Henley Book 3

Favourite book

American Tabloid by James Ellroy 

Which two characters would you invite to dinner and why? 

Aaaron Stampler from Primal Fear. He was accused of murder and his defence was that it wasn’t but him but his other personality. I would like to sitting in front of him to see the moment when he would switch personalities. Stampler is both fascinating and terrifying. A great character.

Bruce Wayne/Batman. I’m the biggest comic book fan and I couldn’t think of a better guest. It would be interesting as to who would turn up to dinner. Bruce Wayne, the billionaire playboy or the world’s greatest detective, the dark knight himself, Batman.

How do you relax?

I love going out to dinner and also lying in my sun lounger in the garden with a good book and a cocktail.

Which book do you wish you had written and why? 

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carré. I just think that its perfect. Perfect characterisation, world building and plot. 

What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as a writer.

Don’t ever give up. Tell your stories and let your imagination fly. 

How would you describe your series characters? 

Authentic but extremely complex who are all trying to create the equilibrium with their careers and personal lives. There’s not one character who hasn’t been affected emotionally by the cases they’ve worked on. 

With Town and Country: Green Lanes to Mean Streets being the theme at St Hilda's this year, Where is your favourite town and where is your favourite country? Why have you chosen these?

London is actually my favourite city because its home but also richly diverse and I love how the past intertwines with the present in its streets and buildings.

Grenada is my favourite country as its where my family are from and its home away from home and the beaches are spectacular. 

What are you looking forward to at St Hilda's?

Spending the weekend with writers that I have admired for years and also passionate crime readers. 

The Binding Room by Nadine Matheson (HarperCollins) Out Now

In this room, no one can hear you scream...The Serial Crimes Unit are called in to investigate when a local pastor is found stabbed to death. As DI Henley assesses the crime scene, she discovers a hidden door that conceals a room set up for torture - and bound to the bed in the middle of the room is the body of a man. When another body is found, also tied down, Henley realises there's someone out there torturing innocent people and leaving them for dead. But why? There's nothing that connects the victims. They didn't know each other. Their paths never crossed. But someone has targeted them, and it's up to Henley and the SCU to stop them before they find another binding room...

Information about 2022 St Hilda's College Crime Fiction Weekend and how to book tickets can be found here.

‘Good Husbands’ and the sanity of middle ground By Cate Ray

It’s autumn 2019 and I’m sitting around a large table at the pub, waiting for choir practise to start. Sipping my wine, I stifle a yawn. And then I hear something that makes me sit up and take note. In fact, it surprises me so much that my life is about to take a different turn because of it.

At the time, the Harvey Weinstein scandal has been rumbling away for 2 years: a Hollywood-gone-wrong sort of story that’s hard to ignore. His lawyer, Donna Rotunno, recently announced that the evidence will exonerate him. And his trial has been put back 4 months. In the meantime, the arguments continue to rage, allegations and anger snowballing. 

Who is it that’s angry, precisely? Well, the dozens of women making the allegations, for sure. I feel for them. Who wouldn’t?

“Those women knew exactly what they were doing...”

I look up, curiosity piqued, as one of my fellow choir members prods the table angrily. She’s talking about Weinstein. 

“…My friend works in fashion and she said that he was known for it – everyone knew. When you got the sign from him, the summons, you knew what it meant. Those actresses went up to his hotel room of their own free will.”

What surprises me about this isn’t so much what’s being said but who is saying it. I’d describe her as liberal. Fiercely anti-Brexit. She’s loud, glamorous; I like her a lot. She’s the sort of woman who stands by her friends, I’d imagine.

The man opposite her at the table certainly is no match. “I think there was more to it than that,” he ventures quietly. “They were victims of–”

“Victims? My arse! The deal was: go up there, let him grope or shag you, and in return you got your career boost.”

He frowns. “But I–”

She cuts him off again. “No one forced them to go up there.” She really is livid. “It was their choice. Simple as.”

Choir begins then, but I can’t stop thinking about what I’ve just heard. Everyone else around the table was silent whilst this conversation was taking place. I wondered what their private thoughts were. More than that though, I thought how bizarre it was that a man was defending the rape survivors; and a woman was attacking them.

There was a story in the silence, I thought. And there was a story in that anger.

When I first started to write ‘Good Husbands’, Brexit was raging. And then 2020 came and seamlessly another rift began. The same month that Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault, the pandemic hit hard. 

And so we entered a time of masks versus no masks, anti-vaxxers vs. vaccines. Whilst writing the novel, it felt as though arguments were breaking out everywhere. The polarisation of views that is so often talked about by social commentators felt very real to me during this time. There appeared to be 2 sides to everything about the pandemic, with people being forced to pick one. And there, right in the middle was this lonely no-man’s land: a quiet place of moderation, empathy, where no one appeared to be standing anymore. 

‘Good Husbands’ is a story about consent, equality and justice. Inspired by the heated opinions about the Weinstein case that I heard, it is also about the things that weren’t said that night. 

Consent is a thorny issue. Not only is it difficult to prove in a court of law, but there are many myths surrounding it. Some people were brave enough to air negative views about #MeToo, but many others were silent on the matter for fear of being judged or shamed. When it comes to sexual assault, much of what we truly think and feel doesn’t make it past closed doors.

Plenty of fiction has been created about this subject, but often with a focus on what happens during the legal process – typically, its failings. But what about what all those unaired views and judgements? What would happen if the issue was brought home, excruciatingly so? What would you do if it wasn’t a Hollywood mogul being accused, but your own loving husband?

Everyone will have an opinion on the novel’s content. The three main characters – wives with families to protect – are very different, with very different views. But ultimately it isn’t about being right and wrong, or picking a side. It’s about bringing people – especially women – together to discuss the key issues with compassion and empathy. 

It’s about daring to stand in that lonely middle land, listening to the shouters on both sides and finding the truth somewhere in that. Because that middle land is sane, human, decent. You can think there because it’s so quiet. That’s because it the place – the only place – where anything ever gets solved.

Cate Ray is the author of Good Husbands, published on 14 July price £14.99 hardback (September Publishing) 

Three wives, one letter, and an explosive secret that will change everything. He said, she said. Who do you believe? Jessica, Stephanie and Priyanka are complete strangers, but they have one thing in common: they’ve each received a letter accusing their husbands of committing a sexual assault more than two decades prior. Is the accusation true or is there more to the story? It was a secret that remained buried for years. With their worlds suddenly turned upside down, they don’t know who to trust—a complete stranger or the men they love and built their lives with. The three women come together to embark on a hunt for the truth, but they are hardly prepared for what they will discover. Who is the victim, and will justice ultimately be served?

July Books from Bookouture

A Perfect Stranger is by Shalini Boland. Two marriages. Three little lies. Someone’s going to die… I hold my breath as my handsome husband walks through the door. I’ve planned the perfect surprise birthday party for him. Our friends are gathered and the champagne is flowing. But when I catch the look in his deep brown eyes, I realise I’ve got this horribly wrong. All evening my stomach is churning. And I can’t help but notice Danielle Baines speaking with Aiden. With her salon-styled hair, diamonds glittering on her ring finger and married to a rich businessman she has the kind of lifestyle I can only dream of. I’ve never liked her. And I know the feeling is mutual. So why is she here and what is she saying to my husband? Now it’s the end of the party and the man I love is confessing a secret that shocks me to the core. But it’s not what I was afraid of. It’s much worse. He says we have to take our son and leave the place we call home because our lives are in danger. I thought I knew everything about my husband. But suddenly he feels like a stranger. Should I trust him with my life?

I’ll never forget that day. It was blisteringly hot, and I begged our mother for an ice cream. As we left you with Dad, I didn’t know it would be the last time I saw your face. Minutes later, we returned to the end of the pier where we had parked your pushchair. Dad was asleep on a bench, and your little pink blanket was empty. You had vanished. Twenty-five years later. The morning of the anniversary of Jess’s disappearance starts like every other for her sister Kate – a rushed school run, a cold cup of coffee and a quick scan of the news for updates. But when her phone beeps with a message from an unknown number, everything changes.I know what happened to Jess. Finally, Kate’s a step closer to getting answers to the questions that have tormented her for so long. Why was her mother so angry that day? How did her father sleep through his own daughter’s abduction? And when the police car came screeching towards the pier, how is it that nobody saw a single thing? As she drives her young family to the seaside town to meet the mystery messenger, she feels uneasy. Who are they and why did they reach out now? But before Kate finds out, history repeats itself and her world is turned upside down once more.Then Kate receives one final, terrifying message… will her pursuit of the truth cost the lives of everyone she has ever loved? Find Me is by Carla Kovach.

Her Payback is by Emma Tallon. Scarlet Drew is sailing dangerously close to the wind with her new police detective boyfriend, John. Not everyone agrees with their illicit relationship, but so far they’ve managed to keep it a secret from anyone outside the family. If only her nemesis, cousin Ruby, wasn’t still hanging around, life would be perfect. Lily Drew is keeping a watchful eye on the building tension between Ruby and Scarlet – the last thing she needs is a war breaking out inside the family. But when people start going missing from a local boxing ring with close connections to the Drews, it puts the family back on the police’s radar and her worst nightmare is realised. With the police now watching their every move, it’s only a matter of time before the situation takes a dark turn. As Lily tries to regain control, another person disappears from the boxing ring, and this time it’s a Drew. Ruby finally has a chance to prove her loyalty to the family, but she’ll have to get over her rivalry with Scarlet first. Will the bitterness between the two cousins get in the way of saving one of their own? And just how long can Scarlet keep her relationship a secret before their entire world comes crashing down around them?

She’s the friend you trust with your life. But can she trust you with hers? When the police knock on my door to tell me that my best friend Kiara has taken her life, my world shatters. Ever since we met at university along with my husband, Nathan and her ex-husband David, the four of us have been inseparable. I can’t believe that, suddenly, she’s not here. The police say that Kiara fell from the balcony of her small, pristine apartment. But I refuse to accept that she jumped. I thought I knew Kiara better than anyone. But I soon find out my friend was keeping some big secrets. Talking to her ex-husband, David, I’m shocked. Was she really having an affair, like he claims Searching for evidence, I let myself into her apartment. My heart races as I find her diary and I read the name of her last appointment – Nathan. Why would she be meeting with my husband? And why didn’t he tell me? It soon becomes clear that everyone around me has been hiding the truth, and when the police call again and ask me to look at security camera footage from the night Kiara died, fear floods through me as I recognise her final visitor. Can I trust anyone in my life? And if someone did push Kiara that night, could I be next? Do I really Know You is by Sheryl Browne

Liar Liar is by L G Davis. He promised to keep my secrets. He never told me his… My husband and I are the dream couple: deeply in love, the envy of all our friends. He surprises me with roses and a beautiful diamond ring, and I prepare picnics for us to enjoy in the sunshine with our adorable son. It’s gestures like this that keep our romance alive. But nobody knows how frightened I am at night. Oliver promised he’d keep me safe, but strange things have started to happen in my home. My son is convinced that someone was in his room, watching him while he slept. And the white lantern on our porch has been smashed. One evening I could swear there’s a shadowy figure watching me through the window, lurking across the street. As I triple check that the doors are locked and kiss my son goodnight, I’m terrified that someone knows what happened before we moved here, and that soon everything I love will be taken away… Then Oliver comes home with blood on his hands on the same night our neighbour, one of my closest friends, goes missing. And I realise I am not the only one hiding a terrible secret. We are both lying. But when the truth finally comes to light, who will survive? And can I keep my son safe?

Your ex-wife didn’t leave you because of me. She didn’t abandon her little girl because of a couple of love notes in your jeans pocket. She left because she’s twisted, and she wanted to punish you. And she’s not finished yet. You have to believe me. If you don’t, there’s no knowing what she’ll do next… Becoming a stepmother is the best thing that ever happened to me. My favorite part of every day is picking Charlie up from school, watching her little rucksack bounce behind her as she skips over for a hug. I love the feel of those thin freckled arms around my waist. After a few rocky months of panic attacks when her mother deserted her, Charlie is flourishing. But the day Charlie’s mother Bronwyn returns without warning—showering Charlie with gifts and making promises she can’t keep—fear ripples through me. When I raise my concerns, no one wants to listen. I know I sound like the jealous new wife, but nothing is more important to me than Charlie’s safety. Me and Bronwyn have history. We both have dark secrets in our past, and I know the dangerous lengths she will go to get what she wants. But Bronwyn doesn’t know me as well as I know her. She doesn’t know just how far I will go to protect that little girl…Unforgiveable is by Natalie Barelli. 

The Mother In Law is by Karen King. He loves you now. He loved her first. I’ve fallen in love with a man called Sam. And he’s perfect, just perfect. It’s a whirlwind romance. And when our dream home falls through just before our wedding, we decide to move in with his parents. He says his mother, Evelyn, is the sweetest person. But I’m not so sure. She’s obsessively protective over Sam. She wants to know where he is all the time. She wakes us up in the morning, bustling into our room like he’s a small child, not a grown man. She doesn’t want me to be alone with him. And with every day that passes – as I keep having accidents I can’t believe are coincidental – I start to fear more that she doesn’t want me to marry her son. That she wants to be the only person he will ever love. Then I overhear an argument between her and Sam’s dad. Evelyn has a secret. And it changes everything I thought I knew about the family I’m marrying into. From that moment, I know that if I want to make it to my wedding day alive, I will need to be very, very careful…

Ellery Kane on Researching for Inspiration

Research is a critical component of my day job, working as a forensic psychologist. Before I ever sit face to face with an inmate to evaluate his violence risk, rest assured I’ve done my homework. I’ve poured over his prison files like the map to a buried treasure, wandering down rabbit holes, following dead-ends, and collecting clues to help guide me into uncharted territory. Through my research, I develop hypotheses that I can test in my interview. Did the inmate’s head injury contribute to his impulsivity? Did her history of trauma play a role in her violence against others? Through research, a patient’s history comes alive and sheds light on the man or woman before me as a complex and multi-faceted individual. 

Crafting suspenseful fiction is no different. With every new book comes research, whether it be cracking open my Practical Homicide textbook, consulting with a firefighter or policeman, watching an episode of Forensic Files, or simply asking the almighty Internet. And any thriller writer worth their salt will tell you they’d rather you not look at their Google search history…especially if you’re an officer of the law. Because it might be hard to explain that search for best ways to dispose of a body. Just as research helps me better understand an inmate-patient, delving into the details of my story gives life to my characters and often spurs new ideas. 

Many of my books are set in the San Francisco Bay Area, which I have been lucky to call home for the last twenty years. San Francisco and its neighboring cities, Oakland and Berkeley, offer a multitude of magical, creepy, and unusual places to form the backdrop of a story. Research here doesn’t feel like work at all but more like a staycation. 

When I started writing The House Sitter, I pictured the main character, seventy-year-old Iris, living in a majestic Victorian that towered above the others on her block. Lonely Iris often spent her time at the attic window, spying on her neighbors with the binoculars her dead husband left behind. After scouting several spots in San Francisco, it became evident that Iris’s residence would be located in posh Pacific Heights, which is known as much for its opulence as its panoramic views of the Bay. As the story unfolds, the home, itself, becomes a character, holding the dark and precious secrets of its occupants. 

I visited Pacific Heights on a windy fall day, snapping photos of the nearby Presidio, trudging up the Lyon Street Steps, and wandering through Lafayette Park, all of which make an appearance in the book. Pacific Heights was also the setting for the 1990s cinematic thriller by the same name, starring Michael Keaton, Melanie Griffith, and Michael Modine. A movie that, similar to The House Sitter, takes the tenant from hell to a whole new level. 

The other two main characters in The House Sitter, Seth and Lydia, had their own story to tell me, a story that would unfold across the Bay in Oakland and Berkeley. I quickly realized that Seth had a problem. He just couldn’t stop betting on the horses at Golden Gate Fields. As I researched the racetrack on Google Maps, I found myself drawn to a small outcropping of tree-covered land that extended into the bay: the Albany Bulb. I donned my researcher’s hat again and began my search. 

Though I’ve visited the racetrack several times, I’d never heard of the Bulb. But it quickly captured my imagination. Once the sight of a massive homeless encampment, the Bulb has long been known for its unusual artwork made from the reclaimed refuse left behind, including the most famous of the Bulb statues, The Beseeching Woman, by artist-attorney, Osha Neumann. The fifteen-foot woman, made of metal and wood, stands on the shoreline, reaching her arms out, her intentions unclear. To envelope, to greet, to implore, to smother. Streaking behind her, her driftwood hair caught by the wind. The Bulb saw its first artwork in the 1990s, when a collective known as Sniff began to paint old concrete blocks and pieces of plywood. An amphitheater was erected, and larger works like the Beseeching Woman soon followed. 

The Bulb also has a connection to a real-life murder, that of Laci Peterson. In 2003, Peterson’s body was discovered washed ashore at Point Isabel, near the Bulb. In order to deflect suspicion from his client, Scott Peterson’s attorney, Mark Geragos, suggested that a Satanic cult at the Bulb had been responsible for Laci’s murder. Ah yes, the Bulb has certainly proved itself thriller-worthy. 

I decided I needed to visit this eclectic place to see it for myself, and once I had, I knew it would play a prominent role in my story. With the wind whipping through my own hair, I stumbled across concrete and rebar, past strange creations and curlicue mazes. I got lost more than a few times and took a rest near a rock, painted with a message: Aliens Exist. Finally, standing next to the iconic Beseeching Woman, I found what I had come for. Inspiration. 

The House Sitter by Ellery Kane (Bookouture) Out Now

‘You’re just the girl I’ve been looking for,’ Iris told me, her blue eyes sparkling, when she offered me the job as her live-in helper. Little did she know, I thought the exact same about her. And she was wrong to trust me... As I clean Iris’s large, old house in Pacific Heights, my boyfriend Seth works outside, tending to the lawn and fixing the broken gate. I can’t help but notice Iris’s steely eyes watching our every move. Does she know why we’re really here? Most days we live in perfect harmony, but today Iris is confused. She thinks we moved in uninvited. I pass her a tablet from the medicine cabinet, knowing she’ll soon calm down and remember how lucky she is to have found us. Later that night, the police arrive to find Iris’s perfect house turned upside down, the telephone lying on the floor, its cord severed. They walk through each room, calling out, but the house remains totally silent. You will think you know what happened that night, but when the police discover something unexpected hidden amongst the wreckage in Iris’s bedroom, you’ll find you don’t know a thing.

More information about Ellery Kane can be found on her website. You can also follow her on Twitter @ElleryKane and also on Facebook.

In The St Hilda's Spotlight - Leye Adenle

 

Name:- Leye Adenle

Job:- Author, business and personal coach who has also appeared on stage in London

Website:- http://leyeadenle.com

Twitter: - @LeyeAdenle

Introduction:-

Leye Adenle comes from a family of writers. His novel Easy Motion Tourist was the winner of the first ever Prix Marianne in 2016. His short story The Assassination (which was published in the anthology Sunshine Noir) was a finalist for the CWA 2016 Short Story Dagger. He is currently writing the fourth book in the Amaka series.

Current book? (This can either be the current book that you are reading or writing)

I’m currently working on the fourth book in my Amaka Thriller Series. The current working title is AMAKA.

Favourite book

The Palm Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola

Which two characters would you invite to dinner and why? 

Jack Reacher and Lisbeth Salander. Why? I find them both very intriguing and I want to see how they get along. 

How do you relax?

Long walks

Which book do you wish you had written and why? 

The Spy Who Came in from The Cold by John Le Carré I think it’s a perfect thriller. 

What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as a writer.

Trust yourself. Have fun. It all works out in the end. You got this. 

How would you describe your latest published book?

Magical. The Beautiful Side of the Moon (Ouida Press 2022) is a speculative fiction thriller in which a Nigerian is called upon to save the world.

With Town and Country: Green Lanes to Mean Streets being the theme at St Hilda's this year, Where is your favourite town and where is your favourite country? Why have you chosen these?

Lagos, Nigeria. It’s the craziest, most fun, most colourful, most accommodating, most unpredictable city I’ve ever lived in. 

What are you looking forward to at St Hilda's?

Friends and readers!

The Beautiful Side of the Moon (Ouida Press 2022)

In which a Nigerian saves the world. Drawing on age-old African story-telling traditions, modern science-fiction and contemporary thriller writing, The Beautiful Side of the Moon conjures up an entirely new way of seeing the world. The central character, Osaterin, thinks he is just a modest IT guy living in Lagos – but it turns out he is much, much more than that…

Information about 2022 St Hilda's College Crime Fiction Weekend and how to book tickets can be found here.

Phoebe Wynne on Writing Tricky & Unlikeable Heroines

Credit @Josephine Gronk

 When reaching for my next book to read I have a terrible habit of ignoring my TBR and rereading Jane Eyre. Until last year, when my first novel was published, and I devoured as many contemporary novels as I could. In those acclaimed bestsellers I discovered a wealth of spunky and funky heroines, who in their own various and brilliant ways seemed to have no flaws at all.

 Every protagonist is the main character of her story, the one that makes decisions and faces the significant obstacles within the plot. In my studies of writing, I have always understood that a heroine can do one of two things: be the driver that propels the action forwards and changes the world around her, or the reactor to the action that moves around her within her world. The gothic novel – the genre within I write – prefers the latter. In its simplest form, picture this: a young woman, hair streaming, standing in front of a doomed-looking castle, the victim of her circumstance, a desperate damsel in distress, a captive desperate to escape her fate. Her deepest desires tend to be different from her actual needs, but we as readers cheer her on and champion her as she makes dreadful mistakes and stumbles towards her inevitable fate.

I have seen a downward trend in this type of heroine. It is a shame, because we need her, because we are her. We cannot all be Katniss Everdene.

 A real woman is messy, complicated, tricky, moody, and surely more interesting. As a reader I am thrilled by particularly darkly lit characters that are morally problematic. Gone Girl’s Amy Dunne is a perfect example of this, as she reveals a third of the way through the novel that she is not only alive and well but had planned the whole thing. Her ‘anti-cool-girl’ declaration lit up almost every woman I know as we each recognised her furious logic glowing through the novel’s narrative. One friend of mine, though, threw the book on the floor in disgust and refused to read any further. We are not friends anymore.

 The protagonists of my two gothic novels are a troubled teacher in her mid-twenties, and a bratty young girl on holiday with her wealthy parents. In MADAM my first is an everywoman introduced into a monstrous boarding school world, in THE RUINS my second is a little girl that becomes a monster in response to the oppressive collective she is forced to live inside. Both find themselves on the edge of the world they inhabit, both struggle to properly interact with the other members of their society, and both find every day a challenge. In the end, these characters find what they need in a very messy, destructive, and beautiful way. My young women are brutal and brutalised – too much perhaps, for many readers. But they have come from an ordinary place, and they make themselves extraordinary by what they do and by what has been done to them.

There are gentler and more expert versions of this – Jo March of Little Women, Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice, even Jane in Jane Eyre. Every one of them loved, adored, and celebrated even today – because they are versions of ourselves: foolish, loving, muddled, passionate, desperately happy and unhappy, both wrong and right. I would love to meet another one of these complicated heroines in contemporary novels, but I have not.

It might be because fundamentally, as a reader I am drawn to the real heroines – the ancient ones. Women in classical mythology suffered more viscerally and lived lives more colourfully outside of our regimented modern societies. These women have shouted loud at me from a young age, and as a result, I have based many of my characters on ancient women. There is a current trend to pick these characters up and guide them towards a warmly reimagined version of their story – and in almost every example they become more likeable. But I say, let them be. Let women be horrible if their story needs them to be horrible. Medea kills her children to save them from a disastrous future, to punish her husband, and to ensure a secure future for herself. Agrippina poisons the Roman emperor, her uncle, in order to place her own son on the throne and is tormented and assassinated as a result. There is little of this in today’s storytelling – but perhaps we need it. Let female characters be angry, unhappy, and violent if it is true to them. Let them scream and cry and fight back, while male characters rush horribly through their own stories as ever, like Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, Humbert Humbert in Lolita, and even Patrick Bateman in the American Psycho. I say, bring back our tricky and unlikeable heroines. Let us be rid of the superhero woman and allow ourselves to revel in the flawed everywoman.

 The Ruins by Phoebe Wynne (Published by Quercus Publishing) Out Now

Amidst the glamour of the French Riviera lies the crumbling facade of Chateau de Setes, a small slice of France still held by the British aristocracy. But this long since abandoned chateau is now up for sale, and two people are desperate to get their hands on it despite its terrible history.  Summer, 1985: Ruby has stayed at the chateau with her family every summer of her twelve years. It was her favourite place to be, away from the strictures of her formal childhood, but this year uninvited guests have descended, and everything is about to change...  As the intense August heat cloaks the chateau, the adults within start to lose sight of themselves. Old disputes are thrown back and forth, tempers rise, morals loosen, and darkness begins to creep around them all. Ruby and her two young friends soon discover it is best not to be seen or heard as the summer spirals down to one fateful night and an incident that can never be undone...  Summer, 2010: One of the three young girls, now grown and newly widowed, returns to the chateau, and in her fight to free herself from its grip, she uncovers what truly happened that long, dark summer.  With riveting psychological complexity, The Ruins captures the glittering allure of the Mediterranean, and the dark shadows that wait beneath the surface.

 More information about the author and her work can be found on her website. You can also follow her on Twitter @phoebewynne and on Instagram @phoebewynnewrites

 

 

 

2022 Ned Kelly Awards shortlist

 

The Australian Crime Writers Association (ACWA) have announced the shortlist for the 2022 Ned Kelly Awards.

The shortlisted titles in each category are:

Best Debut Crime Fiction

Sweet Jimmy by Bryan Brown, (Allen & Unwin)

Shadow Over Edmund Street by Suzanne Frankham, (Journey to Words Publishing)

Cutters End by Margaret Hickey, (Penguin)

Banjawarn by Josh Kemp, (UWA Publishing)

Best True Crime

The Mother Wound by Amani Haydar, (Macmillan)

Larrimah by Caroline Graham & Kylie Stevenson, (Allen & Unwin)

Banquet: The Untold Story of Adelaide’s Family Murders by Debi Marshall, (Vintage)

A Witness of Fact by Drew Rooke, (Scribe)

Best International Crime Fiction

Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet (Text)

The Heron’s Cry by Ann Cleeves, (Macmillan)

The Maid by Nita Prose, (HarperCollins)

Cry Wolf by Hans Rosenfeldt, (HarperCollins)

Best Crime Fiction

The Enemy Within by Tim Ayliffe, (Simon & Schuster)

The Others by Mark Brandi, (Hachette)

You Had it Coming by B M Carroll, (Profile Books)

The Chase by Candice Fox, (Bantam)

Kill Your Brother by Jack Heath, (Allen & Unwin)

The Family Doctor by Debra Oswald, (Allen & Unwin)

The Deep by Kyle Perry, (Michael Joseph).

Established in 1995, the Ned Kelly Awards are Australia’s oldest, most prestigious awards honouring crime fiction and true crime writing. ACWA reported that in 2022 ‘it was particularly pleasing to see authors breaking away from some of the more common crime tropes, with a large variety of characters, settings and social diversity in this year’s entries’.

The association expects to announce the winners in approximately one month.

In The St Hilda's Spotlight - Greg Buchanan

Name:- Greg Buchanan

Job:- Author, Screenwriter and Gamewriter

Website:- https://www.gregbuchanan.co.uk

Twitter:- @gregbuchanan

Introduction:

Greg Buchanan is the author of the bestselling debut novel Sixteen Horses which was published in 2021. He is also a screenwriter and gamewriter. He was a Theakston's New Blood Author in 2021. His second novel Consumed will be published in 2023.

Current book? (This can either be the current book that you are reading or writing)

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson

Favourite book

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov

Which two characters would you invite to dinner and why? 

I’m not sure he would necessarily be well-behaved company, but I suspect that Sherlock Holmes would make an entertaining dinner companion – not just for his observations about myself and others, but the curse of all fictional detectives seeming to bring crimes into being by their mere presence, so I’m sure something interesting would happen on the night out. 

I’d like my second dinner invitation to go to the Leonardo DiCaprio fictional version of Jordan Belfort from The Wolf of Wall Street fame as portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie – he's one of the worst human beings and I feel the interplay between him and Sherlock would be fairly compelling.

How do you relax?

In general, I’m terrible at relaxing to the point that I have to set goals for my hobbies in order to actually engage in downtime. I take part in tournaments for card games to give myself more focus when playing them casually, and I put together and paint little Warhammer plastic army men (don’t knock it, Henry Cavill does it so it’s clearly a very cool task full of Hollywood glamour). Otherwise, in addition to running and volunteering in the local area, I tend to spend most of my non-work time obeying the meowing demands of my very entitled cats Bucket and Table. 

Which book do you wish you had written and why? 

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman – it's like Paradise Lost meets The Road via Stephen King. It's about a fallen knight who escorts a young girl across Europe during the Black Death across the backdrop of a metaphysical and literal war in heaven; it has a real sincere commitment to every genre it dips its toe into and pulls them off with stylistic and emotional flair in a manner I think is very hard to achieve. 

What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as a writer?

You have to find a balance between writing and living, because if you’re living just for your writing then it’s a half-life. 

How would you describe your latest published book?

Sixteen Horses is a crime novel with dream-like horror undertones about the aftermath of animal killings in a small town by the sea, and the resulting collapse of the community as other crimes are gradually revealed. 

With Town and Country: Green Lanes to Mean Streets being the theme at St Hilda's this year, Where is your favourite town and where is your favourite country? Why have you chosen these?

My favourite town is Twin Peaks and my favourite country Zembla. Both are rich, dreamlike, emotional and liminal spaces between reality and unreality, echoing their protagonists like weather. 

What are you looking forward to at St Hilda's?

Being in the company of other writers and readers at the festival! Also, I love Oxford and it’s been a while since I’ve been there. 

Sixteen Horses by Greg Buchannan (Pan Macmillian) Out Now 

Near the dying English seaside town of Ilmarsh, local police detective Alec Nichols discovers sixteen horses' heads on a farm, each buried with a single eye facing the low winter sun. After forensic veterinarian Cooper Allen travels to the scene, the investigators soon uncover evidence of a chain of crimes in the community - disappearances, arson and mutilations - all culminating in the reveal of something deadly lurking in the ground itself. In the dark days that follow, the town slips into panic and paranoia. Everything is not as it seems. Anyone could be a suspect. And as Cooper finds herself unable to leave town, Alec is stalked by an unseen threat. The two investigators race to uncover the truth behind these frightening and insidious mysteries - no matter the cost.

Information about 2022 St Hilda's College Crime Fiction Weekend and how to book tickets can be found here.

In The St Hilda's Spotlight:- Beth Lewis

 

Name:- Beth Lewis

Job:- Author

Website:-.http://bethlewis.co.uk 

Twitter:- @bethklewis

Introduction

Beth Lewis is the author of three novels. Her debut novel The Wolf Road was published in 2016 and was shortlisted for the inugural Glass Bell Award. It was also one of Amazon's best books of 2016. Her second novel Bitter Sun was published in 2018. Her most recent novel The Origins of Iris was published in 2021. Her fourth book Children of the Sun is due to be published in 2024.

Current book? (This can either be the current book that you are reading or writing)

I’m currently reading The Black Drop by Lenora Nattrass. I am on a bit of a historical fiction kick having just finished the most excellent Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson. As for writing, I’m just waiting on the final edits for my next book, Children of the Sun which I am so excited to publish! 

Favourite book

Ever? Gosh, that’s a hard one. It’s changed a lot over the years but the recent one I can’t get out of my head is The Overstory by Richard Powers. It’s a wonderful, immersive read which made me look at trees and nature in whole new way.

How do you relax?

I have a toddler, relaxation is a foreign concept but when I collapse on the sofa at the end of the day, it’s usually in front of the TV, watching Bridgerton or a new shiny science-fiction show.

Which book do you wish you had written and why? 

I don’t wish I’d written anyone else's book as I probably wouldn’t have written it like they did.Though I do have some ideas I’d like other writers to tackle because I don’t think I could do them justice. 

What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as a writer.

I would probably say, “Writing is fun, publishing isn’t always, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Just play the game, kid.”

How would you describe your latest published book?

The Origins of Iris is about a woman escaping her abusive wife and meeting another version of herself who made different choices. It’s about love, hope, family, regret, the path not taken and it also explores domestic violence in a female LGBT+ relationship, something I’d never seen before in fiction. 

With Town and Country: Green Lanes to Mean Streets being the theme at St Hilda's this year, Where is your favourite town and where is your favourite country? Why have you chosen these?

I’ve just come back from a weekend in Amsterdam so right now, that’s my favourite town. A wonderful mix of old and new, rickety, leaning buildings housing trendy cafes and galleries, winding canals, it’s a city full of stories. I loved it. 

My favourite country is Canada. I adore it. It’s like a second home to me which is why I set my first book there. Majestic wilderness, incredible wildlife, just raw, untamed beauty everywhere. 

What are you looking forward to at St Hilda's?

I can’t wait to hear so many amazing authors talk about subjects they are passionate about and hear all about their new books. My TBR will never recover!

The Origins of Iris by Beth Lewis (Hodder Studio)

One woman. Two lives. How far will she go to find herself? On the outside, Iris and Claude have a perfect marriage, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. One terrible night Claude’s abuse goes too far and Iris flees into the Catskill mountains. In the wilderness, Iris comes face to face with another version of herself. A woman who never met Claude and seemingly made all the right choices in life. Trapped by an oncoming storm, Iris must uncover why they are there, what it means, and if the other Iris is even real. As the storm hits, the truth of what happened that fateful night will change everything. An important, searing novel about one woman’s journey in fleeing an abusive relationship and confronting the secrets of her past.

Information about 2022 St Hilda's College Crime Fiction Weekend and how to book tickets can be found here.