What first drew you to writing dark and psychological fiction, and when did you realise that horror and suspense were the genres where your storytelling really belonged?
I love all things dark and twisty: music, movies, books, podcasts… you name it! So thriller / horror always felt like the right place for my writing, too. I think I realised it’s the genre I specifically wanted to write within, when the seed of the idea for All The Lies We Told specifically hit.
It was the first story I could see clearly, how I wanted it to be, and I’d recently found my niche of psychological thriller fiction (reader wise), after reading Kiss The Girls by James Patterson. I’ve never looked back! But I’m also big on Fantasy too, so I want to bring the two together one day.
You’re an English author but many of your stories are set in the United States. What inspired that choice, and how does American horror culture influence your work?
I grew up watching a lot of american horror / thriller / supernatural television shows with my dad. Criminal Minds, The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, NCIS etc, so I’ve always absolutely loved American-based thriller. This is the case for books, too. It speaks to me more than UK based fiction. Maybe it’s because UK based is every day for me, but there’s always something about American created worlds that feels fascinating to me. I suppose American horror culture influences me massively. Even in college, I studied Sociology and Community & Culture, and part of that was studying American culture and horror, also in English Lit, and that’s always stuck with me!
In Come & Play, the idea of an imaginary friend takes a sinister turn. Where did that concept originate, and what fascinated you about exploring it in a horror context?
Growing up, I had an imaginary friend. I don’t remember them whatsoever, but it was a massive part of my childhood for my parents and my mom still talks about it to this day. The way she describes it feels like listening to a horror / paranormal event that I survived. She always says she believes they were a spirit that stayed around to play with me and be my friend (I didn’t have a lot growing up), but her describing how I would talk to them in my room late at night and she would hear it through the walls, always gives me a creepy sense. I thought about what my own reaction would be, if it were my child (my mom was very understanding), and I think I’d be creeped the F out! That was the inspiration for Come & Play.
What does your writing process look like when crafting a thriller or horror story? Do you plan the twists in advance or discover them as you write?
I’m more of a panster than a planner when it comes to writing. My process looks very much like a spark of an idea (either a premise, or sometimes an ending or a twist!) and then turning that into a full story. So, sometimes the twists come first, yes. But the majority is the opening coming to me first… or characters coming to me very clearly. Josie, in my second book Smile For Me, was a character I really wanted to write and I built that story from her character. All The Lies We Told came from the seed of an idea of… what if an abductor sent a close family member clues? Usually, I have one twist in mind before I start writing but this can evolve and I like to include a LOT of twists, so some others come later. Sometimes even after the first draft!
What can readers expect next from you, and are there any new dark tales or projects currently haunting your imagination?
I’m working on two projects currently (because I can never stick to just one it seems!). One is the sequel to All The Lies We Told! Another is a dark psychological thriller that I plan to query for trad publishing and is top secret right now, but I’ll leave you with— think TWO serial killers ;). I also want to branch out into the Fantasy / Romantasy genre and bring together the murder and bloodshed and twists of thriller into the magical world of betrayal and love.
And, lastly, tell me all about your new podcast!
Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE to talk…especially about all things books! Books have taken over my life in the last few years, in the best possible way, and I love bookish podcasts, so doing one of my own is an amazing new venture for me. I’m co-hosting with my amazing fellow Indie author, Molly Jade, and we have so many bookish discussions ,debates, and games in the pipeline! We also have some amazing indie authors in the wings, ready to tell us all about themselves and their amazing books. We can’t wait to network with everyone and connect with readers in a new way. The first episode is dropping Friday 10th April, and will release every other friday from there! We hope you’ll all tune into For The Book Plot!
Thanks so much, K.J., for agreeing to be interviewed and for such insightful responses! K.J. also interviewed me for her socials, so be sure to follow her Instagram so you can see that.
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