SamHayes

And thanks for having me along, Michelle, and to everyone on the forum. It's been great! Happy readying, everyone

Next up for me is the publication of Before You Die on April 24th. It's the second in the DIs Lorraine Fisher and Adam Scott series. Meantime, I'm beginning an exciting new story for them, due next year!

As long as it's not too ludicrous and unlikely, I quite like screaming 'Don't do that!' at characters. Handled well, it makes me want to read on to discover the consequences and how they get out of the mess. Too many coincidences make me groan more, but in real life, there are occasional coincidences too... so I guess less is more in that respect.

Defiinitely! Not sure I'd be able to keep the crimes out whatever I wrote! It's finding the time that's the problem...

Loved Apple Tree Yard. And The Cry is on my TBR. I read the sample and it had me gripped, so can't wait to get to it. Also, I thought The Silent Wife was brilliant... excruciating at times (just wanted to shake her!) but loved it. Great ending.

What would I write if it wasn't crime? Hmm, I also have thought about YA... probably having three kids inspired that somewhere along the way. I'd really like to give it a go someday. Years ago, when I was a kid then through my teens, twenties and part of my thirties, I used to write a lot of (pretty bad) horror. Would love to give that another go seriously. I remember freaking myself out writing it. And like Julia, I occasionally have desires to write some kind of romance, but fear I may also make despicable and very unromantic things happen to my characters. Crime is perfect for me! Ian, I don't find I'm really influenced by what I'm reading when I'm writing. I know some writers do steer away from reading when they're in writing mode for fear of falling into another style, but like Cath, I find it pretty easy to keep the two separate. When I read, I read for enjoyment, not to compare or copy in any way. Of course, when you pick up a really good book, it's hard not to think 'Wow, I wish I'd written that', but that's aspirational really, which is healthy I reckon. I've not had any pressure to change what I'm writing because of a new genre-fad. I think that may be more a case of publishers on the look out for 'more of the same' by new writers if a genre is doing particularly well, or even re-branding existing authors in that area with covers and new marketing etc.

I'm loving Frieda Klein from the Nicci French series! She's a psychotherapist working on cases with the police - a very independent yet somehow vulnerable woman with lots going on in her personal life as well as professional. I'd recommend.

I mainly stick to crime and thrillers, Michelle. Mainly, but not always - probably an 80/20 split. It's partly a time thing as I like to keep up with what's out there in my genre, and also because that's what I love reading. Sometimes I feel frustrated that there aren't enough hours in the day for everything. Plus I'm a painfully slow reader. I wonder if that comes from the editing process!

I always think that crime novels and mysteries are more about unravelling and solving crimes that have happened, and thrillers are more about facing crimes that are about to happen and dealing with impending danger. Of course, many novels have both going on at the same time.

I'd like to ask readers what value they place on book covers? (Obviously crime and thriller covers in this case.) What draws you to pick up a book in a shop (if it's not by a favourite author)? Would you be put off buying a book because it has a hideous cover? Do you judge a book by its cover before you've even read a word - and by that, I mean do you size up if the book is your kind of thing before you read the blurb on the back?

I agree with 'less is more'. When writing, I like to trust in my readers' imagination. Showing a little gore is fine, but I don't feel the need to write pages and pages about it. I think the readers' own thoughts carried off on the back of my words are going to be far scarier than setting it all out in black and white. Everyone is calibrated to fear differenty. And impending fear or danger is often much more frightening than seeing a graphically-described body. Not that I don't have a bit of blood here and there!

For me, it's the thought of 'What if it happened to me...' even though it's most likely not going to. I really like to put myself in that position of danger, but in a 'safe' way behind the pages of a book. And also, 'What if I did that...' is a big draw for me, too. How to commit murder without actually going to prison. Or maybe that last thought is a writer's take on it, not a reader's!

Hi Athena, I definitely have a kind of schedule... like any job really. If I'm actually in 'writing a book mode' I'll be at my desk by 9am and will write through until lunch. Depending on how well that goes, I'll either get on with other admin tasks etc for a couple of hours in the afternoon, or carry on with the words if they didn't flow earlier. I usually finish around 5pm and if I've written 2000 good (ish) words, I'll be very happy. There's lots of time for editing later. But if I have a pressing deadline, I'll certainly put in the extra hours to get the job done and go late into the evening. It's great working from home, although you do have to be disciplined, and it's amazing how the 'non writing' work piles up too. I always seem to be very busy and complaining there aren't enough hours in the day! I now use Scrivener to keep all my chapters in order as it's so easy to flip and switch the 'index cards' around (my son bought it for me as a present). I have loads of character information and research notes and links all within this program, though I actually write in Word still. (You can write and compile in Scrivener too). It's great for keeping everything in order and easily accessible. I also have quite a few notebooks with bits and pieces jotted down, as well as other files on my ipad and phone. I try to be organised about it!

Hi Chrissy, Those 'dark corners' definitely have an impact on me when I'm writing. I think it's vital that they do, too. If I can make myself emotional, then my readers (hopefully!) will be moved also. Some of the research can be very harrowing at times (I'd hate anyone to look in my internet history!). The book I have coming out in April concerns teen suicides, which was particularly upsetting to delve into now my kids are older. But my belief is that these tough and dark issues need exploring, and crime fiction is the perfect medium. We're faced with terrible stories on the news every day, and I think storytelling is a way to make sense of this. So what do I do after an emotional stint at the computer? I'll go for a run with very loud music, perhaps. Or do some cooking, or sewing... anything to switch off really. But like Cath, I don't find it too hard to leave behind once I'm away from my desk.

Hi everyone. Thanks for asking me over to the forum, Michelle. I write psychological thrillers, and my latest book Until You're Mine is out now in paperback. It's the first book in a series of novels featuring my married detectives - Detective Inspectors Lorraine Fisher and Adam Scott. They live in Birmingham with their two daughters and, as well as solving crimes in the city, they have a few domestic issues to sort out too! The second in this series is called Before You Die and is out on April 24th, so not long to wait if you enjoyed the first (although they can be read in any order). I wrote four books before this, again all psychological thrillers. I'll be popping into the forum regularly this month, so do fire any questions and I'll do my best to answer! Sam x

Thanks, Jules! So pleased you enjoyed it. And thanks, Michelle for having me on this wonderful forum. It's been a pleasure to chat with everyone. Hope to speak again soon. Very best wishes to all, Sam xx

My pleasure, Andrea. I can't believe how fast September's gone. It's been great popping in here. I'm now two thirds of the way through the book after UNSPOKEN - and it was officially named today - i.e. we all agreed on a fab title! Will post details on my site or blog when I can. Yes, one more day left, so feel free to fire off any last questions. I'll still drop by in the future though. S. xx

Ooh, thanks, Jules! If you get a chance, do let me know what you think when you're finished. Feedback is so very welcome! Sam xx

Yes, thanks, Diane. It's been great talking to people on the forum. I'll quite miss checking in to see if anyone's asked anything when Sept's over! I'll definitely keep popping back to see what's what though. And I have taken a look around other sections of the forum. Lots more to look through. It's a really useful resource as well as a friendly place to hang out. Sam xx

Ah sorry, Diane. I misunderstood. Yes, I really wanted to bring Louisa, the private investigator, from Blood Ties into Unspoken. I'd got it all planned out. She was going to be a friend of the main character, Julia, and come to stay in the nick of time - just as Julia's life crumbles and things go horribly wrong. I loved writing Louisa's character in BT, had thought up a whole back story about her rather turbulent love life, how she was destined to always be single, how she moved countries (she married a Dutch man in BT but they were 'having trouble'). The plan was for her to feature as the catalyst for solving crimes/mysteries etc in future novels. BUT... my editor didn't like this idea. She wanted me to write stand-alone novels for various reasons, which, after getting used to the idea of saying good-bye to Louisa, I was happy with. I trust my ed completely. She is SO switched on about the business and hasn't steered me wrong so far. Maybe one day, I'll bring back Louisa - at least have her leaping about waving in the background! As for involving one or two regular police characters, which is another option, I think that would take me too close to the 'police procedural' type novel. My novels are psycho/emotional thrillers, very much linked to real lives that readers can relate to..families, kids, relationships, work etc. That doesn't mean that the police don't feature in my books - far from it. In Unspoken, Julia's brother-in-law, Ed, is a detective and involved in the brutal attack on one of Julia's students. But by adding recurring detectives, I think it would detract from the essence of my writing. Hope this is closer to what you were asking! Sam xx

Hi Diane, Do you mean regards Blood Ties? If so, then I've always thought of it as very much a British-set story. And would the characters be the same, exactly, if they lived abroad, I wonder? Had Robert been a laid-back Aussie type, then perhaps he wouldn't have been so paranoid in the first place. And maybe, in another country, Ruth would have had a different survival story to tell. Interesting question, but in answer, I guesss I can only see the books I've written as working in their chosen locations. Unspoken is set in rural Cambridgeshire, as well as in Cambridge, and the location is very integral to the story. In essence, yes, I could have set both these novels in Africa or the USA or Russia. But given the different cultures, the characters would most likely react differently, and the outcome would therefore not be exactly the same. The more I think about this, the more interesting it is. I have thought about bringing in other countries, and I'd love to explore Australia in a novel. I lived there for a while and my hubby is from Brisbane. It's a harsh yet vibrant country - so diverse - so I'm sure it will crop up sooner or later. But essentially I am a British writer, exploring issues and nightmares that happen to us here, in our country - the UK (gosh - now all the forum members outside of the UK are going to shout out!!) Hope this helps! Do say if I've not answered exactly what you meant :-) Sam xx

Hi Inver, Good question indeed! I am just going through the process of choosing a title for my novel after UNSPOKEN. And it's really hard! I started off writing with what I believed was an excellent title. In my mind, it really captured the essence of the story, was rather tantalising (I thought!) as well as being a bit clever. But...my editor didn't like it. I suppose with hindsight, I should have seen this coming as it kind of had a hint of the supernatural about it, which would have perhaps been misleading to readers, even with a thriller-style cover. Anyway, we're getting closer now. I've had several brainstorming sessions with my agent, as well as spending rather a long time compiling lists of suitable keywords that might provide inspiration. I'll single out the most important themes and plot issues and try to capture it in one or two words, even if they're not title material. Then I'll dive into google and see what comes up. Sites with huge lists of idioms are useful, as often titles can be part of a well known saying. My agent submitted a long list of suggestins to my editor, and thankfully one caught her eye. She'll put it to the sales and marketing folk too, as it's very important that they feel comfortable and 'behind' the titles as it's what they've got to sell. So it's not enitrely up to me - unless I come up with a corking title straight away. That's not happened yet! BLOOD TIES started out life as 'Nine Tenths' - I felt it captured the possession theme. No one else did...and no one 'got' the 'possession is nine tenths of the law' bit! Regards naming characters, that's quite fun. Sometimes they just 'come' to me, as in 'you're definitely a so-and-so' because of they way you look/act/dress etc. But everyone has their preconceptions about names. David, for me, might represent a great guy, whereas for someone else, he might have been the school bully. But whatever names I choose, I'd like to think that their characters outweigh any preconceptions. I use online baby naming sites quite a lot, but have to be careful I don't give a forty year old a name that's been 'invented' recently. I also tend not to name characters after my friends - if I can possibly help it. People often ask me if I include characters I know - and the general answer is no. (Perhaps snippets of characters slip in here and there!) I like to occasionally use more unusual names, but balance that up with a the majority being fairly well-known names. In UNSPOKEN, Murray's name came to me immediately for some reason and I think it really suits him. And Mary was always Mary, right from the start. I also have to be careful that names don't sound too alike, and was a bit worried that Murray and Mary did. But each having their own separate viewpoints and being different sexes, I decided I wouldn't need to change them. Phew..! Sorry for going on a bit. Hope this answers everything Sam xx

Good luck, Alison! And hope you enjoy Unspoken, Jules!

I just sent you a PM, Icecream, in response to yours. Thanks for not posting that here! It's hard regards spoilers. I've done some talks at libraries etc and have had to stop mid-sentence because I'm about to give the game away. It's especially hard when you have some people who've read the book and some who haven't - which is most likely to be the case. I'd like to go into greater depth for the sake of those that have, but can hardly tell the others to step outside! Maybe I should issue ear plugs. And glad to see you're a writer too, Icecream. I think it's perfectly fine to experiment with different genres when you're starting out. How else will you discover your 'voice' and what you love writing most? I most certainly did just that when I got serious about writing. It might have seemed frustrating at the time - not knowing exactly where I was going - but looking back, it was all part of the learning experience. I do believe that, to a certain extent, writing can be taught. But ultimately, the best writing comes from feeling your own way. And if that involves mixing genres, then so be it! Sam xx