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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

The idea for His First Girlfriend initially came from watching a documentary about hitmen-for-hire sites on the dark web. Specifically, the documentary maker contacted a woman whose name had been found on one of these sites. Someone had paid to have her killed, and she didn’t know who. Just imagine going through life knowing that! That initial spark grew into a much bigger story, which eventually became His First Girlfriend.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I write psychological thrillers, and I absolutely love to read that genre! I read all sorts and have a few favourite genres. As well as psych thrillers, I most enjoy reading fantasy and non-fiction that teaches me something new or makes me think in different ways.

I also occasionally read sci-fi, romance on the darker/steamier side, other kinds of thrillers, mystery, literary fiction, contemporary fiction, classics, memoirs, and autobiography/biography. And, every now and then, I’ll pick up a YA fantasy or historical fiction.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Six books on my TBR right now are psychological thrillers: Dear Teacher by Ruth Harrow and The Wife Swap by Lisa Hall. Two memoirs: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy and A Hymn to Life by Gisèle Pelicot. Epic fantasy: Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb, and non-fiction: Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

One scene in His First Girlfriend that stands out as having been super fun to write is the car chase scene—the action, the speed, the tension was exhilarating to get down. It left me breathless writing it, so I’m sure readers will experience the same heart-in-your-mouth suspense while reading it. I also love writing prologues and often leave them to last. The prologue for His First Girlfriend was no different. It really sets the tone and launches readers headfirst into the story. I go deep into the character’s head and give them a distinctive voice, which has just the right amount of creepiness. It’s like a promise that the story is going to be a wild ride.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I like to write in absolute silence. I know a lot of writers have music playing or enjoy writing in bustling cafes, but I can’t concentrate unless I have quiet. I always have earplugs on my writing desk. I also like to know I have a good stretch of time allocated to writing. I’m not one of these writers who can write for fifteen minutes here and there or get a few sentences down while on the train. I like a solid three-plus hours to really get into it.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

This is probably a popular one among authors… “You can’t edit a blank page.” That saying has propelled me forward on many an occasion. I like to get the words down and then edit later. I will write an entire novel and not read back any of it until I write “the end.” If I wrote a chapter and then edited it immediately, I would forever be tinkering!

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

How tense and thrilled the story made them feel! I love it when I read reviews where readers say they had no idea where the story was going, that they never saw the twist coming, or that it kept them guessing until the very end. That’s exactly what I want His First Girlfriend—and all my books—to do, so that readers remember the feeling of being entertained, surprised, and satisfied.

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

It was on a cruise down the Nile, taken with a friend of mine to celebrate the release of Murder Rinse Repeat, the fourth book in my Derry Murder Mysteries, that the idea came to me. I’d been wondering for a while if I might shake things up a bit for the fifth book. One thing I was certain of: I loved writing about Derry and my team, DI McLaughlin, DS D’Arcy, and co. (and readers seem to enjoy them as well), so I didn’t want to switch to a new set of characters in a different location.

But as I dragged myself up the steps to Abu Simbel, and as I gazed up at the columns of Luxor, I could imagine DI McLaughlin doing the exact same thing, the sweat lashing off him just as it was me. Only he would do it while he was trying to solve a murder… out of his jurisdiction. And if I made the victim and suspects also from Derry, the team back home would have to help him uncover the perpetrator of the murder in an exotic and exciting foreign location. So the first in a semi-series was born, Derry Murders: Out of Jurisdiction.

I also thought that some readers might still be hankering for a dark, rain-drenched murder in Derry as well, so I have a second murder for the team to investigate in this book, the mysterious and disturbing case of a man found mauled to death on the side of a lonely road one night under a full moon. Two for the price of one.

I already have the plot for book six lined up (it’s a murder on a Gaelic pitch, so very Derry-centric), and there’s no way to shoehorn a foreign location in there—although, truth be told, for a brief moment I had sleepless nights trying to devise a reason for the team to have to travel to Amsterdam or Poland before I gave up. So the second in the semi-series will have to wait. But for now, I’m wondering for the next Out of Jurisdiction book… Brazil? Nepal? China? Only time will tell.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?

Ha! I love this question, though maybe I know a bit too much about music, and the songs I’ve chosen might have people scratching their heads. I say... head to YouTube to check them out! For the pedantic and PC DS Nancy D’Arcy, it has to be “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” by the Spin Doctors.

For louche ladies’ man-in-his-mind, DC Tom Lyons, either “What’s New Pussycat?” by Tom Jones or “Daddy Cool” by Boney M.

For tech whiz DC Fern Hawkins, stuck at her desk as she is, and with maybe a new love interest in her life, Kraftwerk’s “Computer Love.”

DC Hens Cahill listens to RetroCharts in the book (more on that later), so he doesn’t have a theme song per se, but when he’s in his car with Lyons en route to an interview, music is always at the fore, and as obsessed with music as I am, those scenes are always a joy to write. I always wonder if the readers seek out the songs… It would be great if they did.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

One of the reasons I decided to switch genres from dark humor is that crime fiction—Scandi-noir, police procedurals, and murder mysteries—is my favorite to read. I especially love foreign ones, which explains why I chose to keep the location of my new series the same as my last, in my mother’s hometown of Derry, Northern Ireland. I lived there for years as a child (during the Troubles!) and nowadays it seems I’m never out of it. I’m not a native, no, but I think I know the city well enough to give my books the verisimilitude the genre requires.

As for specific Police Service of Northern Ireland rules (they are quite different from even the rest of the UK), I am grateful that a member of the PSNI met with me, gave me a tour of the station, and answered my many questions (and still does). The ridiculous questions this poor person has to put up with! But, again, I’m very grateful.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Being new to the genre, I’m not sure if other crime writers do this, but it became obvious to me with the complicated plot of the first book that I would have to construct a murder board in my home. I do this now with every book, complete with arrows and pins, maps, and photos of victims and suspects, friends and family that I’ve culled from Google searches of strangers who just look how I imagine my characters do. And I visit Derry to get photos of the actual crime scenes to put on the board; I wonder if the local tourist board will start conducting Derry Murder Mystery tours of all my murder sites, ha! Visitors to my home are startled when they see my murder wall. If they didn’t know what I write, it would definitely look suspicious! Is he a serial killer? A stalker? No, just a crime writer.

Another writing habit is that I must write outside, and thankfully, I live in California, so the weather’s usually perfect for it. And I simply must listen to music when I’m writing, though I’m very picky about my music. I can’t listen to the same type over and over. I used to have to think long and hard about what playlist I would choose to listen to before I started writing for the day—wasting time I should have spent writing—and then I discovered RetroChartsRadio, which really changed my life! It plays every UK Top 40 hit from the twentieth century on random elimination, which means two things: no repeats for six weeks, and many songs that radio and playlists seem to have forgotten! Music problem solved in one! I’m so grateful to RetroCharts; I always give them a mention in my books. And, no, I’m not being paid by them, ha! I never write without also listening to RetroCharts now.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

I don’t, but friends have told me I’m the king of manifestation. I think of it more as good luck landing in my lap (or the universe aligning a certain way in my favor? I did something very, very good in a different life?). I don’t even want to bring up my current living situation, as it’s so marvelous and I don’t want the evil eye shining on me. But I will admit... thanks to a great friend, I get free flights around the world, so when I’m not writing I’m usually traveling. Name a country and I’ve probably been there, might even have written a few pages, done some editing there. Thankfully, I know many people around the world due to years teaching ESL, so I am graciously welcomed with open arms wherever I choose to go, which is more exciting than just landing on the tarmac as a tourist. (This might explain why I think I could pull off an entire Derry Murders: Out of Jurisdiction series.)

It was when I was at the CWA’s Dagger Awards ceremony in London in July—wearing a tuxedo for the first time in my life, my lovely ‘mammy’ at my side, champagne glass in my hand, surrounded by all these famous and talented crime writers—that I thought… “But I just got this plan in my head two years ago! How did it come to this so quickly?” Honestly, I was feeling a bit of the imposter syndrome, but then again, my sales prove I had the right to be there. Manifestation, good luck, karma, the universe aligning, or hard work? Maybe a bit of all five.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

I’m not sure if murder is a genre that readers ‘take’ things from. However, I always remember wise words from a friend of mine, who told me she respects books she’s learned something from. It takes some research, but I always try to include something in my books that might not be known to readers, something that might enlighten them. In The Last of Maggie, readers not only get to experience what a Nile cruise is like, I’ve also included some tidbits about ancient Egypt, and something shocking that I discovered myself while writing the book: our letters come from hieroglyphs! I didn’t have a clue!

More important than this extra knowledge, however, I want readers to think, ‘That was a good read! Never saw that coming!’ I hope the plot keeps them on the edge of their seat and that they’re eager to sink their teeth into my next murder mystery.

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

The main character in the story is struck by lightning while mountain biking. I have been struck by lightning twice on Phoenix's South Mountain while riding my bike. I was knocked off my bike exactly like the character in my book. The second time, the lightning hit a rock outcropping near me. I saw electricity on my handlebars. A second instance of drawing from real events is the scene in the book where Mike Arvey tries to run over the protagonist, Adam Barnett.

This is based on an actual event that happened to a friend of mine. A guy got so angry at my friend that he tried to run him over in his truck, missed, and went off a cliff to land in a lake. The next day, the protagonist in my novel, Adam, is still trying to process how such a tragic accident occurred. He's repairing a barbed wire fence near a lake when he sees a coyote dash out of the reeds and kill goslings who weren't fast enough to make it to the water. This incident happened right in front of me. As a writer, you constantly collect stories.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I like reading science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, and thrillers. I like almost anything by Philip K. Dick. I really enjoy writing about protagonists who are normal people beset by circumstances beyond their control. When they emerge better than they went in, a novel has a satisfying ending.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I am about a quarter of the way through RIDDLE OF STARS, which is very old but amazing. I am reading the third book of the Dresden Files, a series by Jim Butcher. I just finished reading his novel, TWELVE MONTHS. I will probably read NEUROMANCER again now that AI seems to be taking over the world. I find it interesting that a group of people can be hired by an AI to set it free.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

My favorite scene was when the character James is fishing, Monica Belles is thrown off a bridge, lands on his line, yanks him into the water, his waders fill up, and he nearly drowns. In my mind, I can see him at the bottom of a fishing hole with Monica's ankles wired to cement blocks, and both of them running out of air. I also really like the chapter where a wounded Major Jacobson escapes the Silent Black Mine with one of the superhuman bad guys pursuing him. But my favorite? When Mop, the protagonist's dog, saves his teenage niece's life. I had to set that up very carefully so it would hit the reader like an emotional freight train.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

If I am trying to concentrate, I sometimes play a song and repeat it until a family member begs me to turn it off or suffer death threats.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Work hard. Play harder. Have fun!

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

That normal people can be placed in horrible situations and yet still win the day. In LIGHTNING, the main character is struck by lightning and nearly killed by something he doesn't completely understand, but he wins the girl and walks away stronger.

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

I'm a big fan of Gothic literature, and I wanted to set a book on the Yorkshire moors with a Brontë feel, but also deliver all of the psychological and domestic twists that readers experience in my books. There are doppelgangers and uncanny themes all the way through the book, along with creepy poems and lots of atmosphere!

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?

I listened to a lot of Portishead while writing this book; it definitely had the vibes I was emulating. "Glory Box" was my favourite and reminded me of Faye.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I've loved suspense fiction ever since reading Dracula as a teenager. Even if I'm writing something completely different from psychological suspense, I always come back to some sort of mystery or eerie atmosphere that comes through in the writing. But suspense can definitely cross through into many different genres, from horror to crime to literary fiction. I'm a mood reader, so I grab whatever takes my fancy, but suspense is always the part I love the most.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I'm listening to a short story collection by Daphne du Maurier at the moment. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is on my TBR, as I've come across many recent opinions about how good it is!

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

It's probably the opening scene of the book. There's a mysterious character called The Gravedigger who is trying to bury a body, only to turn around and find the dead body has disappeared...

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Nothing too quirky, but I do like to write in a Word document and find writing software to be too complicated for a first draft. I also write in order and have a hard time writing isolated scenes. Others will write all the scenes and decide which order to put them in. The thought of doing that gives me a lot of anxiety!

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

I was watching an old X-Files episode and came across: Today is worth two tomorrows. I do like that, though I must admit some days are definitely harder to make the most of than others!

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Faye is suffering from early-onset dementia, and that's definitely a difficult subject for many. I'd like people to remember they aren't alone and that there are communities and people out there who can help.