My Q&A On Bloomsbury’s Writers & Artists

In an interview with Writers & Artists, I share my insight into what makes a great mystery story

1. Could you talk us through your writing journey so far?

My writing journey has not been smooth. When I started out as a journalist over a decade ago, I had to fight for my place as I had a design degree rather than a writing one and was judged for not having gone down a traditional route. But my love for writing pushed me to keep proving people wrong and I am so glad that I did. Now, with a long career behind me, I am proud to say that I have interviewed the likes of Shaun of the Dead director, Edgar Wright; actor and filmmaker, Aziz Ansari; renowned chef, Heston Blumenthal; and have created content for brands such as Calvin Klein, Ted Baker, Revlon, Lindt, Hotel Chocolat and more. More recently, I am proud of having released my first mystery novel, Her Empty Chair - a best seller that readers have described as an emotional page turner.

2. In your opinion, what are the essential elements of a good mystery story?

A good mystery needs to pull you in from the very first pages. It sets the tone for the rest of the story and kicks off questions in the reader's mind from the get-go. There's nothing more annoying than a mystery that takes ages to give you any sense of fulfilment. If you wait too long for the big reveal it can often feel underwhelming as you're expecting a huge revelation that was worth the wait. My best tip for mystery writers would be to treat the readers with smaller reveals along the way to give you the space to lead up to the big reveal without readers getting frustrated.

3. What advice would you give to writers struggling with motivation? Whether that be writers with a great idea failing to get started, or writers who are floundering half way through a draft?

The most important thing to remember is that motivation doesn't just appear. You need to work for it. I often find that I lose motivation when something is particularly hard to write or overwhelming to start. For example, there is a particularly emotional scene in my novel and I made the mistake of pausing the book there for a while. A while turned into years! What I should have done… [continue reading on Writers & Artists]

Originally published by Writers & Artists