As stated in Derbyshire noir blog post #1, I am a huge fan of Derbyshire as a setting. Sarah Ward’s novels are set in the fictional town of Brampton in the very beautiful and very real Peak District. I am a huge fan of Sarah’s writing style, the mix of era’s and time frames, keeps the reader constantly guessing. AsĀ much as I am an avid reader, I am unable to guess the endings and at the end of A deadly Thaw I was practically shaking the kindle in my hand, ssshhhhh-ing theĀ kids and just stuck my hand in my husbands face, rather than say “I’m near the end,Ā leave me alone!” So yes, they are very very intense reading!
I had so many questions and Sarah was kind enough to agree to a Q&A on my very new blog.
Q&A
Q) When I review books, I have my own little system for rating books. 5* genius, is a term I use for those absolutely amazing books where every page is great! I donāt get to use it as often as Iād like but such as life. A Deadly Thaw was absolutely brilliant. The writing was so clever & I couldnāt figure out where the story was going to end up. The mini cliff hangers featured throughout the novel meant I couldnāt put it down at all. What is your process of writing? How do you keep up with all the twists & turns?
A) This is an interesting question for me at the moment as Iām writing the (as yet untitled) book four in my Bampton series. With each book, at the start I tend to panic about how I managed to do it the previous time but, as I get going, the process comes back to me.
In terms of plotting, I spend my first draft getting the story down. It can often mean quite a short first draft (around 60k words) but Iām used to this now. Then, for the second draft I fill in details ā mainly setting and character- and I also look at how my chapterās end and think, āwill my readers want to keep goingā.
I belong to a book club and one of the members told me that she prefers not to read books where youāre deliberately encouraged to keep reading so she hates cliff hanger endings on chapters. So Iām trying to pull in the reader a lot more subtly.
Q) Derbyshire is the setting for your novels. As someone who went to secondary school in Derby & college in Buxton, I think it works brilliantly. I think the scenery & various locations make a perfect location. What made you chose Derbyshire for the setting? Is your next book set in Derbyshire?
A) I live in the middle of the Peak District and thereās so much here to inspire. That said, Iāve created the fictional town of Bampton that is very vivid in my head and I just try to incorporate elements of Derbyshire into it. For example, like real-life Bakewell, it has a strong tourist industry and lots of nice shops. Like Cromford it has a canal and remnants of the industrial revolution heritage.
The hills and landscape are real though as is the awful weather!
Q) As someone who is signed up to your newsletter, I often get a snapshot of what you are reading. What have been your 5* genius reads? Or favourites of 2016, 2017 so far?
A) Great question. I enjoyed Ali Landās āGood Me Bad Meā possibly because it was something I wouldnāt normally read. I also enjoyed Icelandic writer, Arnaldur Indridasonās latest book, āThe Shadow Districtā. Itās the start of a new series for him and excellent.
Iām quite harsh with my marking. Iāve come off Goodreads and tend to score books in my head. Very few make 5 stars. Thanks for including mine in yours!
Q) Have any of your favourite authors influenced your writing/reading?
A) I think weāre subtly influenced by everyone we read. In terms of crime fiction, I was a huge P D James fan and I loved her descriptive prose so I suspect she is an influence on my writing. I love the tension and slight strangeness of Ruth Rendellās world too. Other than that, I guess itās obvious but Iāve loved Agatha Christie and read and reread her all the time.
Q) Aside from writing, what are your favourite things about being a published author?
A) Without doubt, doing events and meeting people. I love going to libraries and bookshops and meeting readers and not only talking about my own books but those of others too. Itās by far, apart from writing, the best thing about being published.
I also like interacting online with people Iāve not met in real life (like yourself) especially as I live in my own little world up here in Derbyshire.
Q) The crime fiction genre now, more than ever has seen a huge rise in female writers. In turn seeing some female writers doing phenomenally well in terms of book sales, awards & recognition for their work. I think this is brilliant & inspiring. How does it impact the genre from both internally as a writer and externally as a reader?
A) I donāt think this is a new phenomena. The great writers from the Golden Age of crime fiction (Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, Dorothy Sayers) were all women. Crime fiction is a genre that we own and unlike other jobs Iāve done, Iāve never felt disadvantaged because Iām a woman.
I do, however, meet male readers who say they donāt read novels by women and so there is still a way to go. I tend to track my own reading to see if Iām covering both genders but this is for personal reasons. Iām interested in monitoring the trends in my own reading.
In Bitter Chill & A Deadly Thaw are both available via Amazon and Kindle:
In Bitter Chill- Synopsis:
Bampton, Derbyshire, January 1978. Two girls go missing: Rachel Jones returns, Sophie Jenkins is never found. Thirty years later: Sophie Jenkins’s mother commits suicide.
Rachel Jones has tried to put the past behind her and move on with her life. But news of the suicide re-opens old wounds and Rachel realises that the only way she can have a future is to finally discover what really happened all those years ago.
This is a story about loss and family secrets, and how often the very darkest secrets are those that are closest to you.*JustĀ£3.79 on Kindle UK- 5*
A Deadly Thaw – Synopsis:
‘Gives the Scandi authors a run for their money.’ Yrsa Sigurļæ½ardļæ½ttir
Every secret has consequences.
Autumn 2004
In Bampton, Derbyshire, Lena Fisher is arrested for suffocating her husband, Andrew.
Spring 2016
A year after Lena’s release from prison, Andrew is found dead in a disused mortuary.
Who was the man Lena killed twelve years ago, and who committed the second murder? When Lena disappears, her sister, Kat, sets out to follow a trail of clues delivered by a mysterious teenage boy. Kat must uncover the truth – before there’s another death . . .
A Deadly Thaw confirms Sarah Ward’s place as one of the most exciting new crime writers. *Just Ā£4.74 on Kindle Uk- 5* Genus
Contact/Follow Sarah at:
Web: https://crimepieces.com/
Twitter: @sarahward1
Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/SarahWardCrime/
*Huge Thanks to Sarah for agreeing to do a Q&A on my Blog, can’t wait for the next book! I wish you much success with your future writing.
