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NM - Welcome, Babs. Glad you could drop by. I’ve just finished your thriller Mrs Jones and enjoyed it. I found the characters very engaging. The pace you set forced me to keep turning the pages.
I
believe that a sense of place is important in fiction. To date, you
have two detective books featuring Connolly, both set in New York; the
characterisation, and the setting seem believable. Yet you’re British and live
in the north-east of England. How did you achieve that semblance of reality?
B - Gosh, a vivid imagination, I guess.
I’ve never been to the US, but I do watch a lot of movies ;)
NM - Are
you drawn equally to crime, horror and historical novels, or do you have a
preference?
B
- I enjoy all genres. It really depends on where my head is when I’m in the
mood for writing. I suppose if I was forced to choose, I’d say crime,
psychological crime. I do love a twisted plot and a twisted character doesn’t
go amiss either.
NM - As you’ve got two ongoing series at present, you’re obviously drawn to find out what happens next to your characters. Who is your favourite character from one of your books and why?
NM - As you’ve got two ongoing series at present, you’re obviously drawn to find out what happens next to your characters. Who is your favourite character from one of your books and why?
B - That’s difficult. I love them all for different
reasons. Tommy Connell from Mrs Jones
is a loveable rogue. He’s always going to do what’s right, but he’ll generally
go about it the wrong way. If you met him, you’d likely want to knock some
sense into him, but you’d like him and you’d trust him. He does have darker
moments and things he’s not proud of, but by and large he’s a good guy.
Probably my favourite character to create was Joe McNeil from Bedlam (which is also destined for a 3-book
series). Joe has big issues, emotional and psychological, and the task was to
get right in there with this totally messed up guy and create a situation where
readers would root for a drunken, drug addled copper, and where they would care
about what happened to him. Tommy Connell made me smile, Joe McNeil made me cry.
Aw, bless them both.
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NM - Where do you find inspiration?
B - Almost everywhere. An image, a snatch of
conversation, anything really. I listen to music a lot when I’m writing. Mrs Jones popped into my head after
listening to the song of the same name. Wildewood
is more personal as the story is loosely based on the history of the valley
where I live. My home was built on the foundations of a medieval chapel, and I
have a great interest in medieval history. The theme music to that series would
be Sting’s A Winter’s Tale.
Bedlam grew from a short story competition
entry. I wrote it the night before my daughter left for Australia. I was very
emotional and I think it flavoured the writing in a unique way. Soundtrack –
Stereophonics, Graffiti on a train, the whole album is Bedlam to a tee.
NM - How long have you been writing?
NM - How long have you been writing?
B - Probably since childhood in some
shape or form, but seriously since 2010.
NM - What influenced you to start?
B - When we ‘escaped to the country’ I had more time. The family bought me a laptop and that was it. I posted some work on the Harper Collins site Authonomy and was introduced to some fellow writers who have become very good friends. Through them, I was persuaded to enter Mrs Jones in the Yeovil Literary Prize, and was flabbergasted to come second in the novel category. That led to publication.
NM - How do your family/friends feel about
your writing?
B - They’re very supportive. Friends in
the village particularly like the Wildewood series. Some of them maybe wonder
where all the dark stuff, like Bedlam comes from, but they’re very
polite and don’t cross the street when they see me coming.
NM - What are you working on now?
B - Currently I’m having fun with some Wildewood
novellas. They’re prequels to the main series and detail the hero Miles’
adventures in The Holy Land, prior to returning to Northumberland. I then have
the second book in the main series to finish. Once that’s done I’ll be donning
my psychological crime hat for a while.
NM - What is your biggest distraction when it comes to writing?
NM - What is your biggest distraction when it comes to writing?
B - Thinking about the plot rather than just getting
it written.
NM - A tall order, I know, but what is your favourite book? And why?
B - I have so many books
that I love, but if I had to pick one I guess it would be Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I told you I’m a medieval
history nerd and that is such a wonderful story. By contrast my favourite
writer is crime writer John Connolly, I love his Charlie Parker character and
the subtle blend of supernatural in his psychological crime series.
NM - I’d agree with you regarding Follett’s work; his follow-up World Without End is superb too; in fact there’s a life-sized statue of him in Vittoria, Spain, outside the cathedral that inspired the latter book. Yes, when it first came out, I was hooked on Connolly’s first book, Every Dead Thing. Is it possible for a writer to be an objective reader?
B - I find I’m a
critical reader and also an impatient reader. Time is very important to me, so
I tend to make up my mind about a book within the first few pages. It’s hard to
switch off that little editing light in my head and put away my virtual red
pen. But when I pick up something truly wonderful it doesn’t matter whether I’m
a writer or simply a reader, I recognise it immediately.
NM - That goes for me too, Babs. If I’ve sucked into the writer’s invented world, then the occasional glitch is barely noticed. How much research goes into each book?
B - It depends on the
book. I spend a tremendous amount of time researching my historical series and ultimately
might only use a notion here and there to add authenticity. I do get carried
away, because it’s interesting, and I have to remember why I’m there, digging
about in medieval weaponry or thirteenth century curse words. With the crime
fiction, I research technical details, i.e. scene of crime information, weapons
and procedures, but I don’t get bogged down in it.
NM - If you could live anywhere in the world
where would it be and why?
B - Where I am now. My little cottage in
Northumberland is just perfect for me.
NM - How useful or important are social media for you as a writer?
NM - How useful or important are social media for you as a writer?
B - It connects me to the wider world, fellow writers and readers. This is particularly important as I live in a rural location. It’s good to network, to share experience and work. I wouldn’t say I was particularly adept at it though. Technology is not one of my strengths.
NM - Congratulations on getting a contract with the publisher Caffeine
Nights, who will be releasing Twisted.
Can you tell us more about that book?
B - Thanks. I’m really pleased to be working with Caffeine.
They’re also re-releasing Bedlam in 2015,
which I’m excited about. You probably guessed by now - I have a soft spot for Bedlam. Twisted is a dark and tangled crime thriller set in Newcastle. We
have a dangerous, escaped bank robber, a kooky hostage who turns out to be a
bit of a psycho, good cops, bad cops, gangsters, a one eyed dog, and a good
measure of black humour thrown in. It was fun to set some scenes in and around my
old stomping ground of Jesmond Dene and Paddy Freemans.
NM - Fascinating mix, Babs, and I’m familiar with Jesmond Dene. I used
to work in Newcastle, in the 1960s! Okay, where do you hope to be in 5 years?
B - I would love to
be writing full time. I currently work part time in the village GP surgery. I
do love my job, but I’d rather be writing.
NM -
Now please tell us about one of your
books.
B
- I’d like to tell you a little about my new series of novellas that introduce
the story of Miles of Wildewood prior to his return to Northumberland. Tasters
for the main Wildewood Chronicles series, they begin in The Holy Land in 1272
A.D. and follow Miles and his cohorts through various adventures. There are
four planned. Bad Blood and Assassin’s Curse are available now, I’m
currently working on A Fallen Man and
Winter’s Child will follow shortly.
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Bad Blood –
Blurb
Miles of Wildewood discovers the boy
Edmund at the mercy of his sworn enemy, Guy de Marchant. The feud between the
two men has dark roots in an incident shrouded in secrecy and protected by a
Templar oath. The boy’s plight provides the catalyst for an escalation of
hostilities. As a trial by combat is hastily arranged to settle the dispute,
Miles’ benefactor Hugh de Reynard seeks a favour from the future king and the
Templars prepare for the inevitable backlash.
Miles must save the boy, but at what
cost?
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Assassin’s
Curse – Blurb
Royal birthday celebrations fill
Acre’s crowded streets. The enchanter Maleficius and his bizarre cavalcade
distract those sworn to protect the prince and the rivalry between Templar and
Hospitaller knights reaches boiling point. Amidst the jesters, jugglers and
fantastical beasts a lone assassin threatens the heir to the throne. It falls
to Miles of Wildewood and Jesmina, the sultry daughter of Saladin the snake
trader, to save the day and the life of the future king. But can Jesmina be
trusted?
Thank you, Babs. I certainly
like those covers for Bad Blood and Assassin’s Curse. Here's hoping they pull in more fans!
B.A. Morton -
Bio
Born
in the North East of England, B.A. Morton writes across a number of genres
including crime, romance, horror and historical fiction. After a twenty year
civil service career, she and her family escaped the rat race and relocated to
the remote beauty of the Northumberland National Park. She now lives in a
cottage built on the remains of a medieval chapel.
A
member of the Crime Writer’s Association, she is a self confessed crime fiction
addict. In 2011, her debut novel Mrs
Jones a crime thriller set in New York, took second place in the
international literary competition, The Yeovil Prize, and launched her writing
career.
Nik,
thank you so much for inviting me along to talk about my favourite
subject...books! Best wishes and good luck in all you do. Babs x
Babs is a great friend and great support. She is also a terrific author who can certainly spin a yarn. A great interview, thank you both. Babs, as always, I wish you every success - just don't forget me when you are rich and famous :)
ReplyDeleteJohn Holt wrote: Babs is a great friend and great support. She is also a terrific author who can certainly spin a yarn. A great interview, thank you both. Babs, as always, I wish you every success - just don't forget me when you are rich and famous :)
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