Author Interview with KA Richardson whose fifth book in the North East police series is due out this month.

Under The Woods is the fourth installment in the North East Police series and was published in April 2018. The series overlaps by police force and some characters though features different protagonists in each. This one features TJ Tulley who is the sister of Jacob Tulley who works in digital forensics – we meet her briefly in I’ve Been Watching You (book 2) when she is brutally attacked. Under The Woods is her progression – it covers how she deals with her injuries and makes changes to her life to accommodate this whilst focussing on a serial killer who uses her land to lay his angels to rest. It’s pretty gruesome – probably one of the sicker serial killers I’ve written, but hopefully it grabs attention and makes you want to read the rest if you haven’t already!

Available here

Liz: Are any of your characters based on real life people?

Kerry: Officially all characters are a work of fiction and any similarities are purely circumstantial – however the truth is a little of certain people I meet will end up as features for my characters – writing for me is about real life, and if a trait of a certain person stands out for me as making them individual then I will change it and make it part of the story. Other people wouldn’t recognise the features as that person generally though.

Liz:  Is there a subsidiary character you have created and are particularly fond of and why?

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Kerry: Ali and Alex’s mum – she’s really down to earth and brought her kids up right – and she’s done it alone with little help from anyone else. She’s strong as an ox but comes across as a loving mother who would do anything for her kids – and does! She reminds me of my mum, which is why I  like her so much.

Liz: Where is your favourite place to write and why?

Kerry: I love writing in coffee shops – I know it’s a little

clichéd nowadays with everyone and his dog writing in coffee shops, but I did it before it was cool. Haha. I love the smell of fresh coffee, the hum of other people’s conversations. I create my best characters when I get to drink coffee and people watch.

Liz: Any tips for would-be writers seeking publication?

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Kerry: Keep at it. Writing is a passion – if you’re passionate and keep slogging on then you will reach success – but it’s also a lot of hard work. Write when you can, wherever you can. Always have a notebook and pen with you. And listen to other people chat – it can provide great material!

Liz: Is there a particular book you wish you’d written and

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why?

Kerry: The Treatment by Mo Hayder – I absolutely love the wandering man character – wish I’d thought of him first! Love Mo’s style and how she drags you into the story – albeit reluctantly at times because, damn that woman can write ‘creepy’ good!

Available here

Liz: Can you tell us two things about yourself that your readership may be unaware of?

Kerry: I suffer with an auto-immune disease which causes my body to attack itself – this means a substantial amount of pain and fatigue, but I write despite it. I love writing so much and find it therapeutic.

I’m a dog person – I love all animals and would never harm a cat, but definitely dogs rule for me!

Liz: If you weren’t a writer what would you like to do?

Kerry: If this was a ‘you can do anything – what would

it be’ question I’d be saying my dream would be opening a wildlife shelter and taking in animals in need, fixing them up and releasing them. If just a standard question of what I’d like to do if not writing, then I’d love to work in a place that I can read, relax and not have any work stress or office politics!

Liz: Who or what inspires you to keep writing?

Kerry: Everything inspires me to write – I love being inspired and this can come from anywhere – a child laughing in the park, a conversation sneakily overheard whilst drinking coffee (those darn coffee shops haha), a butterfly hovering over a flower. I could go on and on about stuff like this but it lights a spark in my brain – this makes me imagine a story from there and the need to write overtakes everything else. Readers are a special inspiration – it means so much when I get a random message from someone who’s read one of my books and liked it enough that they have taken the time to tell me so. Makes my whole week one of those messages!

Liz: Could you describe the book you are working on at the moment using only 5 words?

Kerry: Edinburgh, Vaults, Darkness, Creepy, Killer.

Liz: Do you have competing ideas for future projects and have you ever worked on more than one at the same time?

Kerry: I quite often have more than one project on the go – I find switching half way through the day between projects keeps me fresh and lets me work on two simultaneously. It also allows me to explore other genres whilst still focussing on crime. I’d say my ideas don’t necessarily compete – if more than one idea hits that I think will work, I write it down and pen it in for the next book in the series.

You can connect with Kerry here: 

Website: www.kerryannrichardson.com

Facebook: KA Richardson

Twitter: @kerryann77

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/K.A.-Richardson