1) So, who are you and what have you written?
I am Katerina Diamond and so far I have written The Sunday times Bestseller The Teacher and my current book which is The Secret – Both are crime thrillers as we follow DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles as they investigate some nasty stuff. Over the past 15 years I have written a lot of different things, but The Teacher was the first novel I approached an agent with. I live in East Kent but I have lived in various places including Greece, Cyprus, Exeter (and other parts of Devon) , East London and Derby. You can LIKE my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter as @TheVenomousPen.
2) Why do you write crime fiction?
I have always been fascinated with crime thrillers from a child when I was into Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes. I love a mystery. I think I chose to write crime because I saw it as a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. It is my favourite genre anyway so it felt like a natural place for me to go. I have also read extensively on unsolved crimes, and serial killers.
3) What informs your crime writing?
I tend to draw from various sources in order to write what I do. I have always had an interest in psychology, I grew up in a multicultural family and have a lot of life experience, too. I pay attention to the people and the world around me. I find when you get past the bullshit, most people are a bit messed up, I try to acknowledge that in what I write, too. I also watch A LOT of TV – I would like to write a TV show at some point and so I try and watch anything that has been recommissioned for more than one series. Writing is all about your audience, if you can hook into an audience then you’re good to go.
4) What’s your usual writing routine?
My usual writing routine is get up – take the kids to school (only 7 more months of that – yay) Come home, maybe catch up on an episode of something. Then I write for an hour – then a break – then another hour, then a break – then another hour – until I pick kids up from school – I dont drive, this entails a lot of walking. Then I might do some admin for an hour until its time to cook dinner and be a housewife/mother.
5) What crime book do you wish YOU had written?
Which crime book do I wish I had written? That’s a tough one, I would have to say ANYTHING by Agatha Christie. She was a master of her craft. If I had to pick one of her stories it would most likely be The Man in the Brown Suit. She has created books that are so accessible for both children and adults, I love that I still get the same enjoyment from reading her books now as I did when I was 8 years old.
