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CRIMINALLY GOOD: interview with author Katherine Debona

    1) So, who are you & what have you written?

    My name is Katherine Debona. I live in Kent, England, with my two children, a workaholic husband and a lazy tom cat. My debut novel, The Girl in the Shadows was published at the end of last month by HQ Digital and is available for download from Amazon, HERE.

    It is the first in a series focusing on Veronique, a private investigator living and working in Paris. When a teenage girl goes missing, Veronique is hired by the girl’s mother to discover the truth about her disappearance. Meanwhile Alice has travelled to Paris from England, after discovering that the mother she believed to be dead may in fact still be alive. Follow me on Twitter as @KatherineDebona.

    2) Why do you write crime fiction?
    I never set out to write crime fiction, it was more a case of the story came first and the main character just so happened to be a private investigator. So many novels have an element of crime to them, but aren’t necessarily pitched as a story that would appeal to readers of crime. I don’t read any particular genre, but simply love good stories and characters that stay with you long after you’ve finished the book. I hope that I have achieved this with Veronique and look forward to writing more of her story.
     
    3) What informs your crime writing? 
    I’m definitely intrigued by the psychology of crime – why do people do what they do? What makes otherwise normal, everyday people do unspeakable things? I also think that emotional stories are so much more powerful than physical ones. Everything that lies beneath, that isn’t shown to the world can be far more dangerous but also interesting, from a writer’s point of view.

    4) What’s your usual writing routine?

    I’m fortunate enough to not have to work, but I have two young children, so my writing routine is fitted in around them. Usually I drop them at school, come home and write. Weekends and school holidays are so busy that I try to do my reading and plotting for future books at this time. It can be frustrating, especially when I’m submerged in a chapter and the alarm goes off to tell me I need to go and collect them from school, but in my old life as an investment banker I was used to working to tight deadlines so having that kind of motivation certainly helps.

    5) Which crime book do you wish YOU’D written, and why?

    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It ticks all the boxes for me in terms of mystery, interesting setting, familial resentment and an incredible protagonist. Lisbeth certainly provided some inspiration for Veronique and I always love reading about strong, female characters who aren’t afraid to break the rules in pursuit of the truth.

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