A.J.’s Comments (group member since Jan 02, 2014)

A.J.’s comments from the Q&A with A J Waines group.

Thanks to everyone for a great Q&A day. I enjoyed it enormously - and thanks for taking the trouble to send in your interesting questions!

very best
Alison (AJ)

Signing off now - back tomorrow to answer any extra questions!

Bill wrote: "It's amusing that the cover illustration depicts Tower Bridge, a bridge which does not figure in any of the murders in this book. Apparently, like Big Ben, it is simply an easily recognized iconogr..."

Thanks for your comments, Bill

I would have loved to have the right bridge on the front cover, but it seems even the publishers in France and Germany have chosen covers with Tower Bridge - as it's recognisable.

Glad you liked the part in the London sewers - obviously a lot of the rest of the book didn't appeal to you!

What's interesting for me as a writer is the range of opinions on the book - I suppose we're all just different and like different things.

Best wishes
AJ

Marie-Laure wrote: "Hello again :)

This part of my musings is better situated in the spoiler-friendly thread.

So here we go, with a silly annecdote first : being a geek myself, I couldn't help googling away some of ..."

Bill wrote: "It's amusing that the cover illustration depicts Tower Bridge, a bridge which does not figure in any of the murders in this book. Apparently, like Big Ben, it is simply an easily recognized iconogr..."

Bill wrote: "It's amusing that the cover illustration depicts Tower Bridge, a bridge which does not figure in any of the murders in this book. Apparently, like Big Ben, it is simply an easily recognized iconogr..."

Marie-Laure wrote: "Hello again :)

This part of my musings is better situated in the spoiler-friendly thread.

So here we go, with a silly annecdote first : being a geek myself, I couldn't help googling away some of ..."


Interesting, your discovery about Kew bridge – when I wrote the book, Kew Bridge didn’t appear to have an obvious link with Edward VII – so I don’t know if the pages you found have been updated or not (not by me!) At the time of writing the novel, it seemed sufficiently obscure in the story to make it work!

You clearly made the right links to track down the killer! Not too many of my readers worked it out! Although, to be honest, I see the book more as a ‘why dun it?’ than a ‘who dun it?’.

My response about the name ‘Jones’, (of the babysitter) - is that it is revealed only once by Mr Knightly, who is vague and says it was either ‘Mrs Smith or Mrs Jones…’ and with it being such a common name, Juliet doesn’t make the connection, especially as Lynn’s current name is Jessop. Juliet clearly didn’t recognise her – I suppose you could change quite a lot in over 20 years. I’m not sure I’d recognise my babysitters from when I was nine… Lynn is talking about a boy of thirteen or fourteen, so an older man isn’t really on Juliet’s radar in connection with her – Juliet is more concerned about whether the boy actually exists and how she can cope as a therapist with Lynn’s level of anxiety around him.

Anyway, that was my thinking about it – you must have a sharp eye for detail!

Alison

Marie-Laure wrote: "Hello again :)

This part of my musings is better situated in the spoiler-friendly thread.

So here we go, with a silly annecdote first : being a geek myself, I couldn't help googling away some of ..."


Interesting, your discovery about Kew bridge – when I wrote the book, Kew Bridge didn’t appear to have an obvious link with Edward VII – so I don’t know if the pages you found have been updated or not (not by me!) At the time of writing the novel, it seemed sufficiently obscure in the story to make it work!

You clearly made the right links to track down the killer! Not too many of my readers worked it out! Although, to be honest, I see the book more as a ‘why dun it?’ than a ‘who dun it?’.

My response about the name ‘Jones’, (of the babysitter) - is that it is revealed only once by Mr Knightly, who is vague and says it was either ‘Mrs Smith or Mrs Jones…’ and with it being such a common name, Juliet doesn’t make the connection, especially as Lynn’s current name is Jessop. Juliet clearly didn’t recognise her – I suppose you could change quite a lot in over 20 years. I’m not sure I’d recognise my babysitters from when I was nine… Lynn is talking about a boy of thirteen or fourteen, so an older man isn’t really on Juliet’s radar in connection with her – Juliet is more concerned about whether the boy actually exists and how she can cope as a therapist with Lynn’s level of anxiety around him.

Anyway, that was my thinking about it – you must have a sharp eye for detail!

Signing off for today, now. Thanks to everyone who contributed. Any extra questions I'll answer tomorrow (Feb 1st).

Best wishes
Alison

Anna wrote: "Hi Alison, firstly I'd like to say thank you for the opportunity to discuss your books! I recently read The Evil Beneath and thought it was brilliant, really loved it! I plan on reading Girl on a t..."

Hi there, Anna - glad to have you on board!

I'm really glad you liked the book. I'd love for it to go to TV/film - I think it's a very visual story. My Agent is the one who can make it all happen if a company is interested. Out of my hands, really - although ironically one of my best friends is a film director in Hollywood!

Marie-Laure wrote: "what made you want to write in the 1st place ? as opposed to your psychotherapist career."

Nice one, Marie-Laure!
Just like the last point about writers' block, I think it's important (for me, anyway) to be really passionate about what I do for a living. I know that's hard for a lot of people, because they don't have the choices others have - but I want to make the best of what I've got (I'm really grateful for the opportunity).I'd been a psychotherapist for over 15 years and was feeling the drain of burn out. I was looking for a new place to put my energy and I thought I'd give writing a try - I'd always loved psyche thrillers and I had a lot of fodder with my expeience with real people. Once I got started I loved it. An old school friend reminded me recently (I'd completely forgotten) that I used to write long stories when we were at school. So, it was always there waiting in the wings. I love words and imagery and they have played a big part in helping people in therapy.

David wrote: "If you have 3 in the pipeline and 2 out already that is quite a few in a short time.
Do you ever dry up, get writers block, or once you start does it just seem to flow?"

I've been very lucky that I don't seem to suffer from writers block (I'm just writing a blog post about it for the Crime Writers Association, as it happens!). But, as a psychotherapist, I've worked with plenty of creative people who have suffered writers block. I think the key is to be really excited about the story you want to write. On the few occasions when I've got a bit stuck, it's usually because there's something wrong with the plot or it's not compelling enough. I usually just get the story down and the writing itself can sometimes take as little as 9 weeks for a first draft, once I've got the outline worked out. After that there's lots of revisions, re-writes and notes from my agent to work on. That goes back and forth and takes longer than the original text.

Marie-Laure wrote: "Actually, I like both.
I was just wondering what drew an author to go for a stand alone or a series...
And I often feel like an orphan when I'm done reading a book, leaving all these people and pl..."

It's nice to have the choice to go and find them again - which I may do with either Juliet or Anna, sometime!

Marie-Laure wrote: "Do you ever feel that although a book is finished you're not done with one of the characters ? like you'd still like to bring them somewhere else ?"

Yes - my next 3 books (yet to emerge) are a series, based on a female Clinical Psychologist. She becomes a series character and her sister, who has schizophrenia, does too. They become a kind of 'series relationship' as the dynamic between them and lots of family stuff takes place, alongside the mysteries/murders.

Do you prefer series or stand-alones?

David wrote: "Do you base your lead characters on someone you know?

Also I notice that in both The Evil Beneath and Girl on A Train both are female, was that a conscious decision to have women as the main char..."

Great questions!

Yes - I did want the lead characters to be women - I suppose I'm more in touch with a female psyche, especially as I like the 1st person. Plus, I liked the idea of a woman taking things on. The characters aren't based on anyone I know - they have aspects of me (especially the psychotherapy aspects), but my leads are generally more extrovert, feisty and risk-taking than I'd ever be. Maybe they're more who I'd like to be? Not sure...

I like your Hitchcock idea - Maybe that's something for the future.

I'll be back after lunch (at 2.15pm!)

David wrote: "What about the police in the book's, do you just have a general idea of how you want them to be or do you have police contacts or know someone you base it on?"

I never really set out to write a 'police prodecural' with 'The Evil Beneath'(most of my other books don't have much police material)- and I'm afraid I know nothing about the police and just have to scrabble around on the net for research!

Marie-Laure wrote: "Another question from me too :)
Do you believe in mediums and such, like Cheryl in the book ?"

Interesting... I so think there is such a lot about the Universe we don't know and understand - and energies we can't see. I think some people are probably tuned into those energies more than others - but it's a very slippery area, because of charlatans. When I used to live in London, I used to visit the 'College of Psychic Studies' from time to time for talks and I've met a number of people just like Cheryl!

David wrote: "A total different question

Who are your favourite authors (fiction) not your psychology books and how much time do you get to read if your writing a lot?"

My favourite authors at this moment are Nicci French and new authors, such as Penny Hancock and Samantha Hayes - both the last two have written cracking psyche thrillers, which are my favourites. I also like US writers, such as Kathy Reichs, although at times books by the same author inevitably can get a bit formulaic.

I read every day and try to do focused, analytical reading when I can - by taking a writer I admire and working out how do they do twists, endings, openings, setting etc - because I feel there is so much to learn.

Marie-Laure wrote: "It's possible that London being better known abroad it might help with your books getting more exposure in foreign countries .... would you rather read a mystery taking place in Paris or in Marseil..."

Thanks, Marie-Laure
I think I'd probably prefer Paris, just because I know it a little and it's always nice to come across familiar spots in a book. Any reason why you mention Marseille?

David wrote: "A.J. wrote: "How important is 'setting' and 'location' to you as a reader? Is London too well-known, do you think? I've been thinking about this recently, as I'm going through a Nordic Noir stage. ..."

Yes - the other three are Psychological Thriller/mysteries. Incidentally, regarding location - my books were taken up by publishers in France and Germany (and not UK)where maybe a London novel has more pull to it?

David wrote: "I forgot to say, thanks very much for agreeing to do a Q&A with your book. It is nice to get to speak to authors on their material and I know it is great for groups like ours to get opportunities l..."

(By the way, thanks again to you, David, for setting up the book as the value read for January.)

That's a nice question!
Girl on a Train is set in London (with a few scenes in Portsmouth). I have written 3 further books (I'm waiting for my Agent to see how we proceed), but they take place in different London settings(one is the Underground, one Regent's Canal and the other is partly set in the Lake District, for a change). I used to live in London and sadly had to move, so writing about it is a nostaglic process for me. I love the idea of snow, though - so I've got sketches of a future book set entirely in the Highlands of Scotland!

How important is 'setting' and 'location' to you as a reader? Is London too well-known, do you think? I've been thinking about this recently, as I'm going through a Nordic Noir stage.

David wrote: "Hi AJ,

Great little read by the way (The Evil Beneath) my question is not so much the psychological but the idea.

The tying in with the bridges on the Thames was a good idea but where do you get ..."

Thanks, David

The starting point was simply the idea of a woman's body lying in the Thames. I was walking in Mayfair with my sister at the time - nowhere near the water - when it did literally pop into my head. Like a lot of writers, I see images in a clear visual way and I knew she was underneath Hammersmith Bridge. Because I love London and the areas south of the river, in particular, I knew I wanted to set the story there. The idea of different bodies under different bridges was the next idea and it went on from there.