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This Friday ! Q & A's With Robert Bryndza !!
Very excited about this. Robert Bryndza and the Erika Foster series are easily in my top 3. 😊 just bought Deadly Secrets so hopefully I’ll be caught up in time for Friday!
Mod
The Night Stalker, Dark Water, Last Breath and Cold Blood are the second, third, fourth and fifth books in the series. The sixth book, Deadly Secrets has just been published.
Robert's books have sold over 2.5 million copies and have been translated into 27 languages.
In addition to writing crime fiction, Robert has published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels. He is British and lives in Slovakia.
You can find out more about the author at www.robertbryndza.com and on Twitter and Instagram @RobertBryndza
Love Roberts books. Do we comment on this thread with questions? Is that how it works? Apologies, just want to make sure my questions get posted in the right place. Many thanks :)
Hello to everyone in A Good Thriller, and thanks so much for asking me to do this Q & A tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it! Rob :)
I'm going to jump right in a day ahead! Hi Rob, I am a huge fan of yours and Erika even though, as you know, Cold Blood wasn't my fave. Well, Deadly Secrets IS definitely one of my faves. I was so pleased to see Erika and her gang take center stage again. Your plots are just terrific, Rob. I marvel at how authors keep coming up with wonderful stories. My question is this: Just how do you think up these intricate tales??? XO
Christine, I'm so glad you jumped in early. I thought of doing it as well, since I'm afraid to forget my questions by tomorrow :-)Hi Rob, I noticed you write thriller and romantic comedies - How comes you decided on such different genres? Is it difficult to switch writting them or do you stick to one genre at a time? There are (unfortunatelly) not many male authors writting romantic book so what made you take this step and wander into this (rather female) domain? Are you writting one of those right now or do you have plans to write another stand-alone romatic comedy in the next future?
Unfortunatelly I wasn't that happy with the beginning of The Not So Secret Emails Of Coco Pinchard which was the reason I had no interest in The Girl In The Ice while I could afford it. Now I'm regretting it - that's life. I just hope for a nice deal so I can get it sometimes in the future. Two month ago I decided to give Coco a second chance sometime later this year and hope it was only bad timing on my side and I'll end up liking it :-)
YAY for Q&A with one of my favorite Authors!!!I'm sure I have a ton of things to ask but the one question in my mind, after finishing Deadly Secrets, which, by the way was an absolutely AMAZING book, just like the other 5, is are there plans for more Erika Foster books? I'm already jonesin' for a new one, even though we just got one!!!! :) I am loving her and Peterson!!!! If only they could get it together! :)
Thank you for doing this Q&A for us!! My question(s) for you are, Where is your favorite place to write? How about to read?
Mod
I am sure you are one of our favourite authors, and I look forward to tomorrow.
As you may know we have many members from all over the World, and I am sure questions will come in throughout the day, so I thank you for your time.
So I also adding my questions ready for tomorrow.
1/ Do you have an idea of the whole book before you start, or add as you are writing the book.
2/Of your books, which is your favourite.
3/ Other favourite authors in this group also have characters, one or two comes to mind Angela Marsons, Patricia Gibney as well as Mel Sherratt (all members here) have you read their books and do you enjoy reading crime thrillers.
4/Could you name some of your favourite authors
5/ Do you live all year in Slovakia, or also in the UK.
6/Do you have a favourite character in your books.
Hi Rob, congratulations on Deadly Secrets, another fab book in the series. Obviously you shared the news recently that you have a new series coming out. Having had Erika in your head for so long, did you find it hard to write a new lead character?
With each publication does it get any more or less nerve racking?
I know I keep asking but will we see anymore of Coco Pinchard? You know how much I love her and especially Ethel! We need more of them in our lives as it makes our lives then look quite sane :)
Woohoo! I absolutely loved Deadly Secrets and feel like I have watched Erika grow through this series. Did you ever think she would be so popular when you wrote her? What do you think draws people to her?
Do your characters ever misbehave? By that I mean, having decided on their personalities, do they ever take over and lead you in unexpected directions? BTW, I think Deadly Secrets is the best book in the series so far. That isn't taking anything away from the other books, but I think this deserves more than 5 stars.
Lauren wrote: "Very excited about this. Robert Bryndza and the Erika Foster series are easily in my top 3. 😊 just bought Deadly Secrets so hopefully I’ll be caught up in time for Friday!"Hi Lauren, thank you! I'm so pleased you love the series, and I'm very happy to be here today answering questions.
Christine wrote: "I'm going to jump right in a day ahead! Hi Rob, I am a huge fan of yours and Erika even though, as you know, Cold Blood wasn't my fave. Well, Deadly Secrets IS definitely one of my faves. I was so ..."Hi Christine! Thank you for your question, and your wonderful review of Deadly Secrets, I’m so pleased you enjoyed it. My ideas for plotlines come from many places, things that happen to me, places I visit or stories I read in the news. The idea for The Girl in the Ice started at a lake with an old deserted underwater restaurant, which sits in the grounds of the exhibition centre in the town where I live in Slovakia. The lake is isolated and surrounded by tall trees, and on the bank, sits the restaurant. When it was working, people could go and eat in the bottom part of the restaurant which was underwater with a huge glass wall looking out at the fish. I always used to think what a great place it would be to dump a body, before the winter, and it would spend months under the ice until it was found. The plot changed a lot, but this was the starting point. The idea for The Night Stalker was based on a real-life case when I lived in South London, and was also my reaction to waking one night and finding an intruder trying to get in through a window. Dark Water came from a case, again in my home town when the police were trying to track down the murder weapon used in an armed robbery. They had a tip off that it had been dumped in a disused quarry, which is now a pond. They drained it, and didn’t find the weapon, but they found all sorts of strange stuff; money, jewellery, sets of false teeth, a glass eye. It was also incredibly deep. I imagined what would have happened if they found the skeleton of a young child which had gone missing years ago. So many books start from inspiration like this, the hard part is expanding these first ideas into a full length novel!
Agnieszka wrote: "Christine, I'm so glad you jumped in early. I thought of doing it as well, since I'm afraid to forget my questions by tomorrow :-)Hi Rob, I noticed you write thriller and romantic comedies - How ..."
Hi Agnieszka ,
Thank you for your question. I didn’t sit down and think of writing in a particular genre. I was an actor before I became a writer, and I loved doing comedy. Writing came about around 2006, when I was going through a period of ‘resting’ as an actor, which is a flowery term for an actor being unemployed. From my early teenage years, I had always written plays, short stories and sketches, but I had never dreamed they would make me any money. A friend from University who was doing a comedy sketch show said a member of the cast had dropped out, and asked if I wanted to take his place. I dusted off some of the sketches I had written years before, and I wrote a few more during rehearsals, and I loved the experience. I was then involved in more comedy shows, and then I started doing a comedy act with another actor, which we performed on the London comedy circuit. It was around the time that burlesque was taking off in a big way, and there were so many comedy clubs starting up, it was an exciting time. We then developed the act into a full-length play, which we took to the Edinburgh festival in 2007. To my intense surprise and joy, the play was a hit. I had just met my husband, and he said to me one day that I should concentrate on writing. It was the best advice, and he also said that if I did, he would work for six months and take care of the bills, so I could devote it to writing. Around this time, the first iPhones went on sale, and I was on a train home one day, and people were engrossed in their emails, and this was where the idea came from to have a book told through emails. It was only after I’d written The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard, that a friend who worked in publishing suggested that the book would fit well into the romantic comedy genre. I think comedy is harder to write than drama. Making people laugh is one of the most difficult things to pull off but so rewarding. I love writing the Coco Pinchard books. The series now runs to three books and two novellas, and I plan to write another in the next couple of years.
Lisa wrote: "YAY for Q&A with one of my favorite Authors!!!I'm sure I have a ton of things to ask but the one question in my mind, after finishing Deadly Secrets, which, by the way was an absolutely AMAZING b..."
Hi Lisa, thank you for your question, and your kind words. I’m so pleased you enjoy reading the series. Yes! I hope that the Erika Foster series can continue into the future, I have many more ideas for stories. As for what is going to happen to the characters... watch this space ;)
Lorrea - WhatChaReadin'? wrote: "Thank you for doing this Q&A for us!! My question(s) for you are, Where is your favorite place to write? How about to read?"Hi Lorrea,
I love to write in my office, which is a small spare room in my house, where I get cosy in my favourite chair overlooking the garden. I also love to write in coffee shops. I love reading in bed.
Sean wrote: "Firstly thanks Rob for doing this Q and A's for my group.I am sure you are one of our favourite authors, and I look forward to tomorrow.
As you may know we have many members from all over the Wo..."
Hi Sean,
Thanks so much for asking me here today, it’s a pleasure, I love to meet new people! :)
1/ Do you have an idea of the whole book before you start, or add as you are writing the book.
I add as I am writing the book, I think it’s always good to start with an idea and a rough plan, but I love to keep things loose, as the story can often can veer off into unexpected and exciting places.
2/Of your books, which is your favourite.
The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard is very special to me, it took four years to write, and it was my first book. The Girl in the Ice comes a close second.
3/ Other favourite authors in this group also have characters, one or two comes to mind Angela Marsons, Patricia Gibney as well as Mel Sherratt (all members here) have you read their books and do you enjoy reading crime thrillers.
I do enjoy reading crime thrillers, but I have to confess that for the past couple of years, I haven’t been able to enjoy reading crime thrillers, only because my writing schedule has been CRAZY, and I have tended to read other genres, because reading a crime thriller after writing one all day, isn’t relaxing! Two of my favourite crime thriller writers are Thomas Harris and Minette Walters.
4/Could you name some of your favourite authors
My all-time favourite author is Sue Townsend. She managed to combine biting satire and social commentary with wonderful storytelling. I grew up reading the Adrian Mole series, which I still re-visit every couple of years, and it was a huge inspiration to my Coco Pinchard series. Then when I was at drama school we performed some of her plays. And in later years I discovered her other books. Ghost Children, in particular, is incredible.
5/ Do you live all year in Slovakia, or also in the UK.
I live in Slovakia.
6/Do you have a favourite character in your books.
I love all my characters! Paritcular favourites to write are Ethel Pinchard in my Coco Pinchard books, and D.I Moss in my Erika Foster series.
Sarah wrote: "Hi Rob, congratulations on Deadly Secrets, another fab book in the series. Obviously you shared the news recently that you have a new series coming out. Having had Erika in your head for so long, d..."Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for your question and lovely to see you here :) I find all writing is very hard, and I find that with each new Erika Foster book, it gets harder to write, knowing that there are so many readers with high expectations! I love writing the Erika Foster series, and I have ideas for many more books, so the series is definitely going to continue. That said, I need to keep my writing fresh and challenging, and I have wanted to write another series for some time. I have been working on my new Kate Marshall series for the past year, developing ideas and I have outlines for 3 books and I have written the first ten chapters of the first, so I don't feel like I'm leaping into the abyss - although, I'm sure I will feel like that when I start writing properly!! I think Kate will be very different to Erika. She is a forensic profiler, as opposed to a police officer, and the new series will be set outside London. Rob x
Sarah wrote: "With each publication does it get any more or less nerve racking?"It gets much more nerve wracking!
what is your favourite book that you have written?what book would you like to've written?
who is your favourite author?
if you could meet five people from a film, book, the past or now who would they be?
Sarah wrote: "With each publication does it get any more or less nerve racking?"Yes! Yes! Yes! There are several reasons for the hiatus between books. I wanted to write a crime series, and I also wanted to leave the series for a bit to keep things fresh. The third novel is set in 2012, and finishes with Coco having a baby. Baby Adam will be six years old this August, and I wanted to wait until he was seven or eight in the timeline of the books, so you can expect something soon! I have a great idea for the next story :)
Noelle wrote: "Woohoo! I absolutely loved Deadly Secrets and feel like I have watched Erika grow through this series. Did you ever think she would be so popular when you wrote her? What do you think draws people ..."Hi Noelle! Thank you for your question, I wasn't sure how readers would take to her, as she can be a bit of a bitch, but underneath the hard exterior she is a good person. I never dreamed that she would become so real for readers. As I said answering Sarah, this is a huge responsibility! Rob x
PS thank you, so pleased you loved Deadly Secrets x
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* wrote: "Do your characters ever misbehave? By that I mean, having decided on their personalities, do they ever take over and lead you in unexpected directions? BTW, I think Deadly Secrets is the best book ..."Hi Sandy, thank you! I'm so pleased you loved Deadly Secrets. I'm not sure if they misbehave, but the characters certainly go off in odd directions. I only expected D.I Moss to be an incidental character in the first draft of The Girl in the Ice, but she has turned into something else, and is one of my favourite characters. In The Night Stalker, I had no clue that the killer would turn out to be... who they turned out to be... (don't want to give away any spoilers!) I often feel that I'm leaping into the abyss when I write, which can be very scary, but also exhilarating when the book takes on a life of its own.
Caprice wrote: "what is your favourite book that you have written?what book would you like to've written?
who is your favourite author?
if you could meet five people from a film, book, the past or now who would t..."
Hi Caprice, thank you for your questions.
Favourite book(s): The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard is very special to me, it took four years to write, and it was my first book. The Girl in the Ice comes a close second.
I would love to have written The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, but I'm also glad I didn't because I can enjoy it as a reader. Favourite author is Sue Townsend.
I would love to meet Hannibal Lecter, and also Anthony Hopkins, and if the latter came true, I could ask him to do his Hannibal Lecter. I'd also love to meet Charles Dickens, Victoria Wood and my great grandfather who survived the first World War.
You have had so many amazing things happen with your writing and books, a few just this year alone. Do you have any other hopes or dreams you would like to see happen?
You always seem to travel to some amazing places that are full of culture. Which is your favourite place to visit and where haven't you yet been that you would like to go?
Robert wrote: "Caprice wrote: "what is your favourite book that you have written?what book would you like to've written?
who is your favourite author?
if you could meet five people from a film, book, the past o..."
I just want to be able to carry on writing, and hope that readers will still buy my books. I think that writing is like acting, and it isn't a race, it's a marathon, and you should be in it for the long run! I would love to write for TV or film. I'm thinking of writing a TV series of the Erika Foster series, because the process of getting your book made into a TV series or a film is so long and torturous, and then there is no guarantee that it will work.
Sarah wrote: "You always seem to travel to some amazing places that are full of culture. Which is your favourite place to visit and where haven't you yet been that you would like to go?"Sarah wrote: "You have had so many amazing things happen with your writing and books, a few just this year alone. Do you have any other hopes or dreams you would like to see happen?"
I want to go to Australia and Iceland. When I was eight we lived in Canada for a year, and I would love to go back.
You just stated that You're thinking of writing a TV series of the Erika Foster series...***That would be AWESOME*** Who would you want to play Erika in this series? What about Moss & Peterson?
OK. Another one. :) Do you take your little dogs everywhere you go? **I love seeing pictures of them! I have 2 havanese/maltese mixes...Havamalts. My Larry is white and looks almost like your kids!**
Mod
I quite understand the coffee shops, I read in coffee shops and loose track of time...
I also listen to music while I am reading, chill out to relax.
Do you travel much for ideas.
Iceland I also would love to go to...
Hi, Rob! Thanks for taking time to answer questions. I love Erika Foster and DI Moss, and I love the way your characters are evolving and growing. Your new series sounds promisings as well. Is there a particular reason why you've chosen female protagonists for both series?
Lisa wrote: "You just stated that You're thinking of writing a TV series of the Erika Foster series...***That would be AWESOME*** Who would you want to play Erika in this series? What about Moss & Peterson?"Hi Lisa, I would love Erika to be played by Margot Robbie. Moss would be played by Olivia Colman and Peterson would be played by Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Lisa wrote: "OK. Another one. :) Do you take your little dogs everywhere you go? **I love seeing pictures of them! I have 2 havanese/maltese mixes...Havamalts. My Larry is white and looks almost like your kid..."
Yes, we try to. They are part of the family :) I'm sure Ricky and Lola would love to meet you 2 dogs!
Sean wrote: "Do you listen to music while writing?I quite understand the coffee shops, I read in coffee shops and loose track of time...
I also listen to music while I am reading, chill out to relax.
Do you..."
No, I like it to be quite quiet when I work. I do have to have the radio on in the next room, turned down low for a little background noise. There is nothing worse than complete silence and the sound of a ticking clock!
I find travelling is great for ideas. I also love going to the theatre, as I find as well as loving the experience of watching plays and musicals, it gives me loads of ideas and inspiration for work.
Jean wrote: "Hi, Rob! Thanks for taking time to answer questions. I love Erika Foster and DI Moss, and I love the way your characters are evolving and growing. Your new series sounds promisings as well. Is ther..."Hi Jean, thank you. I find I enjoy writing female characters more than male. I'm not sure why. I don't set out to exclusively write female characters though, and I have other ideas for stories than have male protagonists.
I'm being a question hog. :)How many hours a day do you write? How long on average does it take you to write a book?
How do you select the names of your characters?
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
Are you friends with any other authors?
What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author? Best compliment?
Thank you for doing this Q&A! :)
Hi Robert! Don't really have a question (except I always want the next book!). Just wanted to thank you for taking the time for this and I love your characters! (and please post more pictures of your dogs on Twitter! ♥)
All questions are gratefully received :)How many hours a day do you write? How long on average does it take you to write a book?
ROB: 4-6 hours writing, but as a book progresses, it can get longer each day, and I'm always thinking about the next book.
How do you select the names of your characters?
ROB: I often see names in the news, and Facebook is a great one for finding all kinds of names. I also have a nifty name generator tool in my Scrivener writing software which can be helpful.
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
ROB: I used to be an actor, so I might still be doing that. I also love gardening, so I could see myself doing that.
Are you friends with any other authors?
ROB: Living in Slovakia, I don't get the opportunity to meet up with other authors very often. But I did get the chance at the Harrogate Crime Festival last year. I met Mark Edwards who was a very nice guy, and I had the chance to meet some of my fellow Bookouture buddies; Mel Sherrat and Caroline Mitchell, and I had dinner with Patricia Gibney who is very nice, and has a great sense of humour.
What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author? Best compliment?
ROB: All criticism is good, as long as it is constructive. When people get personal, it's not the nicest. Best compliment is always when I have given a reader escapism, and they didn't want the book to end.
Thank you for doing this Q&A! :)
You are welcome! Rob x
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Susan wrote: "Hi Robert! Don't really have a question (except I always want the next book!). Just wanted to thank you for taking the time for this and I love your characters! (and please post more pictures of yo..."Hi Susan, and thank you for saying so, and it is a pleasure - Rob x
Robert, So that Erika can get complete closure from her life in Manchester, UK are you eventually going to bring back the gangster boss who caused her so much heartache?
Mod
Rob, yes love gardening and travel.
And music..
Just read number two in the Patricia Gibney series.
Mark Edwards is another favourite here.
Some great questions coming in, as I see some of our USA/Canadian members joining in.
"I had dinner with Patricia Gibney who is very nice, and has a great sense of humour." She's another of my favorite writers!!!! :)
Thanks for answering all my questions...
Mara wrote: "Robert, So that Erika can get complete closure from her life in Manchester, UK are you eventually going to bring back the gangster boss who caused her so much heartache?"Hi Mara, thanks for your question. Yes, I am planning to do this. I think Erika needs closure so she can move on with her life, and it would interest me for her to go back and open the door to her old life before Mark died.
Lisa wrote: ""I had dinner with Patricia Gibney who is very nice, and has a great sense of humour." She's another of my favorite writers!!!! :)
Thanks for answering all my questions..."
You're welcome!
Thank you to everyone for your questions, and thank you to Sean for welcoming me into the group today. I had a great time, I hope to catch up with you all again soon, Rob :)
A Good Thriller
Books mentioned in this topic
The Girl in the Ice (other topics)The Not So Secret Emails Of Coco Pinchard (other topics)
I am very proud and pleased to confirm Robert Bryndza as our next full Q & A's author. A firm favourite in this group for the last few years.
Please do join and, add your questions whenever you want to, and Rob will join us on Friday.