AA Abbott decided Bristol was a fun place to lose a bit of time, and to
her surprise, has ended up living there for 10 years in a house that looks like
an iced cake. Also known as Helen, she does temporary work, usually for
enormous corporations. Sharply observed office politics occasionally slips into
her colourful crime thrillers. New book, The Bride's Trail, features the City
of London and an intriguing secret about Britain's second city, Birmingham -
there's an extensive network of Cold War tunnels beneath the heart of the
city...
BRSBKBLOG asked her all the usual questions...
For lots of freebies, including "5 minute crime thriller", The
Gap - http://aaabbott.co.uk/free-stuff
Blog - http://aaabbott.co.uk
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AAAbbottStories
Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/AAAbbottStories
Books: The Bride's Trail, After The Interview and Up In Smoke
Tell us a little
bit about your books
They're fast-paced crime thrillers, laced with
suspense - readers love the ending, but they never guess what it is. The
latest, The Bride's Trail. features a glamorous croupier who marries illegal
immigrants for money. When she suddenly vanishes, her friends discover they're
not the only ones looking for her - a killer's on her trail too. Who will find
her first? There's a nail-biting finish!
You live in
Bristol, does it feature in your books?
My full length crime thrillers are set in
London and Birmingham, but Bristol doesn't miss out. I've written plenty of
short stories about the city, including this chiller posted on YouTube under my
real name: https://youtu.be/A82OPb4S38c
You've said you
find offices fascinating - why is that?
Offices are like villages - buzzing with
gossip and random people thrown together by fate. It's easy to imagine murder,
fraud and espionage behind closed doors. My second thriller, After The
Interview, was (surprise, surprise) about the aftermath of a bad interview - I
bet lots of folk identify with that!
I've seen you
tweeting about #TheCultureHour - what's that all about?
Twitter is my guilty pleasure - it's great for
networking, news and sheer inspiration. #TheCultureHour runs every Wednesday
night from 7.30pm to 8.30pm, and it's basically a chat about art, books, film
and music. Anyone can join in - just use the hashtag #TheCultureHour. I'm
addicted to it.
What inspired you
to write thrillers?
I love reading them. I've always adored Ruth
Rendell's darker suspense novels like The Tree of Hands. Kate Atkinson, too,
shows sparks flying as dysfunctional characters interact. Finally, I adore that
80s blockbuster feel - a fast-moving plot, with lots of action. I knew I'd
nailed it when After The Interview was described as "the literary
equivalent of a Guy Ritchie film"!
Which piece of
writing are you most proud of?
Definitely new crime thriller, The Bride's
Trail. It's my best yet.
If you could be a
character from one of your books who would it be and why?
Alicia, in Up In Smoke. She's young, she's
smart, she gets what she wants and she has fun!
Do you also write
short stories? If so where can people find them, if not, why not?
Yes, I've had short stories published in
several collections, and there are a few available to read on my website,
including "5 minute crime thriller" The Gap. That's at http://aaabbott.co.uk/free-stuff. Sign up for my
newsletters there and I'll send you an e-book of short stories, Something In
The City.
What’s the one
question you never get asked in interviews that you really want to answer?
"What's the secret of your success?"
Believe it or not, it's having a great team to support me. Four people stand
head and shoulders above the rest. They're Suzanna
Stanbury, who chairs the Bristol Fiction Writers' Group, and three
amazing dynamos in Birmingham: editor Katharine D'Souza, PR Donna Marie Finn and Twitter guru David W Massey.
In one sentence
what's your best piece of advice for new writers
Join a writing group - feedback is your best
friend.
Many thanks to AA Abbott (Helen) for the interesting answers!
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