CHRISTMASINKENT
KENTISH WINTER READS CONT .
A J Wills : She Knows www . ajwillsauthor . com
Gregory Motton : The Ice Floe Girl
She Knows by A J Wills is the atmospheric psychological thriller that will have you sleeping with one eye open . A twisting tale that intertwines multiple stories and characters only to have them collide together in a spectacular final showdown . The characters , though flawed , feel alive , never failing to elicit emotions that range from tear-inducing empathy , to all consuming rage ; you ’ ll learn that no good deed goes unpunished in this heart thumping thriller . This is definitely a novel to enjoy on a windy winter night with a glass of wine in hand , and all the lights switched on .
What is it about the thriller genre that you love so much ?
When I was younger , I devoured the spy thrillers of Colin Forbes and Alistair MacLean and later Clive Cussler ’ s action adventures . In more recent years , my interest has been in psychological thrillers . I love thrillers for the escapism , books where I can dice with death and outwit danger from the comfort of wherever I choose to read . Spy thrillers used to transport me to exotic locations , but now I ’ m happiest reading about extraordinary things that happen to ordinary people , exemplified by the psychological thriller genre .
You ’ ve only been writing thrillers since 2018 and yet your career has already been incredibly successful , why do you think that is ?
I actually published my first thriller , Deep Sleepers , a military / espionage thriller and part of a four-book series , in 2013 . But I switched to psychological thrillers with Between the Lies in 2018 because that was what I was reading . I think success comes when you can transport readers into a different universe and make them believe what they ’ re reading is real , with stories that make them stop and wonder how they ’ d react and behave if the same problems happened to them .
Do you find that when you ' re writing , your characters sometimes seem to be writing themselves , or do you have a very structured way of executing a book ?
The plots of psychological thrillers tend to be complex with lots of twists , turns and red herrings and so I find it ’ s important to plan carefully where the story is going . I ’ ll start with a reasonably good idea about a character , their motivations and backgrounds , but inevitably in the writing process they come to life and end up surprising me with the things they say and do !
Grab a copy of She Knows from www . amazon . co . uk just in time for Christmas .
The Ice Floe Girl by Gregory Motton tells the true story of how Motton met his - now wife - Lotta on a quiet night in a pub and instantly became enamoured with her , making the decision to follow her across Europe and join her in her native country of Sweden . Intriguing , romantic and full of compelling , poetic writing , Motton paints a picture of a young man encountering adventure , love and adulthood for the first time . Only a short read at little over 100 pages , the book easily ensnares you and will make it a struggle not finish it in one sitting . A story for anyone who believes , or wants to believe in ‘ The One ’.
You are known by many as an extremely successful playwright , what made you want to turn your creativity to authoring books ?
Novels are a more direct route to the audience than theatre . You don ' t need a whole theatre ’ s approval . This book came about when my friend James Essinger , a publisher , was round for dinner and he asked how Lotta and I met . Then he said : “ Why don ' t you write a book about it ?” So I did and then , “ put some of your paintings on your walls into the book ,” so I did , and he published it .
The Ice Floe Girl is quite the love letter to your wife Lotta , tell us a little about what it was like recounting your courtship for a readership of strangers ?
It ' s more about her as a phenomenon . It ' s natural for me to write about Lotta , she ' s the most interesting thing I know of . You often use your own experiences for writing . It ' s potentially indiscrete but your friends know something about you anyway , and for strangers it ' s just a book by someone they don ' t know . The more personal something is , the more universal it can also be . We are most similar deepest inside , maybe .
Pick up The Ice Floe Girl on www . amazon . co . uk .
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