Your (author) name: Rosie Claverton
Tell us about yourself: I am a screenwriter, novelist and junior psychiatrist living in London.
Tell us about your latest book: Code Runner is the second book in Cardiff-set series The Amy Lane Mysteries. Ex-con Jason Carr is framed for murder and agoraphobic hacker Amy Lane must prove his innocence before he is hunted down by the police, gangs and the mastermind behind it all.
When did you start writing? I regularly created fictional masterpieces for Show and Tell in primary school. However, I got serious about novels around 2006, when I first participated in NaNoWriMo. Binary Witness, the first Amy Lane novel, was written for NaNoWriMo 2011 and was my first crime novel.
Where do you write? I have a bureau in our spare bedroom, with my miniature library of reference books on one side and a large window on the other. But I have a full-time day job, so I can also snatch bits of writing time most anywhere – my favourite place is on the train, with a cup of tea.
Which other authors do you admire? From the crime side, I love Jeffrey Deaver, Agatha Christie, Anna Dean, and Ariana Franklin. But my favourite author is Patrick O’Brian, of the stunning Aubrey/Maturin series of Napoleonic adventure novels.
Book you wished you’d written? HMS Surprise by the aforementioned Patrick O’Brian. It’s a perfect mixture of nautical battles, romantic intrigue, natural science, espionage, and boys in peril – all of my favourite things! But the research is so detailed, and the description so very real and immersive. I could never write anything like it, but it is such a masterpiece of storytelling.
Greatest fictional criminal: Without spoiling it, I really loved the murderer in The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith. That character was perfectly realised, and the pure evil took my breath away. I was also enamoured of Lauren Beukes time-travelling serial killer in The Shining Girls. We really got to know every depraved inch of him.
Greatest crime or criminal from the real world: When I was researching my next book, I was looking at various high-tech art heists – because galleries and museum are like bank vaults with their security measures. One of my favourites was the theft of a Cezanne in Oxford during the millennium celebrations. The thieves weren’t caught and the painting is still missing…
Greatest fictional detective: I have to say Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation is the epitome of how a detective should be, in my eyes.
What scares you? I have a terrible fear of falling. Not heights, you understand – falling. It can be the edge of a cliff, yes, but I’m equally disturbed by footbridges and wobbly chairs!
Are you ever disturbed by your own imagination? The opening scene of Binary Witness was set in the house where I was currently living, with a scenario that frequently terrified me. When I told my housemate I had written it, she knew exactly the same fear! I thrive on my disturbing imagination.
3 crime books you would recommend to EVERYONE:
- The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver
- A Moment of Silence by Anna Dean
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.
Do you listen to music when you write? I used to make detailed playlists for each novel, but I’ve discovered I concentrate better when I work in silence. I still sometimes use music to capture a particular mood or to evoke a certain character in my mind.
Are you on social media? I am mostly on Twitter @rosieclaverton, but I’m also active on Facebook and Pinterest.
How can fans connect with you? I blog at Swords and Lattes, and The Amy Lane Mysteries has a website and Facebook Page. But please just say hi on Twitter – I love to meet fellow crime enthusiasts!
