Today I’m joining the blog tour for Death At The Caravan Park. I’m sharing my Q&A with the author with thanks to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on the tour and to Susan Willis for answering my questions!

Have you always wanted to write?

I did a home-study course twenty years ago and was bitten by the bug of writing. I began with short stories where the tutor remarked that I had a vivid imagination. 

What were your previous jobs? Have they helped you with your writing process?

I was a Food Technologist (having just retired last year) and began writing non-fiction food articles. I called my fist few novels and novellas, ‘Foodie-Romances’.

What was your inspiration for Death at the Caravan Park?

I went on a ‘Vera’ coach trip along our coast and up into Northumberland. The coach stopped at the end of the causeway to St. Mary’s Lighthouse, and I thought, what a great place to find a body. As we turned the corner I looked at Whitley Bay caravan park and knew I had the title, ‘Death at the Caravan Park’. 

How do you construct your characters? Do they have traits of people you know?

I like people to look different and have interesting personalities – this way I can add fragments of people I have met with all their merits and flaws. 

What does your writing process look like? Are you a plotter or a pantser? 

I’m definitely a plotter. I’m not blessed with a good memory and would get in a tizzy if I wrote freehand by the seat of my pants. 

How did you research? Did you enjoy it? 

For the first time, I stayed in the location where the novel is set. I holidayed for a week in a caravan at the park, wrote my plot, took zillions of photos, and visited the places that my sleuth, Clive does. This made writing the novel flow so much easier as I had the sights of Whitley Bay fixed firmly in my mind. 

Who are your favourite writers? Are you influenced by them?

My favourite USA crime writer is Harlan Coben. At the end of all his books, I think, gosh, I didn’t see that coming! 

If you could invite three people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be and why?

Agatha Christie – to ask why she chose Harrogate to hide away?

Queen Elizabeth II – to talk about her 70 years on the throne. 

Nicola Walker – to talk about my favourite TV drama, ‘The Split’ 

Who would you least like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

My neighbour who is unpleasant and a nuisance. 

 Who would play the main character/s in a film version of, Death at the Caravan Park? 

Hugh Grant would make a good, bumbling sleuth, Clive Thompson. 

Olivia Colman could play, Liz Mathews, the manager of the caravan park who is loud and colourful in both language and appearance.  

What do you like to do in your spare time? 

Visit restaurants with friends, swimming, knitting, and reading of course. 

What is next for you?

I’m finishing up a collection of four short reads for Christmas publication, called, Intriguing Journeys at Christmas. 

Follow Tara from Morpeth to Paris on a house-swap with a troubled woman. Owen travels with his dad from Jesmond to Brussels after a huge disclosure which rocks his world and parentage. Jacky and her daughter leave Durham for their last trip together to Lille with an old deadly secret. And Lucy takes her husband from Chester-Le-Street to try and save their marriage in Amsterdam but is waylaid by blackmail. 

Favourites:

Book? And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie. 

WIN – Harlan Coben.  

Film? Any Paul Newman film – especially, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And all of Bette Davis old films – especially, Now Voyager. 

Band/Singer? Has to be, David Bowie. 

TV show? Strictly Come Dancing  

Colour? Green

 Place? Versailles in Paris 

Biscuit? Jammy Dodgers

***

Death At The Caravan Park is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: