Q&A Interview with KA Richardson

Today I am very excited to  welcome author of  KA Richardson to my blog page to take part in my Q&A interview. So without further ado here is the lovely KA Richardson.

Morning thank you for joining me this morning

Thanks for having me Shell!

Can you tell us a little about yourself and background?

My name is Kerry (I write as KA Richardson) and I live in Darlington which is a large market town in North East England. I live with my husband Peter and our dog Tala, who at just over 7 months is a little terror. I’d always wanted to be a police officer and when I dislocated my knee badly, I knew I’d never get through the fitness requirements so had to think of something else I wanted to do – I still wanted to work for the police though. I came across an advert for Teesside University and checked out their courses – very quickly enrolled onto a Bsc Crime Scene Science course and passed this in 2008. I was one of the lucky few who fell straight into crime scene work – was a CSI for about a year then a VCSI for another 2 years – while doing this full time I decided (after a nudge from a psychic) that I wanted to go back and do my Masters, which I did at the same Uni but chose creative writing.

When did you know that you wanted to become a writer? and how did you go about it?

Writing was always something I just did – I did it to escape bullying in school, then throughout my adult life kept going back to it. I never really thought about writing professionally until I saw the psychic I mentioned in the last question. My writing had always been quite private and never really for anyone else to view. He was appalled to see I wasn’t writing as he quite rightly pointed out that it was my passion. So when I finished my MA I just kept writing. I still work for the police now so it’s tough sometimes fitting it in but I think if you enjoy something then you just have to keep going at it and making time to do it. I write around my shifts, quite often during breaks at work, and on a morning before I start my day.

Can you tell us what genre your books are and the audience you write for?

I write novels that at the minute, are classed in the crime genre – they’re aimed at anyone who enjoys a ‘who dunnit’ story with different types of crimes being committed. Generally there’s an overall theme of murder, though it’s always in different circumstances. As an example, With Deadly Intent is about a serial killer just perfecting his methods, I’ve Been Watching You is a serial rapist/murderer, and book 3, which is due out later this year, focusses around human trafficking and the police diving team. My books tend to focus on the forensic side as that’s my background. I’d say generally speaking more women that men read my books, but I do have some amazing male fans who love them too.

What is your writing process? and how long does it take?

I’m generally what’s called a ‘pantser’ – I start a novel with a basic idea of a plot, usually just an idea like ‘I want to write about human trafficking’ – I then do character profiles for my main characters – this is important to me. I need to know the people that I’m throwing into horrid situations so that I know how they’ll deal with them. I never know the ending or the journey when I start writing – things will happen that surprise me, and quite often make me worry about my characters and how they’ll cope with something.

Are your characters based on anyone you know or are they just fictional?

Officially, all characters are entirely fictional – however there may be some traits from people I know in there. Something that makes a person unique is often hard to write about and if you know someone who has a particular quirk it makes the character more realistic. Cass for example, was probably based a little on me – she puts pens through her ponytail so she doesn’t lose them – I never left the office as a CSI without pens in my hair.

Have you wrote about a personal experience in your novels?

In With Deadly Intent, Cass’s dog Ollie has a seizure – it’s descriptive and realistic and I based that on my dog. Koda, as he had epilepsy – I used his first seizure and how I felt at the time to illustrate Cass’s feelings and emotion. The crime scene processes used are as realistic as they can be without making them into a lecture. Domestic violence is a theme through some of the books – not my personal experiences but it’s something that happens all the time, with both men and women being perpetrators – I think things that are important to me as a person are covered in the books in a roundabout way.

What research do you do?

Depends on the novel – the first one I did some psychology research – getting into the head of the killer etc – but the crime scene knowledge was already there. Any police procedural requirements, I consult my contacts at work. I often check crime scene facts with other crime scene personnel and my lecturers from Uni who are still amazingly helpful. For specific research I contact various people – fire investigators when am writing arson, doctors if I need a specific medical condition to fit etc. And I’ll quite often use the internet, journals etc too.

Who would you like to co-write with and why?

Ooooo tough question – I don’t know that I’d be very good to work with as I’m quite opinionated and stubborn – but I’d love to work with Eileen Wharton on a joint piece, and possibly even Karen Rose – I love both of their works.

What's your favorite book?

Another tough question – I have favourites in various genres. The Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton is one that stays with me from childhood and I still revisit to read, The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M Auel – it’s so unusual and not something I’d normally choose to have read. And any of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

What's your favorite food?

Roast chicken and mashed potatoes. MMMMM

What's your favorite film?

Again there are so many that leave a lasting impression – I love action movies – Die Hard etc. I loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit and rewatch them often. And Miracle on 34th Street at Christmas time!

What's your favorite song?

I go through phases with music – different artists for different moods. I love In The Ghetto and Kentucky Rain by Elvis, Black Tears by Jason Aldean, Drink a Beer by Luke Bryan, It’s My Life by Bon Jovi and Don’t Stop Believing by Journey.

How can readers find out more information about yourself and your books?

My website is www.kerryannrichardson.com – I’m on facebook as KA Richardson and my twitter tags are @kerryann77 and @karichardson77 – the books can be purchased through ibooks, amazon, kobo etc and can be ordered from Waterstones or WH Smiths.

Publication date 22nd September