Crime, Drama and Clare!

The absolute genius who decided to hold Scottish Book Week in amongst the madness of Christmas Light Switch Ons and general festive fever deserves, in our humble opinion, to be knighted.  We love the yuletide cheer as much as the next person but how lovely it was to find a stimulating end-of-November alternative to tinsel, tealights and terrible jingles.

Initiated by the Scottish Government and supported by Creative Scotland, Book Week Scotland will deliver a packed programme of free projects and events bringing Scots of all ages and from all walks of life together to celebrate books and reading.  Just our sort of event.

Here in Perth and Kinross, a series of events will be hosted in every wee nook and cranny with Perth City, Crieff, Blairgowrie, Kinross and Auchterarder all joining in this national celebration of the written word.  Culture Perth & Kinross Libraries have embraced the official theme for Book Week Scotland 2016 - which is discovery – and will celebrate how reading exposes us to a world of exploration, adventure and… well, discovery! Writers set to visit the region include BBC radio Scotland presenter and author Theresa Talbot, children’s book author Keith Brumpton and best-selling crime writer, Clare Mackintosh.

We were lucky enough to catch up with Clare, who is holding a Meet The Author event in the AK Bell Library on Thursday 24th November at 11am, to find out about her switch from police work to writing and to ask her how she feels about the ‘touring’ aspect of her new career.

For those who don’t know, Clare's debut novel 'I Let You Go' was the fastest selling title by a new crime writer in 2015. It was also a Sunday Times chart and stayed in the Top 10 for 10 weeks, and was selected for both the Richard and Judy Book Club and ITV’s Loose Women’s ‘Loose Books’.  It has been translated into 31 languages and has sold more than 600,000 copies to date. Her latest title, 'I See You' is another edge-of-your-seat, page-turning psychological thriller which charted at number three in the Sunday Times hardback bestseller list.  

Quite the achievement for a woman who until 2011 had spent her career - twelve years of it to be precise - in the police force, including time on CID, and as a public order commander.

No surprise that our first question then, was the one in everyone’s head: 

SCBP: Do any of your books contain real life crime encountered during her years in the police?

CM: It might surprise people to know that if the exact truth of CID investigations were to be written it would be an incredibly dull book!  The reality is far more tedious than the films we all love to watch.  I’d say that my books are inspired by real events and real people though, so when I wrote ‘I let you go’, my first book, it was inspired by a real life hit and run.  The ensuing story is very different, but examines the consequences of a serious crime, for both victim and offender. It asks the reader to consider how easy it might be to make the wrong choices?

The second book is less about a real life event and more about people; I wanted to explore how victims’ lives were affected by something like harassment and how much it can change who you are as a person.

SCBP: Why do you think that the genres of crime and psychological thrillers are so popular with readers?

I think that people like to be shocked and frightened.  It’s the same reason we watch horror or put ourselves on a rollercoaster.  That contrast between fear and safety is compelling so when we read a book that scares us, we feel all the safer when the page is turned and closed.

SCBP: Did you always want to write, and if you did, was it always going to be thrillers?

I have always wanted to be a writer but I haven’t always known it would be in this way.  I flirted with other genres and even when I started writing I Let You Go, it wasn’t clear that it would become a psychological thriller.   As the story developed though, it became clear that my background was influencing my writing style.

SCBP: Tell us what you think of Book Week and events like this.

Well, I’m doing five events in three days and I’m really looking forward to it.  It’s a huge honour to be chosen to meet Scottish readers and great to be coming to Perth.

I think it’s very rewarding to meet an author you’ve been reading for years; especially now when we’re seeking out more tangible and 3D experiences.   People interact with their favourite writers on Twitter and Facebook, asking questions about characters and plot – it’s really a step on from that.

For writers too though, it’s great to get good feedback and also stimulating to hear more critical analysis of your work.  It does the creative mind good to get out and meet real people instead of just interacting with the ones in your head!

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Avid readers that we are in the Small City office, we’re now suitably intrigued and off to pick up a copy of ‘I Let You Go’. You can meet Clare Mackintosh during Scottish Book Week at AK Bell Library on Thursday 24th November at 11am.  Tickets are free but booking is essential.  Do this via AKBell Library, online through Eventbrite or by telephoning 01738 47701.

To find out more about events across Perthshire during Scottish Book Week visit our events page here >>> 

To find out more about Clare Mackintosh and her writing, visit her website >>> or follow her on social media:

twitter at @claremackint0sh