Who Killed Little Johnny Gill? ~ 2016
Ms. McMaster,
Thank you for taking your time for me ~
Who are your influences?
First and foremost my parents, but there have been several other significant people who have helped shape my writing.
My parents were great influencers for different reasons. When I was growing up our home was filled my books. My mother was a librophile and landed her dream job by working in a bookshop from the tender age of 16. Eventually, she was responsible for book orders. Several times a week she was sent new books by publishers to read and then she would order these titles for the shop if she felt that they had currency. As a result, I always had books at my disposal.
My father was not a reader but he did have a passion for true crime books, particularly those written by a local author of the day, Benjamin Bennett. I remember being 12 years old and morbidly fascinated by the gruesome stories; pouring over crime scene photos of murder and mayhem that no child should see at that age. Luckily, in those days the photos were in black and white! At the time my parents were blissfully unaware of my unusual reading habits as I was reading these stealthily at night from under the bedcovers by torchlight!
Benjamin Bennett was a crime reporter and journalist who then wrote books about the crimes he covered, and would often give plausible scenarios to unsolved cases. I do this too in my novels, so I guess he has had a very large influence in my life as a crime fiction author.
While I was at university completing my double degree in English Literature and Psychology, I was exposed to a number of books from different genres that were part of my course. Books I did not necessarily enjoy. I defy anyone who can tell me that a) they have read James Joyce’s Ulysses from start to finish, and b) they enjoyed it! And so to escape some of these books that were foisted upon me I immersed myself into the realms of John Grisham, Robert Goddard and John E. Douglas. I am a great admirer of John E. Douglas. It was because of him that I went on to do a Criminal Profiling course and then embarked on a Masters of Forensic Science.
When did you begin writing?
When I was 15 I had a lot of angst. I think most teenagers do at that stage in their lives and more particularly in my case as I was an only child. And so initially I took to writing poetry; bad poetry, but poetry, nevertheless. I only ever wrote for myself. From there I dabbled in writing short stories when the spirit moved and writing a few novels that were never sent off to publishers. However, as a mother of three and juggling a full-time career at the same time, for more than thirty years I really didn’t get the time I needed to sit down and write more seriously. Writing was a luxury. Now I have retired, the children have all flown the nest, and I live on our farm in Italy with a husband who works away in order to pay the bills. Instead of wallowing in self-pity in finding myself alone in a foreign country where I butcher their language every time I open my mouth to speak, it became the ideal opportunity to fill in the lonely hours with my writing.
How do you come up with your stories, characters, character names, POV, etc.?
Because of my genre of writing crime fiction based on true events I have an easier time than most. The plot is there for me, all I have to do is to search through old newspapers and find a story that is of interest. All my characters existed in the past and I never change the names in my stories. Sometimes all I have are names and dates, but there are also times where I have been lucky enough to unearth old photos of my characters from historical archives and then I can create a personality around these. I also have a rather vivid imagination, which also helps!
If you could actually meet one of your characters, who would it be? Why?
I would really like to meet little Johnny Gill, the child who was murdered and mutilated in such an horrific and savage way back in 1888 and who is the central character of my debut novel. This was an unsolved murder where I felt that justice had not prevailed. I really want to know who the culprit was! Of course I have my suspicions, but it would be good to have verification. The downside to writing crime fiction based on a true story is that although you have the plot laid out for you, you have to follow where it leads. If you want to change the ending, you can’t! And it was an aspect that was particularly frustrating for me in this story.
Do you work from an outline?
Yes, always. I mind map my book, and then I mind map each chapter. There is an enormous amount of research that needs to be done before I can start and then when I have finished I need to place these facts in some semblance of order. Mind mapping is brilliant for this. I also create a page for each character noting their physical appearances and any flaws, foibles etc. that they may have. It helps with the characterization and also helps me remember that if I start my character off with blue eyes in the beginning of the book, he still has them at the end! If I don’t have pictures of my characters from the archives I look for old photos online that match my idea of what they would have looked like, had I met them. Building my characters is the part of the writing I enjoy the most. Not having an outline to your work is like visiting a city for the first time without a map. It also helps to speed up the writing process.
Tell me about your favorite scene in your novel(s).
It would have to be the scene where the father, Thomas Gill goes to the mortuary to see if the body discovered in an alleyway just yards away from his house is, in fact, his young son. Someone recently wrote to me and said that the way this scene had been written had reduced her to tears. She said that she could only imagine what her adult son must have gone through when he went to identify his sister some years prior. She was unable to go herself due to the fact that she was living half-way around the world from both of them when her daughter had died and she had never asked him about it. I think if I can evoke emotions in my readers, good or bad, then I have done my job as a writer.
Can you tell us a little about your writing philosophy?
I only write what interests me. A writer should aim to entertain, irrespective of the subject, and to do that I try and make sure that my characters are well-developed so that they are believable and the plot is of interest. I also try not to waffle but to move the story along as quickly as I can to maintain that interest. To me, there is nothing worse than having a good plot drowning in descriptive prose.
Have you ever tried writing in any other genres?
When I was very much younger and naïve, I thought that I would be very clever and write a Mills & Boon-type romance for a quick buck, thinking anyone could do it. It was rejected. Now I know they did me a favor! I only write from the heart now about something that I am passionate about. I don’t write for the money. I enjoy being able to craft my stories from events that have fascinated me, or touched me, in some way. I write about murders previously forgotten by time and honor the victims today by telling their story. My writing now has meaning.
Do you have any interesting writing-related anecdotes to share?
When I start writing I become an insomniac. I cannot rest until the story is out. So normally, after I have done my research and my planning, a book will take me about 3 months to write. I write all day, every day, including at 3 o’clock in the morning when inspiration hits me. Although it is an exciting time for me I am also totally exhausted by the end of it!
Do you listen to music as you write?
No, but maybe I should to get those creative juices flowing on a more regular basis!
Again, thank you for taking your time for me. Would you care to add anything Ms. McMaster?
In conclusion, I have been thrilled by the response to my first novel. On the day of its release it hit the number one slot for free Kindle books in the British Historical Fiction category, and it is currently in the top five for the second category. Reviews have been excellent and people are already asking for the next book. I couldn’t have wished for a better reception and I guess I need to get cracking on the next one! Luckily, I have something in the pipeline. It is an unsolved maritime murder mystery involving the death of 3 people on board. Aboard are 10 suspects; a passenger and 9 other crew members. It is a real ‘whodunnit?’!
Thank you for taking your time for me ~
Who are your influences?
First and foremost my parents, but there have been several other significant people who have helped shape my writing.
My parents were great influencers for different reasons. When I was growing up our home was filled my books. My mother was a librophile and landed her dream job by working in a bookshop from the tender age of 16. Eventually, she was responsible for book orders. Several times a week she was sent new books by publishers to read and then she would order these titles for the shop if she felt that they had currency. As a result, I always had books at my disposal.
My father was not a reader but he did have a passion for true crime books, particularly those written by a local author of the day, Benjamin Bennett. I remember being 12 years old and morbidly fascinated by the gruesome stories; pouring over crime scene photos of murder and mayhem that no child should see at that age. Luckily, in those days the photos were in black and white! At the time my parents were blissfully unaware of my unusual reading habits as I was reading these stealthily at night from under the bedcovers by torchlight!
Benjamin Bennett was a crime reporter and journalist who then wrote books about the crimes he covered, and would often give plausible scenarios to unsolved cases. I do this too in my novels, so I guess he has had a very large influence in my life as a crime fiction author.
While I was at university completing my double degree in English Literature and Psychology, I was exposed to a number of books from different genres that were part of my course. Books I did not necessarily enjoy. I defy anyone who can tell me that a) they have read James Joyce’s Ulysses from start to finish, and b) they enjoyed it! And so to escape some of these books that were foisted upon me I immersed myself into the realms of John Grisham, Robert Goddard and John E. Douglas. I am a great admirer of John E. Douglas. It was because of him that I went on to do a Criminal Profiling course and then embarked on a Masters of Forensic Science.
When did you begin writing?
When I was 15 I had a lot of angst. I think most teenagers do at that stage in their lives and more particularly in my case as I was an only child. And so initially I took to writing poetry; bad poetry, but poetry, nevertheless. I only ever wrote for myself. From there I dabbled in writing short stories when the spirit moved and writing a few novels that were never sent off to publishers. However, as a mother of three and juggling a full-time career at the same time, for more than thirty years I really didn’t get the time I needed to sit down and write more seriously. Writing was a luxury. Now I have retired, the children have all flown the nest, and I live on our farm in Italy with a husband who works away in order to pay the bills. Instead of wallowing in self-pity in finding myself alone in a foreign country where I butcher their language every time I open my mouth to speak, it became the ideal opportunity to fill in the lonely hours with my writing.
How do you come up with your stories, characters, character names, POV, etc.?
Because of my genre of writing crime fiction based on true events I have an easier time than most. The plot is there for me, all I have to do is to search through old newspapers and find a story that is of interest. All my characters existed in the past and I never change the names in my stories. Sometimes all I have are names and dates, but there are also times where I have been lucky enough to unearth old photos of my characters from historical archives and then I can create a personality around these. I also have a rather vivid imagination, which also helps!
If you could actually meet one of your characters, who would it be? Why?
I would really like to meet little Johnny Gill, the child who was murdered and mutilated in such an horrific and savage way back in 1888 and who is the central character of my debut novel. This was an unsolved murder where I felt that justice had not prevailed. I really want to know who the culprit was! Of course I have my suspicions, but it would be good to have verification. The downside to writing crime fiction based on a true story is that although you have the plot laid out for you, you have to follow where it leads. If you want to change the ending, you can’t! And it was an aspect that was particularly frustrating for me in this story.
Do you work from an outline?
Yes, always. I mind map my book, and then I mind map each chapter. There is an enormous amount of research that needs to be done before I can start and then when I have finished I need to place these facts in some semblance of order. Mind mapping is brilliant for this. I also create a page for each character noting their physical appearances and any flaws, foibles etc. that they may have. It helps with the characterization and also helps me remember that if I start my character off with blue eyes in the beginning of the book, he still has them at the end! If I don’t have pictures of my characters from the archives I look for old photos online that match my idea of what they would have looked like, had I met them. Building my characters is the part of the writing I enjoy the most. Not having an outline to your work is like visiting a city for the first time without a map. It also helps to speed up the writing process.
Tell me about your favorite scene in your novel(s).
It would have to be the scene where the father, Thomas Gill goes to the mortuary to see if the body discovered in an alleyway just yards away from his house is, in fact, his young son. Someone recently wrote to me and said that the way this scene had been written had reduced her to tears. She said that she could only imagine what her adult son must have gone through when he went to identify his sister some years prior. She was unable to go herself due to the fact that she was living half-way around the world from both of them when her daughter had died and she had never asked him about it. I think if I can evoke emotions in my readers, good or bad, then I have done my job as a writer.
Can you tell us a little about your writing philosophy?
I only write what interests me. A writer should aim to entertain, irrespective of the subject, and to do that I try and make sure that my characters are well-developed so that they are believable and the plot is of interest. I also try not to waffle but to move the story along as quickly as I can to maintain that interest. To me, there is nothing worse than having a good plot drowning in descriptive prose.
Have you ever tried writing in any other genres?
When I was very much younger and naïve, I thought that I would be very clever and write a Mills & Boon-type romance for a quick buck, thinking anyone could do it. It was rejected. Now I know they did me a favor! I only write from the heart now about something that I am passionate about. I don’t write for the money. I enjoy being able to craft my stories from events that have fascinated me, or touched me, in some way. I write about murders previously forgotten by time and honor the victims today by telling their story. My writing now has meaning.
Do you have any interesting writing-related anecdotes to share?
When I start writing I become an insomniac. I cannot rest until the story is out. So normally, after I have done my research and my planning, a book will take me about 3 months to write. I write all day, every day, including at 3 o’clock in the morning when inspiration hits me. Although it is an exciting time for me I am also totally exhausted by the end of it!
Do you listen to music as you write?
No, but maybe I should to get those creative juices flowing on a more regular basis!
Again, thank you for taking your time for me. Would you care to add anything Ms. McMaster?
In conclusion, I have been thrilled by the response to my first novel. On the day of its release it hit the number one slot for free Kindle books in the British Historical Fiction category, and it is currently in the top five for the second category. Reviews have been excellent and people are already asking for the next book. I couldn’t have wished for a better reception and I guess I need to get cracking on the next one! Luckily, I have something in the pipeline. It is an unsolved maritime murder mystery involving the death of 3 people on board. Aboard are 10 suspects; a passenger and 9 other crew members. It is a real ‘whodunnit?’!
Thank you for giving me this opportunity! I really enjoyed your questions!
Kathryn
www.kathrynmcmaster.com
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