Women’s Fiction

Hello, and welcome to my blog! It’s my pleasure to present Kathleen Harryman, an author with an eclectic style and a flair for painting. I appreciate her taking the time to share a little about herself and her new release, Where Friendship is Made and Family Begins.

Kristy: Please tell us a little about yourself.

Kathleen: I live in the beautiful city of York, England, with my husband, two daughters, cat Leo, and dog Reilly. I’m a bit of a history buff, and York with its rich historical values, satisfies the historian within me. It is also a great source of inspiration, which is probably why both my first two books The Other Side of The Looking Glass and When Darkness Falls are set within the dark walls of York.

I’m a bit of a bookworm, and from a very young age I wanted to be an author. Life is a funny thing, and my writing came second when choosing a career and brining up my children. In 2015 I thought it was time to address my childhood dreams and began writing my first book. I have never looked back, and now cannot ever imagine not writing.

I’m still a mum, dog walker, cat looker-after-er, wife, and work full time, so things can be a bit of a jungle; however, I wouldn’t change them. I have so many ideas for new books that I feel very excited about my writing future.

Kristy: What inspired you to write When Darkness Falls?

Kathleen: When I wrote When Darkness Falls, I wanted to write a psychological thriller with a difference. Writing it from the killer’s perspective was an absolute must for me, as this gave me the chance to explore the criminal mind and test the boundaries of what we term as ‘normal’ behavior. Another twist to the normal psychological thrillers on the market today is that the killer is a woman. I’m not giving anything away here, as right from the first chapter the reader becomes aware that the killer is a woman, and her method of killing is not poison!

I’ve found it really interesting how readers have interpreted When Darkness Falls, and I simply love the fact that while the reader cannot condone what the killer has done, they do find themselves understanding her reasons for killing, which I think has created a seesaw of emotions for the reader, because you don’t want to like or understand someone like the Yorkshire Slasher!

There is a certain amount of freedom, when writing from the killers’ perspective that I find fun. It’s like the bad guy in a movie that you don’t want to like, but do.

Kristy: I absolutely loved reading the psychological thriller that has been described by reviewers as “ghoulishly fascinating” and “intense and gory”. Will there be a sequel?

Kathleen: I haven’t discounted a sequel to When Darkness Falls, and I do think it would be fun and interesting to write one, though at the moment I’m not thinking of doing so. My editor asked me the same question, as she found the complexity of the killer’s character to be additive, until she asked me about a sequel, I hadn’t really considered writing one, but now that the idea has formed I’m not prepared to never, just not right now.

Kristy: What do you enjoy most about writing?

Kathleen: The best thing about writing, is everything that I learn during the writing process, whether it’s all the research that gives credibility to the story, or the characters themselves as they develop. Even when I’m not writing, I’m still thinking about the story, and things continue to play around my head as new ideas form. I’ve even found myself laughing as I walk down the street as a scene in my book plays out in my head; I’ve had some odd looks, but it doesn’t bother me.

Kristy: Who designed your book covers?

Kathleen: I have always had a clear view of how I wanted my book covers to look. When I wrote my first book, I put forward the ideas I had in mind to the publisher. By the time my second book When Darkness Falls was due to be published I’d decided that I wanted to fully design the cover, I enjoyed this so much that for now I will continue to do so.

I actually painted the picture for the front cover of my latest book, Where Friendship is Made and Family Begins, which is a collection of poems and is on sale from the 7^th May 2018. The poetry book is very personal to me, as it is dedicated to my dad and therefore it was important for me that every bit of the book meant something special to me.

Kristy: What are you currently working on?

Kathleen: With my poetry book ‘Where Friendship is Made and Family Begins’ due to be released very shortly, I am working on a 1940’s book called ‘Forgotten Love’ with an actress friend of mine Lucy Marshall, who played the Yorkshire Slasher in my promotional film for When Darkness Falls. My grandfather fought in WW2 and died on D-Day and it is with immense pride that I am writing this book with Lucy, which will be based around the 5^th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders, which is the regiment that my grandfather fought under.

I am also in the final stages of writing another thriller The Gas Man, which I am hoping will be out later this year. I have so many ideas, which have been outlined for future books. I can’t ever imagine never having a story on the go.

Kristy: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Kathleen: I would say write, don’t look at other authors and compare your work. You are original, and so should your work be. I could never imagine adapting my writing style to try and be someone else. Each author writes different and we all go through different stages. I tend to know how I want a story to start and finish, the in-between bit is where all the fun happens. Writing should allow you to feel free, free to imagine, inspire, and to be you as the story forms. Each book is a reflection of the author, it was born in their mind and brought to life within a book, to be anybody but you, would stop the book from being an extension of you.

Kristy: What kinds of things do you like do for fun? Hobbies?

Kathleen: I love walking, having a dog that’s a good thing because he’s always ready to out and about. I also like to sketch and paint. I’m terrible because if you were to ask me about a TV program I would probably look at you blankly as I hardly ever watch TV. I would rather be sketching or reading a book.

Kristy: If you could choose any destination in the world to spend six months writing, where would you go and why?

Kathleen: I once went on holiday to the Isle of Sky in Scotland. I absolutely loved it. I could see myself in a small white stone-built house near the sea, with mountains as neighbors. The peace and tranquility would be blissful.

Kristy: Where can readers find your books?

Readers can find my books at:

Amazon: http://author.to/KH-AUTHOR-PAGE

Or at my website: www.kathleenharryman.com

Readers can also find out more about me at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathleenHarrym1

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/httpstcoyo1g8QEBAq

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WriterKH