When I was completing the extremely helpful Jericho Writers online course, there was a section about themes in books. The idea is that a novel has a theme or themes which thread their way through the story, and that these can't necessarily be planned by the author, who may find them emerging as the book progresses. In writing the Twist in the Tale novels, I've been very focussed on plot, which I guess is inevitable with crime, but I was thrilled to read writer Sandy Nork's review of The Soloist, which she described as 'A fascinating look at family relationships and manipulation'. As I came to the end of my first draft of The Narcissist a few days ago, I realised that families are at the centre of all my novels. Crime isn't interesting in and of itself - it's the people who are caught up in it and their lives that intrigue us most.
