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Interview With The Deadly Spark Author Roxie Key

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Did you always want to be a writer?

I think so. I used to write short stories about my childhood pet cats as superheroes. I didn’t think too much of it until I was tasked with writing a short story for my GCSE coursework. My English teacher told me I should be a writer, and something clicked in my brain. That’s when I knew. After completing my creative writing degree, I attempted to write several children’s fantasy stories before I realised that takes a certain kind of brain – one which I don’t possess! It wasn’t until I picked up Jane Casey’s The Missing, I thought yes! Maybe I could do this. And the more crime fiction I read, the more certain I became that it was what I wanted to do.

What books did you read growing up?

I was an Enid Blyton kinda kid. I had alllll the books. My dad used to read me bedtime stories every night he was home without fail, and we worked our way through The Famous Five series pretty quickly. I remember reading a lot of Dick King Smith, and later went on to discover the Harry Potter series which I fully immersed myself in to. When I got older, I was really into The Lord of the Rings and Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. I truly didn’t see the crime fiction obsession coming!

What was the idea behind The Deadly Spark?

A few things sparked the idea, one of which I can’t tell you about as it’ll reveal something I really don’t want you to know yet… the killer’s identity! But honestly? The reason I wanted to write about a deadly fire was because it’s one of my biggest phobias, ever since we were shown a video at primary school about how quickly a house can go up in flames. Fire is so beautiful but so destructive, so dramatic, and the mental image of a burning house is so emotive, so naturally, it’s great to write about. And of course, I find inspiration in everything I read, from Gillian McAllister’s incredible characterisation and Louise Jensen’s beautiful description, to Jane Casey’s expert procedural plotting and Clare Mackintosh’s killer twists and reveals.

Can you tell us about your publishing journey?

I started writing The Deadly Spark in the summer of 2019, just after my honeymoon. After many, many rejections, I finally met my dream literary agent Maddalena Cavaciuti on Twitter in 2020. We polished the manuscript together, and landed a contract with HQ early 2021, and it’s been a rollercoaster ever since – not just the publishing journey, but I also managed to have a baby in that time. The book finally launched in May 2024, and I spent 6 months in a bit of a whirlwind of author events, sending out press releases and refreshing the reviews pages. I’m currently out of contract and excited at the idea of working with a new publisher!

What’s your writing routine?

I like to have each act and each chapter planned so I know more or less what’s happening. That way I find the writing and creativity flows better as I’m not worrying so much about plot issues further down the line. Once it’s all planned out, chapter by chapter, I snatch any time I can between my full-time job and parenting my crazy toddler, and write what I can when I can (and try not to stress about it). I can’t have dedicated writing time with my current situation so things are a bit slower than I’d like them to be.

Who are your favourite authors and books?

As mentioned above, I’m a huge fan of Gillian McAllister, Louise Jensen, Jane Casey and Clare Mackintosh – these are the authors I’ll read anything they’ve ever written. I’ve recently discovered Erin Kelly after reading The House of Mirrors and now I’m a little bit obsessed. Louise Minchin’s Isolation Island was SO good, Rob Parker’s The Troubled Deep was absolutely brilliant, and Robert Rutherford’s Seven Days was addictive. I do occasionally read outside of the crime fiction genre – although it doesn’t happen often – and I recently fell in love with Rachel Greenlaw’s Compass & Blade… a stunning book. 

What’s your favourite thing about being a writer?

It has to be reading people’s responses to the book. Luckily for me, they’ve been mostly positive, so reading reviews, seeing social media posts about it, and attending book club meet ups has been such a lovely experience. I’ve also really enjoyed being on author panel events during my debut year – they were a LOT of fun.

And the least?

The waiting… the uncertainty… the fear of failure and rejection. I’m not sure if I can pick just one. There’s a lot to deal with along the way, and I don’t think I felt like a real author until the first time I walked into Waterstones and saw my book sitting on the shelf. Imposter syndrome is a big issue for a lot of authors I’ve spoken to, and it’s pretty hard to shake it off.

What’s next? 

I have a few things on the go. The follow up to The Deadly Spark is almost finished, and I need to find a home for it. I’m working on a standalone thriller which I can’t reveal too much about just yet, but I’m super excited about it. And I’m dabbling in the world of lesbian rom coms with a new idea that I want to get stuck into. I’ve also got my first piece in Mslexia Magazine being published in March, and it’s all about marketing ideas for authors – do check it out if you can!

www.roxiekey.com

THE DEADLY SPARK
published by HQ (HarperCollins)

Roxie Key is a crime thriller author from Northampton, where she lives with her wife, Laura, and their daughter, Hallie. She has always been a writer; although the stories she wrote as a child about her pets will never see the light of day, she knew from a young age that one day she wanted to see her name on a book cover. Roxie studied Creative & Media Writing at Middlesex University and then went on to become a copywriter for a global brand. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found swimming, reading, or gaming.

EVONNE WAREHAM ON HQ & HQ DIGITAL’S 2022 CRIME SHOWCASE

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Photo credit: Sian Trenberth Photography

This was a virtual glimpse at what these publishers have coming from their crime authors in 2022, giving the writers the opportunity to talk briefly about their new work.

It was a varied selection but in all cases the importance of character and location were emphasised – and as in all good crime novels there was a lot of talk about secrets.

The books were grouped to give an idea of their themes. First up was the category classed as jet set thrillers. I confess that this was the one that most appealed to me, being closest to what I like to read and write.

Ross Armstrong spoke about The Getaway – set on a private island in Greece where a multi millionaire and his entourage escape to the perfect sunshine holiday. Then someone dies. Scott Kershaw introduced his debut, The Game – five strangers drawn into a deadly contest that they don’t understand, to save the lives of their loved ones.

The next category was City Crime. Getting grittier now, two police procedurals with locations with an authentic feel in London and Yorkshire. Nadine Matheson’s The Binding Room is set in Deptford. A secret room in a church heralds a story involving a serial killer. John Barlow’s Leeds set To the Grave introduces the disturbing premise of a woman who knows she will be murdered.

For the books classed as Countryside Crime remote evocative locations were the key – isolation and unpredictable weather. In Amanda Jennings’ The Haven a self sufficient commune on Bodmin Moor appears idyllic, until things begin to unravel. Neil Lancaster’s police procedural The Blood Tide roves across Scotland from city to countryside with a story of betrayal and corruption. A debut from T Orr Munroe – who was once a CSI officer – Breakneck Point introduces a protagonist from the same profession, exiled to north Devon after exposing corruption, then encountering a serial killer that no-one else believes in.

The next category, Claustrophobic Thrillers, was definitely not for me, but it was good to see fellow Crime Cymru author Louise Mumford presenting her latest book. These stories focussed on confined settings and intense relationships. Louise’s second book The Safe House explores a reclusive mother/daughter relationship that might be one of safety or entrapment. More mothers from Helen Monks Takhar. This time, in Such a Good Mother it is the closed circle of mothers from an elite school and the new recruit who is invited to join them. Louise Hare’s Miss Aldridge Regrets takes place on a transatlantic voyage on the Queen Mary in 1936.  A nightclub singer is offered the chance of a lifetime if she travels to New York. But then comes murder.

The last category was High Concept – and these were unusual crimes. You might call them techno-thrillers. David Koepp’s Aurora is based on the Carrington Event, a geomagnetic solar storm that occurred in 1859, causing auroras in the sky and wiping out the telegraph system. Koepp’s contemporary scenario extinguishes the technology on which Earth now depends so heavily, possibly for years, and follows two characters, one prepared, one not.  The latest book from Linwood Barclay Look Both Ways is perhaps the most intriguing of all the new offerings. Unlike his regular thrillers this one, which he characterised as more like a Michael Crichton, has an island community where the self driving cars have turned homicidal and are hunting.

Plenty of exciting sounding new books here for the spring and summer, whatever your taste in crime.

 

Evonne Wareham PhD writes  romantic thrillers and a romantic comedy with a touch of crime. Her novel A Villa in Portofino was a finalist for the RNA’s Jackie Collins Award 2022.

 

 

 

Postman’s Park by Margaret Graham

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There I was, slouching about in London with ‘he who must be disobeyed’ in search of the Postman’s Park. Have you been? If not, nip along. It’s almost next door to the Museum of London. It’ll pull at your heartstrings.

Postman’s Park is on the site of the former HQ of the General Post Office, and is one of the largest parks in the City of London. It is tucked away almost next to the Museum of London, at St Martin’s le Grand, EC1A.Tube: St Paul’s.
Buses: 4, 8, 25, 56, 100, 172, 242

When you see the blue old police box, just turn into the gates. The Postman’s Park opened in 1880 on the site of the former churchyard and burial ground of St. Botolph’s Aldersgate.

As you enter you will see ahead of you, and beyond the circular flowerbed, a loggia and long wall.  It is this you must head for, past the headstones, past office workers eating their lunch, past the circular bed, lovely though it is.

Your goal is Victorian painter and sculptor George Frederick Watt’s wall of ceramic memorial tables honouring the self sacrifice of ordinary people.

In 1900 Watt’s felt driven to create this memorial, determined that acts of bravery performed by ordinary people should be commemorated.

Only four of the memorial tablets were in place at the time of its opening, with a further nine tablets added during Watts’s lifetime.

Watts’s wife, Mary, took over the project after Watts’s death in 1904, and oversaw the installation of a further 35 memorial tablets as well as a sculpture of her husband.

Later, increasingly pre-occupied with the Watts Gallery, which still features her husband’s work at Compton, near Guildford, she ceased involvement, and only five further tablets were added during her lifetime.

In 1972, key elements of the park were designated Grade 11 listed. Following the 2004 film Closer, which set some key scenes within Postman’s Park, interest was stirred again. Recently, a free mobile app, The Everyday Heroes of Postman’s Park was launched which documents those commemorated on the memorial. New tablets are still being added. Mary and George would have been delighted.

I remember the plaque I came across in the West Australian bush, when researching a novel for Heinemann. The plaque commemorated a young girl who lay across her siblings when a bush fire raged over them on their way home from school. She died, they survived.

Ordinary people do extraordinary things, not the least being our young troops out on patrol day after day in war zones. It is right and good that we remember every one of these ordinary people. Are you supporting the Invectus Games? I do hope so.