Panel 1: Serial Killer Thrillers
Rebecca Bradley | Steven Dunne | Jane Isaac | Craig Robertson
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Selected quotes from live Q&As with readers:
Rebecca Bradley | Steven Dunne | Jane Isaac | Craig Robertson
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Selected quotes from live Q&As with readers:
Rebecca Bradley: It wasn’t until I started to approach a birthday that scared the crap out of me that I decided to sit down and do it. After all, we only have the one life so we should all do what we want to do!
Craig Robertson: I read a lot - A LOT - about serial killers to get an idea of what drives them, what made them into the monsters they were. But probably the main inspiration for my own guy came from deep within my own imagination. I knew who he was and what made him. He grew from there.
Steven Dunne: I'm fascinated by why people kill especially those amongst who are planning to kill on a regular basis. I think that's a much more interesting question than how people are killing.
Jane Isaac: I've always loved the twists and turns of crime thrillers so I think it was a natural choice. I did start off writing romance short stories, but always felt the need to kill someone off!
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Selected quotes from round table discussion between authors
On writing crime fiction:
Craig Robertson: Basically our job is to ensure that our killers scare the shit out of people.
Jane Isaac: I do scare myself sometimes - not so much when I'm writing, but when I read it back... I read tons of true crime, look into their backgrounds, then chip bits together to make up my antagonists. I'm fascinated by the background of what makes someone a killer and spend ages on my back story so I know them really well, although not much of this probably gets into the book!
Rebecca Bradley: I think my time in the force definitely helped me create Hannah, especially as I was writing from first person point of view for her. Not that I'm her! But, I do understand more of what is happening...I am quite good at compartmentalising, but that's something I learned to do in the job.
Steven Dunne: I try to make my killers normal if the premise of the novel will allow it. I also have to give them a plausible and maybe even sympathetic reason for what they do. I'm not above a bit of Grand Guignol like Hannibal Lektor though as readers of The Reaper will know.
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On the best way to kill people:Craig Robertson: I bumped someone off with pure liquid nicotine. I liked that. It was pretty messy but that's no bad thing.
Rebecca Bradley: I loved your glue, Craig.
Steven Dunne: Glue?
Craig Robertson: If I remember right, I taped over the victim's mouth with duck tape then used super glue to stick their nostrils together. They suffocate pretty quickly after that... I think I stole it from a real-life killing. It's pretty effective.
Steven Dunne: Quality MO, Craig. You sick puppy. LOL.
Craig Robertson: Thanks Steven. I wear that badge with pride.
Steven Dunne: I don't like violence so I just get the victims out of the way with as little fuss as possible. Throat cut usually.
Craig Robertson: I love how Steven thinks that cutting someone's throat isn't violent. [smiles] Only a crime writer...
Jane Isaac: I like to explore different methods, but like Steven I tend to avoid the graphic violence because I don't like it myself. Mine are more psychological. I leave the graphic violence to the reader’s imagination.
Steven Dunne: Victim disposal? Any comments. I've covered the pig-feeding now. Wondering about insects now.
Craig Robertson: Insects take ages.
Rebecca Bradley: Wood chipper?
Steven Dunne: I've got time. And a large vat of honey.
Craig Robertson: If you've got time then insects would work. Honey would mess with it though.
Steven Dunne: I'm learning a lot here. Please submit a remittance, Craig.
Jane Isaac: I researched entomology for my last book - what a minefield. Climate and all sorts have an effect!
Steven Dunne: Think I'll be leaving the insects alone then, Jane. I didn't get into writing to work hard. That Jessica Fletcher barely writes a word.
Craig Robertson: The problem with honey and dead bodies is that attracts the wrong kind of insects. And you don't want that. The wrong crowd spoils a good party.
Rebecca Bradley: Talking of victim disposal, how much research do you need to do for that?
Craig Robertson: Plenty Rebecca but as with all this you have to be careful. I'm sure all our internet history (and I don't mean that other stuff Steven) would get us into serious trouble.
Rebecca Bradley: I researched sarin just before the bloody Olympics! Idiot.
Jane Isaac: If they look at our internet history I'm doomed!
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More about the authors on our website: http://britcrime.com
More about the panels here: http://britcrime.com/panelsat
