Shirley Wells

Contact Details
Website: www.shirleywells.com

Latest Release

Interview

Can you give some background details on your crime series?

The Jill Kennedy & DCI Max Trentham novels are set against the backdrop of the Lancashire Pennines.

Characterisation or plot, which do you think is more important?

To me, character is all important. If I've enjoyed a book, the characters will stay in my mind long after the plot is forgotten.

Do you have a clear structure or plot development when you are writing or are you sometimes surprised by who the killer turns out to be?

I start to write as soon as I have a vague idea of what happens in chapter one. I rarely know who the killer is until I'm very close to the end of the story.

Do you have trouble letting go of your characters when you have finished a book?

I'm lucky in that I'm writing a series and, therefore, don't have to say goodbye to my characters.

Do you stick to a strict routine when you write?

I try to stick to a routine, but self-discipline has never been a strong point. I always start my day by taking my dogs for a walk (that's when I try to get the day's writing clear in my mind). Back at my desk, I answer emails and deal with any other correspondence, update my web site or blog if necessary, then settle down to write around one thousand words.

For the new reader could you give us a 'potted-history' of your career as a writer?

I submitted my first short story to a women's magazine in 1983. I knew nothing of the publishing world, but I was thrilled when I heard it would be published. Rejections followed, of course, but I was hooked. When I'd had several hundred short stories published, both in the UK and abroad, I was asked to write a serial. I wrote several of those, mostly in the romance/family saga genre, then was asked to write a novel, a love story set during the second world war. As a reader, I've always enjoyed crime fiction and, in 2004, I finally took the plunge and wrote one. The result was Into the Shadows.

How much research do you do in writing your novels?

As little as possible!

Is there a book out there you would have liked to have written?

There are hundreds!

What are you working on at the moment?

I'm currently working on the third novel in the Jill Kennedy & DCI Max Trentham series.

What do you want your readers to get out of the book?

I want my readers to be entertained. I hope they'll enjoy getting to know the characters as much as I enjoy creating them.

View the whole Jill Kennedy and DCI Max Trentham series.