#Blogtour #QandA One To Watch by @RachelAmphlett @emmamitchellfpr

I am delighted to be on tour with author Rachel Amphlett, who has joined me today in a Q & A session where she shares her thoughts on Super-Powers and reviews!!

One to Watch is a gripping murder mystery thriller, and the third in the Detective Kay Hunter series, following on from Scared to Death and Will To Live (Click for my reviews).

One to Watch will be published on 7th June 2017…

Hi Rachel. It’s lovely to have you drop by for a chat today pre-publication and thank you so much for answering all my questions. It’s always so interesting to ‘get’ into the mind of a writer…..

How important are the names in your book? Do you choose that the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?

Names are very important for me when writing a book.

I agonised over Kay Hunter’s name for months – I simply couldn’t settle on something that I’d be happy to have for a whole series. It was so important to have a name for my lead detective that would sound right and that had longevity, so I wanted a name that was simple, but still managed to pack a punch and wouldn’t become dated quickly. I’m very glad I took the time to choose her name though, because now I can’t imagine it being anything else!

Are you a plotter or pantster?

I used to be a complete pantser, but you only waste 20,000 words of a book once before you take a long hard look at your writing process!

I used to say I’m a plotter these days, but in reality, I’m a bit of both.

Once I have an idea for a story, I’ll divide it up into five parts (the same structure as a play or film script), make sure I know what the “lift” points are for the end of each of those (the parts that keep the reader turning the pages). I think of it like a basic scaffold to keep my characters on track, without restricting them – it’s amazing what nuggets of story will come out of writing dialogue between characters, so I do give myself a bit of flexibility.

Do you read your reviews? Do you respond to them if they are particularly good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

I try not to read reviews so much these days – I get too upset at the bad ones that are nasty for the sake of it. I don’t mind constructive criticism; I’ve always learned from it and it’s helped improve my writing, to be honest.

I’d like to think reviews benefit readers more than me as a writer by giving a level of comfort about the quality of the story so a new reader will give me a go.

Having said that, I do value every review I receive – the time it takes for someone to write a few words to help me reach new readers is always appreciated.

What is your least favourite part of the writing/publishing process?

I can’t honestly think of anything I don’t enjoy about the writing process, and I’m hoping it remains that way as I want to be writing and publishing for a very long time yet!

What are your favourite and least favourite types of scenes to write?

Well, with the Dan Taylor espionage books, it’s always fun to write the scenes where I’m blowing stuff up or shooting bad guys and with the Kay Hunter series, I really like the banter between her and Adam (her other half), and the rest of her team – especially Barnes.

That’s what I like about having two series – the Dan Taylor one has great characters but is slightly more plot-driven, whereas the Kay Hunter series is purely character-driven.

My least favourite scenes tend to be the ones where I’ve jumped in too soon without doing enough research first. If I find myself struggling with one like that, I’ll park it and move onto another scene until I’ve got my research done – then the scene is much easier to write.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?

I’d like the ability of being able to relax and switch off from everything a bit more than I’m capable of at the moment. Maybe I could be the Chill Out Chick … sauntering around to rid the world of stress …?!

One To Watch will be published on 7th June 2017. For further details about Rachel Amphlett and her novels, please continue to read… For more fabulous posts from my fellow bloggers you can follow the tour (details attached)

Book Info:

Sophie Whittaker shared a terrifying secret. Hours later, she was dead.

Detective Kay Hunter and her colleagues are shocked by the vicious murder of a teenage girl at a private party in the Kentish countryside.

A tangled web of dark secrets is exposed as twisted motives point to a history of greed and corruption within the tight-knit community.

Confronted by a growing number of suspects and her own enemies who are waging a vendetta against her, Kay makes a shocking discovery that will make her question her trust in everyone she knows.

About the Author:

Rachel Amphlett is the bestselling author of the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the new Detective Kay Hunter series, as well as a number of standalone crime thrillers. Originally from the UK and currently based in Brisbane, Australia, Rachel’s novels appeal to a worldwide audience, and have been compared to Robert Ludlum, Lee Child and Michael Crichton. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with the Italian foreign rights for her debut novel, White Gold, being sold to Fanucci Editore’s TIMECrime imprint in 2014, and the first four books in the Dan Taylor espionage series contracted to Germany’s Luzifer Verlag in 2017. An advocate for knowledge within the publishing industry, Rachel is always happy to share her experiences to a wider audience through her blogging and speaking engagements.

Website ~ http://www.rachelamphlett.com/

Twitter ~ @RachelAmphlett

Instagram ~ @RachelAmphlett