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****Wendy H Jones’s KILLER’S
COUNTDOWN is #107 in the never-ending series called INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION where
the Chris Rice Cooper Blog (CRC)
focuses on one specific excerpt from a fiction genre and how that fiction
writer wrote that specific excerpt. All INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION links
are at the end of this piece.
Name of fiction work?
And were there other names you considered that you would like to share with us?
Killer’s
Countdown is the first book in the DI Shona
McKenzie Mysteries. The title actually went through several iterations most of
which I can’t remember now, however the very first one was Murder in Time. It sounded a bit too cozy mystery to me and this
series is definitely not cozy. In the end the word Killer ended up in all the
books in the series and every second word begins with C. It’s all part of the
branding.
Fiction genre? Ex science fiction, short story, fantasy
novella, romance, drama, crime, plays, flash fiction, historical, comedy, movie
script, screenplay, etc. This is crime fiction and the
sub-genre is Police Procedural. However, it is slightly unusual in that the
reader sees the killer’s story alongside the police story, although they don’t
know who the killer is..
Has this been published?
And it is totally fine if the answer is no.
If yes, what publisher and what publication date? The
book was published in 2014 and is published under my own imprint of Scott and
Lawson.
What is the date you
began writing this piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished
the piece of fiction? I started writing
the book in 2012 and finished it in early 2014. The first draft was written in
a month and then I spent the intervening time editing, re-editing and editing again.
Where did you do most of
your writing for this fiction work? And
please describe in detail. It
was mainly written at my iMac computer in my office at home in Dundee,
Scotland. I am very fortunate to have a large office, which also doubles as a library.
I would like to say I designed this but I would be lying. When I bought the
house everything was already in place. However, I did write some of it on
trains etc. using my Macbook Air laptop. I can write anywhere especially since
Macs sync to the cloud.
What were your writing
habits while writing this work- did you drink something as you wrote, listen to
music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop; specific time of day? I’m
a real technophile and do everything at a computer. I jot notes down on my
phone and iPad using the Evernote app. I can then copy and paste when I get to
my computer. Saying that, I usually have a notebook handy and jot notes down as
well. I usually have a cup of tea or coffee by my side and I work in silence.
Unless I am on the train when I use earphones and play music to block out
ambient noise that might distract me. Anyone distracting me on a train when I
am writing might find themselves written into the novel. As I write crime
novels this may not end well.
What is the summary of
the KILLER’S COUNTOWN? Dead Women. A Ruthless Killer. A Detective with something to
prove. Newly promoted Detective Inspector Shona McKenzie struggles to cope with
her new job, the respect of her colleagues, and the need to solve the hardest
case of her life. Will she succeed?
A killer stalks the
streets of Dundee, Scotland. Shona, having recently returned to Scotland,
relies on the local knowledge of Sgt Peter Johnston and the rest of her team to
help her track down the killer. However, this is no ordinary killer. Shona
needs to use every trick in and out of the book to bring them to justice. The
final revelation will shock you to the core.
Can you give the reader
just enough information for them to understand what is going on in the excerpt?
This is a flash-forward to a scene later in the book when DI
Shona McKenzie is in a standoff with the killer. It sets the tone for the book
and introduces the reader to the characters and the way they react in an
explosive situation.
Please include just one
excerpt and include page numbers as reference.
This one excerpt can be as short or as long as you prefer.
As I stared
down the barrel of that gun I had a feeling, deep inside, that this would not
end well. How did I find myself here, deep in the bowels of a frozen Scottish
wood, eye to eye with the business end of a Browning Pistol? As I stood,
motionless, adrenalin heightened my senses. The rough bark of the tree was cold
against my skin as sweat froze on my neck. Acid bile rose in my throat,
burning, threatening to erupt. I swallowed against this lava flow of vomit. I
could see the gunman’s face with startling clarity, lit by the cool winter sun.
Blue eyes. Devoid of any emotion. This was a killer’s mask. The hand, holding
the gun, was unwavering. This was a hand that was strong, with only one purpose
in mind. The chase ended here. Before the day was out, one of the two
participants in this chilling game of cat and mouse would be dead. Of this I
was certain.
Why is this excerpt so emotional for you as a
writer to write? And can you describe
your own emotional experience of writing this specific excerpt? Even reading this now the excerpt gives me chills. It
transports me to that frozen wood and I can feel the tension crackling off the
page. This scene, the opening chapter of the book, was written to allow the
reader to be transported to a wintry Dundee and to get inside the heads of both
the protagonist and antagonist. Whilst writing it I felt a subliminal fear and
yet a feeling of excitement, knowing this would be the first published words of
mine the reader would see.
Were there any deletions
from this excerpt that you can share with us? And can you please include a
photo of your marked up rough drafts of this excerpt. As
I write on a computer I don’t keep any rough drafts of work, so unfortunately I
am unable to share them. However, I can say that the first line was not always
the first line. I took the whole of the first paragraph and moved it to later
in the book. The current first line was further down still but I felt it worked
better as the opening. In fact, you could say it is a killer first line.
Other works you have
published?
Cass Claymore Investigates
Antiques and Alibis
DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries
Killer’s
Craft
Killer’s
Cross
Killer’s
Cut
Killer’s
Crew
Killer’s
Crypt
Fergus and
Flora Mysteries
The
Dagger’s Curse
The Haunted
Broch
Bertie the
Buffalo Series (Children’s Picture Books)
Bertie the
Buffalo
Non-Fiction
Motivation
Matters: Revolutionise Your Writing One Creative Step at a Time
Power
Packed Book Marketing: Sell More Books
Edited
Anthologies
New Life:
Reflections for Lent
Christmas
for Everyone
Anything you would like
to add? I consider it an absolute privilege to be an author and am
grateful to everyone who helped me along the way. In order to give back to
other authors, I am honoured to be President of the Scottish Association of
Writers, Secretary of the Society of Authors in Scotland and Webmaster of the
Association of Christian Writers.
Award Winning Author
Wendy H. Jones
lives in Scotland, and her police procedural series featuring Detective
Inspector Shona McKenzie, is set in the beautiful city of Dundee, Scotland.
Wendy has led a varied and adventurous life.
Her love for adventure led to her joining the Royal Navy to
undertake nurse training. After six years in the Navy she joined the Army where
she served as an Officer for a further 17 years. This took her all over the
world including Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. Much of her spare
time is now spent travelling around the UK, and lands much further afield. As
well as nursing Wendy also worked for many years in Academia.
This led to publication in academic textbooks and journals. Killer's
Crew, the fifth book in the DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries, published by
Books to Treasure, won the Books Go Social Book of the Year 2017. The
Dagger's Curse is the first book in The Fergus and Flora Mysteries for
Young Adults, was a finalist in the Woman Alive Magazine Readers Choice Award
Book of the Year.
Sarah Grace Publishing
released Bertie the Buffalo, her first picture book, in November 2018.
She is a popular public speaker, both nationally and internationally, and took
a six-week book tour of the East Coast of the United Stares in August and
September 2019.
https://www.wendyhjones.com
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