Author Interview: Angela Marsons

In the past year I have read some great mystery and thriller novels, however, my Favourite debut author within these genres was Angela Marsons. Her debut novel Silent Scream had the perfect mix of thrills, mystery, great characters as well as what felt like a true to life police procedural (I have also read her second book Evil Games with a review to come but it is great as well). Angela knows how to push the boundaries with the first two novel and each book is not a copy of the other (which we all know can happen in series).

Please Welcome to Blood Rose Books Today:

Angela Marsons

Your first works as an author were self-published, what was the process like from going from a self-published author to signing a four book deal with Bookouture? And speaking with your book deal, I know that it was for 4 D.I. Kim Stone novels but how many books do you imagine the series could go for?

My self-published books were stories that I wrote before I turned to crime, in a fictional sense of course! Both stories burned inside me as I have always been interested in exploring the complexities of relationships.  I didn’t actually try to market the books at all and had maybe a couple of sales each month.  I have been trying for over 20 years to share my work and Bookouture finally gave me a chance to do this.  I was originally signed for four books but am now signed for eight Kim Stone novels.  I have a Kim notebook where I write all my ideas for issues I would like her to explore so there are quite a few ideas to work through yet.

Your series featuring D.I. Stone is within the mystery/thriller genre which is a hard genre to get a following in as there are many well-known and well followed authors within it. How do you think that your novels differ from other authors within this genre?

Oh, good question. I can only really go on what readers have said which is they enjoy the odd splash of humour and the banter between the two main characters.  I think also because I spent many years writing character driven stories it is now second nature to really make the characters as full and realistic as I possibly can, even if they only have a small part.  I still have to know everything about them. 

What do you think are the essentials to make a great crime thriller novel?
I love to read crime too and for me I have to be behind the main character. I don’t necessarily have to like them but I have to understand them.  Another thing I look for is the posing of questions and answers.  One of my favourite books ever is Disclosure by Michael Crichton.  It’s the only book that caused me to call in sick for work as I couldn’t put it down.  After reading it once I had to read it again to understand how he had reeled me in so successfully.  I found that he would only answer one question once he had posed another that I absolutely had to know before putting the book down.

What do you think would be the hardest or most challenging genre to write a novel in and why?

I think I would struggle to write a horror book.  It is the genre that I am least attracted to reading as I can only read about blood and gore for so long before I am totally inured against it so I don’t think I could write a horror novel.

What I appreciate of your novels so far is that there is never just one case there are always more that require the Detective Inspectors attention, and to me this rings really true to an actual police section. What type of research have you done to ensure that the police environment is accurate?

I used to work quite closely with the police in my old job as a Security Manager but I also have the Police procedure book (PACE Regulations) on my shelf to make sure I get the offences and wording correct.  Anything I’m not sure of I check on the internet to make sure I’m getting the most current information.  I like to have a couple of cases in the books so that if the reader guesses the culprit of the main case there is still a little bit of mystery.

D.I. Kim Stone has found her refuge in salvaging and rebuilding old motorcycles is it you or someone you know that has the passion for motorcycles and restoration of them?

I used to ride a moped for many years but I don’t think that counts! I just knew that anything Kim did in her spare time would have to involve a puzzle of some kind because her brain never stops working and she finds it hard to switch off.  As soon as I thought about restoring old motorcycles I knew that was the right thing for her character.  I like that she rides brand new powerful motorcycles but likes to restore the classics.

In your novel Evil Games, you really put Kim mentally to the test with her battle against a Sociopath, why did you choose Sociopath over Psychopath? I’m attached to Kim as a reader was it hard to put her through that as her creator?

Blimey, that is a fantastic question.  I chose sociopath for a few reasons.  The first is that the association with the term psychopath tends to be that of a violent killer.  That isn’t the picture I had in my head for Alex.  Sociopaths exist in plain sight and are often charming. They are not necessarily killers but they want what they want and will do anything necessary to get it.  I wanted to pit Kim against someone equally as intelligent as she is and I wanted the battle to be more psychological than physical.  It’s interesting for me as her creator to push her character as far as I think I can go. 

Silent Scream and Evils Games are very dark themed novels what appeals to you about the dark and disturbing aspects of human nature?

I’ve always been interested in psychology and behavior.  As a child I wanted to understand the logic and reasoning behind people’s actions.  As I grew up this only intensified and I turned into a real people watcher.  I am totally fascinated by the workings of the mind and love to explore these subjects.  I think also that as I read factual books I am constantly haunted by the ‘ooh, that would make a great storyline ghost that sits on my shoulder.

Do you have any information on upcoming works or events that you are able to share? I have to ask can you give us a little tidbit of what is coming up in book number three?

Yes, book three is called Lost Girls and will be available on 6^th November.  In this case Kim is working against the clock in an intense kidnap situation where the families of two little girls are set against each other in an auction system for the life of their child.


What is one book on your shelf that you cannot wait to read (can either be a new or old favorite).

There are so many books that I want to read but I’m particularly keen to get started on the Justice series by M A Comley.

I want to thank Angela once again for being part of my Blogoversary.I highly recommend her D.I. Kim Stone series as I do not think you will be disappointed with it, the series has become a must read for me and I am looking forward to the next book Lost Girls.