Today I'm delighted to welcome
MEL McGRATH
to share her BEST OF CRIME ...
... AUTHORS
I’m going
to say Raymond Chandler because it was partly through his work that I
discovered crime fiction, though Daphne Du Maurier has a lot to answer for in
that regard as well. Were it not for devouring Chandler and Du Maurier when I
should have been revising for my A-levels, I would probably not have got that D
in chemistry.
... FILMS/MOVIES
I absolutely love almost everything the Coen Brothers have ever made, so it’s a tie between their first movie, Blood Simple, and the later, brilliantly witty Fargo. There’s a kind of dark, macabre and yet grimly funny tone which I love and is all their own, and they always manage to get amazing performances from their cast. No one does dysfunctional small town America better.
I absolutely love almost everything the Coen Brothers have ever made, so it’s a tie between their first movie, Blood Simple, and the later, brilliantly witty Fargo. There’s a kind of dark, macabre and yet grimly funny tone which I love and is all their own, and they always manage to get amazing performances from their cast. No one does dysfunctional small town America better.
... TV DRAMAS
We’re slap bang in the middle of a golden age of crime drama, so I’m surprising myself by picking a relative oldie, The Sopranos. It’s art. Simple as that.
We’re slap bang in the middle of a golden age of crime drama, so I’m surprising myself by picking a relative oldie, The Sopranos. It’s art. Simple as that.
... FICTIONAL KILLERS
Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes in the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery. I enjoy crackpots who think they are perfectly sane, and there are none more cracked than Annie, romance writer Paul Sheldon’s ‘number one fan.’ Also a dark satire on the perils of success.
Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes in the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery. I enjoy crackpots who think they are perfectly sane, and there are none more cracked than Annie, romance writer Paul Sheldon’s ‘number one fan.’ Also a dark satire on the perils of success.
... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES
I know he’s a terrible womaniser and borderline misogynist, but I can’t help myself wanting to spend time with Philip Marlowe, for his droll wit and self-deprecatory humour.
I know he’s a terrible womaniser and borderline misogynist, but I can’t help myself wanting to spend time with Philip Marlowe, for his droll wit and self-deprecatory humour.
... MURDER WEAPONS
There was a true crime case in the US not so long ago where a woman had attempted to kill her husband by lacing her genitals with poison and persuading him to perform a sex act. It really doesn’t get much weirder than that.
There was a true crime case in the US not so long ago where a woman had attempted to kill her husband by lacing her genitals with poison and persuading him to perform a sex act. It really doesn’t get much weirder than that.
... DEATH SCENES
I can watch the death scene in Thelma and Louise over and over on a loop. I can’t think of any other death scene that evokes such contradictory feelings of elation, melancholy and rage. It’s one of the great movie moments in any genre.
I can watch the death scene in Thelma and Louise over and over on a loop. I can’t think of any other death scene that evokes such contradictory feelings of elation, melancholy and rage. It’s one of the great movie moments in any genre.
... BLOGS/WEBSITES
I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts and get inspiration there. Among my favourites, Criminal and My Favourite Murder.
I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts and get inspiration there. Among my favourites, Criminal and My Favourite Murder.
... WRITING TIPS
Thomas Mann said that writers are people who find writing harder than other people. Writing requires enormous mental agility and discipline. You have to confront your own limits daily. Don’t expect it to be easy and you won’t be disappointed.
Thomas Mann said that writers are people who find writing harder than other people. Writing requires enormous mental agility and discipline. You have to confront your own limits daily. Don’t expect it to be easy and you won’t be disappointed.
... WRITING SNACKS
I keep a bucket of popcorn on my desk and try to pretend I’m at the movies.
About MEL McGRATH
Mel McGrath
is an award-winning and bestselling writer and journalist. She has also been a
TV producer and presenter. Her Edie Kiglatuk (pr Kig-la-took) series of
Arctic mysteries is translated into 18 languages and was twice longlisted for
the CWA Gold Dagger. It is currently being developed for TV in the US. Give Me
The Child is her first psychological thriller. The Financial Times calls it a
'triumph' and The Sun describes it as 'addictive' and 'edge of your seat
stuff.' Mel is a cofounder of the Killer Women collective of crime writers.
Find Mel McGrath on her website and on Twitter - @mcgrathmj
For more
About GIVE ME THE CHILD
Publisher's description
An unexpected visitor.
Dr Cat Lupo aches for another child, despite the psychosis
which marked her first pregnancy. So when Ruby Winter, a small girl in need of
help, arrives in the middle of the night, it seems like fate.
A devastating secret.
But as the events behind Ruby’s arrival emerge – her mother’s
death, her connection to Cat – Cat questions whether her decision to help Ruby
has put her own daughter at risk.
Do we get the children we deserve?
Cat’s research tells her there’s no such thing as evil. Her
history tells her she’s paranoid. But her instincts tell her different. And as
the police fight to control a sudden spate of riots raging across the capital,
Cat faces a race against time of her own…
Give Me The Child was published by HQ on 27 July 2017.
About Killer Women
Killer Women is an author
collective of 21 female crime-writers, who work together to put on exciting,
innovative crime fiction events around the country, for men and women. It also
offers its Crime Club members exclusive access to free chapters of Killer Women
authors' new books, giveaways, competitions and discounted early bird tickets
to their annual Killer Weekend event.
To learn more about the Killer Women Killer Weekend from 28 to 29 October 2017, click here.
Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.
Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.
Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.
