Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a psychological thriller writer living in sleepy south-west England. I love city life, and I’m based in Bristol, home to 400,000 souls and lots of inspiration for suspense novels. Having spent many years in buzzy Birmingham and the lightning-fast pace of London, I’ve featured them in my books too. So far, I’ve written 8 books: 3 standalone stories and a series of 5 thrillers about a vodka business. Needless to say, I enjoy a cocktail, but I’m also a big fan of craft beer.
Oh, and did I mention that AA Abbott is my pen name? It’s cunningly crafted to get me to the front of your bookshelves. Feel free to let me know if it works! My real name is the rather less gender-neutral Helen Blenkinsop.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is BRIGHT LIES, a psychological thriller with a domestic noir edge. Like all my books, it features a heroine who finds her inner strength when she most needs it. In this case, she is very young. Emily is 12 when the story begins, 18 when it finishes, and she needs every ounce of courage to run away from home when she’s plunged into an impossible nightmare.
The inspiration for BRIGHT LIES came over 30 years ago, in a dream. I waited a long time to write it, and I was super-thrilled when it was recorded as an audiobook. Narrator Eilidh Beaton is a professional actress, and it shows. She did a fantastic job of voicing an innocent young girl and a creepy villain or two! Her first name is pronounced Ay-Lee, by the way.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have been known to write on my laptop while travelling on a bus. Having been brought up in a large family, I’m used to focusing no matter what maelstroms are happening around me.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Crime fiction was my first love, starting with British writers Agatha Christie and Ruth Rendell. I especially liked the suspense stories that Ruth published under the pen name Barbara Vine. Lisa Jewell, Louise Jensen and Valerie Keogh press the same buttons for me now.
I also enjoy women’s fiction by my editor, Katharine D’Souza, and a touch of fantasy. Guy Gavriel Kay writes brilliant, character-driven historical fantasy, and I aim for the same empathy with my own characters.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a suspense thriller loosely based on events in my own street!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like speaking to book clubs and literary festivals, and always sell books to people I meet, but Amazon advertising enables me to reach out to strangers. Bryan Cohen runs fantastic free courses on Amazon ads.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Feedback is your friend. You will either think your writing is terrible or the best prose ever produced in the history of mankind. I can 100% guarantee it will be neither of those things. Join a writing group, seek beta readers and pay for a professional edit. I worked with 30 beta readers and an editor for BRIGHT LIES, and their help took my writing to another level.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Readers judge a book by its cover.
What are you reading now?
I’ve just finished the audiobook version of Alison Gaylin’s “Never Look Back”. It’s superbly twisty.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My current WIP is a standalone psychological thriller, so after that, the world is my oyster. I’ll either write more domestic noir or start a cozy mystery series.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Help, give me a survival guide, please! Apart from that, top of my TBR pile are “The Little Lies” by Valerie Keogh, “The Lies You Told” by Harriet Tyce, and “Children of Earth and Sky” by Guy Gavriel Kay.
Author Websites and Profiles
AA Abbott Website
AA Abbott Amazon Profile
AA Abbott’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Author Interview Series
To discover a new author, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors around. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring!
If you are an author and want to be interviewed just fill out out Author Interview page. After submitting we will send it out in our newsletters and social media channels that are filled with readers looking to discover new books to read.
If you are looking for a new book to read check out our Featured Books Page.