Interview With Author AJ McDine
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a former journalist and police press officer from Kent in the UK. I started writing fiction over a decade ago as a side hustle and to fulfil a lifelong ambition to be an author.
I began writing pony adventure books for middle-grade readers under my maiden name, Amanda Wills, and in 2018 started writing my first psychological thriller, When She Finds You, under a pen name, AJ McDine.
Since then I have written six more thrillers. I published the first five – When She Finds You, Should Have Known Better, No One I Knew, The Promise You Made and The Invite – myself. The last two, The Baby and The Photo (which is out on 11 July 2024) are published by Bookouture.
Earlier this year I signed a second two-book deal with Bookouture. The first book will be out in the autumn of 2024 and the second early in 2025.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Baby is about a woman called Lucy who wakes up with a hangover one morning to discover a baby in her sitting room. There’s just one problem – Lucy doesn’t have a baby! Worried she may have stolen the little boy, she tries to unpick her hazy memories of the night before. As she sets out to uncover the truth, it’s not long before her life begins to unravel…
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, but I do have three furry felines who like to share my desk when I’m writing! Our cats, Minstrel, Amber and Charlie, are all rescues and each have their own bed on my desk, which doesn’t leave a lot of room for me!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lisa Jewell, Liane Moriarty, John Marrs, TM Logan, JP Delaney and Sabine Durrant are all go-to authors for me. I was lucky enough to meet Lisa Jewell at a literary festival last year, which was amazing! She’s absolutely lovely and signed her latest book, None of This is True, for me. What a thrill!
What are you working on now?
My eighth psychological thriller, which is currently untitled. The first draft is finished and I’m waiting to get the structural edit back as I write this. The book will be published by Bookouture in October 2024.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m active on both Facebook and Instagram. I have been lucky enough to have the support of some amazing book bloggers on Instagram who have helped spread the word about my books.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write! It doesn’t matter if your first efforts are terrible – no one has to see them. But writing is a muscle that needs to be exercised, and the more you write, the better you’ll get. No more excuses – just give it a go!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
These words of wisdom from the great Ernest Hemingway: ‘The first draft of anything is s**t.’ It’s a great reminder that no one writes a masterpiece straight off. Manuscripts need polishing – and polishing some more – before they make the grade.
What are you reading now?
I usually have both an audiobook and an ebook on the go. Currently I’m listening to Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan and I’m reading Our Holiday by Louise Candlish. They’re both great psychological thrillers. I’m hooked!
What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to continue writing twisty, gripping thrillers that keep readers turning the pages long into the night!
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?
Tricky question! None of This is True by Lisa Jewell; What Lies Between Us by John Marrs; The Castaways by Lucy Clarke.
And, finally, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe so I can get some tips and tricks on staying alive on my desert island!
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