It was a pleasure for me to interview Hannah Howe,international and best-selling author of the Sam Smith Mystery Series.
Sam's Song, book one in the series, reached number one on the amazon.com private detective chart and the top twenty in ten other countries).
Tell us a little about yourself
My name is Hannah Howe.
I live in Glamorgan, Wales with my long-term partner and our two children.
When and why did you begin writing?
I began writing at school when my teacher asked me to write the school play.
I was around nine or ten at the time and I've been writing ever since.
I write because it comes naturally to me. For as long as I can remember, writing has been an essential part of my day.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I actually wrote six novels before I published Sam's Song.
Those novels remain unpublished and I regard them as my apprenticeship.
The inspiration for Sam's Song arrived when I decided to write about a female private detective.
I love mystery fiction so it seemed natural to write about my own detective.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I do.
My natural writing style is similar to Robert B Parker's, by that I mean I'm a minimalist writer - I don't go in for long, descriptive passages. Instead, I prefer short sentences.
I think this style suits the private detective novel in general.
What books have most influenced your life most? a mentor?
A turning point for me was reading Robert B Parker's Promised Land.
As I read the story I realized several things: that the story was similar to ideas I'd been developing, that my writing style was similar to Mr. Parker's and that this was the moment to take my writing seriously.
What are your current projects?
At the moment, I'm editing Mind Games, book eleven in the Sam Smith Mystery Series, while collaborating with my narrator on Secrets and Lies, book six, for our audio book.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Write about what you know and what you believe in.
Be true to yourself.
Other than writing do you have any hobbies?
I love music, especially the music of the 1960s and 1970s, playing chess and researching my family history.
What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?
I love the classic movies and TV shows of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, especially the mystery and detective shows.
My favourites include a movie called Laura, Dog Day Afternoon and The Third Man.
With TV my favourites include The Rockford Files, Colombo and MASH.
Favorite foods
Like Sam, my narrator, I'm a vegetarian, so I love salads and potato-based meals.
One of my characters, Faye, is a domestic goddess when it comes to preparing cakes and trifles.
When I was pregnant with my eldest I had a craving for trifle and it is still one of my favourite sweets.
Please visit and feel free to contact Hannah about her books at her Website
and on Facebook
