Writing

Rewriting the story – The Princess and the Prick

Walburga Appleseed, author of The Princess and the Prick, talks about changing the narrative and putting a feminist, frank, and funny spin on the fairy tales we all grew up with. “Why are there no girls in this story?” my daughter asked when we first read The Hobbit together. I had… Read More

SCOTTISH CRIME WRITING PRIZE NEWS!

HQ FICTION AND BLOODY SCOTLAND ANNOUNCE NEW SCOTTISH CRIME WRITING PRIZE IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE TIMES AND THE SUNDAY TIMES IN SCOTLAND AND 42 MANAGEMENT. We are thrilled to be launching a competition in partnership with The Times and The Sunday Times in Scotland, Bloody Scotland, and 42 Management and… Read More

Author Q&A with Amanda Dewinter

We chat to Amanda Dewinter, author of The Success Code. Can you tell us about your book? The Success Code is not your usual book about success. Yes, it includes all the things you’d expect from a book on success, such as how to… Read More

Setting a New Direction

We’re delighted to have bestselling author Mary Burton on the blog to talk the importance of the various settings in her novels. Setting a New Direction Almost a year ago, the Burtons moved from Richmond, Virginia to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Not a long distance by… Read More

The Haven by Amanda Jennings

Author Amanda Jennings tells us about the inspirations behind her new book, The Haven, as we celebrate its release. My best friend’s husband very sadly fell ill in 2018. She had been caring for him and was tired and needed some time away. We decided to go away… Read More

Breakneck Point: Meet CSI Ally Dymond

Author of Breakneck Point T. Orr Munro joins us to introduce her fierce, feisty and formidable new protagonist CSI Ally Dymond and what inspired the character! Ally – or Aloysia, as her mother insists on calling her – is a Crime Scene Investigator working in Devon. When she blows… Read More

Four Aunties and a Wedding: A slice of Sutanto

In today’s blog post, Jesse Sutanto reflects on writing her award-winning debut novel Dial A For Aunties and its upcoming hilarious sequel Four Aunties and a Wedding, and how in both books she shares with us a slice of her culture and her experience with the Asian diaspora. When… Read More

Wouldn’t it be easier to just believe in yourself?

To mark the publication of her debut novel Under the Rainbow, author Celia Laskey joins us to share some brilliant advice about our pesky inner critics! About six months ago, I started using an app to try find some relief from the migraines that had been plaguing me for… Read More

R.P. Bolton on ‘not freaking out the neighbours’!

Today we publish the tense and chilling debut thriller The Perfect House by R.P. Bolton! To celebrate, the author shares the real-life inspiration behind this gripping tale… Lovely. There was no other word to describe the couple who had just moved in. And with  two gorgeous boys – one… Read More

Steve Frech: Confessions of a First-Time Crime Writer

Today we publish Steve Frech’s brand new novel, the gripping crime thriller Secrets to the Grave! To celebrate, Steve joins us on the HQ blog to share his ‘confessions of a first-time crime writer’! Almost two years ago, my debut novel, Dark Hollows, was released. It’s a psychological… Read More

Motherhood & Impossible Dreams

As author Sarah Clarke looks forward to the publication of her debut novel A Mother Never Lies, she reflects on the journey she took to get here, motherhood, and her impossible dreams. As a child I always had my head in a book, but that sounds more wholesome than… Read More

How a real-life grave inspired Neil Lancaster’s new book

To celebrate the eBook release of his new breathtaking police procedural Dead Man’s Grave, Neil Lancaster shares the story behind the novel and how one conversation inspired it. Neil Lancaster on the inspiration behind Dead Man’s Grave I really wanted to… Read More