Christian Bookmobile: Meet Wendy H. Jones, Author of Killer's Countdown

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Meet Wendy H. Jones, Author of Killer's Countdown

by Sidney W. Frost

Today we are pleased to interview Wendy H. Jones, author of Killer's Countdown. I met Wendy on the Internet when I was finishing up The Vengeance Squad Goes to England and looking for help making my English character more authentic. Wendy was writing Killer's Countdown at the time. We have stayed in contact since then, promoting each other's books and working on a joint blog, Around the World of Inspired Fiction, with writers from Australia, Canada, Scotland, and the United States.

SWF: Tell the readers where you are from.

WHJ: I am from Dundee, which is the North East of Scotland. The City is famous for Jam, Jute and Journalism. The journalism is because we are the home of The Beano comic which brings the world, Desperate Dan, Dennis the Menace and Gnasher the Dog

SWF: Most authors I've met have held other jobs, either before starting to write seriously, or while writing. How about you?

WHJ: I was in both the Royal Navy and the British Army as a nurse. I have also worked in academia teaching both nursing and education.

SWF: Tell us a little about yourself.

WHJ: I write crime books which are set in Dundee. I have travelled the world with the services and returned to Dundee three years ago to write books. My first book, Killer's Countdown, was released in November 2014. It stars DI Shona McKenzie of what was then Tayside Police, but is now Police Scotland.

SWF: Can you tell us a little about Killer's Countdown without spoiling it for those who haven't read it yet?

WHJ: Shona has moved back to Dundee from Oxford. She was born in the city but moved away as a child when her father took up a post at the University in Oxford. This is her first big case since taking up the post heading up CID. Women are being murdered and Shona and her team are trying to solve the case whilst getting to know each other as a team.

SWF: As a reader, I liked the dual story lines and the way you handled it. How did you come up with the idea?

WHJ: I am not entirely sure why I thought about looking at it from both the killer's and the detective's viewpoint. The killer is such a large part of the storyline that it seemed natural to do it like this. I also wanted a book that was unique and would pull readers in to the story in a different way.

SWF: You've subtitled your book "Di Shona McKenzie Mysteries Book 1". When will book 2 be available?

WHJ: Book 2 will be released on 20th July 2015.

SWF: Is Di Shona McKenzie patterned after a real person?

WHJ: No she is completely made up and a figment of my very active imagination.

SWF: What inspired you to write this book?

WHJ: I am an avid reader and love crime and thriller books. I have always loved words and wrote when I could. Although I had never written a novel up until Killer's Countdown, I had been published in academic books and journals. I had an idea for a book and thought I would write it. The idea just grew and the story took shape so I kept going until I was finished.

SWF: Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp?

WHJ: Not really. There is one major theme running through the book but I can't say too much here without giving too much away.

SWF: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

WHJ: Write all the time. Whatever you are doing, or wherever you are, write. Carry a notebook everywhere you go and jot things down as they come to you. Observe everything and listen to those around you. Follow your dream and never give up.

SWF: What hobbies do you have that don't pertain to books?

WHJ: Technology and travel, in no particular order. I have every technological gadget known to man and love computers. I also love travel and have visited nearly every continent in the world.

SWF: How can we learn more about you and your books?