Michelle Kidd is the author of the Amazon-bestselling DI Jack MacIntosh series. She’s a former lawyer, longtime CFA contributor, and has a knack for writing twists you genuinely won’t see coming.
What genre do you write and what draws you to this genre?
I write crime fiction/police procedurals – although I try to keep the ‘procedure’ content of my books to a minimum. No one really wants to read a police instruction manual, right?? I’ve always loved crime fiction and grew up in a house that was full of books. Both my parents read crime fiction books – my mum was more ‘cosy crime’ but my dad edged towards the harder stuff! Although I currently work for the NHS, previously I was a legal executive and specialised in civil and criminal ligation (basically people arguing – a lot). Criminal litigation was my forte and my job involved preparing cases for Crown Court trial and making sure we had the best defence possible for our client. I’ve lost count of the number of Crown Court trials I’ve sat through over the years, and the number of police interview tapes I’ve listened to. I’m sure this background sowed the seeds of my love of crime fiction and steered me towards the type of books I write today.
What are you working on at present?
I have just finished writing the fifth book in my DI Jack MacIntosh series and it’s about to head off to my publishers, Joffe Books for the next stage of the process. I’ve really enjoyed writing this one! The series is set in London, but I also write another crime series – this one featuring DI Nicki Hardcastle. I will soon be starting to write the next book in that series (book three) which I’m really looking forward to. This series is set in my current hometown of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk and I really love writing about familiar places – it really gives a unique angle to the writing process.
Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to see where an idea takes you?
I usually just have a rough outline of a pretty vague storyline to begin with, but I don’t really plot the book much more than that! I like to see how the story evolves as I write. I start by writing the first scene, and then I can write just about anything from then on in. I don’t write the chapters in sequence – so I may write a scene towards the end next, then a scene from the beginning, then one from the middle, and then back to the end again… It all sounds quite chaotic (and maybe it is!) but it’s the only way that works for me. I juggle the scenes around into some kind of order, then start writing more scenes to fill the gaps. I write longhand with a pen and paper, too.
At school, were you good at English?
I loved English lessons at school – they were probably my favourite. I took English at A level as well. But I think I was always disappointed with the choice of books we were expected to study in English Literature. I remember hating doing book reports at school as they were always on books I had no interest in reading. I enjoyed English Language classes much more.
How do you select the names of your characters?
I feel that characterisation is one of the most important things when writing a book. A good book can be made into a great book by having brilliant characters. I don’t usually name my characters until somewhere near the end of the writing process. I like to get to know them, visualise them in my head, get to know their little idiosyncrasies before I choose a name for them. I always feel that the name needs to fit the character – so it’s one of the last things I do. I have a long list of potential character names that I then choose from – this is an ever-evolving list that I get from all sorts of sources. I often look at the TV/film credits at the end of a programme and see if there are any names that I like, then add them to my list!
Do you write every day?
Until recently, no. I still work at my local hospital full-time, so writing is for weekends and any rare days off. However, I’ve just had an operation (a hip replacement at the tender age of 51, can you believe it??) so I am currently at home recovering from that. With ten weeks or so off work ahead of me, I’ve challenged myself to write every day!
What kind of research do you do?
I try to do as much research as the storyline needs, but not so much that the plot gets bogged down with too much. I do have a detective inspector and a police sergeant from my local police station ‘in my pocket’ and they are on hand to answer my crazy procedural questions. They’ve been really supportive. I also have an abundance of knowledgeable people at the hospital where I work who are more than happy to answer any other questions that might crop up. Google is obviously also a great help to a writer – although my search history does look somewhat questionable at times…
How are you publishing your book? Indie, traditional or both?
I started out self-publishing in 2018, but my books are now all published with Joffe Books. I released five books as a self-published author, and I now have six books out there on the shelves with the help of Joffe, with more planned.
Are your book standalones or in a series?
At the moment I write a series – I have two series that are currently published. But I do have some ideas for some standalones which I might try out in the future if I’m brave enough! I think writing a standalone is a completely different process to writing a series – you need to be able to develop and progress your characters much more quickly with a standalone in order to make it work. Maybe I’ll give it a try…
How can readers discover more about you and your work?
https://www.michellekiddauthor.com
My website gives details of all my current books, a little bit more about my background, and the opportunity to sign up for a monthly (ish) newsletter. Newsletter subscribers get information on book releases, special offers and also free downloads not available anywhere else.
Amazon.co.uk: Michelle Kidd
This is my Amazon page where you can find all my current releases.
https://www.facebook.com/michellekiddauthor
Follow my Facebook page for all sorts of bookish news and probably lots of photos of my cat!
www.instagram.com/michellekiddauthor
My Instagram page also mostly has pictures of my cat and the occasional book!