The Killing Files blog tour. Interview and Review.

The Killing Files - coverNikki-Owen-004M

Today I am REALLY happy to welcome Nikki Owen to the blog – author of the Project trilogy of which, book two, The Killing Files was recently released. Thanks Nikki!

For those readers who are yet to start Maria’s story could you talk a little about the background and inspiration for the character and the setting? Most specifically what made you decide to write a character with Asperger’s and how you went about making that authentic?

At the start of The Killing Files – following on from the end of Subject 375 – we find Maria on the run from Project Callidus, a covert organisation that’s been conditioning Maria all her life. Now she’s escaped and in hiding in Salamanca, Spain, but that doesn’t last for long as, the thing is, the secret services world have ways of finding people. When Maria tries to save her family from them, she discovers they are all in danger in ways she could never have predicted.

Writing the character of Maria has been not only fascinating, but a real responsibility that I take very seriously. I chose to write a character with Asperger’s, because people with Asperger’s say what they think – no white lies or hidden meanings to their words or actions like us neurotypical folk. Fuelled by this fact, I wanted to see if using a character with Asperger’s could highlight society’s flaws – and emphasize the benefits of many Asperger traits. The two juxtaposed positions – Asperger’s and neurotypical society – provided me with an intriguing platform to then explore the wider themes of injustice, deceit, corruption, power and lies, all which feature strongly in The Killing Files.

But that’s not all. I wanted to use Asperger’s as a platform to highlight just how much misunderstanding there is out there; I wanted to challenge it. I’ve researched thoroughly to keep the character true, and met a few people throughout my life with Asperger’s – some on the lower end of the autistic spectrum, others on the opposite side who cannot communicate via language – and the common thread I have noticed is that still there are misperceptions about what Asperger’s is. So in my writing, I wanted to confront not only that, but the way in which society misunderstands anyone who they label ‘different’.

The Project trilogy has a dark shadowy government conspiracy at its heart – always a fun thing to read about – it is quite a complex plot, which I love. How do you go about keeping it all cohesive? In other words how do you plot when writing – notebooks? Post-its? Do you secretly have a photographic memory?

Yep, I have a photographic memory (no, I don’t…) Instead, I have a heap of notes, yellow post-it ones everywhere. Swamped. I used to use a huge spread sheet to plot, too, but I now find the best way that works for me, once I’ve done the main story arc and brief synopsis, is to plan a chapter, then write it, then plan the next one, then write it and so on. Especially with a huge, epic story arc of a trilogy, this method seems to fit my brain best on balancing my planning gene with my wandering creative one.

Are you able to give us a tiny non-spoilery hint as to what book 3 will bring?

No situation is quite what it seems (cue sinister music…) – and watch out for a new character: American hacker, Chris.

When it comes to your own reading habits what do you love? And is there a particular author that gives you writer’s envy? Tell us one book you read that when you were finished you said, “Darn I wish I had written that!”

Ooo, so many, but most recently All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer. I began reading it and thought, ‘Wow! This is amazingly well written,’ then I looked back to the cover and saw it won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize, so then it all made sense! When I’m in the middle of writing a novel, I tend not read books from the same genre as it affects my writing. Yet other genres can help enormously with how I write, such as Doer’s book. He wrote with such poetic prose yet, at the same time, managed to create a compelling story with a characters and narrative that moved the plot forward. A rare winning combo in literary fiction.

Tell us about you in 4 easy soundbites

* Drink of choice when in the pub

Winter: Red wine. Summer: A cold pint of bitter (Lived in Lancashire. Enough said.)

* Dream holiday location:

Anywhere where my family is. And also, skiing in the Swiss Alps.

* One thing you wish you were good at but are not:

Sewing. I cannot sew for toffee. When my kids were at Brownies and the Brown Owl said, ‘Here’s your badges for you mum to sew on,’ they said, ‘No, that’s Dad’s job.’ That’s my girls 😉 Failing that, I’d like a Maria Martinez-type photographic memory, please.

* Your worst habit:

Ssssh, don’t tell anyone but I bite the skin around my nails. Drives my husband mad. You’re welcome…

Thank you so much!

About the book:

The Killing Files - cover

No matter how fast you run, the past always catches up with you
Dr Maria Martinez is out of prison and on the run.
Her mission? To get back to the safety of her family.
Little does she know that this might be the most dangerous place of all…

I was a huge fan of the first book in this series – Subject 375 (Originally titled The Spider in the Corner of the Room) so I was REALLY looking forward to The Killing Files and once again I found it to be an intelligent and absorbing read, mostly it has to be said because of our main protagonist, Dr Maria Martinez – who is clever, brilliantly portrayed and often hilarious – plus in all sorts of trouble..

Subject 375 was mostly set within the claustrophobic confines of a prison – now Maria is out in the world, supported by a few loyal friends and the relationships she starts to develop with them is one of the strongest parts of the story. Maria, with her Aspergers, is really most fascinating, that condition is explored fully and sympathetically within the character arc and The Killing Files puts more flesh on the bones and really gives Maria a chance to shine. Well, when she’s not running from the bad guys who are particularly creepily nasty.

Which leads onto the more thriller elements – this is fast paced, a real page turner that also has a cleverly readable scientific edge, a chilling conspiracy and large amounts of dramatic adrenalin inducing set pieces. I really loved it, a great mix of character study and thrill ride, developing the story in beautifully jaw dropping ways, I cannot wait for book 3 now to see where they all end up. Loved Chris incidentally. His burgeoning friendship with Maria is hugely intriguing.

You must read Subject 375 first – The Killing Files really would not work as a standalone in my bookish opinion, this is one of those stories that has a continuity and care about it that means you would lose a lot through only reading it in part. You’ll get a brilliant read out of the first and second novel – and no doubt the third too when it comes. Where is it? What I have to wait? Seriously. Can’t get the staff…

Highly Recommended.

Find out more here:

Follow Nikki on Twitter here:

To Purchase The Killing Files clickety click right HERE

Also Available: Read First:

25659797

Plastic surgeon Dr Maria Martinez has Asperger’s. Convicted of killing a priest, she is alone, in prison and has no memory of the murder.

DNA evidence places Maria at the scene of the crime, yet she claims she’s innocent. Then she starts to remember…

A strange room. Strange people. Being watched.

As Maria gets closer to the truth she is drawn into a web of international intrigue and must fight not only to clear her name but to remain alive.

You can purchase Subject 375 HERE

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Happy Reading!

The Killing Files - cover

 

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