Sarah Hilary: 'Focus first on making your detective a living, breathing human being'
BY Katie Smart
10th Feb 2022
We’re excited that our next Writing Crime & Thrillers – Advanced online course is open for applications. The course includes weekly Zoom lessons led by award-winning author Sarah Hilary, plus the chance for students to get dedicated feedback on their crime/thrillers during workshops and tutorials. Sarah is the author of the six novels in the acclaimed D.I. Marnie Rome crime series. The first novel in her series, Someone Else’s Skin, won the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection as well as a Richard & Judy Book Club pick. Her latest novel Fragile is a dark and gothic standalone psychological thriller.
We asked Sarah about her approach to writing crime/thrillers, how to create a series detective, and her advice for aspiring novelists...
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
When my grandmother began telling me and my siblings about our mother’s childhood in a PoW camp. We were very young and our grandmother was very careful to tell us only certain, safe parts of the story. So I knew my mother never wore shoes or tasted chocolate or saw a flower until she was six, and I knew she learnt to write with a stick in the sand. It wasn’t until much later that I learned the whole, difficult truth. My grandmother showed me how it was possible to open different doors into a story, some safe and others dangerous. That was a revelation to me.
The novels in your D.I. Marnie Rome series – including your award-winning debut Someone Else’s Skin – are highly acclaimed. Rome is an engaging, three-dimensional character with a complex and dark past. What tips do you have for writers developing a detective for a crime series?
Focus first on making your detective a living, breathing human being. Don’t start with the idea that they have to possess certain special skills or traits. That can come later. Crucially, don’t tell too much of their backstory too soon, in case you write yourself into a corner. Let them keep secrets from you, so they can surprise you. That’s how you’ll keep readers coming back for more.
Your latest standalone novel Fragile follows runaway foster child Nell Ballard, who finds herself in an unusual new job, following a strict set of rules… Can you tell us a bit more about the novel and the inspiration behind it?
Fragile is a story about searching. For what’s been lost, and what might be found. It takes place in a strange, narrow and very secretive old house in modern-day London. Starling Villas is slipped between two other buildings like a love letter: a house full of secrets where Nell goes in search of Joe, the young man she’s lost. Instead she finds an older man, Robin Wilder, who may or may not be a terrible threat to her. That’s how the story opens, with these two strangers finding one another and choosing to trust one another, although there’s always the question of why - and who is really in control. It was inspired by my love of Rebecca but also by the 1963 film The Servant.
What are some of your favourite recent crime and thriller novels?
I’m a huge fan of Fiona Cummins, whose new book Into the Dark is out soon. Chris Ewan’s The Interview is a terrific thriller told in real time. And I’m very excited to read Sharon Bolton’s new Lacey Flint novel, The Dark, coming in May.
When you’re working on a new novel idea what comes first? The crime or mystery at its heart, the characters, or something else?
It changes from book to book. For my police series, Marnie Rome came first, followed by the big twist at the heart of Someone Else’s Skin. For Fragile, it started with the house, Starling Villas. But as the house is a character in its own right, I suspect the answer is that I start with characters and build from there.
We’re delighted that you’re the tutor of our upcoming Writing Crime & Thrillers – Advanced course. What’s your favourite part of teaching creative writing?
Helping new writers to find their footing and fall in love with their stories. Writing is such a lonely craft. It’s easy to lose heart or direction. But each writer is the only person who can tell their specific story. I love watching a writer bring that to life, breathing fire into the story and its characters.
Can you talk us through your writing routine?
I’m an early riser. My best writing is done before 4pm so I try to get started as soon as possible each day. When I’m working on a new book, I aim to write for a minimum of two hours at a time, on a fast and lean first draft to give me the backbone of the plot. Then I go back and add the layers.
If you could only pass on one piece of advice to aspiring novelists, what would you say?
Carve out time every day to work on your writing. Take yourself seriously; don’t call it a hobby, call it your career.
Get your hands on a copy of Fragile
Interested in plotting your own mystery or suspense novel? Apply for our Writing Crime & Thrillers – Advanced course.