Interview with Jane Holland…..

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

My name is Jane Holland and I write contemporary thrillers. I’ve been writing since the mid-90s, and also write other types of fiction under other names – romcoms as Beth Good, historical novels as Victoria Lamb and Elizabeth Moss, and feel-good fiction as Hannah Coates.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I usually start with an opening image or situation, and work from there. Openings are very important to me.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

Maybe occasionally in the planning stages. But once a novel is underway, all the characters become entirely themselves.

How do you pick your characters names?

I dislike getting confused when reading books where characters’ names are too similar, or too many start with the same letter, so that’s a major consideration for me when choosing names. All names have a particular ‘feel’ too, so I always try to ensure a name fits a character. Sometimes I have a little fun with that, and choose a deliberately quirky name. Dickens took that to an extreme, but obviously it’s hard to be too quirky in a thriller and get away with it.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I’m not sure I have a ‘process’ as such. I see writing fiction as a job, rather than an art. So I make a basic plan, and then start writing, and do any necessary research on the hoof. I try not to think too hard about a book, just let instinct take over, meaning the plot can change to fit how the story is shaping up, so long as it remains essentially true to my original plan. The slower I write a book, the harder I find it to ‘see’ the whole plot in my head as I write. So I tend to write as quickly as possible, while also editing as I go along. I hate having to rewrite, so adjust as I go alone, hoping to make my first draft the final draft. That way, as soon as I’ve finished one book, I can just start another.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

That’s a tough one and changes all the time, often according to what I’m reading! Currently something like: Lee Child, Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Sylvia Day, Anne McCaffrey.

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

I would like to meet one of my favourite authors from childhood, the Victorian adventure writer H. Rider Haggard, the creator of Allan Quartermain and She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, and ask him if he’d like a cup of tea.

Were you a big reader as a child?

I couldn’t read until I was about 8, which was odd. My parents despaired. Then when I finally started to read, I leapt from Enid Blyton to Tolkien in a matter of months. By ten, I was a massive, prolific reader of fiction, drama and poetry. I read everything I could get my hands on, and as my mother was a writer too, and my father a Fleet Street journalist, we had a library of thousands of books.

When did you start to write?

I wrote my first novel at about age eleven, and continued to write poetry and some fiction for many years, but wasn’t published until I was nearly thirty.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

I would save Severus Snape in HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. Poor Snape! I wept bitter tears at his passing …

Is there a book you wish you had written?

Not really. I don’t think like that.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?

The Woman Most Likely To Write Anything.

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

Jack Reacher – probably to an American diner I used to frequent years ago called Route 66.

What are you working on right now?

I’m writing a thriller set on the lonely heights of Dartmoor.

Do you have a new release due?

FORGET HER NAME, a psychological thriller due out January 25th.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

Write my current novel. Have a latte and a slice of carrot cake at my local cafe. I’ve had dozens of publication days over the years, so I’ve become a little immune to it all.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Twitter is best: https://twitter.com/janeholland1

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Two kookie facts: my mother was the prolific romance writer Charlotte Lamb, and in my twenties, I was a semi-professional snooker player, ranked 24th in the world for women’s snooker!

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Jane 🙂

Forget Her Name

Rachel’s dead and she’s never coming back. Or is she?

As she prepares for her wedding to Dominic, Catherine has never been happier or more excited about her future. But when she receives an anonymous package—a familiar snow globe with a very grisly addition—that happiness is abruptly threatened by secrets from her past.

Her older sister, Rachel, died on a skiing holiday as a child. But Rachel was no angel: she was vicious and highly disturbed, and she made Catherine’s life a misery. Catherine has spent years trying to forget her dead sister’s cruel tricks. Now someone has sent her Rachel’s snow globe—the first in a series of ominous messages…

While Catherine struggles to focus on her new life with Dominic, someone out there seems intent on tormenting her. But who? And why now? The only alternative is what she fears most.

Is Rachel still alive?

Amazon UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Forget-Her-Name-Jane-Holland-ebook/dp/B073TTLYQV

Amazon US:

https://www.amazon.com/Forget-Her-Name-Jane-Holland-ebook/dp/B073TTLYQV

About The Author

Jane Holland is a Gregory Award–winning poet and novelist who also writes commercial fiction under the pseudonyms Victoria Lamb, Elizabeth Moss, Beth Good and Hannah Coates. Her debut thriller, Girl Number One, hit #1 in the UK Kindle Store in December 2015. Jane lives with her husband and young family near the North Cornwall/Devon border. A homeschooler, her hobbies include photography and growing her own vegetables.