Blood Runs Cold - Softcover

Barclay, Alex

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007268440 ISBN 13: 9780007268443

Publisher: Harper, 2008

Synopsis

RO60141902. BLOOD RUNS COLD. 2008. In-12. Broché. Bon état, Couv. convenable, Dos plié, Intérieur acceptable. 487 pages.. . . . Classification Dewey : 420-Langue anglaise. Anglo-saxon

About this title

Review:

Praise for The Caller:

`Compelling'

From the Author:

When did you start writing?
In 2003.

Where do you write?
The locations the books are set in, on my sofa, in a writers' retreat or in my local café. I can't just write anywhere, which can be terribly inconvenient.

What are the pros and cons of being a writer?
I love making things up for a living, being able to use all those random thoughts that come into my head all day. Hearing voices has never been more useful. I love the people I'm lucky enough to meet in my research, in the writer's retreat, at crime writing events, even through email. I would never have met most of them if I didn't do what I do. The main downside of writing is
being away from my family and friends. But I can't do it any other way. I need to be alone.

What writers have inspired you?
Jim Thompson, Nick Stone, David Sedaris, Scott Phillips, Dennis Lehane, Jay McInerney, Daphne Du Maurier, Brett Easton Ellis, Philip Roth ...

How important is a sense of place in your writing?
Hugely important. It was New York, Texas and Ireland for Darkhouse, New York for The Caller. And with Blood Runs Cold, it's winter in Colorado. Wherever it is, readers have to feel they're there.

Do you spend a lot of time researching your novels?
Yes. I spend as long as I can living in the location I'm writing about. I speak to everyone who works at the jobs my characters do, whether that's the NYPD, the FBI, the Sheriff, the coroner or anyone else who shows up in each book. I research right up to the end, depending on what storylines come my way. I'm open to anything, but I like to have the facts before I can mess with them to suit my plot.

Do your characters ever surprise you?
I was about to write that Ren Bryce, the special agent heroine in Blood Runs Cold, is a surprising person in reality, therefore she surprised me while I was writing her. But, of course, she's not real. She just felt that way to me. I knew where her story was headed, but I never knew exactly what she was going to do when I sat down to write every day. But unpredictability is the essence of Ren Bryce. And there is one character who I became very attached to, then killed. I still haven't gotten over it...

How much of your life and the people around you do you put into your books?
I would never base an entire character on someone I know. I don't get how writers' do that and can look the person in the eye afterwards. However, some characters do share traits with people I know or people I've had even a brief encounter with. It's bound to happen, though. Just as I am bound to include elements of my own life. What drives me nuts is when people guess who a character is - they're never going to be right, because none of the characters is one single person. And I'm hardly likely to include an entire episode from my own life. Classified files.

How did it feel when you saw your book in print for the first time?
My first book? It was actually overwhelming to see something that had been so private to me and know that it would soon be out there. I don't think any writer is secure enough not to feel weird about that. With Blood Runs Cold, my first thought when I saw it was that I had to thank the designers for the cover. I think they did a great job.

If you weren't a writer, what would you be doing now?
It would have to be something I loved as much as writing. Everyone should love their job. Life's too short.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0007268440
• ISBN 13: 9780007268443
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 496