Its a well known fact around these parts that I've got an interest in journalism and a insatiable love of literature. So what better way to combine the two than interviewing Jenny Blackhurst, author of thriller Before I Let You In. Enjoy!
Karen is meant to be the one who fixes problems.
It's her job, as a psychiatrist - and it's always been her role as a friend.
But Jessica is different. She should be the patient, the one that Karen helps.
But she knows things about Karen. Her friends, her personal life. Things no patient should know.
And Karen is starting to wonder if she should have let her in . . .
1. What prompted you to write a book based around the life and work of a psychologist? Did you do any research into the field?
I have a Masters degree in Psychology and have always been fascinated by the work done in the field. Karen is actually a psychiatrist, there are several differences but the main one being that she had to train as a doctor first. This was mainly because in the first draft there was a storyline around prescription drugs – a psychiatrist can prescribe drugs whereas a psychologist can’t – but when I cut this out I felt it prudent to keep Karen as a psychiatrist – by then it was what she was to me.
2. I really loved your use of flash forwards and flashbacks throughout the story. Did you write these separately to the main narrative, or in the order that they appear in the book?
A bit of both really! I work in Scrivener so it’s quite easy to pull strands of a story and view them as a sub-plot, some of these scenes were written up front but others were added in when I looked at the flashbacks as a separate story.
3. Which character do you sympathise with the most, and why?
I should say Eleanor – her life is the closest to how I see mine at times in terms of how frazzled she gets – but I really sympathised with Karen, she was constantly trying to do the right thing and had to come to terms with the fact that she couldn’t save everyone. Her development was the strongest in the story and for that I felt most invested in her.
4. If 'Before I Let You In' was turned into a screenplay, who would you like to see cast in the roles of Karen, Bea, and Eleanor?
This is a hard one! It’s not hard to decide for Karen – I’ve always thought Suranne Jones would be perfect and she is one of my favourite actresses. Diane Kruger would be a fantastic Eleanor I think, and maybe Rebecca Hall as Bea. Chance would be a fine thing of course!
5. Do you think that there could be scope for a follow up novel to 'Before I Let You In'?
I’ve considered follow up scenes (I can’t say too much obviously!) but not an entire novel. While there might be a bit more of these women left to give, and I’m certainly reluctant to leave them, I think their stories are finished for me on the whole.
6. Your author description says you spent hours reading crime novels as a child. What were your favourites?
I read a lot of procedurals growing up, one of the first crime series I read was Kay Scarpetta. My aunty had the set and she’d let me borrow one a week and return it to swap for another. I read a lot of Erica Spindler and then as I got older Kathy Reichs. I was always more concerned with the whydunnit than the who which I guess is why I lean towards psychology rather than forensics in my own writing.
