Category Archives: Fan Mail

September 17, 2009

Could crime fiction incite someone to kill?

Filed under: Fan Mail,Writing — Tags: , , — PD Martin @ 5:33 am

FanMailCover10percentHaving done lots of research on murder and criminal psychology, my belief is that if someone is going to take another human being’s life, reading fictional accounts of murder is not going to push them over the edge. Having said that, we do live in a world where we’re increasingly exposed to violence and graphic crime-scene depictions.

Take the many successful (and entertaining) shows on TV: CSI, Bones, Law & Order…and then, of course, there’s Dexter. But have we really been de-sensitised?

A few years ago, after lots of meticulous research into horrific and violent crimes, I honestly believed I was de-sensitised, almost in a similar way to a cop. I’d imagined some horrible situations and written about them in detail. I was tough!

Or so I thought, until I met Victoria Police’s profiler, who gave me a list of law-enforcement text books to help with my research. I ordered them online and was so excited when they arrived; and the timing couldn’t have been better because I was packing for a week-long writing retreat. I threw the books in my luggage and headed down to the beach.

The first thing I did when I arrived was to unpack the books and start flipping through one…and then I saw it. The first page the book opened to was a photo from a crime-scene in which a woman had been raped then murdered. The killer had tied her down and posed her in a disturbingly revealing way. Next photo: a dead woman with both of her breasts cut off. Next photo: a decomposing body. Next photo…I think you get the picture.

More at http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2009/09/reason-to-kill.html

Comments Off

June 26, 2009

Just chillin’…kinda

Filed under: Fan Mail,Kiss of Death — Tags: , , , — PD Martin @ 4:52 am

This week’s been a relatively quiet one for me. Book 5 in the Sophie Anderson series, KISS OF DEATH, is currently with my Aussie publishers, Pan Macmillan. It feels a little like Sophie is away visiting – but she’ll be home soon. In fact, I’ll be getting the editorial report next Friday 3 July.

It’s always a nerve-wracking time for an author, and that first week is especially tense. Will the publisher/editor like the book? Will they identify many problems? Luckily I heard back from my editor and although there are some structural issues I need to address, they love the new book! Phew.

KISS OF DEATH release dates are:

  • Australia, 1 January 2010
  • North America, 1 August 2010
  • UK/Ireland, July 2010 (to be confirmed)

But in the meantime, North America and the UK will be publishing books three and four, so if you’re in those parts of the world there’ll be extra Sophie reading between now and 2010.

FAN MAIL was released last month in the UK and Ireland and I’m counting down the days until it’s released in North America. With only four days to go, I’m sure it’s already in some bookstores and has been sent out from online suppliers too. So maybe my American and Canadian readers are already stuck into FAN MAIL!

Despite this little lull, I haven’t been totally slack this week! I’ve been deciding what Sophie book to do next (and researching a few different topics) and I’ve been toying with a new project I started a couple of years ago and might go back to. Sorry, it’s hush-hush for the moment :)

Comments (1)