FAQs

I’m afraid at the moment Body Count is my only novel available in the UK. My second novel, The Murderers’ Club, will be released in June 2008 and the third novel in early 2009 (more details to come).

Hi Geeta. So glad you’re enjoying Sophie’s adventures. And yes, I am working on book 5 at the moment. It will be released in Australia and New Zealand 1 February 2010.

Hi Karen. Given I have a background in psychology and criminology, I really wanted my lead character to be a profiler. When I started researching this, I discovered that Australia only has three profilers – but the FBI has lots and it’s been a very active program since the 1970s. So I decided Sophie should be an FBI agent.

Hi Taylor. I liked the sound of “PD Martin” rather than “Phillipa Martin” and I also thought it would fit better across a book cover!

Hi Megan. I’d love it if Body Count was made into a movie. But it’s not up to me! Someone in the movie biz (e.g. actor, producer, director, studio) has to decide to pick it up.

Hi Linda. Good question! I have written all my novels to be standalone – and give reader any necessary backstory. However, I generally recommend reading them in order (I like doing that myself) and particularly with Fan Mail I’d read The Murderers’ Club first as there are some continuing points.

Always such an interesting topic – can you tell the sex of an author from their writing style alone? The answer is yes, I am a woman (good pick). There’s a photo of me in the About section.

Caitie! I was always interested in psychology and ended up studying it at uni. At the same time, I was also interested in criminal law and criminal behaviour. I married the two interests together with my love of writing, and realised my ideal main character would be a profiler/forensic psychologist. Once I started researching profiling, I discovered the FBI had done a lot of work in this area from the 1970s and had a dedicated unit – the Behavioral Analysis Unit. So I decided to set my books in the US and the FBI, but my character was always an Aussie in my head. As for the psychic stuff – that’s based on a dream I had. See the bottom of my Body Count page.

Thanks for the compliments! You should be able to find (or order) Meaner than Fiction in most bookstores. It’s also available in Target and K-Mart. Happy reading!

Hi Caroline. You can get my books in Malaysia, but you’ll need to specifically order them from your local bookstore. They’ll then be shipped from Australia! Hope you can get a hold of The Murderers’ Club and Fan Mail.

So glad you liked Body Count, Darlene! The Murderers’ Club will be coming out in the USA and Canada on 1 December 2007. Not too much longer!

That’s a tough one! I’ll keep writing Sophie books for as long as people want to read about Sophie and her cases. I’ve got quite a few ideas lined up for future books – about ten so far – so hopefully at least ten books.

The first book, Body Count, is actually based on a dream I had many years ago. See the bottom of the Body Count page for more information. From there, I based the books on my main character and her work as a profiler. The idea for each particular book comes from different places – such as research and dreams…and other ideas just pop into my head from nowhere in particular.

Hi Diane. Thanks for the question! You can order Meaner than Fiction online from an Australian bookstore, but it would be very expensive – books are much more expensive here than the US. Meaner than Fiction retails at $24.95. Plus you’d have to pay shipping! Your local bookstore could probably do an overseas order too.

However, my novels are published in the US, so you can buy them in the States at regular prices. Body Count and The Murderers’ Club are currently available in paperback and my third book, Fan Mail, will be available in the US in July 2009.

Hope this helps!

Hi Isabella, Two posts asking a similar question within a week…Fan Mail does answer many questions! And unlike Kelsey in America, you can go out and buy Fan Mail now and get the full story.

Hi Jerome. So glad you enjoyed The Murderers’ Club! And I hope you like Body Count just as much. Interesting about the cover – I really like it! But book covers are such a personal thing and what appeals to one person won’t appeal to another. Fan Mail has been confirmed as a July 2009 release in the US and Canada. And that’ll be a mass market paperback. Sorry about my mix up with dates! (Oh, and I am married, but I use my maiden name, so I usually go by Ms!)

Hi Joanne. Not much longer now…only two weeks until Fan Mail is available in Australia! That’s 1 February 2008. And I’m working on book 4 at the moment and intend to keep them coming.

Hi Karlie – any bookstore will be able to order Body Count in for you, although it may take a week or two. Certainly, the bookshop where you bought The Murderers’ Club will be able to get it in stock. Glad you liked The Murderers’ Club and happy reading!

Hi Kelsey, So glad you enjoyed my first two books. I don’t want to post any spoilers, but I will say that any questions raised in The Murderers’ Club will be answered in Fan Mail.

I do believe in psychic ability, however in terms of actual psychics I think there are a lot of people who claim to have this gift but don’t. I believe psychic ability is another sense, but one that most people aren’t aware of and/or haven’t developed fully. I can’t remember exactly what gave me the idea to combine psychic ability with profiling – but I am certainly very interested in both these areas!

Thanks, Linda! It’s great to know you’re enjoying Sophie! Fan Mail is a July 2009 release – sorry about the wait

Good question! In part, it’s due to different publishers. My publisher here in Australia (Pan Macmillan) hires/pays someone to design the cover. If my US publisher (MIRA) wanted to use that cover, they’d need to buy it from Pan Macmillan rather than using their usual designers and in-house designers. However, I have the same publisher in US/Canada and UK/Ireland, yet they have different covers. Each editorial team briefs their designers to create a cover to appeal to their target market. Theory is, the cover that appeals to an Aussie, won’t appeal to an American, or Briton.

Glad you enjoyed my first two books, Sandie. Book 3, Fan Mail, will be available in the US and Canada in July 2009.

Hi Sharon, Have you tried your local library? Many libraries stock past issues of magazines and newspapers, so give that a go. Othewise, ring Women’s Weekly and see if they can send you out a copy – it’s the March 2006 edition.

Hi Sheree, So glad you’re enjoying my Sophie books! I’m working on the fourth book at the moment, titled The Killing Hands. It’s scheduled for a 1 February 2009 release. You can sign up for web updates (don’t worry, I don’t send out that many!) and then I’ll send you an email notification with an advance look at the front cover too! Phillipa

Hi Sheri, I’m afraid you’re not the first person to point this error out to me! I believe it’s been corrected for the paperback version of The Murderers’ Club in the US and I’ve definitely fixed it for book 3, Fan Mail.

Hi Sue, Body Count is the first novel – when Sophie meets Darren. But he makes a comeback in The Murderers’ Club.

Wouldn’t it spoil the fun of the third book if you knew the answer? Sorry, my lips are sealed.

Hi Tony. My favourites are Val McDermid (from your part of the world!), Kathy Reichs and Ian Rankin. I also enjoy Janet Evanovich’s books for a lighter, fun read.

And so glad you’re enjoying Body Count!

Hi Louisa. Yes, Body Count is my first book and was available initially in North America as hardback and then as a paperback. I’m afraid I’ve just found out from my publisher that there are no immediate plans to reprint Body Count. I do have some better news for you though – The Killing Hands will be out in the US and Canada in November this year.

Hi Joanne. Glad you loved Body Count! Yes, Body Count is the first. The series, in order, goes: Body Count, The Murderers’ Club, Fan Mail and then The Killing Hands. Book 5 is due out in Australia and New Zealand in January 2010. You can read more about each of the books in the Books section of my website and if your local bookstore doesn’t have them in stock you’ll be able to order them.

Lots! I started off writing children’s/young adult novels and although I came close to getting a publisher with the last one, ultimately it didn’t happen. Body Count was the fourth book I wrote – and the first one published.

Hi Rosemary! Sorry it’s taken me so long to reply. I’m glad you’re loving Sophie, the BAU and her gift In terms of test readers, I actually don’t have any at the moment. The time frames tend to be extremely tight between each draft of the manuscript and so it’s only me and my publishers that get a chance to edit and proof. Thank you so much for the offer and your interest!

Hi Simone. Sorry it’s taken me this long to post an answer. I’m afraid at this stage there are no plans to exclusively publish The Killing Hands or Kiss of Death in the UK. You’ll have to buy the American edition or the Aussie one! And you can download book 6, Coming Home, straight off my website for free.

Hi Nichelle. At this stage, Coming Home will only be available on my website as a PDF or EPUB file. Perhaps in the future it will be available as a ‘real’ book but there aren’t any plans for that at the moment!

Hi there. Justin Reid featured in The Murderers’ Club and then came back for a brief appearance in Fan Mail. At some stage I hope to return to the Sophie series and Justin Reid, but for the moment he’s (SPOILER ALERT) living in Paris being a naughty, naughty boy.

Hi Nicole. Sorry it’s taken me so long to answer this question. I have looked in to publishing Coming Home as a paperback but given it’s my one and only foray into self-publishing at this stage I’ll be sticking with the cheaper and less time-consuming option of ebook only. Sorry

I’ve just finished work on an action-adventure thriller and I’m currently looking for a new agent to represent me for this work – my old agent passed away recently. Unfortunately, it means I’ve got no idea of an expected publication date! I’ve also just started work on something completely new: a women’s fiction. Think drama and Jodi Picoult, not romance!

You’re too kind!

Thanks and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed my Sophie Anderson series.

Hi there. I always hate disappointing readers but at this stage Coming Home will still only be an ebook. To be honest, it’s largely a decision of time and economics. Coming Home is self-published (my only self-published book), which means I’d be the person organising and paying for the printing, distribution, marketing, etc. of a paperback version. I did look in to getting it printed but there would be a lot of work (and cost) involved so at this stage I’m afraid I’m sticking with the ebook. Sorry!

I hope so! At this stage the series is on hold at five published novels and one self-published ebook (Coming Home). I do hope to return to the series in the future, but at the moment I’m focusing on other projects. Sorry, I know this is disappointing to my Sophie fans but hopefully you’ll enjoy my new books just as much or more!

Hi Barb. Glad you’re a Sophie fan! I’m actually giving Sophie a rest at the moment. But I hope it’s a rest rather than a retirement! I’m working on a couple of other projects (and being a full-time mum/mom) at the moment but I would love to come back to the Sophie series in a few years, after I’ve written other characters and genres too. But I’ll keep any publication news on this website!

Hi Nikki. Glad you’ve been getting into Sophie’s adventures. At this stage, my Sophie series is on hold, with the following books available:

Hi Caroline. I’m afraid to say that at this stage Sophie is taking a break. Sorry! I may come back to her at some stage in the future, but for now I’m focusing on a totally new genre and style of writing. I presume you’ve got all six books – Body Count, The Murderers’ Club, Fan Mail, The Killing Hands, Kiss of Death and Coming Home (available only as an ebook)? If not, you might have one more to read
Phillipa

Hi Judy. I’m afraid Coming Home is only available as an ebook. To be honest, it’s my first experimentation into ebooks and self-publishing and it’s simply not cost-effective for me to produce the book in paperback. Sorry

Hi Suzanne. At this stage Sophie is on a break, however I may come back to her at some stage in the future. In a few weeks (May 2012)  I’ll be launching a new female character – ex-CIA agent “RB”. The first book in this new series, Hell’s Fury, will be available only as an ebook (for $2.99). It’s a spy thriller and I hope all my Sophie fans will enjoy it!

Hi Rose. I’ve just uploaded Hell’s Fury onto Smashwords, so I believe you can download a Nook-compatible version there. It’s the same price ($3.99) but I will probably only keep it up on Smashwords for a few weeks. Amazon gives attractive incentives to authors who make their work exclusive to Amazon!

Glad you’re enjoying the series! I’d love it if the Sophie books became movies but alas it seems unlikely at this stage   There’s so much crime on the small screen, that most movie producers and execs are really only interested in crime fiction books that are already best sellers or have something extremely unique about them. Too much crime fiction out there! Maybe I should try to write an episode of Criminal Minds That’d be cool!

The criminology subjects I studied at uni were varied (and now I have to remember them!). Let me see…probably the most relevant one to crime fiction, or at least my Sophie books, was a one-semester subject called “Sex, violence and criminality”. I also studied criminal law as a continuing subject over a couple of years in conjunction with psychology.