It’s Wednesday which means it’s time for another Author Influences and today I’m delighted to welcome crime and thriller writer KA Richardson to the blog. So let’s find out about the books and authors that have inspired her and her work.

Which authors/books did you like to read as a child?
Pretty much anything I could devour – I loved Enid Blyton, and moved rapidly onto Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys – also the Willard Price adventures. When I turned double figures I enjoyed Point Horror books and in my early teens moved onto adult crime novels.

Were you good at English at school? Did you like it?
English was one of my top subjects at school – I always got good grades and enjoyed the reading material – even Shakespeare! My favourite book I read whilst at school was Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. It was the first book I remember reading that made me cry.

What genres do you like to read? Have they had an impact on the genre you write?
I enjoy a wide diversity of genres however tend to read more crime and romantic suspense than anything else. They probably have impacted on my writing in some ways – but so has the jobs I’ve had – I worked as a CSI for years and still work for the police albeit in an alternate role now. Due to these jobs, I find it easy to focus on the forensic side of an investigation.

If you were to write a different genre what would it be and why?
I’ve started a supernatural trilogy which I’m loving writing – it frees you of restraints and lets you write what you like without having to be too influenced by ‘is this procedure right’ or ‘would a cop really do that’.

Did any author’s work encourage you to pick up your pen and write and if so who, what and why?
So many!! I read Stephen King’s book, On Writing and it was honestly one of the best and most refreshing books about writing I’ve ever read. It’s inspiring and from the king of horror and much of it resonated with me. Other’s that have inspired me though are Karen Rose – she’s a fantastic author who writes romantic suspense and I love how her characters bring the book to life. She’s also been disadvantaged through life in some ways with her disability which makes her writing even better and deeper as she often focuses on people with some form of disability.

Are there any authors who, as soon as they publish a new book, you have to get it?
Karen Rose for sure – and Mo Hayder.

Which books have you read that have made you think ’Wow, I wish I had written that’ and what was it about the book?
Mo Hayder’s book The Treatment. I absolutely love the wandering man character and would have loved to have written him! Also it’s so deliciously dark and terrifying that it had me checking the doors and windows before I went to bed!

Have any of your plots/characters been influenced by real life events/people? (Be careful, I don’t want you getting sued!)
I think all characters have some elements taken from people you know – or people you see in the street etc. None of my characters are based on actual people but definitely a little of certain people may feature in many of them.

A huge thank you for taking part. I totally agree with you on Mo Hayder, she is fantastic!

KA Richardson’s latest book Watch You Burn is out now and here is what it’s about:

Someone is breaking into Fire Investigator, Edina Blaze’s, home and leaving deadly messages. When Glen Peacock is burned alive, she has to put her own problems aside and attend the location with Crime Scene Manager, Kevin Lang.
As the body count rises, Edina’s sister Heather becomes involved. Is it her setting these gruesome fires? Or is she a target too?
Kevin has seen it all in his years on the force, but when a young girl is found burnt to death, even he is shocked.
Who is taking pleasure in watching people burn? Why are they doing it? And will they be caught?

DI Alistair McKay and the team from North East Police have to work quickly to stop the killer, before they all end up in flames.

About KA Richardson

KA Richardson is the author of the North East Police series – there are four out in the series so far, the most recent of which is Watch You Burn. This was published in May 2017 and features the Fire Investigation Team. KA Richardson finished her Ma Creative Writing in 2011 and has been focusing on publication ever since. She is privileged to have had two publishers – Caffeine Nights (for her first novel) and now Bloodhound Books for the rest in the series.
Website: www.kerryannrichardson.com
Twitter: @kerryann77 or @karichardson77
Facebook: KA Richardson
Instagram: @kerryann77