M.F. Kelleher interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

I'm M.F. Kelleher and I write spy thrillers and mystery novels with two main characters. The spy books are led by Agent Blackhawk in MI6, she's like a female James Bond, getting involved in dangerous spying operations, with chases and even gadgets!  

'Olivia Streete Mysteries' is the other series. Olivia is a lawyer who gets into scrapes and murders when she works for her legal clients. Each book is in a different city, as she fights the find the truth and sometimes her family too.

When did your love of books begin?

As a child I loved reading and even wrote a mystery story when I was 6 years old for a school project, so I have loved books all my life.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

After education, life took over, but I never lost my love of books and started to write in the few spare minutes I managed to find between everything else going on. In my twenties, I first thought about being an author, but I never seemed to have enough time to do it properly. 

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

The only good thing to come out of the pandemic, for me, was the gift of time. In the first lockdown I had spare hours for the first time in years, so put them to good use and started writing my first novel. I was very proud of finishing 75,000 words and thought it was good, then I went back and read it all in one go and realised that, even within the space of a few months, I had improved. Then I edited and edited, until it got better. But I do work quite fast, so, I write 1,500 words a day, then go back every few weeks and have 'editing days' when I have my editor's head on instead of my writer's head. That works for me.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Find a regular block of at least 2-3 hours and put it in your diary as often as you can manage; once per week is great, but twice per week is better. Find somewhere away from people you know (I write in coffee shops; near humans, but they're strangers). Then, just write, anything. Don't worry about quality, just get words on paper (or screen). Do that for a month, then go back and read it all, imagine it's not your words but you're reading it in a book shop, then make it better. After that, repeat the monthly process until you have at least 75,000 words that you like. 

Tell us about your book/books:

I write two series of books - one is spy novels and the other is detective mysteries. Both of my leading characters are female. I prefer writing female characters as they provide a broad canvas to work with. 

I have always read mystery and thriller novels, some of my favourite writers, like John Le Carre, Linda La Plante and Robert Harris write in these genres. I love the escapism of a good story and it's ability to take me into a world of intrigue and adventure.

The two female leads are very different. Agent Blackhawk is a trained killer; she has expertise in military combat and espionage. She is happy going under cover and can survive in the toughest of places. 

Olivia Streete is a lawyer and ends up working for different clients across Europe. Each book is set in a different city, and the streets, restaurants, cafes and hotels are all real places, so you get a tour of Paris or Venice as part of the book! Each Olivia Streete book is also set in a different type of work; for instance, The Venetian Affair (Book 2) is set in the international art world.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

The writing community is very very supportive of each other, which is great given that so many online things can get heated these days. I have learnt a lot from the community, particularly at the beginning when you don't know how to start or what to do.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Just that I hope you love the characters and the stories keep you gripped. If you have to keep reading to find out the next bit of the story, then that's great! Overall, I hope you love the books as much as I do.

Where can people connect with you?

DM me on Twitter @mfkelleher