What can we expect in this third part in the series?
The series takes a
slightly darker turn in Casting Shadows.
Flynn is under pressure to deal with his temper while River is keeping a
significant secret from him, even as their lives become more and more entwined.
Do you think River and Flynn have changed during
their relationship?
I think River has grown
up a lot and become more self-aware. She doesn’t have such a romanticized view
of love anymore, she understands that loving each other passionately isn’t
enough – making a relationship work requires respect and honesty too. Flynn has
learned a lot from River; most importantly, he knows that he needs to get a
handle on his temper.
And do you think they have had a positive or
negative influence on each other - or maybe both?
I think they’ve had all
sorts of influences on each other. Some of them are probably negative, but everything
that happens in all the stories gives River and Flynn an opportunity to learn
and grow – so in the end it’s all positive!
Do you need to read the books in order, or can they
be read as individual novels?
Personally I like to
read books that form a series in chronological order, but it’s perfectly
possible to read each of the Flynn books as standalone novels too. Any
background info you need to understand the story is provided as the action
progresses.
Did you map out all four books before you started
writing Falling Fast (the first in the series)?
Not at all! I wrote the
first book – and most of the second and third books - many years ago and made up
everything as I went along. When it came to the fourth book (Defy the Stars,
which I’ve just finished writing) I had a rough idea of what would happen but
wasn’t certain of the ending until I was about half way through.
How did you come up with the titles for the four
books in this series?
I didn’t come up with
them! I had totally different titles for the first three books (and no title at
all for the fourth). My publishers pointed out quite rightly that none of my
choices would really work, so they had a brainstorming session and came up with
the four titles we ended up using.
Once this series finishes, would you like to write
more novels that focus more on romance than a thriller element?
I’m not sure. I actually like books
best that combine the two, so perhaps I’ll just increase the romance elements
in my thrillers and introduce a little more action into my romances!
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