Meet the Author: Catherine Ryan Howard

Credit: Steve Langan

Catherine Ryan Howard is an internationally bestselling crime writer from Cork, Ireland. Her debut novel, Distress Signals, was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey/New Blood Dagger. The Liar's Girl (2018) was shortlisted for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. Rewind (2019) was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year and is currently being developed for screen by Clerkenwell Films. The Nothing Man was a no. 1 Irish Times bestseller and a no. 1 Kindle bestseller (UK) and was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year.

Catherine's latest novel, 56 Days, will be published on 19 August by Corvus and is also available through our catalogue. You can also find Catherine's titles on our eLibrary catalogue.

1. Who were your heroes and influences as you were growing up and when did you first realise that you wanted to write?

I’ve wanted to write since I realised that actual people had written the books I was devouring, that they didn’t just magically appear. I think I took what is quite a typical route for a crime writer of my generation: Nancy Drew to Point Horror to Virginia Andrews to Christopher Pike to Patricia Cornwell. The book that really had a big impact on me aged 11 was Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, because I just couldn’t believe that someone had created that idea out of nothing and that that was his job. I wanted it to be my job too.

2. Distress Signals established you as a thriller writer and was shortlisted for Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. How was it to write and what did you draw on for your inspiration?

It took me a long time to write because I procrastinated a lot, but it was also the novel I’d been waiting all my life to write so in some ways, it was a relief to finally do it. I got the idea after reading an article on cruise ship disappearances by Jon Ronson. I started doing some online research into maritime law and was shocked by what I found. I thought if I were a serial killer, a cruise ship is where I’d hunt.

3. The Liar's Girl was a huge success and much-read here in Suffolk. Where did the idea for the characters of Alison and Will come from?

Thank you! I’m delighted that your readers enjoyed it. It was also from an article, this time by Chris Heath in GQ, about Thomas Quick, once thought to be Sweden’s most prolific serial killer – although not really the article itself, just the little teaser paragraph at the top that said a convicted killer who’d confessed to all sorts of heinous crimes now had something new to confess, that he’d left out the worst part of all. Immediately I thought that the killer would be Will and the person he wanted to reveal that ‘worst part’ to would be his ex-girlfriend Alison. I’m very interested in what happens to us between the ages of 18-22 and how it shapes our adult lives, so I thought focusing on college-age students was the right way to go.

4. What do you look for in a thriller as a reader? Now you know how they are put together can you read them with the same enjoyment or do you think 'I can see what she did there'..

It’s getting harder and harder to ignore the mechanics but when I find a really good thriller, I forget about writing altogether. I love something that’s a bit different, that might not be shelved in the ‘Crime’ section but absolutely IS a crime novel, in that it centres around a crime. True Story by Kate Reed Petty is a good example of that. I also recently loved Bath Haus by PJ Vernon and Dream Girl by Laura Lippman. I really only want to read books that don’t feel like anything I’ve ever read before.

5. 56 days is your latest book. Can you tell us a bit about it?

It’s set in Dublin during our first lockdown back in March 2020, and it centres on a new couple who move in together to get around the ‘no mixing between households’ restrictions – and don’t tell anyone else. She sees it as a way to avoid the scrutiny of family and friends, but he sees it as a way to hide who and what he really is.

6. Is there anything you can share with us about your next project?

It’s a thriller set on a movie set.

7. How has the Covid period affected the way you promote your work? Do you miss meeting people in person?

I’m an introvert so I don’t really mind it at all and honestly, I think in many ways, being unable to have in-person events has really opened up literary festivals, etc. for both readers and writers. Some really amazing virtual events have happened that would never have in real life (due to travel distances, etc.) and I think a lot of readers who might never have felt comfortable attending a literary event have joined one from the comfort of their living rooms. It’s been a great equaliser. I want to see the return of festivals for all involved, but I hope that moving forward we see more of a hybrid between virtual and in-person.

8. Is there a book you have read that has changed your life or made you think differently?

Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes really opened my eyes on the subject of domestic violence, coercive control, etc. Whenever I heard stories about it, despite my sympathy, there was always a little question in the back of my mind: why didn’t she leave the first time he did x, y or z? That novel – one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve ever read – made me see that by the time you realise there’s a reason to leave, it’s already too late to. It captured the gradual, insidious nature transformation of what seems like a good relationship into an abusive one in a way that I’ve never seen before or since.

9. What is the best advice you were ever given?

Write the book you want to read but can’t find on the shelf.

10. Can you tell us one thing about yourself that your readers may not know?

In another life, I wanted to be a virologist specialising in Ebola.