Meet the Author: Caz Frear

Caz Frear grew up in Coventry and spent her teenage years dreaming of moving to London and writing a novel. After fulfilling her first dream, it wasn’t until she moved back to Coventry thirteen years later that the second finally came true. Sweet Little Lies (2017) was her first novel. Stone Cold Heart was published last year and her latest book Shed No Tears was published in July 2020. You can find all of Caz's books on the Suffolk Libraries catalogue.

Who were your first literary heroes and did you have books in the house as you were growing up?

Yes, there were always books, mainly from the library. I always received books as gifts at Christmas and on birthdays, but these bi-annual events were never enough to satisfy me, so every couple of weeks I’d spend an hour or so pouring over the shelves in my local library. When I was a child, I’d read anything and everything, so I’m not even sure I had literary heroes - I had no real allegiances! However, into my teens, I got into crime in a huge way and hoovered up my mum’s Ruth Rendell and Agatha Christie novels at an impressive rate. Later, I came across Lynda La Plante – initially her Lorraine Page US series - and that was it for me. I was hooked. I was predominantly crime/thriller focused from that point on.

How did DC Cat Kinsella come into being? Was she based on anyone you know?

Cat is a complete invention, although her sidekicks, Parnell and Steele, are very loosely based on people I worked with. All I knew was that I wanted to write a police procedural from the perspective of someone quite junior and there were two reasons for this. One – it gave the character series potential, the chance to watch the main detective grow both personally and professionally. Two - in reality, it’s the junior ranks who do most of the day-to-day police work and that authenticity is really important to me. Very rarely does an Inspector get involved in interviewing suspects, knocking on doors, chasing down leads, etc. They’re generally the decision-makers, the man-managers, whereas I wanted to portray a do-er. A young grafter.

I also knew I was slightly weary of the loner cop cliché and the superhero cop cliché and I wanted to create a character that sat somewhere in between. Cat is often flawed, sometimes brilliant, but mostly she’s relatable. She’s an everywoman. I love it when I get feedback from readers that they see themselves in Cat, or they know a Cat – it’s the greatest compliment.

Can you give us a flavour of your new book Shed no tears?

Shed No Tears is the third in the Cat Kinsella series, and while there are some continuing threads - mainly around Cat’s family and their link to a previous case - I definitely think it stands alone as a novel and it’s probably my most ambitious yet in terms of plot. It’s actually hard to say too much without giving away spoilers but the story focuses on a high-profile cold case – the murder of four women across a two-week period in 2012. Basically, when the remains of the fourth victim are uncovered in 2018, miles from where the other three were found and with a markedly different cause of death, Cat and the team are tasked with reopening the case, which leads to a shocking web of secrets, lies and Met Police office politics.

What is your writing routine? Are you surrounded by story boards or do you go with the flow?

I’m an obsessive planner. I’m actually in huge awe of authors who just start with a premise and see where it goes. Before I start writing a new novel, I’ll have spent at least a couple of months plotting it out, going forwards, then backwards, while I try to make the plot as sharp and intriguing as possible. I don’t use storyboards, though. I plot everything out in Excel – old-school, but it works for me! In terms of routine, I generally stick to my old office hours. Writing is my full-time job now and, in the main, I treat it like any other job.

I’m at my desk (or sofa) for around 8/8.30 and I’ll write until lunchtime, then edit in the afternoon, finishing up when my husband gets home around 5.30. Of course, all this goes out the window when I’m close to deadline and I’m up at 5am, writing until 1am the next morning, and existing on nothing but toast, chocolate and caffeine. And don’t get me started on what lockdown has done to my writing routine…..

Can you share anything with us about your latest project?

Simply that it’s a standalone and it’s more along the psychological/suspense vein (although I found I couldn’t help myself and a police officer has crept in as one of the secondary characters). Essentially, it’s about a woman who believes she’s a good person, however when it becomes clear that someone very close is hell-bent on destroying her life, she has to question the very essence of that belief by looking back on several episodes throughout her life where she may have left a black mark on someone else’s. In many ways, it’s a classic whodunnit/whydunnit, but with this added reflection on what it means to be a ‘good person’ and whether any of us ever really are.

Do you read other crime writers? If so, are you able to still enjoy them knowing how the trick is done?

The answer to the first question is yes, absolutely. A large proportion of what I read falls under the crime/thriller/psychological/suspense umbrella, although I have made a concerted effort this year to step outside the genre occasionally. The second question – well, that’s a tricky one. I can usually spot a red herring or a suspiciously ‘quiet’ character a mile off (it’s always the quiet ones!), and while I wouldn’t claim that it’s impossible to trick me, it is pretty damn hard! That said, if the writing is great and the characters are three-dimensional, it doesn’t affect my enjoyment. Tana French, Susie Steiner, Liz Nugent, Sarah Hilary, Erin Kelly, Olivia Kiernan, Jane Casey – these are ALL examples of great writers, not just great crime writers, so for me, the journey their books take me on are every bit as enjoyable as the “twist” or the final denouement.

What is the best advice you were ever given?

I’ll assume you mean writing advice! Know what your book is about. This sounds painfully obvious, but it’s surprising how many writers find it difficult to sum up the heart of their novel in one or two sentences. And I know it sounds impossible to sum up a 100,000-word novel in less than 50, but I honestly believe it needs to be done, especially if you’re writing commercial fiction. It’s actually a very good exercise to think of a handful of bestsellers and quickly sum them up in a couple of lines. You’ll find that in almost all cases it can be done very easily.

If you’re finding that you can’t do this with your own novel, I’d say it means that your plot is too woolly, your characters aren’t fully-realised, or their motivations are too vague. Of course, it doesn’t mean you have to plan to the nth degree (like me!), but your central question or dilemma should be crystal clear so it can act as your north star for when you inevitably hit a writing wall (we all hit them!)

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

I was a trophy-winning Irish dancer back in the day. Not quite world-beating, but my mum has a nice cabinet full of 1sts, 2nds and 3rds!