Interviewing G R Halliday
Hello!
I recently enjoyed the dark thriller Dark Waters by G R Halliday out now which carries on the stories of DI Monica Kennedy and makes me wish never to visit the Scottish Highlands at night. I was very lucky to speak to the author about the book and a few other things
So how would you book tempt someone into reading Dark Waters?
‘When she still had all of her arms and legs, Annabelle liked to drive . . .’ the opening lines for Dark Waters popped into my head one day and I just had to know more - maybe others will also be tempted!
I find DI Kennedy a fascinating figure in how they don’t seem to quite fit the world they’re in? What drew you to this character?
In a strange way DI Monica Kennedy found me more than anything. In my first novel, From The Shadows, Monica was originally a minor character, but her role expanded until finally she took over. On reflection I think some of Monica comes from growing up with my big sister who was always in charge of what we were up to as kids - so in that way it felt quite natural to have a woman as the main character in the series. I think a lot of readers relate to DI Kennedy’s sense of not quite fitting in, or conforming to expectations. It’s an experience many of us have at some point in our lives. Growing up I often felt like an outsider, I went to quite a gritty high school near Stirling in central Scotland and my friends were mostly working class, while my family were sort of lower middle class, my eccentric dad would occasionally appear in the newspaper or on TV talking about the paranormal (more on that below!). So like DI Kennedy I often felt a bit strange and like I didn’t quite fit.
Your stories cross easily into some dark places with a touch of the supernatural. What’s made you want to hover on this boundary and is this something you want to explore more in the future?
When I was a kid my dad used to investigate UFOs and the paranormal and write about them. The house was always full of books on unexplained mysteries, missing persons, the occult… I would scare myself sleepless reading about all these strange events and be fascinated and repelled in equal measure. More recently I’ve been influenced by my partner Sarah who is a huge fan of scary films and books, partly I try to impress her with how scary I can make things - not an easy task! I have written a lot of short ghost and horror stories over the years, and I do have vague ideas for something longer I’d like to explore in the future.
The Highlands you create is a wild place and possibly one to fear getting trapped in. What do you love about the area?
I love the landscape of The Highlands, the mixture of the mountains and the amazing beaches. I spend a lot of time wild swimming and climbing mountains, so in that way the Highlands are perfect for me. I also find the area truly inspiring for my writing, especially the contrast between the urban environment of Inverness, the city in the Highlands, and the wilderness around it. The Highlands have an incredible mixture of history and culture, combined with the amazing landscapes it makes for a truly unique backdrop for crime fiction.
With recent events policing is a hot topic – do you think crime novels need to show a balanced view of policing going forward? That they’re not just a force for law and order?
Police are imbued with incredible power by the state, most major miscarriages of justice and acts of police brutality seem to occur when this power isn’t properly respected by those wielding it, and isn’t properly scrutinised by wider society. I like crime fiction that shows the complexity that we all carry as human beings, none of us are all good or all bad - including criminals and police officers.
What is next for DI Kennedy?
DI Kennedy’s next adventure is a little more psychological than Dark Waters, set in the same dark vision of the Highlands, but with the dial turned up on the mystery and intrigue…
If you could get everyone to read one book (not your own) what would it be?
For some reason Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson comes to mind. Maybe because it was my favourite escapist novel as a child - everyone should spend time with pirate Long John Silver at least once in their life!
