When I’m not writing novels I’m a music journalist, so I’m fascinated by the ways that sounds can affect our emotional and physical health.
Catherine Fearns – 8 October 2019
The Back Flap
A professor of psychoacoustics is found dead in his office. It appears to be a heart attack, until a second acoustician dies a few days later in similar circumstances.
Meanwhile, there’s an outbreak of mysterious illnesses on a council estate, and outbursts of unexplained violence in a city centre nightclub. Not to mention strange noises coming from the tunnels underneath Liverpool. Can it really be a coincidence that death metal band Total Depravity are back in the city, waging their own form of sonic warfare?
Detective Inspector Darren Swift is convinced there are connections. Still grieving his fiancé’s death and sworn to revenge, he is thrown back into action on the trail of a murderer with a terrifying and undetectable weapon.
But this case cannot be solved using conventional detective work, and D.I. Swift will need to put the rulebook aside and seek the occult expertise of Dr. Helen Hope and her unlikely sidekick, guitarist Mikko Kristensen.
You can’t escape the noise. Only the memory of silence can comfort you…or death itself.
About the book
What is the book about?
Sound is the third in my Liverpool crime thriller series. The mysterious death of a professor of acoustics leads D.I. Darren Swift and his unlikely team into the world of satanic black metal.
The book is very much a sequel to Consuming Fire, which ended on something of a cliffhanger, and it forms the third book in my Reprobation trilogy. But it is also a self-contained story in its own right. It’s about psychoacoustics; how our brains process sound, and in particular how sounds can induce paranoia. The book’s title may seem very simple, but it has a dual meaning, because ‘Sound’ is a commonly-used expression in Liverpool, used to indicate agreement or contentment.
When did you start writing the book?
I started the research towards the end of 2018, while I was finishing the editing process for the previous book, Consuming Fire. The idea for Sound had been in my head for a while, and I couldn’t wait to get started!
How long did it take you to write it?
I began the writing process itself in January 2019, although by then I had done a lot of background research, and I continued to research as I wrote. A manuscript was produced by the end of spring 2019, and then the process of redrafting, beta reading and editing took until the end of the summer.
Where did you get the idea from?
When I’m not writing novels I’m a music journalist, so I’m fascinated by the ways that sounds can affect our emotional and physical health. But last year I also became fascinated by the sounds that we can’t hear – infrasound, sonic weapons, gravitational waves – strange acoustic phenomena, not all of which can be explained. I became slightly obsessed with the connections between sound and the supernatural, and within that theme I found the perfect plot for Darren Swift’s next adventure.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
I would say the technical challenges associated with writing a sequel were difficult. For some reason more difficult with book three than with book two. The first draft of Sound was ridden with spoilers. I couldn’t stop mentioning what had happened in Reprobation and Consuming Fire! This third book can be read as a standalone, but it is also built on what happened before, so it’s really hard to get that balance between reminding established readers, explaining to new readers, and annoying just about everybody! With the help of my editor hopefully I got the balance right in the end.
I also found it difficult to write about Darren’s grief over losing his partner. Even though he’s a fictional character, I still had this strange feeling of voyeurism, as if I was intruding on his private thoughts.
What came easily?
Writing about music and sound is always a pleasure for me, and I loved weaving my acoustics research into the story. The voices of Mikko Kristensen and Helen Hope always come very easily too. They are my favourite characters and their dialogue sort of writes itself without me having to think about it.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
I never borrow from people I know personally – not intentionally anyway. That would be very wrong, I think. Although it’s inevitable that certain character traits, mannerisms, physical characteristics are derived from people I know. Even if I was able to identify them consciously, I wouldn’t reveal who they are!
As for famous people, well yes, I suppose. When I picture Darren Swift in my head I tend to have an image of the footballer Steven Gerrard – the accent, the mannerisms, the furrowed brow. And the guitarist Mikko Kristensen is inspired by an amalgam of two real-life metal guitarists – Alexi Laiho and Randy Rhoads. The Messiah character is an amalgam of lots of real-life characters from the world of black metal.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I write crime fiction that is very much tied to its location of Liverpool, so I’m inspired by other crime writers with a strong sense of place, such as Ian Rankin and Dennis Lehane.
I love big concept writers like Stephen King, Margaret Atwood and Michael Crichton, and there’s a major Victorian gothic influence in my books too. But in terms of literary style, probably my biggest influence is Kazuo Ishiguro. His heartbreakingly understated elegance is what I am going for.
Do you have a target reader?
A crime thriller fan who’s willing to try something a bit different. If you’re a Liverpudlian heavy metal fan who likes reading supernatural crime fiction, my books are perfect for you. Is there anybody like that out there, apart from me?!
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I’m self-taught and pretty new to the writing game, so my process is still evolving. Since I have four small children it’s not possible for me to block out whole days to write; I have to fit writing in between childcare and housework, as well as music journalism. But that means I am very flexible. I write longhand in notebooks; I find that writing longhand improves the quality of both my thoughts and my sentences. Then I type everything up at the end of each day. I also try to get out of the house to write whenever I can, and I vary my writing locations, from coffee shop to coffee shop usually.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I always start off with an outline. Otherwise you’re writing into the dark and it’s too unwieldy and scary. But that outline is very flexible, because as I go through, the plot inevitably evolves and becomes more complex. I have found that the Scrivener programme is great for these early stages of novel construction.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I wait until I have a full first draft. Then I edit that before moving on to the second draft, and so on…
Did you hire a professional editor?
My publisher assigns an editor. I had Jeff Gardiner for my first two books, and then Alice Cullerne-Brown for Sound. I thoroughly enjoyed working with both, it was a fantastic two-way process.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Funnily enough, even though I’m a music journalist and my books are music-themed, I cannot listen to music while I work! I wish I could! I don’t need silence – in fact I love the white noise of a busy café – but music distracts me too much.
However, listening to music is still a very important part of my writing process. When I take breaks from writing I go for long walks with my headphones, and I create playlists and soundtracks to my books.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I was extremely lucky. With my first book, Reprobation, I had no idea what I was doing, so as an experiment I sent it to five agents and five publishers. I had positive responses from one agent and one indie publisher – Crooked Cat.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I didn’t really have to decide – I was offered a contract with Crooked Cat. It was an easy decision to make, and it has been fantastic being able to work so closely with a small company – I have a say in most aspects of the process. The downside is that there is no marketing budget or distribution, so in that sense it’s very similar to being self-published. If I want my book to sell, I have to go out and sell it myself. I would have been afraid to self-publish my first novel because I needed that validation of a publishing house. But it doesn’t scare me anymore and it might be an option in the future.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
My book cover was designed by James at Go On Write, a company that mainly offers pre-made book covers, although I worked with James on bespoke options. I really love my book covers, and I’m lucky that I had so much input – I have heard that a lot of authors with big publishing houses are disappointed with their covers. However, my covers were done on a very small budget. The artwork (by a Russian artist) was purchased from Shutterstock and is not exclusive, so there is always the risk that someone else might use it. And the font was also purchased online. In future I would love to spend more money to create something more individual and artistic. When I think about how beautiful music album covers are, it makes me think that the publishing world can do better in creating works of art with which to wrap the text.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
With my first book I winged it – I was a complete novice and I just chucked whatever I could at it – social media, blog tour, competition, launch party… Like most new authors I was shocked at how much work you have to do to get even one person to care about your book – it was very disheartening. Then my second book probably came out too quickly after my first, so I hadn’t had enough time to process what worked and what didn’t. But with Sound I have decided to do things properly and I hired a book PR – Hannah Hargrave. She has put together a great marketing plan which will hopefully get my books more attention. But as an indie author in a saturated market it is always an uphill struggle. You never know what will be a sales trigger. For example I did a prime-time, one-hour interview on Radio Merseyside, which was a great experience – but didn’t sell a single book. I had a feature in Metal Hammer magazine and again, absolutely no spike in sales. Whereas joining one particular Facebook group, by chance, and interacting with its members has brought me a large percentage of my readers.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Accept that marketing is a central part of the process. You need to shout about your book, even if that doesn’t come naturally to you. Be prepared for disappointment after your first book launch – once the high has worn off you may be shocked at how low the sales figures are. You need to be in it for the long haul.
Connect with other authors as much as possible. There are some fantastic resources out there. I have learnt almost everything I know about book marketing from the Facebook groups of which I am a member. I’m also a member of Sam Missingham’s Empowered Authors Group, which is a treasure trove of advice and support.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Liverpool, near Crosby Beach. Most of my family are still there, and I visit as often as possible. It’s the best city in the world, I love it and miss it every day.
Where do you live now?
Geneva, Switzerland. I have travelled a lot due to my husband’s work, but hopefully we will settle in Geneva now. It’s a great place to live.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I love to connect with readers and I’m always happy to hear from them on social media! I’m a big fan of twitter.
What are you working on now?
My current WIP is something very different. It’s a historical novel about witchcraft in Switzerland. It feels very me. The research was bliss, and I’m now about 15,000 words in to the first draft – it’s going well so far!
End of Interview:
For more from Catherine visit her website or follow her on Twitter.
Get your copy of Sound from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
