Nikki Crutchley is about to publish her third crime mystery novel, set in small town New Zealand. These are thrillers with beautiful settings and, sadly, an ugly social underbelly, found anywhere, but that’s what crime’s all about, isn’t it?
Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler, and today Nikki talks about her latest book, The Murder Club, and the encouragement she draws from other women writers in the mystery field.
Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:
Learning how to say 'Yes' to opportunityThe fascinating dynamic of small town crimeKeeping secrets when 'everyone know everybody'The darker side of tourismThe writers she admires mostHonoring hometown heroes
Where to find Nikki Crutchley:
Website: https://www.nikkicrutchley.com/
Facebook: @NikkiCrutchleyAuthor
Twitter: @Nikkicauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17129077.
What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.
But now, here’s Nikki.
Introducing Nikki Crutchley
Jenny Wheeler: Hello there, Nikki, and welcome to the show, it’s wonderful to have you with us. Tell me, beginning at the beginning, was there a once upon a time moment when you decided you wanted to write fiction and if so, what was the catalyst for it?
Nikki Crutchley - Mystery author
Nikki Crutchley: I think I always wanted to write. If you asked a seven-year-old Nikki, she would have said, I want to be a writer when I grow up. Between the ages of about 7 and 14, that's all I ever wanted to do. But as life got in the way, I went to university and went on my OE and got married and had kids and there was always that thought of wanting to write a book one day, but I never really did anything about it.
The dream was always there and I don't know if it was a lack of confidence or a timing issue, but I do remember when my girls were two and four, I started writing fairytales for them and I loved getting back into writing. I printed off a few of the stories and sent them to families and friends and they all loved them, but it wasn't really what I wanted to be doing. I really wanted to be writing crime.
At that time, I also got into writing flash fiction, which is short, short stories, around 300 words or less, and I had a little bit of success with that. I got published in a few New Zealand anthologies, so I think the time was right around there and confidence was a big issue, I think.
Jenny Wheeler: Yes. Maybe there's an issue of having somebody in your world who looks like a reasonable role model too. A lot of the writers were male, as well.
Inspired by other women authors
Nikki Crutchley: Definitely. Around that time, just as I was getting ready to dive in, I remember reading New Zealand crime writer Vanda Symon’s book, Overkill, and thinking back on it now, that was a small town setting, crime thriller, and it was almost me realizing, oh, maybe I can do that.
Jenny Wheeler: Yes. You are about to publish your third crime mystery now, called The Murder Club. We were laughing before we went on air because you live in one of the most beautiful rural towns in New Zealand, the town of Cambridge, which combines the New Zealand rural beauty with a few English buildings that give it a sense of history, and your books are all beautiful settings and a rather ugly social underbelly. What attracted you to crime?
Nikki Crutchley: With the crime genre, I quite like how you can explore people in society, which can be quite serious subjects, but still have a little bit of fun with the whodunit aspect. I've been reading the crime genre since my mid-teens so when it came to writing a book, I felt like the genre picked me. I've always had a fascination with not so much the act of the crime, the violent crime, that's something that always has to be explored in crime fiction, but also why someone chooses to do something or if they’re ...
