April 8th, 2002

JON:  Your first two books, Birdman, and The Treatment, feature Detective Jack Caffery. I've read comparisons and other people views. How would you describe the books?

MO: They're police procedural books with a heavy dose of forensics and some dark twists.

JON:  I read that you are only going to write the two books with Caffery. Why only two?

MO: Because my fascination with him was two books worth of fascination and there the interest stopped.

JON:  You have an uncanny knack for writing a dark book. Does it make you crazy when people feel the need to point out that they were written by a woman?

MO: I do spend a lot of time justifying my writing in a way I suspect I wouldn't have to if I were a man.

JON:  What made you want to write?

MO: Looking back I wonder if it wasn't to do with the need to have a baby - I badly wanted something that was all mine that I could engineer exactly as I wanted. Now, of course I've got my little girl to practice all my power games on. So healthy.

JON:  What other things have you done besides the writing?

MO: I've taught, worked as an administrator, a camera operator, a security guard a barmaid, a hostess in a night club - the list is endless.

JON:  Aside from being able to write a book that is dark and creepy, you also have a wonderful pacing to the books. They move along quickly and I know when I read them I had to keep reading till I was done. Is this going to be a part of what you are doing next?

MO: Thanks! I think a book has to be paced well - authors have so much competition from films and TV that a book, primarily, has to engage and be easy to finish. In my next book I'm slightly veering away from the genre but, I hope, keeping the forward momentum.

JON:  The ending in The Treatment might not be what some people have come to expect in their reading. What made you want to end it the way you did?

MO: The answer is in your question - I wanted to do what wasn't expected. I knew I didn't want a neat resolution. I hope that this ending makes the book linger in the reader's mind a bit longer

JON:  Are you ever surprised by the reactions of readers? And for that matter, the types of people who read your books? I know people always seemed surprised when they find out that my Mother loves dark books.

MO: You're lucky. My mother was so shocked when she finished Birdman that she didn't speak for nearly a week. But I've had fan mail from little old ladies in their 70s - so there is obviously no specific type.

JON:  Who are some of the authors that you enjoy reading?

MO: I don't read a great deal of crime to be honest. And I don't have a particular genre that I stick to - I'll read almost anything. At the moment I'm reading Paris Trout and Underworld (Don DeLilo)

JON:  What kind of research do you do? And, do you plot out the story ahead of time, or let it kind of come out organically as you write?

MO: In a perfect world, my plot would be sorted to the nth degree before I started writing - but this never happens. At some point I have to just take a deep breath and dive in. I research spasmodically throughout the writing process - sometimes research can be a huge inspiration.

JON:  What are your writing habits like? And have they changed since the addition of a baby to the household?

MO: I always write on a laptop propped up in bed. If I get a tricky bit I roll over, put a pillow on my head and go to sleep. Usually when I wake up the problem's resolved. Since Lotte, my little girl, arrived I make better use of my time. Sometimes I find myself writing descriptions of blood letting while she is happily cooing next to me and it feels a bit unbalanced.

JON:  This is a quote - " Mo Hayder doesn't just upset people with her crime thrillers. She terrifies them." Does reading things like that make you think that you are doing it right?

MO: My favourite three words in the English language? You terrified me. I do love to hear people say my books scared them because it means they escaped for a while, and that, in my opinion, is one of the chief functions of a book. I can't say I don't get upset when people tell me I'm sick, but that's a minority and you learn to take it in your stride.

JON:  What kinds of things fill your free time?

MO: Free time? Ha! I sleep.

JON:  What kind of music do you enjoy? Part of the reason I ask, is because I can kind of picture a certain amount of music in my head as a soundtrack to your books. Part blues, part techno, part hard rock, and even some opera.

MO: Oh dear, I've got such poor taste in music. I'm the sort of person that engineered bands are aimed at and I genuinely adored Hear'Say's first song. Fortunately my partner has very austere musical tastes so he keeps me disciplined.

JON:  What were some of the good things about living in Japan?

MO: The best thing about Japan was its appearance. I found the lifestyle there very difficult, but I have images of buildings and people that I'll carry for ever. Ridley Scott was struck in the same way - hence Bladerunner.

JON:  We are both the same age. I can only imagine what it must have been like in London when you were 16. Was it great? Was it weird? Are you glad you were there?

MO: It was great. Just after punk and Soho was full of venues and music pubs and you could wander down Wardour Street and bump into a Sex Pistol or two. I loved it. Where were you then?

JON:  You've been spotted at signing events for other mystery authors. Do you enjoy doing them for your books?

MO: Oooh! Spotted! How very celeb. I go to events for people with whom I'm friendly - I wouldn't just wander in off the street. But doing it for my books? The truth? I'm phobic about speaking publicly and find the attention very uncomfortable if I'm honest. I'd far rather hide behind my laptop than talk about my books. If I could say it I wouldn't have to write it. But don't let me get started on that.

JON:  If it was in your control, is there anything abut your life you would change?

MO: Having to do events like the above, having to have my photo taken. And I wish I could sing.

JON:  What question do people ask you more than any other? (if I haven't already asked it)!!!!

MO: No - you haven't - top marks. What's a nice girl like you doing writing books like this.

JON:  Is safe to say that over the years to come I'll be able to fill my shelves with Mo Hayder books?

MO: Hope so. I'd like a break for a few years to teach and recharge my batteries and have a few life experiences to write about, but writing is one of the loves of my life.

JON:  And finally, What is the one thing that is always in your refrigerator?

MO: A head. Of course.