That Night
THAT NIGHT is about Toni Murphy and her boyfriend Ryan, who were wrongfully convicted of the murder of Toni’s younger sister. They spend fifteen years in prison. When they are finally released, Toni just wants to move on but she’s struggling to adapt to her life on the outside, and Ryan is determined to clear their names. Soon they are pulled back into their past and they have to find out what really happened “That Night.”
Please tell us about the characters of Toni and Ryan.
Toni and Ryan are in their last year of high school when the book opens. Like many teenagers, they don’t always get along with their parents and are often in trouble. But they have no idea how much trouble they can get into until the night they take Toni’s little sister with them to the local lake.
Later in the book, when they have served their sentences, they are older, hardened, but still vulnerable in many ways because they never got to grow up in society. They also still have strong feelings for each other but because of terms of their parole they aren’t supposed to have any contact. Life has changed them, but not their desire to prove themselves innocent.
Your first novel Still Missing won the International Thriller Writers Award for best First Novel, so how did this make you feel as a new writer?
I’m very proud to have won this award, with so much amazing competition. Unfortunately, it coincided with a difficult time in my life personally. My dog passed away the same week that I won and I wasn’t able to make the trip to NYC for the award ceremony, but I’m honored they chose my book.
Why is the thriller genre so appealing to you as a writer?
When I first started writing STILL MISSING I didn’t actually realize I was writing a thriller. I thought it was more women’s fiction, but during the many years of rewrites, I kept taking out the boring parts and then my agent informed me that I had written a thriller. There are other genres that I would like to experiment with, but for now I am happy writing thrillers as they are exciting for me. When I’m writing an action scene, I feel my pulse picking up, and I like the fast-pace of the books.
How much does being in the local mountains give you inspiration for your books?
The scenery around here inspires me a lot. Right now I’m working on my sixth book and a lot of it takes place in the rainy season. Each day when I’m walking with my dog through the damp forest, I’m thinking about the atmosphere and it often works its way into my next scene somehow.
You also have a family, so how do you juggle novel writing with them?
That’s not always easy. Thankfully my husband is a stay at home father so that has made some parts work better. This year we had to move our travel trailer off our property as an office for me. It’s easier for me to focus, and easier for my daughter. It was hard for her to understand why she couldn’t come visit me all the time. I try to spend as much time as I can with her in the evenings, and I take Sundays off to spend with her. My husband and I also take turns getting up with her in the mornings. My work starts later on those days, but I enjoy having her to myself in the morning and making her breakfast and snuggling on the couch for a little while before I start writing.
You have had praise from the likes of Linwood Barclay, Gillian Flynn and Peter James so to what extent does this help your confidence?
It feels wonderful to get praise from other authors who I admire, but with each new book my confidence is always the thing I struggle with the most until I start getting positive feedback from readers.
What is next for you?
As I mentioned above, I’m currently working on my sixth book. This time I am writing in third person with multiple perspectives and I’m really enjoying the challenge! I don’t like to share too much until I am closer to finishing the book—a superstition of mine—but this one is about a home invasion, which I think is a truly terrifying crime.