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| Chrissie Parker, Author INTEGRATE |
British Author
Chrissie Parker just published INTEGRATE, which she describes as suspense/thriller/paranormal. She chose the genre in order to write "something challenging."
She adds a "dark air of mystery" by setting it in a non-descript town that could be anywhere. She created a protagonist that "at times you just want to hug her."
She adds a "dark air of mystery" by setting it in a non-descript town that could be anywhere. She created a protagonist that "at times you just want to hug her."
Parker is married
to an actor, and they live together in London with their two cats, who are
named after goddesses (which any cat will inform you is quite appropriate.) She
enjoys history, particularly ancient history, and archeology, and she has several books
underway set in ancient Egypt and Greece.
Don’t
miss her brief excerpt from INTEGRATE following the interview.
Q: How would
you characterize your new book, INTEGRATE. Mystery? Paranormal? Why did you
write in this genre?
Chrissie Parker:
INTEGRATE
has elements of Suspense/Thriller/Paranormal in it. I chose the genre as I wanted to write something challenging,
and the plot and characters allowed me to do that.
Q: What
influenced you to write INTEGRATE?
Chrissie
Parker: INTEGRATE
was written in the 1990’s and actually started life as a screenplay. I trained as a Production Assistant (in
Media), and I had always wanted to write a film script, something that was slightly
dark, about a murder but with paranormal elements, which is where the tarot and
premonitions come in. It never got
made into a film, instead it got packed away in a box in the attic, which is where
I re-discovered it a few years ago.
After re-reading it, I decided to re-write it into a book.
Q: Why will
readers care about your protagonist? How do you develop her to engage your
readers?
Chrissie
Parker: Hopefully
for the reasons I do. Corinne has
had a really tough life. In her
early twenties her parents died suddenly and she suffered terribly from their loss,
never really getting over it. Corinne
has a twin sister Helena, who she has always felt responsible for, so when
Helena is murdered, Corinne is left completely alone, struggling with terrible grief
and the hurt of losing her sister in such a terrible way. She has to learn to get up each day and
carry on despite the heavy burden she carries and it’s a hard thing for her to
have to do. At times you just feel
like you want to hug her!
Q: What makes
an effective villain? Does INTEGRATE have a villain?
Chrissie
Parker: I
think an effective villain is someone who puts their own needs above others
with a fair amount of control.
Someone who is reckless and has no boundaries. Someone who conducts their
life with no concern for others, the law or how their actions may affect
others. INTEGRATE’s villain is
Jack, but not in the conventional way. He unintentionally becomes the villain by his own selfish and
thoughtless actions. Instead of
doing the right thing, he chooses self-preservation above everything else.
Q: Did you
write INTEGRATE to deliver a message to readers – or primarily to entertain?
Chrissie
Parker: I
wrote it primarily to entertain, but there are elements of messages in the
book. I guess if I had to
highlight them, I would definitely say don’t drink and drive! Also that family and close
relationships are very important, always let people know you are there for them
and that you love them. Honesty is
always the best policy, even if it may not feel like it at the time.
Q: How relevant
is setting to telling your story?
Chrissie
Parker: The
setting is very non-descript in INTEGRATE. Despite describing the town a little, I deliberately chose
not to name it. I wanted it to
have an air of mystery. It could
be any town anywhere. It could be
English, it could be American. I
liked writing the story this way, it helped give a slightly dark air of mystery
to parts of the story.
Q: What’s next?
Will you be writing more books like INTEGRATE?
Chrissie
Parker: I
am in the process of writing some full-length novels, but they will be a little
different from INTEGRATE. My
passion is ancient history and archaeology and I love travelling.
‘Wind
Across the Nile’ is a historical suspense set in Egypt. It has just come back
from structural editing.
‘Among
the Olive Groves’ is a World War II suspense set in Zakynthos, Greece. I have
almost finished the first draft.
‘Secrets
beneath the Sands’ is an archaeological thriller/suspense set in Petra in
Jordan. I have finished the full
draft.
I
also have plot outlines for a sequel to ‘Wind across the Nile’, as well as
another 2 historical suspense stories set in the UK and Italy.
Q: Whew! You’re really busy. Tell us about Chrissie Parker. What do
you like to do when you’re not writing—if you have any spare time?
Chrissie
Parker: I
am married to an actor, and live in London (UK), and we have two cats that are named
after Roman Goddesses. I’m a
history and archaeology geek, I have completed a 6 month Egyptology course and
a 6 month Archaeology course with Exeter University (and hope to try and do
another one next year!). I love collecting
and reading history books and watching documentaries about ancient history too.
I
am also a petrol head, I love motor racing, especially Formula 1, and I have
been to many races in the past. I enjoy
reading and collecting books and have far too many! I have also been trying (unsuccessfully) to learn to play the
5-string Banjo for just over two years; it’s not going very well, but I’m still
trying!
About
Chrissie Parker
Chrissie
lives in London with her husband and is a freelance Production Coordinator
working in the TV, documentary and film industry. She is also an Author.
INTEGRATE, a suspense Novella, is her first release. She is currently working on two
suspense books due for release in 2014.
One is set in Egypt and the other on the Greek Island of Zakynthos.
Chrissie
is passionate about History, Archaeology and travel, and has completed Archaeology and Egyptology courses with Exeter University. She also likes to read, collect books
and listen to music.
To
find out more about Chrissie visit her website www.chrissieparker.com
About
INTEGRATE
A battered and
broken body lays in the road. A discovery that leaves the local community
gripped with fear. Suspicion as to who killed the woman is rife.
Corinne’s
peaceful life is shattered by the tragic death, forcing her to struggle daily
with overwhelming grief and loss.
A chance meeting with a stranger helps Corinne through the hurt and
pain, but can she really trust Jack?
Twin sisters Corinne and Helena have always
been close, growing up in the same small town. Corinne lives alone in the house that used to belong to
their parents and Helena lives with her husband and love of her life, Jimmy,
and their two children.
Helena loves life, she enjoys spending time
with her friends and relishes being a wife and mother. Corinne lives in isolation, unable to
get over the death of their parents.
She relies on the spiritual world, reading tarot cards, surrounding
herself with crystals and candles.
She also has to deal with unwanted premonitions that strike when she
least expects them.
During a tarot reading Corinne predicts
Helena’s death, and is distraught when she learns that Helena has been
murdered. The grief and sudden
loss of her twin sister overwhelms Corinne and she struggles to live day to
day. At Helena’s funeral Corinne
falls out with her brother in law and is left feeling alone and unloved.
At her lowest ebb Corinne becomes friends
with Jack, a stranger in town, but the grief remains and whenever she is around
Jack, she gets a vision; one that takes her back to the horrifying scene of Helena’s
death. Unable to stop them,
Corinne realises the visions may be her only chance of finally understanding
what happened to her sister and why.
But will it be the answer she is looking for?
Excerpt INTEGRATE
A screech of tyres stirred Helena from her thoughts and she saw a car
swerving wildly in the road, narrowly missing a frightened fox. She
breathed with relief as the animal safely scuttled into a garden.
Suddenly, reality hit her. The vehicle was close. Far too
close. It was heading straight for her at a speed that was excessively
fast. Her brain urged her to run but it was already too late. The
vehicle was too quick.
Helena stared at the driver in bewilderment, as everything became slow
motion. He wasn’t even looking at the road, then, at the last moment, he
lifted his head and his shocked and scared eyes locked with hers.
Links
Twitter
- @Chrissie_author
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