Jack Heath is the #1 bestselling author of 40 novels, published in nine languages. Jack’s first crime thriller, Hangman, was voted one of the 100 best books of all time (twice) – and I think Kill Your Husbands won’t be far behind! His mission is to create books that inspire a love of reading in children and adults.
Welcome Jack, to Mel Reviews Her Books đ
Jack, Kill Your Husbands is certainly a unique storyline! I mean, we have murder, a touch of romance, a LOT of suspicion and a partner swap! How and where were you inspired to write Kill Your Husbands?
I used to rent a beach house with my old high school friends every year after exams were over. There would be drinking, truth or dare, more drinking, and (my favourite) games of murder in the dark. We’d creep around the house with the lights out, and when someone screamed, we’d all get together in the room with the “body” and try to work out who the killer was.
I wanted Kill Your Husbands to be just as much fun as those games were.
Writing 7 different perspectives is not an easy feat in the slightest. Why did you choose to split perspectives rapidly in each chapter and do you feel its effect was achieved? (I certainly do!)
When I was a kid I read a murder mystery where the killer turned out to be the narrator, which blew my mind. For Kill Your Husbands I set myself a challenge – what if the killer was the narrator, and the reader knew it from the start, but they didn’t know which narrator?
In a world where ChatGPT exists, human writers can compete by focusing not just on the characters’ emotions but the readers’. Splitting the perspectives and tightly controlling the flow of information was the only way to create the effect I wanted.
In person and online, you’ve spoken openly about the challenges of making it into the book industry and rewriting, rewriting and rewriting your work before sending it off to be published. 40 novels down the line, what does that process look like for you now?
Things have changed a bit. At the start of my career, I’d write a book and then hope I could find a publisher to sell it to. These days publishers often come to me and ask me to write something for them. This means my income is much more stable, but it also means less creative freedom. I have to outline everything before I write it, and I have so many readers that I’m locked in to certain genres. Nice problems to have, I know!
Our main Police perspective, Kiara, is a recurring character for you. Kiara ends Kill Your Husband by exploring new cases and she’s stepped up into higher ranks as a Detective. Do you feel like there is another story left for her yet?
I hope so! I’ve learned not to plan out long series, because often a book won’t sell well enough to warrant a sequel. I also have several contracts for non-Kiara books, so I’ll be pretty busy either way. But the response to Kill Your Husbands has been tremendous, so I think there’s a market there for another Kiara book if I chose to write one. What do you think of Kill Your Boss?
Kill Your Boss sounds absolutely terrifying! Can’t wait to read it đ Jack – thank you SO MUCH for spending your time here on Author Talks. I’m so pleased to have had the opportunity to chat again (virtual this time), it’s always a pleasure đ
You can find all of Jack Heath’s books via this link: Click Here âïž
Mel Reviews Her Books 