For an interview to tie in with last month’s broadcast of A Place of Execution, Women and Hollywood, Val was asked once again about violence — and women writing about violence. (And yes, she admits to getting pretty frustrated about being misquoted and misinterpreted.) She also gets to explain how the book was adapted for television. And she’s got some great advice for any writer just starting out. Take a look:
Women & Hollywood: You write such strong female characters do you feel closer to any one of them in particular?
Val McDermid: It’s hard to choose because whenever I am in the thick of it with a book, those characters are always particularly immediate. But if I had to pick, I suspect I’d choose Carol Jordan. There’s something about the way her tenacity, her fierce commitment to justice and her intelligence all drive her to overcome her damage and her vulnerabilities that is very attractive to me.
