Author Interview: Robert Bryndza

Today is a very special day. 2nd June 2016 is publication day for my favourite-author-in-the-whole-world-ever and I am also thrilled to bits to be able to welcome him back to my blog to kick off his week-long blog tour. I am, of course, talking about Robert Bryndza (but you already knew that, right?) Robert’s new novel, The Night Stalker (and follow-up to the insanely successful The Girl in the Ice) is released today and I can confirm that it is FANTASTIC. I have so much to say about this novel as you will discover when my review appears later today, but I was also delighted to get to chat with Robert. I had lots to ask him (Does he miss Coco Pinchard? Will The Girl in the Ice be made into a film? How many Erika Foster books will there be?) Read on to discover the answers…

 

Hi Robert. Welcome back to Bookaholic Confessions! As always it is a pleasure to have you here. Regular readers of my blog will know that you are my favourite-author-in-the-whole-world-ever, but could I still ask you to introduce yourself?

Thank you, Holly. It’s always fab to come and visit you! I was born in the UK, and now live in Slovakia with my Slovak husband. I was originally an actor, which I used to combine with writing plays. Then the writing took over, and now I’m lucky enough to write full time. I started out writing romantic comedies, but I have just switched to writing crime thrillers. My debut crime thriller, The Girl in The Ice has sold over half a million copies since its release in February 2016 and was a No.1 Kindle bestseller in the States, Canada, and Australia and No.2 bestseller in the UK.

Your new novel, The Night Stalker, is available to download TODAY. (Happy Publication Day, by the way!) Can you tell us a little bit about Book #2 in the marvellous Erika Foster series?

Thank you! Yes, The Night Stalker picks up with DCI Erika Foster 18 months after the events in The Girl In The Ice. Erika is hunting a serial killer who breaks into people’s houses at the dead of night. The victims are all single men and seemingly unconnected, but then the killer starts to communicate with Erika and taunt her, and it’s a race against time to catch the killer before the body count rises.

 

I am sat here with the biggest grin on my face ever right now. This is because we need to talk about the mahhhooosive success of The Girl in the Ice. The book has stormed the charts and been a worldwide success. Can you describe how it feels for your debut crime/thriller novel to have done so well?

It’s been overwhelming, and wonderful, and I’m enormously grateful to all the book bloggers and readers who have been talking it up and writing reviews. I think there is a lot of pressure to keep writing books which connect with readers, but it is great after years and years of toiling away to be recognised for something you love doing. It’s the best feeling.

 

 

Were you nervous when you first released The Girl in the Ice? Did you have any inkling that it was going to take off as well as it did?

I was very nervous, but I knew that the book was in good hands with my brilliant publisher Bookouture. But I never dreamed that all this would happen!

 

I’ve been hearing lots of rumours that The Girl in the Ice is going to be made into a film. Are you able to confirm or deny this (c’mon Rob, give us the gossip!) If the book were to be made into a film, who would you cast as Erika Foster? Is there anyone else you’d like to play any of your characters in the film?

I will say yes. Yes, there are plenty of rumours! 😉 I would love Kristen Wiig to play Erika Foster. I think she’s a brilliant actress and her take on the character would be a joy to behold!

 

Now, moving on to The Night Stalker (EEEEEK, so excited!) Did you find it easier or more difficult to write than The Girl in the Ice? Was your writing process the same?

I always find the writing process difficult. The one good thing was that I finished The Night Stalker the day before The Girl in The Ice was published, so I wasn’t writing it under too much pressure! I always write the first draft not knowing who is committing the murders, which is quite nerve wracking, but working this way always takes the story in exciting and surprising directions, even if it does result in lots of sleepless nights!

 

Do you have plans to write more in the Erika Foster series? If so, do you have any idea how many books you’d like there to be in total?

 

 Yes! I have signed with Bookouture to write six Erika Foster novels, but I would hope the crime series could continue beyond this, with many books over the next few years.

 

Do you have any plans to revisit our good friend Coco Pinchard any time soon? I’m missing Ethel quite a lot…

Absolutely! I have a really strong idea for the next book in the series. I have been giving Coco a rest over the last year, but I hope to do another book soon.

 

Ok – this is a really evil question that you can dodge if you want. Do you prefer to write crime or romantic comedies?

I love writing them both, I love writing comedy as well as drama. I feel lucky I am able to write in both genres.

 

Has your life changed since the success of The Girl in the Ice?

I’ve been able to get a mortgage, which has changed my life hugely after twenty years of renting and moving around!

 

And finally – can you tell us a bit about what you’re up to at the moment?

I have just started writing the third Erika Foster novel. It’s at a very early stage, but I am very excited about it. It should be published towards the end of the year.

 

A massive thank you to Robert for taking the time to answer my questions. ♥

Get hold of your copy of The Night Stalker in paperback, ebook or audio NOW!

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