This was a semi-regular feature, that is highlighting books that are firsts. When interviewing authors, it was about about their first book, as well as other firsts in their lives.
And in a total first for me, given this feature originally ran over the course of 2017, which was in fairness 8 years ago, both me and today's guest Liz Mistry had totally and utterly forgotten that Liz had in fact been one of my very first guests on this, back in January 2017, in the run up to the release of her second book. The original can be found here.
So for the first time, welcome back to Liz Mistry, my first recurring guest on this, and she has definitely been busy in the past 8 years with definitely more than two books now released (I know I've organised blog tours for many of them!).
So in a first of total memory loss from me...here is Liz Mistry once again!!!
Hi everyone, I’m Liz Mistry and I write Scottish and Yorkshire based crime fiction. A Scot by birth, I’ve lived in Bradford for 35 years and am the author of 2 Bradford based series (Gus McGuire series & Nikki Parekh series) and a new Scottish series - The Solanki & McQueen series set in West Lothian.
My first published book was my DI Gus McGuire book, Unquiet Souls. It is set in and around Bradford and has themes of human trafficking, organised crime and of course murder!!!! Gus himself is still one of my favourite characters to write. He’s vulnerable yet strong, clever yet unlucky in love, loyal yet reserved and he is inspirational to his team. His team are another reason to love writing Gus because they are so different to him and this makes him shine through more as a main character who relies on his friends in times of need.
2) What was your original inspiration to become a writer, and to write your debut?
I’ve always written. Since being a kid at school writing was my escapism, although I kept that very secret because it didn’t seem likely that a working-class Scottish kid from a small village would ever be published. However, after suffering from anxiety and clinical depression for most of my life, I came through a particularly bad spell and with the help of a therapist decided that doing an MA in Creative Writing might be therapeutic for me. By the end of the MA, I had finished Unquiet Souls and had a publishing deal at the ripe old age of 52
3) How long did it take you to write your first book?
Unquiet Souls was in the works for over fifteen years before I finally managed to finish it and get it out there. My subsequent books have taken much less time to write (No more than 6 months each)
4) If you could do anything differently in retrospect, what would you change about your debut, or how you went about writing it?
Of course, my writing is continually developing, so apart from a rewrite which would be too hard to do, I think I would have given myself more faith and forced myself to get the novel finished and hopefully published, earlier. I wouldn’t have let the whole imposter syndrome thing take hold and I would have worked harder on my mental health thus making me able to write more effectively.
5) Was your first book self or traditionally published, and how did you go about making that decision?
Unquiet Souls was traditionally published by Bloodhound Books, then later I got my rights back and the whole Gus McGuire series is self- published, although my Nikki Parekh and Solanki and McQueen series are published by Harper Collins
6) Do you have any tips for other first time authors?
The best tip I can give you is to get that first draft finished. Don’t spend too much time finessing those first few chapters (you can do that later) - get to the end of the book and then go back and edit it. You’ll feel such a relief to know you can make it to the end of a novel and that is inspiring.
7) First book you bought?
I was always a library goer, even form an early age, but at holiday time we went up to Nairn camping and we visited the Nairn Bookshop. Most of my holiday money as an early teen was spent on Agatha Christie books
8) First prize you won?
I didn’t win many prizes, but I really wanted to win the handwriting prize at primary school - an unlikely endeavour as my handwriting was (and still is) atrocious
9) First pet?
Ringo the canary. We got him form my uncle who bred them and he was all yellow with a little brown round his head which looked like a Beatle’s haircut - hence the name Ringo
10) First choice of alternative career if you weren’t an author?
After having my kids, I wondered if I should have been a midwife rather than a teacher
11) First toy that you recall loving?
I had a doll called Sally who I couldn’t sleep without. My dad often had to make a trip back to my granny’s house to collect her if I’d forgotten her. Funnily enough I reference Sally in The Blood Promise which is the first in my Scottish series and has many wee references to my past throughout
12) First time you were really scared?
I remember sitting on the loo when I was a kid (maybe around 5 or 6 yrs old) during the adverts from the Cliff Richard show on TV when I am sure (convinced even to this day) that a curly haired monster was tapping on the window. For months afterwards,
About Liz Mistry
Her latest work, The Solanki and McQueen crime series is set around West Lothian, where she uses the distinctive landscape, historic heritage and Scottish culture as a backdrop to her gritty yet often humorous stories.
Struggling with clinical depression and anxiety for many years, Liz often includes mental health themes in her writing. She credits her MA in Creative Writing from Leeds Trinity University with helping her find a way of using her writing to navigate her ongoing mental health struggles. The synergy been creative and academic writing led Liz to complete a doctorate in creative writing researching the importance of representation of marginalised groups within the genre she loves.
Her husband, three children and huge extended British Indian family are a constant support to her. In her spare time, Liz loves visiting the varied Scottish and Yorkshire landscape, travelling, listening to music, reading and blogging about all things crime fiction on her website blog, The Crime Warp.
You can
connect with Liz here:
Website: lizmistry.com/
X (Twitter):
LizMistryAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizMistrybooks
Instagram: @liz.mistry
That's not all - Liz is very kindly giving away a paperback copy of The Blood Promise the first in her Scottish Solanki & McQueen crime series, plus a selection of other goodies to one winner based in the UK.
Imogen Clark wakes up on her 16th birthday to find her parents dead at the breakfast table, along with a message from their killer.
A twist of fate
Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen join the investigation, but the more they discover, the more Jazzy suspects that the killing is a twisted message for her. Jazzy shares the same birthday as Imogen, and believes that this is more than a coincidence.
A race to catch a killer
When Jazzy discovers the connection between the killer and the stalker who has been following her for years, she is forced to confront the dark past she was desperate to keep hidden. She must stop at nothing to solve the case, before she becomes the next victim…
Link https://amzn.eu/d/7inAutY
So if you would like to win - please do enter this giveaway!
Giveaway open to UK, all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 12/4/2025. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner. Good luck everyone!
I love this idea for an author feature Rachel!
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