In conversation with... Sheena Kamal
A: Thank you for reaching out. It All Falls Down is about a woman’s search for the truth about her father’s death, a search that takes her from the Pacific Northwest to the gritty streets of Detroit.
Did you have the plot entirely figured out when you started writing or did it develop before your eyes as the characters grew on the page and did something that you were not expecting?
A: For the most part, I worked off an outline for this one. There were a few little surprises in there for me, but I largely had it before I went in.
What kind of research did you have to carry out for this novel? Which aspect of it did you enjoy the most?
A: There was a certain aspect of historical research, which is a plot point in the book, so I won’t reveal too much about it here. Aside from that, I went to Detroit and had the privilege of spending time with an active police investigator with the Homicide Task Force there. He showed me a completely different side to Detroit than I’d expected and quite a bit of that made it into the book.
If this novel could be turned into a film, who would you cast in the roles of Nora and Jon?
A: I would leave that up to casting. One thing I would want is for an indigenous actress to play Nora.
Without giving too much away, can you tell us about a scene in the book that you love or that was particularly difficult to write?
A: I love the ending, but telling you about it would give it away!
Is there anything that didn’t make it into the final version of the book?
A: Not really. I have everything in there that I’d wanted from the beginning.
If you are already working on your next writing project, would you mind giving us a little anticipation of what we are to expect?
A: It All Falls Down is the second in my Nora Watts series. I’m working on the third book at the moment, and it’s all about vengeance.
Due to the popularity of social networking websites, interacting with readers – be it via Twitter, Facebook Instagram etc. – is becoming increasingly important. How do you cope with these new demands on authors and do you think that they somehow disrupt your writing schedule?
A: They do disrupt my schedule so I try to keep it at a minimum. I mostly do Instagram because pictures are less effort—or seem that way.
What one piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers?
A: I write by instinct and by reading widely, so I’m not great with advice, unfortunately. Read widely?
Thank you for your time!
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