We chat with author Marie Tierney about Deadly Animals, which is a chillingly beautiful mystery, only the obsessive spirit of youth can save a desperate town from the savagery within.
Hi, Marie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I am Marie Tierney, author of the debut crime fiction novel Deadly Animals. I am originally from Birmingham in the West Midlands – Peaky Blinders territory! I have worked in many jobs and met many incredible people in all of them which is excellent source material for stories! I now live in East Anglia, in the UK, and Iam married with a nineteen-year-old son. I write, paint and sculpt as well as look after my two lovely cats.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
When I was three-years-old, my father grew tired of me trying to write cursive in all his text books so taught me to write and draw at the kitchen table instead. I hold my pen in an unusual way as a result but I don’t get writer’s cramp! As a result of my father’s patience, and when he realised I had an aptitude for learning, we then went on to non-fiction and fiction books.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Brothers Grimm Complete fairytales with original illustrations by Arthur Rackham
- The one that made you want to become an author: Watership Down by Richard Adams
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
Your debut novel, Deadly Animals, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Dark, sparkling, macabre, fascinating, honest
What can readers expect?
A modern twist on an old fairytale merged with a historical criminal case that has been brought into the 1980s with a quirky and interesting protagonist and a detective who defies the usual stereotypes. If you like Thomas Harris, Minette Walters, Belinda Bauer and Mo Hayder then readers might like Deadly Animals.
Where did the inspiration for Deadly Animals come from?
My own childhood, my own interests then as now, and the cases in criminal history that inspired the crimes in my novel.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Describing the first scene, recalling what it was like to venture out into the dark and the excitement of being outside, alone at night. I enjoyed writing all of the novel because I love to create worlds and populate it with people who behave and make mistakes and learn from them as people do in the real world but make them extraordinary. I write everything in longhand first, with scene and character sketches as well as research notes in notebooks, almost as a personal letter to the reader.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
This is a book fifty years in the making. I have worked in many different jobs in different parts of England, and I have met interesting people along the way as inspiration. am one of the rare authors who had an agent approach them first rather than vice versa, and who loved the 1000 words of a competition entry and asked me to write the rest of the book. It was sold quite quickly afterwards. I have never had a rejection as a result of this experience. I have learned so much from my editor, and to hold my first hardback published novel was akin to holding my baby son for the first time. It was an incredibly moving experience.
What’s next for you?
I am currently writing the sequel to Deadly Animals which will be set in 1985.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on in 2025?
I read a great many books across genres so it is difficult to choose! I enjoyed Suzy Apsley’s incredible crime fiction debut Crow Moon, and Jo Callaghan’s intriguing Leave No Trace. I read a great many books across genres and while in New Orleans on holiday this year, I read the beautiful The Missing by Tim Gautreux which is set in New Orleans. It had such an impact on my experience in that amazing city. I am looking forward to reading Lynda la Plante’s autobiography Getting Away With Murder.
