Author Q&A with Dan Scottow

Today I’m delighted to share an Author Q&A with Dan Scottow. This month sees the publication of Dan’s 2nd book Girl A: an unforgettable psychological thriller. Before we chat with Dan here’s a quick summary of his new book.

Book Cover Notes

Someone thinks they know who she is… and what she did.

But she insists it’s a mistake.

All Beth has ever wanted is a quiet life for her and her family. And that is what she has, until one evening a note is pushed through the door, with two words scrawled in menacing black ink; Found you.

As Beth’s neatly crafted life begins to unravel, an unseen menace torments her and those she loves. But who’s behind the threats?

Somebody is out to get Beth, but do they have the right woman?

Beth faces losing everything, and there is far more at stake than just her marriage…

Author Interview with Dan Scattow

Firstly, welcome to Touring Tales Book Blog. Thank you so much for chatting with me today. You must be super excited about the release of your second book Girl A this month.

How long have you been writing and what inspired you to start?

My debut novel, Damaged, was released in January 2020. I’ve always wanted to write, and I suppose I always knew that one day I would do it… I just found that life got in the way. I had to make a very conscious decision to stop making excuses, and actually do it.

Can you introduce us to your new book?

Girl A centres around the life of a character called Beth Carter, and her family. She receives a menacing note through the door late one evening, and things begin to go very wrong for her. She insists it’s a case of mistaken identity, but is it? People close to Beth start to doubt her. It’s the age-old question… how well do we actually know the ones we love?

Where is the story set and why did you choose this setting?

The story is set in and around Brighton, East Sussex. I had the pleasure of living there for a while, and so I found it useful being able to describe real places and scenes. The setting for my first novel was entirely fictional, so it was a very different process for me to be able to  describe actual places.

What do you hope your readers will take away from this book?

It’s quite a dark story, so I’d hope that readers will think about it long after it’s finished.

Is anything in your books based on real life experiences?

Thankfully no! There are small things that sneak in though. For example, in Girl A, there’s a scene set in a gym in an office building. The setting for that scene is based very much on the gym at my office, although what happens is entirely fictional!

What kind of research do you do before you begin to write a new book?

I do a lot of online reading around the subject matter. For Girl A I read a lot about historic child murder cases… which was extremely harrowing, but necessary. I also had to look a lot into the UK laws regarding disclosure of identities for children in court cases.

What five words would describe your writing process?

Intense, meticulous, frustrating, exciting, satisfying.

Do you have a dedicated writing space /desk? If so, do you share it with a writing buddy (cat, dog, home schooling a little one etc.)

I don’t! I write wherever I can sit comfortably and be away from too much noise.  I have two Labradors who generally don’t leave me alone, so quite a lot of the time I’ll be sharing whatever writing space I’m using with them!

If you were to host a literary dinner party, which three authors would you invite (alive or dead)?

Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien and Keri Beevis… I think this would be an awesome night!

Are you working on a new project at present? If so, can you share a sneak preview for your readers?

I’m currently fine-tuning book number 3. I can’t really say too much about it, but it’s something a little bit different. Needless to say, it’s a dark story with many twists and turns, which will hopefully leave readers wondering what the heck is going on! It’s set a little closer to home for me, here in Scotland too.

Wow that sounds great, we’ll look forward to hearing more about book 3 soon then. In the meantime, thank you so much for joining us today, we wish you all the best with this months new release Girl A.

About The Author

Dan grew up in Hertfordshire before moving to London in his early twenties. After more than ten years living there, he decided enough was enough, and packed his bags for Scotland in search of a more peaceful life. 

Dan works as a graphic designer, but dreams of the day he can give it up and write full time. 
Besides writing, he enjoys painting, watching a good scary film, travelling the world (at least, he used to!), good food, a gin and tonic or two, long walks on the beach with his dogs, and of course, reading a great book.

Dan’s debut novel ‘Damaged’ was released in January 2020, published by Bloodhound books.

Where to find Dan Online

Twitter | Facebook

Where to Buy

Amazon UK

Further book info

• Published Date: 15 March 2021
• Publisher: Bloodhound Books
• Page Count: 342

Book Blog Tour hosted by Rachel’s Resources

Thanks to Rachel @rararesources for inviting me on the tour. Also thanks to @DanScottow for our Q&A Chat.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my author interview with Dan Scottow. Don’t forget to check out Dan’s previous book Damaged, which was released in January 2020.

Miche xxx

I love to read using Kindle Unlimited. Why not give it a try 30 day FREE Trial.