Ask the Author: Anja de Jager
Answered Questions (11)
Anja de Jager
Hi Sharon, I'm so thrilled that you enjoyed Death in the Red Light District! At the moment, I'm working on something different - a historical crime novel - but if a good Lotte story grips me, she might turn up again...
Anja de Jager
Hi Sparkii! Thanks for getting in touch and I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the first two Lotte Meerman novels. I don't know why Audible used an English actor instead of a Dutch one, as I wasn't really involved in that part of the process. I did think that it was probably quite a challenge for the actor, having to pronounce all those tricky Dutch names...
Anja de Jager
Hi Jonathan, thanks for getting in touch. I've just put the finishing touches on the third book in the series, called Death on the Canal, and have started planning the next one.
Anja de Jager
Thanks Andrew. I'm just putting the finishing touches on the next Lotte Meerman book, so I'm pleased to hear you liked the character
Anja de Jager
Hi Richard, using a flawed female cop allowed me to take some of the story lines you often see in noir fiction and turn them on their heads. What if, instead of the male investigator being seduced by a femme fatale, you have a female detective who has been seduced in a previous case? (this isn't a spoiler :-) ) What would that do to her mental health and under which circumstances could that have happened? In addition, my father was a police detective before he retired, and I've always been interested in what dealing with serious crime does to those investigating it. Those two things combined made my book a very character-driven crime fiction novel. You're right that this was probably a harder sell - because it is more unusual - but I was lucky enough to find a publisher who cared just as much about my characters as I did.
Anja de Jager
I really get inspired by place. Whenever I go to Amsterdam, I come back with lots of ideas for my books. I might have seen something quirky that caught my attention or noticed a setting that would be perfect for a murder. Maybe only crime writers think like this...
Anja de Jager
The best thing about being a writer is that I get to write the books that I would love to read. Also, seeing my words in print is a dream come true.
Anja de Jager
My advice is to keep writing. Write every day, or as often as time allows. But every writer is different, I love plotting, other writers like to go with the flow. There is no right or wrong way but it's important to find the way that works for you.
Anja de Jager
I read some very useful advice somewhere that said: the first draft of anything is going to be rubbish. Embrace the rubbish! This works for me, as I can see the first draft as just geting the story on paper. I can fix mistakes later and improve on it. Allowing myself to write pages and chapters that aren't meant to be perfect helps me to keep going.
Anja de Jager
I'm currently working on the second book featuring detective Lotte Meerman. It's called The Murderer's Guide to Family.
Anja de Jager
I've always been interested in what crime does to the people who investigate it because my father used to be a police detective. A few years after he retired, police officers from Amsterdam visited him to ask him about a case that hadn't been solved and that really started the idea for this book.
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