Quentin Bates was born in England and through a series of coincidences found himself working in Iceland for his gap year. One year turned into ten, plus a wife and children. After a move back to the UK he began work as a nautical journalist and editor of a commercial fishing magazine. His Gunnhildur Gisladottir series was born through the author’s own inside knowledge of Iceland and its society, along with the world of exploring crime.
Thin Ice is the fifth installment in the Officer Gunnhildur series and is available now.
As part of the Thin Ice blog tour, today Quentin takes the LifeOfCri.me 12 word challenge.
LOC: You’ve just released Thin Ice, the fifth in your series featuring Officer Gunnhildur, what can you tell us about it?
QB: Two villains, two kidnapped women, a bag of cash and no petrol.
LOC: Gunnar has an interesting home life, is this typical of an Icelandic lifestyle, and to the more European lifestyle, or as unplanned for you as it was for Gunnar & Gisli?
QB: It just evolved, but she copes with everything I chuck at her.
LOC: What’s the most challenging part of switching between writing your own novels and translating those of others?
QB: No problem. It’s the same toolbox but a different set of tools.
LOC: How would you describe your writing process?
QB: There’s plenty of swearing and watching the kettle boil.
LOC: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learnt in your writing career?
QB: I never imagined a gang of crimewriters could be so much fun.
( LOC: Ooh… crimewriters, not crime writers? That’s skating on “Thin Ice” with the word count…. 😉 )
LOC: What’s the best book you’ve read in the last twelve months?
QB: Jonathan Dark or the Evidence of Ghosts by AK Benedict
LOC: Why?
QB: Tough choice, but this book is bonkers, magnificently imaginative and just enthralling
LOC: Describe your perfect day
QB: Distant mountains, sounds and smells of the sea, fish for dinner.
and finally just for laughs……
LOC: Thanks to author Leigh Russell you have just woken up to find yourself on stage in front of the judges of Britain’s Got Talent, with a stick of celery, a top hat and a panda. What do you do?
QB: Bribe panda with celery to wear hat for winning Fred Astaire impression.
Life of Cri.me 