The Daughter by Billy McLaughlin

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Daughter by Billy McLaughlin and I've got a Q&A with Billy himself! Many thanks to Emma for organising the tour and don't forget to check out the rest of the stops!

The Synopsis

Sometimes a killer comes along who will make your blood run cold...

When the body of a young woman is found with her hands and teeth missing, Detective Inspector Phil Morris struggles to identify her.

The evidence initially suggests she is local missing girl, Alex Waters, whose mother, Tricia, comes armed with a psychic gift she would rather not possess.

As Phil and his partner, Detective Donna Barclay, try to untangle the web of mystery surrounding the body, it appears that Alex had more secrets than even her psychic mother knew.

As the hour glass empties, Phil and Donna are pushed to their limits trying to unravel the disturbed mind behind the sick game playing out around them. ​

Welcome to a new chapter in domestic noir.

Author Q&A

Hi, thanks for having me. It’s nice of you to invite me.

What process do you follow for your writing? Are you a planner or do you just let it flow? Straight to PC or pen and paper?
I have to confess that the process has gotten a bit messy recently. I did have structure to begin with and had the Phil Morris books plotted out until number seven. That has always been planned as the last one. I’ve written it in my head. However, a thousand other writing projects have popped into my head and now I’ve gone off track. I do plot each book before I begin to write it though.
​
Do you attend writing/author focused conferences? Which is your favourite?
I don’t attend conferences. Or at least I haven’t yet. I hope to do so one day, but I’m quite introverted in the respect that I don’t like to be focused on. If I do attend, I’ll probably come along as a fanboy and meet some of the fantastic writers who I admire.

​How many manuscripts do you have that you never submitted? Will you consider approaching your publisher with them now?
Dozens of half-finished manuscripts are lurking in the vaults. I may finish some of them. Some I may never look at again. I won’t approach a publisher as I haven’t done with any of my books so far. I have been approached by one fairly small publisher who caught a glimpse of one of my books whilst it was on a small high. I decided I didn’t really want to go there. I won’t say never though.

What one piece of advice do you wish you received before you started writing? What one piece of intended good advice, wasn’t what it seemed?
Advice that keeps rearing its head is edit, edit, and edit some more. It’s true. It’s an absolute essential. Your book needs to be as good as it possibly can be. Unfortunately, you can’t please everyone. The main piece of advice I now take on board is not to focus on negative reviews. Actually, any reviews. It’s lovely to read positivity, but I think it’s important not to take it too seriously and let it go to your head.

What is your favourite thing about the whole writing process?
The best thing about writing is that you get to create worlds and vocalise in a way you might not in reality. I’ve discovered that I have a real passive-aggressive side so writing gives me a way of exorcising my negative thoughts.

Was there a particular book that made you sit up and think ‘that’s it, I’m going to be an author too’?
If I answer this question I might not be very popular. I got halfway through a book that I found to be really terrible. I thought If they can write something, I can do it. I had already written several shorts, poetry, music and it was natural to try and write something full length. Since then I’ve discovered what’s involved and how difficult it is to get right. I’ve now got an appreciation for someone who writes something ‘really terrible’ because they poured their hearts into their work and to tear it down is destructive.

Who do you envisage as playing your characters if your book was ever turned into a movie?
When I’m writing, I often picture scenes on the screen. There are a few people who I’ve envisaged in roles in my books. If Gerard Butler took an interest in playing DI Phil Morris that would be amazing, although utterly unlikely. I actually think he’s better looking than how I envisaged Phil.
​
What do you consider is your greatest accomplishment?
I just got married two weeks ago. My greatest accomplishment is being a good husband. So far! Everything else is secondary to that. Family is the most important thing in the world. I’ve had lots of little accomplishments that aren’t particularly astounding to anybody else, but my dad tells me he’s proud. I think that’s good enough for me.

The Daughter is available to purchase on Amazon

About the Author

Billy McLaughlin is a Glasgow born author who released his first novelette Invisible in March 2016. Receiving glowing customer reviews, he followed up with the gritty novel Lost Girl which introduces readers to the mainstay characters Phil & Kate. In September 2016, his third book In the Wake of Death was released, re-uniting audiences with Phil & Kate as well as throwing a brand-new mystery that has been praised for its unique twist.

McLaughlin welcomed 2017 in celebrating that Lost Girl peaked at number 2 in the crime thriller charts the previous August and gained the coveted number 1 slot in the Scottish crime charts with In the Wake of Death. His fourth book The Dead of Winter arrived in March 2017 to glowing reviews. One reviewer likened the novel to a series of Broadchurch. Kate and Phil returned for a brand-new mystery in The Daughter which also sees the return of Donna Barclay.

Work has now begun on the sixth book which will be a new stand-alone project. More information coming soon.

Keep your eyes peeled for more news at the following social media platforms;
www.facebook.com/billymclaughlinbooks
www.twitter.com/@bilbob20

You can also contact Mr McLaughlin directly at billymclaughlinbooks@gmail.com