I was editor of my high school literary magazine and a reporter for the school newspaper.

Throat clutching from the outset! The Never List stands as a sterling example of psychological thriller writing at its best. Cancel appointments and give up on sleep. It's that kind of book.

It means working harder to do the research but I don't really mind - I don't think I have what it takes to chase criminals through back alleys and wade through blood at crime scenes.

I spend eight months outlining and researching the novel before I begin to write a single word of the prose.

I also try very hard to create characters - both heroes and villains - with psychological depth.

She was reflecting back on a truth she had learned over the years: that people heard what they wanted to hear, saw what they wanted, believed what they wanted.

For me a thriller is a very carefully structured story.