Will there be another Detective Erika Foster novel?
Yes. I have many more ideas for future Erika Foster novels, and I feel I have only just begun the journey with Erika, Moss and Peterson. So long as readers want more, I will write them. I’m now up to book eight, Lethal Vengeance, it’s available to pre-order now and it will be published in early 2024.
Have you written any other crime series?
Yes, my most recent crime series is about an ex-police officer turned Private Investigator, Kate Marshall. There are 4 books in the series; Nine Elms, Shadow Sands, Darkness Falls, and Devil’s Way. I’m about to start writing the fifth book which I hope will be published in the second half of 2024.
Will there be another Coco Pinchard novel?
Yes. I have ideas for more adventures with Coco. I love writing the characters from those books. Watch this space.
Can I buy a signed book from you?
Right now, I can’t sign books for sale through this website. My location in Slovakia makes sending out books complicated and cost prohibitive. We are looking into solutions to this, so hopefully soon I will be able to offer signed books. I will keep you posted.
Will you be doing any book signings where I live?
If there are any book signings in the future, I will post them on this page and my social media sites, so stay tuned!
Are your books available in all formats?
Yes! My books are available in all formats; eBook, print and audiobook. Check out the ‘Robert’s Books’ page for all editions and links to buy copies.
In which order should your books be read?
My books are written as a series, but they also work as stand-alone stories, so you can jump in at any point and still enjoy them. Here is the publication order(s).
ERIKA FOSTER CRIME THRILLER SERIES
The Girl in the Ice
The Night Stalker
Dark Water
Last Breath
Cold Blood
Deadly Secrets
Fatal Witness
Lethal Vengeance
KATE MARSHALL CRIME THRILLER SERIES
Nine Elms
Shadow Sands
Darkness Falls
Devil’s Way
STAND ALONE CRIME THRILLER
Fear the Silence
COCO PINCHARD ROMANTIC COMEDY SERIES
The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard
Coco Pinchard’s Big Fat Tipsy Wedding
Coco Pinchard, the Consequences of Love and Sex
A Very Coco Christmas
Coco Pinchard’s Must-Have Toy Story
And I have also written a stand-alone romantic comedy novel:
Miss Wrong and Mr Right
Are your books available in other languages?
My books are available in thirty languages, so far. They have been translated or are in the process of being translated into these territories; Brazil, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Korea, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, and Turkey. For a full list with links to publishers’ websites CLICK HERE (opens in a new window).
Why doesn’t Erika Foster carry a gun?
The Erika Foster series is set in the U.K. Erika Foster is a Detective Chief Inspector in the London Metropolitan police, and she works as a plain clothes detective, (those who don’t wear uniforms) and plain clothes detectives do not carry guns. There are special armed units in the UK, and these police do carry guns, but as a plain clothes detective, Erika Foster does not carry a gun.
You write both crime fiction and romantic comedy novels. What is the easiest to write?
I think both comedy and drama are hard to write. But I do notice the difference in how I feel at the end of a day’s writing. Two thousand words of comedy leaves me moody and irritable and quite difficult to be around. In contrast, after a day of murder and mayhem I’m quite chipper and upbeat, cracking all those jokes I didn’t have to think up during the day. Perhaps writing crime fiction is more therapeutic!
Where do you get your ideas from?
Everything and anything inspires my writing. Life as a writer means spending a great deal of time alone, but you must get out there and mix with people, try new things. My number one inspiration is people watching and overhearing snippets of conversation, but inspiration comes from everywhere.
How do you deal with writer’s block?
I don’t know if writer’s block exists. Unless you physically can’t write, you will always be able to put pen to paper and write something. I’ve found a great exercise for me, when the ideas aren’t flowing, is to just write anything, even if it’s the same word over and over – a stream of consciousness if you like. It’s very liberating and often some interesting unexpected stuff can come out of it.
What’s your typical writing day like?
I’d love to be able to roll out of bed and start writing, but dog walking comes first! Unless it’s raining, myself and my husband Ján walk the dogs. In Slovakia, we live in a town which has an abundance of beautiful old buildings and green space. We live opposite a park and the river, and I really enjoy walking there first thing in the morning, it gets ideas flowing and I love watching the seasons change, the sunlight on the river and meeting all the other half-asleep dog walkers. I try to sit down to write by nine in the morning, and I work through until half twelve. The internet needs to be off and my phone must be tucked away out of sight, or there is no hope of work being done. I find that I’m more productive after lunch, and afternoons are when I re-work what I’ve written in the morning. I become immersed in the story until I stop at four-thirty. I try to write 2,000 words a day, more if things are flowing nicely.
Did you always want to be a writer?
Yes, from an early age, but I never imagined that I could make a living from writing, so I got sidetracked in my twenties going to drama school and then working as an actor. One of my first memories is of my dad telling stories to my sister and me. On Saturday and Sunday mornings we would go through to my parents’ room, sit at the end of their bed with tea and biscuits and listen. He wouldn’t read to us from a book, he would make them up, and I thought they were wonderful. One in particular I still remember was about the swallows nesting under the eaves of our house. He created all of these characters, like a soap opera, and on the Saturday morning there would always be a cliffhanger, which would be resolved on Sunday! I think something lit up in my mind. The power of storytelling, and I wanted to be a part of it.