NK Chats To…Liz Mistry

Published July 3, 2025 | By Laura

Hello Liz. Thank you so much for joining me today and for inviting Novel Kicks onto your blog tour. Can you tell me about your novel, Deadly Reckoning?

The short answer is: A body, a missing child, and a vengeful sister dash detective’s Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen must race against the clock to stop a killer with a personal grudge. This one is all about coming to terms with her Jazzy’s relationship with her sister and her brother there’s a lot of twists and a lot of turns in it themes are all about nature versus nurture mental health coping with PTSD and with all of that going on struggling to catch a killer who’s quite diabolically clever

Which songs would make up a playlist for your book?

I’ve just been looking at some songs that might relate to Deadly Reckoning and one that springs to mind has got to be a Psycho Killer by the Talking Heads.
I played it a few times whilst I was writing to get me in the mood for writing about Jazzy’s sister, Mhairi, who is the antagonist in Deadly Reckoning.
Another one I listened to, will probably seem a strange choice, but those of you have read the book will understand. It is Wild Mountain Thyme and there’s two versions that I really like one is by The Silencers and the other is by the Red Hot Chilli Pipers not Peppers but Pipers and both Scottish bands.
Another song that appealed to me whilst I was writing it was Tainted Love by Soft Cell – an all time favourite and quite appropriate for Deadly Reckoning

What are the challenges and advantages when writing a book that’s part of a series?

The advantages are of writing a series are that as an author you get to know your characters more and more as the series goes on and, in each book, you can reveal a little more about each of the characters. I’ve got two main characters in Jazzy and Queenie and their stories tend to be front and foremost but I’ve also got stories in my mind about the rest of the Jazz Queens and that’s Fenton (Haggis) and Geordie (Misty Thistle) so the advantages are that you you get into their lives they become real characters to you. The disadvantages are that you become too attached to them and sometimes you don’t want to put them through the mill and I have to say we’re writing crime fiction so, yeah, we need to put them through the mill.

What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any writing rituals?

I don’t have a typical writing day because I’m a bit of a procrastinator but when I’m writing I do have I’ve got some multi-coloured fairy lights lit in my room – when you’re writing dark fiction you can’t have too much light in your life. I have my candle on – I like to have a multi-sensory environment. If I’m editing or doing social media I tend to have a musical accompaniment of some description – usually from my playlist, but other than that no I don’t really have any rituals… I mean I don’t wear my knickers on back to front or anything like that although I’ve heard that some authors do.

Which fictional detective character would you like to cameo in one of your novels?

I think Miss Marple would be a treat to have in one of the Solanki & McQueen novels. I think she’d give Queenie a run for her money but I think the two of them would be really good friends and hopefully Miss Marple would be able to give Queenie some knitting tips.

What elements make up a good crime story?

Suspense, believable relatable characters, twists and turns and being true to the characters

From idea to finished book, what’s your writing process like and how long does it typically take you?

Well normally I’m quite a quick writer, although I’ve been having a bit of trouble with my anxiety and depression which has me on a bit of slower writing process at the minute. So, it’s taken me a little bit longer than usual.
Ordinarily, I can write a book in 3 to 4 months and then the editorial process all starts with the publishers et cetera.

How do you approach editing and research and how do you judge when you’ve done enough?

Editing I leave to the very, very, very end. I rarely edit what I’ve done until I’ve reached the end or certainly the last quarter of the first draft before I edit it.
In terms of research, I’m one of these that I may do some research before starting writing if an idea has sparked off something. However, I generally tend to research as I go along. So when something crops up and I think ‘oh I need to double check that fact’ or ‘I need to just delve into this side of it more to make it more authentic’ then I do it as I go along. – Don’t talk to me about rabbit holes …

In your opinion, what are the common mistakes aspiring authors make?

I think the biggest mistake aspiring authors make is that they give up and I’m speaking from experience there because I’ve been writing all my life and at various stages I gave up. But, the point is, if you keep going then maybe, just maybe your day will come, your time will come… even when you get to my age.
So, if you’re really committed to writing then get it written down.

What advice would you give when first approaching an agent?

Do your research before you approach an agent. There’s a book that comes out yearly called The Writers and Artists Yearbook (it’s expensive, but maybe your library will stock it.
It basically lists all the agents and tells you where they’re situated what sort of stuff they’re looking for what they want you to present to them when you submit, whether they’re open for submissions et cetera et cetera.
Or you can ask authors who’ve already got an agent. I have to say I only recently got mine when I published the Solanki & McQueen series. Prior to that I was unagented but I was with Harper Collins so some of the big publishers do take unagented authors.

Would you rather –
I love doing these sorts of things…

Have the ability to see into the future or be able to visit the past?

This is a tricky one because on different days I think I’d like to be able to do different things I’d some days I’d like to know what’s going to happen especially nowadays when the world is such a complex place to live. on other days I’d like to revisit special times in my life like you know maybe reconnect with my parents who are both dead.

Have the ability to move things with your mind or read minds?

Oh, Gosh! Again, another hard one.
I’d like to be able to move things with my mind if it would mean that I could move people away from danger. But then again being able to read mines would be pretty awesome as well. Imagine being able to such a know exactly what some of our politician’s motivations are – that would be a great one

Sing or dance to your favourite song for the rest of your life?

I think I’d like to sing to my favourite song for the rest of my life but I think everybody else would prefer me just to dance to it because my singing voice is not pretty

Have an endless summer or winter?

Neither because I like the variety of seasons although it’s nice to get away in the winter to somewhere a bit hotter

Drink tea or coffee?

Definitely coffee

See the movie or read the book first?
Read the book first mostly. Although I have been known to watch movies and then be tempted into reading the book afterwards as well

Read a Paperback or eBook?

I’m an ebook person I like to be able to carry my ebook with me wherever I go. But, apart from that I like to read last thing at night before I go to sleep and I find books a bit annoying for that whereas a kindle I can put the lights out I can read my book and it’s just easier for me and I have the font really really big.

*****

About Liz Mistry –

Liz Mistry moved to West Yorkshire in the late 1980s. Her gritty crime fiction police procedural novels set in Bradford embrace the city she describes as ‘Warm, Rich and Fearless’ whilst exploring the darkness that lurks beneath. Yet, her heart remains in Scotland, where childhood tales of bogey men, Bible John and grey lady ghosts fed her imagination.

Her latest work, The Solanki and McQueen crime series is set around West Lothian, where she uses the distinctive landscape, historic heritage and Scottish culture as a backdrop to her gritty yet often humorous stories.

Struggling with clinical depression and anxiety for many years, Liz often includes mental health themes in her writing. She credits her MA in Creative Writing from Leeds Trinity University with helping her find a way of using her writing to navigate her ongoing mental health struggles. The synergy been creative and academic writing led Liz to complete a doctorate in creative writing researching the importance of representation of marginalised groups within the genre she loves.

Her husband, three children and huge extended British Indian family are a constant support to her. In her spare time, Liz loves visiting the varied Scottish and Yorkshire landscape, travelling, listening to music, reading and blogging about all things crime fiction on her website blog, The Crime Warp.

Say hello to Liz via her website, X, Facebook, and Instagram.

About Deadly Reckoning –

A DEADLY DISCOVERY

Enjoying a rare day off, DS Jazzy Solanki’s peaceful spring walk is interrupted when a body is discovered along her path. Instinct tells her it’s not a coincidence.

A HIDDEN THREAT

Could Jazzy’s estranged, vengeful stepsister – consumed by grief over their brother’s death – be sending her a deadly message?

A RACE AGAINST TIME

Then a child goes missing. The crimes appear unrelated, but Jazzy’s gut insists there’s a sinister connection, one that points straight at her. With time running out, Jazzy and her team must uncover the truth before the killer finds them.

Deadly Reckoning was released by HQ Digital on 3rd July 2025. Click here to buy on Amazon, Waterstones, Amazon US and Barnes & Noble.