Paula Hawkins: A Slow Fire Burning (Author event #7)

On the 16Th of September, I had the privilege to sit in on the virtual launch of award-winning author Paula Hawkins newest novel, A Slow Fire Burning, hosted by Exclusive Books and Penguin Random House Publishers. Hawkins is one of my favorite mystery novel authors and one that renewed my love for the genre.

Paula Hawkins worked as a financial journalist before she began writing novels. She began by publishing four romance novels under a pseudonym, and then tried her hand at the thriller genre by writing The Girl on the Train. This novel, as well as the book Into the Water, are New York Times bestsellers with millions of copies sold. Hawkins was born in Zimbabwe and now spends her time between London and Edinburgh. However, she does have South African roots. Her mother was born in South Africa and later moved to Zimbabwe, whilst her father was born in England and moved to Zimbabwe at an early age as well.

When asked about the process of writing the book, Hawkins discussed that she starts off with a character in mind and then moves onto other aspects. The main character in A Slow Fire Burning, Laura, lived in a flat in London. Paula Hawkins declared that she used to walk around the residential areas of London to picture the lives of those living there. She wanted to visualize her characters in the scene, all the while gaining inspiration from those she witnesses.

With regards to the process of writing the novel, Hawkins doesn’t start off with a big board of ideas and instead just begins writing. Although, along the way, she does keep a wall above her desk with notes to keep track of where each character is at that point in the story and what they know. She also mentions that she doesn’t sit down with the intention to write a straightforward book, but instead, jumps around a lot and writes to intrigue the reader to ponder after each chapter. She mentions that while it is a messy procedure, it does make it more interesting.

Some authors have a plan before they begin writing, but Hawkins mentions that this novel wasn’t one where she could distinguish the entire plot. Instead, she starts off with something and builds on it over time. She also commented on the fact that the current title was not the initial one. The title ‘A Slow Burning Fire’ came to her thoughts after reading a book in which it discussed a metaphor that perfectly described the contents of her book.

The host posed a question regarding the uncommon characters in her novel. For example, the women in her newest novel are presented as unreliable and unlikely heroes with many flaws. Hawkins replied that she finds it important to write about characters that feel real to her, ones that are generally complicated and difficult and may sometimes be found annoying by the readers. She further mentions that she enjoys creating characters that do not follow societies ‘norm’ for women. She enjoys writing these types of characters as she believes that they are personalities that are fitting for a crime novel as they find themselves in situations worth writing about.

When questioned about her research process for A Slow Fire Burning, Hawkins explains that when she writes, she rather focuses on the psychological factors of the crime story instead of the particulars. Because of this, she found that not much research was needed for the novel, besides the usual readings and internet searches to confirm some details.

Since Paul Hawkins has written many novels, a few of them becoming very popular, one might assume that the action of writing a book may have become easier over time. However, this is not the case for Hawkins. She found that for this book, it was quite difficult to settle on a single story as she had many ideas. Hawkins declared that she enjoyed writing this novel compared to writing the title Into the Water, as she was more pressured during that period to write a book after her first mystery novel became loved worldwide. For her, peace and a quiet setting at a desk is what she needs to focus and write, as her books need careful plotting and thinking. For Paula Hawkins, writing doesn’t become easier over time, but it does ‘get more fun.’

When questioned about what she would like her readers to take from the story, Hawkins replies that she doesn’t write her stories with the intention to have the reader learn something, but instead to take enjoyment in the thriller. She wants her readers to become absorbed in the story and ponder about it even after they’ve completed it. She mentions that this is one of the reasons why she sometimes leaves a few loose ends when ending her novels. As one of her readers, I can attest to the fact that her books are most definitely gripping and have me thinking about them days after I’ve completed it.

A popular question for authors was raised during the launch. Paula Hawkins was asked about her reading list, and quite ironically, she mentions that she does not read many thrillers. However, she indulges in many different genres. A few recent books that she has loved include: Elif Shafak’s latest novel, Dream Girl (a thriller) and a historical fiction book.

With the pandemic came long periods of lockdown for many countries. Many authors and others alike found it difficult to work in such situations; however, Hawkins didn’t have this issue. She mentions that when lockdown started, she was already deep into the novel. She already had a rough draft and didn’t need to come up with a new idea. Therefore, she found this period to be the perfect time for her to complete the missing pieces and fix details. She also mentioned that during this period, she had also completed a short project, one which she cannot give further details on but something for her fans to look forward to. She has also been occupied with interviews and the launch of her new story but looks forward to travelling once again to gain the perfect experiences for her next novel.

Whilst listening to the host and the author, I found that Paula Hawkins is a very easy-going person. She tells it as it is, and while answering questions, she made it feel as if it was simply two friends talking instead of a fan listening to an author’s interview. Gaining a deeper insight to her wonderful personality has made me love her books even more!

After listening to this interview, I now have no doubt that I am going to love A Slow Fire Burning. Since Hawkins is one of my favorite authors, I knew I would enjoy it, but this event furthered this emotion. Knowing more about an author and the backstory of a novel almost always pushes me to read the mentioned novel, and this has done so for me. If you haven't read A Slow Fire Burning yet, this is your sign to do so!