Sarah Walters runs OutLoud, a literary podcast from the pre-eminent UK regional newspaper, the Yorkshire Post. During the 2008 Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, she recorded an interview with Zoë, which she introduced as follows (Yorkshire Post, 26 August 2008):
'When Zoe Sharp realised that there wasn't an action heroine that she could identify with in the books she loved to read, it was hardly surprising she then decided to have a go at writing her own.
'What was a surprise, however − at least to her − was the international reaction to Charlie Fox, now one of the top characters in crime fiction.
'The bodyguard with the special forces background is more than able to give as good as she gets, without becoming what Sharp describes as "a man in tights".
'In this OutLoud interview, Sharp discusses women in crime fiction, the origins of Charlie Fox and just how far she can push her, and gives a reading from her latest thriller, Third Strike.'
Left-click to listen to the interview now − or right-click and choose "Save Target As . . ." to download the mp3 file.
Kim Alexander is a self-confessed book freak who enjoys a non-stop love affair with the written word.
She runs Fiction Nation, a regular feature on XM Radio, a coast-to-coast US
satellite radio service with some nineteen million subscribers.
One of her pet hates, she declares, is when a main character in a book or film gets seriously injured and then miraculously springs back into action with one mighty bound. She was therefore intrigued when she read Second Shot and found Charlie Fox face down in a muddy ditch, shot twice and left for dead. And that was on the first page. ‘And she doesn’t leap up and save the day. Charlie has a long, painful and realistic recovery, giving her lots of time to ponder not being as tough as she thought . . .'
In this wide-ranging interview, Kim reads her own written review of Second Shot and then discusses Charlie Fox’s complex character, how she can kill without compunction to defend the person she is bodyguarding but then wrestles with her conscience and ponders whether she is living her life the right way. Kim comments that ‘it was Charlie and the crossroads at which she finds herself that makes this book really stand out.’
During the interview, Zoë reads the beginning of Chapter One of Second Shot, hailed as a classic example of how to introduce a mystery novel: 'Take it from me, getting yourself shot hurts like hell.'
Left-click to listen to the interview now − or right-click and choose "Save Target As . . ." to download the mp3 file. It's rather a big file so it may take a few minutes.
When Zoe offered breakfast and a visit to a local gun range as a prize in a charity auction at Bouchercon 2006 in Madison, WI, she never imagined that the winner would be a determined and courageous lady − Judy Watford − who has been blind from birth. The story of that auction and Judy's prowess with a 9mm semiautomatic at the shooting range has become legendary. Follow this link to an excellent account in Women & Guns magazine. Zoë also encapsulated it in her blog at the time.
Judy is an avid mystery fan and runs Book Talk, a regular radio column for the American Council of the Blind on ACB Radio. In this wide-ranging transatlantic phone interview, she quizzes Zoe about the development of the Charlie Fox character, about her approach to writing, and many other aspects of the writer's craft.
So, turn up your loudspeakers and sit back for 55 minutes of entertaining banter and a penetrating glimpse into a writer's life. Oh, and they do talk about that visit to the gun range . . .
Left-click to listen to the interview now − or right-click and choose "Save Target As . . ." to download the mp3 file. It's rather a big file so it may take a few minutes.
Libby Fischer Hellmann asks: How did you come to write mysteries?
Is Charlie Fox really Zoë Sharp? Does the day job help with your writing? What authors do you read? What's the next book in the
series? These are just some of the topics covered in this wide-ranging interview.
Based in Chicago, Libby is herself a successful crime writer, creator of amateur sleuth Ellie Foreman. She is also an experienced interviewer, having spent eight years in television news in her previous career. This interview, on behalf of International Thriller Writers, was recorded on a transatlantic link to Zoë's UK home in August 2006.
Left-click to listen to the interview now − or right-click and choose "Save Target As . . ." to download the mp3 file.
David Hewson quizzes Zoë about why she set her First Drop Charlie Fox book in Florida
and how she, a British writer,strives for authenticity when placing her characters in another country. She reveals her plans
for the next book in the series, Second Shot, based in Boston and New Hampshire, which also features Charlie Fox and is
due for publication by St Martin's Press in 2007.
David Hewson is a successful British author, creator of the best-selling Nic Costa crime series set in Rome. He recorded this interview at the Left Coast Crime convention in Bristol, UK, in March 2006.
Left-click to listen to the interview now − or right-click and choose "Save Target As . . ." to download the mp3 file.