Pauline Rowson explains how she chooses the names of her characters in her crime and thriiler novels

Getting the right name for characters in a crime novel, or any novel come to that, can be a tricky business. Sometimes they come to me completely out of the blue as I am creating a character, other times I will struggle to find the name that best suits the character.

I have always had this thing that people should look like their names. When someone is introduced to me I will think yes, you are a Jacqueline or a Malcolm. Other times I will think, oh no, you're definitely a Karen or a Wayne. And so it is with the characters I am creating. The name has to fit. If it's not right then the character isn't right. The name also needs to fit with the age and nationality although you can have exceptions.

So where do I get names from? When seeking inspiration for first names I turn to my little book of baby's names or I will look up a web site of baby's names. I also keep an ear out for any unusual or interesting names when meeting people and will jot these down.

When working on Footsteps on the Shore (no. 6 in the DI Andy Horton marine mystery series) I was stuck for one particular character. He had several incarnations before trawling through the A-Z of names I hit on it. Ashley. Yes, he is definitely an Ashley.

As to surnames, I let my finger do the choosing and tend to pick these out of an atlas or street map. Then I see if it fits with the first name and the character. And the more novels I write the more I am in danger of repeating names, (it's easy to forget what you have already used) so I am building a database in order to double check this.


And where did Andy Horton come from? I've no idea. He just sprang to mind both the name and the character, and long may he thrive.

crime novels, marine mystery murder series, British crime writer, crime fiction

New head at Hodder Children's Books

Jon Appleton has been appointed to the newly-created post of editorial director for fiction at Hodder Children’s Books and will be joining the company on lst February.

Appleton joins from Hachette Australia, where he was children’s publisher during 2011. Previously to that he worked as editorial director at Orion under Fiona Kennedy.

He joins other fiction editors – Beverley Birch, Rachel Wade and Naomi Pottesman and Ellen Holgate.


Hachette’s appointments follow the departure last autumn of Emily Thomas and Sara O'Connor, previously Hodder YA fiction publisher and senior editorial manager respectively, for Hot Key Books.

Crime author Pauline Rowson will be helping to celebrate National Libraries Day on Saturday 4 February, Portsmouth Central Library 10.30am - 12.30pm.

I'm delighted to be involved in helping to celebrate National Libraries Day on Saturday 4 February when I will be at Portsmouth Central Library between 10.30am to 12.30pm.

I'll be talking about my marine mystery crime novels and thrillers which are set in the Solent area, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, and there will be the opportunity to win signed copies of my books with a murder mystery quiz hunt for clues around the library, and the chance to be named as a character in one of my forthcoming DI Horton crime novels.

National Libraries Day is a celebration of libraries across the UK. Events and activities will take place in a variety of libraries including in schools, colleges, universities and public libraries in the UK in the week leading up to and on National Libraries Day on Saturday 4 February.

I'm a great supporter of libraries. I owe them a debt of gratitude because if it hadn't been for my local library in Portsmouth as a child I doubt I would ever have discovered a life long passion for reading and for writing. I’m looking forward to meeting lots of people and helping the library service to celebrate on 4 February..

Tickets can be purchased at any library in Portsmouth or by contacting libraries@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Tickets cost £3.00.

Hope to see some of you there.

Pauline Rowson is the author of the popular marine mystery police procedural crime series featuring DI Andy Horton, set on the South Coast of England in the Portsmouth, Isle of Wight and Solent area.

A Killing Coast, the seventh in the DI Horton series is published in hardcover in the UK on 26 January 2012 and in the USA on 1 May 2012.


She is also the author of two standalone thrillers, In Cold Daylight, which came third in an on line poll of the UK's most favourite books for World Book Day and In For The Kill.


“Deserves mention in the same breath as the work of Peter Robinson and John Harvey.” Booklist Starred Review of Footsteps on the Shore

One in every 40 adults in the UK received an e-reader as a Christmas present.

More than one million e-readers and more than half a million tablet devices were received as gifts over Christmas, according to research released today, with Amazon and Apple the leading suppliers of e-readers and tablets respectively.

According to the analysis one in every 40 adults in the UK received an e-reader as a Christmas present. The data, based on a YouGov survey of 2012 adults in the week after Christmas, indicated that 1.33 million e-readers were gifted over the festive period, 92% of which were Kindles, making Amazon’s e-reader the most popular choice this Christmas.  The research suggests that just over 100,000 rival e-readers were sold.

The research showed the devices were more popular with women than men, with 61% of people receiving them being women. The results also showed an age-bias, with Amazon’s Kindle being twice as popular with the over-55 age group than the 18-24 age group.

Tablet sales were also buoyant at Christmas. YouGov's modelling suggests that more than 640,000 tablets were gifted to adults, 72% of them Apple iPads with 60% of the Apple products being gifted to women. Non-Apple-branded tablets were relatively more popular with men.


 The survey was taken between 28th December 2011 and 3rd January 2012.


More than one million e-readers sold over Christmas:

What is the difference between a crime novel and thriller? Crime author Pauline Rowson discusses

I'm often asked what is the difference between a crime novel and a thriller, and I have to admit I have difficulty in answering this question even though I have written seven crime novels and two thrillers.

So for enlightenment I turned to the International Thriller Writers organisation who characterise a thriller as:

“the sudden rush of emotions, the excitement, sense of suspense, apprehension, and exhilaration that drive the narrative, sometimes subtly with peaks and lulls, sometimes at a constant, breakneck pace."

I think this is true of the crime novel. OK, so it depends on what type of crime novel. Some admittedly unfold at a more leisurely pace depending on the personality of the main character, his or her background, the story and the setting. If it is a cozy mystery then, yes, it is less likely to move along at breakneck speed although there will be suspense, peaks and lulls.

So let's hear more from the International Thriller Writers.

"Thriller is a genre in which tough, resourceful, but essentially ordinary heroes are pitted against villains determined to destroy them, their country, or the stability of the free world."

In a crime novel the hero might be a police officer, or a private eye, who can still be tough and resourceful. DI Andy Horton certainly is in my crime novels. And he is pitted against villains determined to destroy him, although not necessarily the country or the stability of the free world. But hang on he might be called upon to do so if there is a terrorist element in the plot, and it could be said that criminals involved in drugs, trafficking and other heinous crimes also threaten the stability of the country and the free world.

Being a police officer though, Horton has a team behind him and superiors above him, but he is a maverick and usually strikes out alone to solve the crime and bring the villain to justice. Horton is not an 'ordinary cop' but a man on a mission to fight injustice and at the same time is being forced to find out the truth behind his mother's disappearance, which puts his life in danger and pits him against that villain who is intent on destroying him and the fabric of society.

So, again I think there can be a certain overlap between the crime novel and thriller.

The heroes in both my thrillers are ordinary guys who find themselves in extra ordinary situations Both Adam Greene in In Cold Daylight and Alex Albury in In For The Kill find themselves pitted against villains determined to destroy them. Often in a thriller the hero is faced with what seem to be insurmountable problems in his mission, carried out against a ticking clock, the stakes are high and although resourceful he faces personal dilemmas along the way forcing him to make sacrifices for others.

This is true for both Adam Greene and Alex Albury. Adam, in a quest to discover the truth behind his closest friend's death, fire fighter Jack Bartholomew, finds himself up against a huge conspiracy at the top. His whole way of life begins to crumble before him and he faces many personal dilemmas and danger on his journey.

In In For the Kill, Alex Albury's life has been shattered when sentenced for fraud and embezzlement. On his release from prison he is determined to discover who framed him knowing that he is up against a dangerous and very clever adversary who will stop at nothing to prevent him from finding this out. Soon, Alex is faced with the ultimate choice to kill or be killed.


In a thriller there is tension and conflict along the way and an unexpected, satisfying conclusion and I believe that also applies to crime novels, well I like to think it does to mine! Whether crime novel or thriller the main characters/s will have internal conflict, moral dilemmas, and tough decisions and choices to make, as these help develop and define them. Their actions drive the story forward.

So am I any clearer on the difference between a crime novel and a thriller? To a certain extent yes. But concerning my own crime and thriller novels I'm not so sure. It seems that my crime novels are also thrillers or should that be my thrillers are also crime novels? Does it matter? No. Whether crime novel or thriller all that really counts is that it is a satisfying and enjoyable read.

People in Publishing - changes to editorial teams at Random House Childrens' Books & Andersen Press

Random House Children's Books and Andersen Press are making some changes to their editorial teams, with RHCB commissioning editor Ruth Knowles joining Andersen Press on a year's secondment. Knowles will step into an acting editorial director for fiction role from Monday, 9th January, covering for Charlie Sheppard's maternity leave.

Meanwhile, during this period, Natalie Doherty will take on an acting editor role at RHCB and Kirsten Armstrong, who previously worked at David Fickling Books, will join as assistant editor.

Jessica Clarke has also been promoted to editor at RHCB, having joined the fiction team in June 2010.

Moves at RHCB and Andersen: