For your Christmas Eve delight, I’m thrilled to be chatting to my partner-in-crime, the one and only Steph Broadribb! Woohoo! Steph was born in Birmingham and grew up in Buckinghamshire. A prolific reader, she adored crime fiction from the moment she first read Sherlock Holmes as a child. She’s worked in the UK and the US, has an MA in Creative Writing and trained as a Bounty Hunter in California. Her latest book DEATH IN THE SUNSHINE will be out on 1 March 2022 and is the first in the Retired Detectives Club series set in a luxury over-55s Florida resort community. Her other novels include the Lori Anderson bounty hunter series and the Starke/Bell psychological police procedural books (writing as Stephanie Marland). Her books have been shortlisted for the eDunnit eBook of the year award, the ITW Best First Novel award, and the Dead Good Reader Awards. She provides coaching for new crime writers via www.crimefictioncoach.com.
Take it away, Steph!
Do you pair your socks?
Never. I mean, why is it necessary? Socks are, by their very nature, mix and match. That’s the fun of socks. I use my sock drawer as a random sock selection generator and leave the pairings to chance!
Do you worry about swallowing spiders in your sleep?
Constantly! In fact I’ve actually just bought a humane spider remover so that I can easily remove spiders that are lurking about in places that make it hard to catch them using my usual glass and piece of paper technique.
Have you ever written a fan letter?
Not that I can remember. (Maybe to Bon Jovi or Aerosmith – back in the day.)
Which dead celebrity do you wish was still alive?
It’s 50/50 between Marilyn Monroe and Michael Crichton. Can I have both?
What’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened to you?
I was deep down in the murky Hell Fire Caves and a massive spider-type thing latched onto my ankle and wouldn’t stop biting me. Honestly, it was the size of my hand and I was terrified it was going to gnaw my foot off. I screamed and screamed. It was only once I’d been rushed back through the tunnels and above ground that we could get a proper look at the monster. That’s when I realised it was just a sticky burr. (My excuse – I was nine).
Do you empty your own hoover bag?
I empty my own hoover but it’s a Dyson so it doesn’t have a bag – just a cylinder thingy. It’s always 99% full of my dog Red’s hair – how he’s not bald with the amount he sheds is a mystery!
When did you last sleepwalk?
I don’t think I ever have. I’m far more likely to have vivid dreams and see dragons at the bottom of the bed!
Have you ever broken a bone?
I’ve torn a lot of muscles and ligaments, and had an awful lot of bruises, from falling off horses over the years. I’ve also been kneed in the head by a horse (my fault, not his) and had to go and get my head scanned as the docs feared a skull fracture. Due to the force of the blow and the impact on my skull I now have a slight dip in my forehead which is the exact same shape as the corner of my horses’ knee!
Do you find it hard to take criticism?
Yes and no. It depends what it is, who is saying it, and whether I think they’re right!
What are you having for lunch tomorrow?
I was going to say ‘Hummus, sweet potato and olives’ but as you reminded me, it’s Christmas – yay! So I’m having vegetable moussaka with roast potatoes (my mum is making pigs in blankets and roasting a chicken for Red – he loves Christmas!)
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If you want to know more about Steph, you can find her on twitter @crimethrillgirl. Her books can be found HERE.
Susi (S.J.I) Holliday: Author 
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