10. The widespread success of John Grisham and Scott Turow, in particular, in America has made the legal thriller a big-bucks kind of book to write. Did you consider your American competition at all when writing Final Witness? Have you read Grisham and Turow? What do you think differentiates Final Witness from other legal thrillers out there on bookshelves?   answer   11. The character of Thomas Robinson is particularly insightful and finely wrought. Did you begin the novel with an idea of him as a character and build the novel out from there? If not, what was your starting point and in what ways did the novel develop from that nexus?   answer   12. Any surprises along the way - i.e. you thought the story was headed somewhere and ended up somewhere else. Where in your writing process and/or the book did that happen? How did you reconcile yourself with the developing arc of the story?   answer   13. Writing suspense has always seemed really hard to me! I always wonder how authors manage to build and build and build, all the while carefully revealing certain salient details, and then wrap it is all up at the conclusion. It seems like that would be really difficult! Did you write and/or plan the ending first, and then work your way back? If not, how did you manage to plot it all out? And, how did you approach the suspense aspect of the book?   answer   14. Any tips for burgeoning authors on how to write suspense? answer 15. The American legal system and the British legal system are quite different in some ways. Did you find this a challenge to deal with, especially for your American audience? Or did you feel comfortable assuming readers would follow along pretty easily?   answer   16. What’s next? answer