CHRISTOPHER NULL

Heidi Field is a fellow thriller writer whose latest book, The Other Boy, takes the reader down a psychological path that sounds truly harrowing. Like my latest book, The Other Boy is set in that darkest of places — the suburbs. Let’s get to know Heidi a bit better before it drops in a few days!

Who are you, and what do you write about?

I am the mother of two boys aged 19 and 11 and three stepchildren, 15, 19 and 23. I live in the South of England in the countryside with my partner of 14 years, our Great Dane, a cat, fish and frogs. I adore the colour yellow, I think because it reminds me of sunshine, and I LOVE the sun. Crazy that I live in such a grey country! I am a little obsessed with exercise, beginning most days with an early walk before the rest of my household is awake and squeezing in a run or gym session after the school drop off. As many of our children are grown up now the rest of the day is mine to write and keep house. I write contemporary thrillers, putting people in extraordinary situations that test their sanity and push them to their limits.

What is your favorite word?

Karma, because it is everything I believe about the world. Sunshine, because it is the thing I love the most (after my family of course!!) and because its two parts say the same as the whole but saying them together instantly lifts my spirits. Google, because it is the place I find all my answers and it is such a silly word for something so vast and valuable.

What is your least favorite word?

This one is easy, discombobulation. I heard it used so many times on my master’s course that I grew to hate it. It is a word that is used to sound clever, wordy, a mouthful of letters that take too long to get to the point. It means a feeling of confusion or discomfort, two words I much prefer.

What is the trait you most like about yourself?

My consistency. If I decide to do something, I’ll do it. If I choose to make a change, I’ll stick with it. With a blinkered drive for consistency stuff gets done, but it makes me a little too busy, somewhat inflexible and easily bored.

What is the trait you least like about yourself?

My constant desire to drag everyone around me on my healthy, fitness obsessed path. I can be persistent to the point of annoying and as such end up alone on my journey to hold on to my youth and longevity. I also deny myself the good stuff and then regret being so regimented.

What is your greatest fear?

Aging.

How do other people describe you?

I guess that depends on who you ask! Hopefully I would be described as happy, kind and loving. I avoid social situations, but when I am in them I am chatty and upbeat. I’m not laidback, I don’t think, and I love rules. I’m the mum that calmly gives consequences and follows through. My family will tell you that I rarely get cross, but when I do they need to run for cover, although I’m quick to apologize after my outbursts.

What talent would you most like to have?

Singing. I’d love to be able to wow people with my singing.

If you weren’t working as a writer, what would you be doing?

Housework, I suspect. I was a sports massage therapist, but slipped discs and hernia operations put an end to that. I also trained as a fitness instructor, so maybe I would go back to that, start my own business and run those bootcamp style group workout sessions at the local park.

How would you like to die?

Old, dilapidated, having used my body and mind out completely and ideally switch off quietly just as I reach the end of a sweeping romance with a happy ending.

If you were to die and then come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

A dog in an affectionate home with swathes of open space to run around in, or a Great White shark at the top of the food chain so that I can explore the oceans without fear.

When and where were you happiest?

There is no one standout moment. When I am walking alone with my dog, lying in the sunshine beside the man I am sharing my life with, playing a game of scrabble with my eldest son, skiing down a mountain with my youngest son, working out in the gym with my stepdaughter, hugging my parents, writing (obviously!), wallowing in a hot bath after a busy day, any new adventure around the world to a place I’ve not yet been. So many.

What is your greatest regret?

Not having enough faith in myself to apply to veterinary college.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My nose. It is too big and has a lump in the middle.

Who is your fictional hero?

Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. I have wanted to have a pet dragon since I was a little girl and my desire for one has not lessened over the years. I want to be her, have her dragons and her gorgeous blonde hair. Mostly just her dragons. Life would be epic with a dragon for a pal.

Who are your favorite writers?

It is the stories I love and there are so many. I’ll tell you a story about why I started writing. I had just given birth to my first son, I was postnatally depressed, on meds and my marriage was failing. Brokeback Mountain had just come out in the cinema, and I went to see it. Twice, I think, maybe three times. The second time I cried all the way through, I even took a box of tissues into the cinema with me. I found the book of short stories by Annie Proulx and read Brokeback Mountain. I was so emotional, in such a transitional stage of life, struggling to keep my head above water. I wanted to create something that would touch other people’s hearts in the way Brokeback Mountain had done for me, so I began writing. I wrote kids’ books, a fantasy adventure, a screenplay and eventually took myself off to university to study Creative Writing and there I discovered my love of thrillers. Thank you, Annie, for being my inspiration.

What have you been working on lately?

I am near the end of my third novel, The Other Mother. It is a sequel to my debut, following the story of Suzannah after the end of The Other Boy. I have a third book in the series which I am eager to begin, as the story has been forming in my head while I have been writing book two.

Find Heidi on Instagram and Bluesky, and check out The Other Boy at Amazon!

Want to be the next thriller writer profiled on the blog? Email me here!