Jayne Chard, the multi-award-winning film and TV drama producer, reveals what you need to know about writing a crime book…

Writers have been bending the laws of physics and time ever since they put pen (or quill) to paper. The place where science meets the speculative has always had a home in gothic fiction.

The inner lives of the wealthy has always been a juicy topic for writers, but this tireless theme has hit new heights of popularity again lately, with trending shows like Succession and White Lotus pulling back the curtain and looking at how the gilded few with fortunes often live on a different intellectual, rational and moral plane than those with lesser means.

How often does a lover of mystery fiction confront the criticism that her reading tastes are embarrassingly lite? That detective novels are entertaining but escapist, not really “literature”?

In addition to being an author, I am an architect, and the built world continues to awe, influence, and inspire me.

My teenage years were characterized by three activities: school, soccer, and reading.