A.J. Finn – WORD Christchurch Festival 2018

The next thrill-ride is here and it's editor-turned-bestselling-author A.J. Finn and his new book The Woman in the Window.

The newest thing in psychological crime fiction is A.J. Finn and he has joined some illustrious company, the likes of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins. I was lucky enough to hear the author speak as part of WORD Christchurch Festival  and was impressed by his energy and his insights into the processes of writing a best selling novel.

A.J.'s real name is Dan Mallory and he's a die-hard crime thriller fan. It's very evident on reading  The Woman in the Window too, all the elements to unnerve the reader are there and the suspense increases as our protagonist starts to question her own mind. It's part Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' (a movie and director that has had a huge impact on Dan Mallory), and part contemporary suburban gothic. Once you're hooked in there's no putting it down and you're swept up on a rollercoaster ride of suspense, drama, and heavy merlot consumption.

The Woman in the Window

Let's have a look at Dan Mallory as a person and see what we know about him and how it might provide insight into his becoming the next big thing in crime fiction...

• A.J. Finn is obviously a pseudonym and it was selected carefully to achieve a certain gender neutrality but also for the author to maintain some healthy distance between his personal life and that of his role as a best-selling author. A fun fact; "A.J." was his cousin's name, and "Finn" was his other cousin's French Bulldog - great choices that really sum up his attitude to life and family!
• He's been a keen fan of crime stories from a young age when he was dropped at the cinema by his mother as a form of free child-minding. On the screen that day was the classic film 'The Vanishing' and young Dan was hooked. He then studied the genre religiously, including becoming a devotee of Hitchcock, forming a strong love of our own Ngaio Marsh, and completing formal post graduate studies on none other that Patricia Highsmith!
• He's an outspoken champion of people living with mental health issues - he himself has had a life long struggle with misdiagnosed depression and bipolar disorder. This book's main character Anna Fox also has mental health concerns and Mallory has a very sound insight into her voice and attitude. She's the perfect example of a sufferer who still engages meaningfully with society in the face of her illness.
• The character name 'Anna Fox' was chosen deliberately so as to be easy to pronounce and remembered across all languages and cultures - few people will have issues with the sounds used to produce any of the names of the book's characters - a brilliant piece of multicultural accessibility right there!
• Before becoming a worldwide sensation Dan Mallory worked in publishing and states that he did indeed use his knowledge of the industry to help him produce The Woman In The Window. Mostly this was down to effective processes that he used for editing as he went along, but also extended to ensuring a solid architecture of twists and turns - he learned a lot as a publisher and read a lot of books, he even worked on stories by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling's' crime fiction pseudonym!)
• The movie rights to 'The Woman in the Window' were sold well before the book was even published and the soon-to-be-released film will star Amy Adams and Gary Oldman, among other big names. Mallory is determined however to not become an author who consciously writes for film and plans to hold out until his next book is out (it's already started and is due in early 2020) before making the desicion to sell the filming rights.

At his WORD session, Dan Mallory presented as a man with infectious energy. He was quick with a funny story and unashamedly successful and happy. I look forward to his next release and hope that he continues to grow into the brilliant thriller writing that he seems capable of. And if you haven't got your copy of  The Woman in the Window yet then jump on our catalogue now and add yourself to holds queue - it's worth the wait!

Happy reading!

• Follow our coverage of WORD Christchurch Festival 2018