Everyone meet Crime Writer, and all round author\/tv writer, Hollie Overton.<\/p>\n
So I couldn’t be more excited to share this Crime Writers Q&A with you.\u00a0 From reading about Hollie Overton, I knew I wanted to feature her on here, and thankfully she said yes. As a little preview, Hollie attended the Warners Brothers Writers Workshop, which sounds amazing, and once I knew she had attended I made sure I dropped a question in about it.<\/p>\n
Who are you and what books have you written?<\/strong><\/p>\n My name is Hollie Overton and I\u2019m the author of two crime thrillers, Baby Doll<\/a> and The Walls<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why do you write crime fiction?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m by nature a very upbeat and positive person, which is why people are often surprised by the dark nature of my books. But growing up my father struggled with addiction and his violent temper was a constant, so I was always analyzing him to try and ensure I stayed out of the crossfire. In some ways, I believe that\u2019s translated to my own writing, allowing me to explore what makes people tick. I\u2019ve always wanted to understand why bad guys commit crimes, how good guys overcome the worst and that’s what I do in my books.<\/p>\n Have you always wanted to be a writer?<\/strong><\/p>\n I always loved writing and always seemed to have a knack for it. My mom bought me my first journal when I was seven and I filled dozens more over the years. But it took me awhile to realize writing was my career path. Acting was my first love and the way I learned to express myself.<\/p>\n Throughout those years when I was acting, I\u2019d always jot down ideas for short stories or character sketches, but I stayed focused. Once I committed to my writing and told myself I was going to pursue it as a profession, great things started to happen. I realized after awhile that acting wasn\u2019t where my heart was any more and I\u2019m so glad I did. Writing is a much more natural fit.<\/p>\n You attended the Warner Brothers Writers Workshop, can you explain a little bit\u00a0more about this?<\/strong><\/p>\n The Warner Brothers Writers Workshop<\/a> is one of the best things to ever happen to me. It\u2019s basically a TV Writers boot camp (my description, not there\u2019s, but I think it\u2019s apt!)<\/p>\n It\u2019s a truly incredible opportunity. Every year, thousands of aspiring TV writers submit a spec script (a sample of a current episode on TV) and out of those thousands of entries, they narrow it down to a few hundred and request a second original television pilot. Once they\u2019ve narrowed those writers down to 20, you\u2019re interviewed by a committee. If\u00a0you\u2019re really lucky, you\u2019re one of seven to ten writers accepted into the program.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019re in the program, it works like a simulated writers room, teaching the writers what it\u2019s like being staffed as a writer on a TV show. While you\u2019re in the program you write another script. Upon completion if they feel that you\u2019ve proven yourself, they help you find representation and a job as a TV writer. It doesn\u2019t cost anything besides the fifty-dollar entry fee and for me, it was like winning a lottery ticket. I have always been so grateful that I was got in. It\u2019s what gave me my first big break.<\/p>\n You have written for some amazing TV programmes, and were staffed on Cold\u00a0Case. How was this experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n Working on Cold Case was an incredible experience. I was hired on the seventh and final season, so by then the show ran a well oiled machine. The best part about the experience was working with all these talented writers and absorbing how the room works. It\u2019s a fast paced place where ideas are flying and you have to jump in and figure out how to make your mark. It was great that my first opportunity as a TV writer was working on a crime show.<\/p>\n What made you turn from screenwriting to writing books?<\/strong><\/p>\n Frustration is the answer I\u2019d have given back then. Now I believe it was serendipity. The show I was working on had been cancelled, and I was unemployed at the time. I was going on interviews and trying to develop my own TV show. I felt like a lot of what I wanted to write wasn\u2019t resonating within the TV marketplace and I was really frustrated creatively. I missed just writing for the love of writing. Not because I wanted to sell something or because someone else thought it was a good idea.<\/p>\n One night after my husband went to bed, I had thought about two sisters who were separated and reunited. A line rattled around in my head, \u201cA deadbolt has a very specific sound.\u201d That was the first line in my debut novel, Baby Doll. I started writing this story about the sisters. I always hated when writers would say this, but in my case it was true. The first half of the story poured out of me. I loved writing that first book, I knew I had to do it again. Now I\u2019m on my third and I\u2019m definitely not stopping.<\/p>\n Do you prefer writing books or screenwriting?<\/strong><\/p>\n I get that question a lot and I\u2019ve yet to find an answer. It\u2019s too hard to pick my favorite. The best part about TV writing is the collaboration and working with other people. Being in a writer\u2019s room is like being at the cool kids table in high school, if the cool kids were also the smartest people you knew. Together you develop a script, you write it, and then a few weeks later, an entire team of people are working to bring it to life. It truly is like playing make-believe except with a much bigger budget.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re writing books, you don\u2019t get that immediate sense of gratification that you get when you\u2019re watching a scene you wrote being filmed or your episode is airing on TV. But the writing process is purer in some ways, because you\u2019re all alone, with just the story you\u2019re creating. But that\u2019s also what also makes it so special. All of that to say that I intend to keep doing both for as long people keep hiring me\/reading my work.<\/p>\n Do you have to do lots of research when you are writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n Research to me is a crucial part of my writing process. In TV you\u2019ll often have assistants or researchers to help you, but in books, that all falls to you. It\u2019s really important to me to understand how things work. A lot of what I\u2019ve written lately focuses on law enforcement and unique jobs within that world.<\/p>\n In my 2nd book, The Walls, my protagonist is a publicist for the prison system and death row. In my new book The Runaway, my lead is a psychologist for the Department of Mental Health. Understanding how these jobs works, the in\u2019s and out\u2019s is important because their jobs are almost a character in the book. I also write a lot about current issues; like domestic violence, mass incarceration, mental illness, and homelessness, issues that personally affect a lot of people. It\u2019s important to me that I do the research so I can properly portray them and make sure it resonates.<\/p>\n Do you have a writing routine?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019d call my routine organized chaos. I wish it were more structured. When I\u2019m not writing on a TV show, I work from home or an office space I rent. I am by nature a total night owl, so I struggle to work during the day. I wake up between 9-11, and I\u2019ll write a few pages, but there are always emails to return and administrative tasks to take care of. The bulk of my writing is done late at night when it\u2019s quiet and everyone is asleep. When I\u2019m on a show, I have more of a 9-5 schedule and I adapt accordingly. But I always seem to get in the zone t around 10pm and continue until 2am. And when the muse calls, you have to answer!<\/p>\n Do you ever suffer from writer\u2019s block? If so, how do you overcome this?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve always answered no to this question, because usually I have a stack of stories I\u2019m excited to tell. And then this summer rolled around and I was started freaking. I simply didn\u2019t have an idea for my new pilot. Looking back, I was burnt out. I\u2019d spent two years writing on a show, writing two books and my brain was like, \u201cWe\u2019re tired.\u201d It was a good lesson. I did some traveling and it was the recharge I needed. By the time I got back to LA, I had a whole list of ideas I was interested in.<\/p>\n Which authors and books do you like? The list is endless, but I\u2019ll give you a few.<\/strong><\/p>\n Gillian Flynn, Gillian McAllister, Sue Grafton, Mary Higgins Clark, Ruth Ware, Michael Connelly, Stephen King, Tess Gerritsen….<\/p>\n If you could recommend just one of your books to my readers which one would it be and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m partial to Baby Doll, even though I love them both. It was my first, and it gave me this whole new career so obviously that\u2019s really special. But it\u2019s a story about twins and family and a lot of my relationship with my own twin is in it, which is why I\u2019d suggest checking it out.<\/p>\n Where can people find more information about you? (Website and social media?)<\/strong><\/p>\n They can visit my website www.hollieoverton.com and I\u2019m also on Twitter @hollieoverton<\/a> and Instagram @hollieoverton<\/a>.<\/p>\n What are you working next?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m developing a TV pilot that I\u2019m excited about and will hopefully be able to discuss in the coming months. I\u2019m also finishing up my 3rd novel, The Runway, which will be out Aug. 2018.<\/p>\n Do check out Hollie’s books on Amazon, and connect with her on social media!<\/p>\n Rebecca x<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Everyone meet Crime Writer, and all round author\/tv writer, Hollie Overton. So I couldn’t be more excited to share this Crime Writers Q&A with you.\u00a0 From reading about Hollie Overton, I knew I wanted to feature her on here, and thankfully she said yes. As a little preview, Hollie attended the Warners Brothers Writers Workshop, which sounds amazing, and once I knew she had attended I made sure I dropped a question in about it. 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