Blog Tour: Whyte Lies by KC Acton – Writing Process and Review

I’m pleased to be welcoming KC Acton to Novel Kicks today and the blog tour for her novel, Whyte Lies. This is the first novel in the Whyte Lies series and introduces us to DCI Faith Whyte.

About Whyte Lies:

The perfect family? Or the perfect lie? Gunshots ring out on the sweltering summer air, shattering the peaceful silence. The stench of exhaust fumes and burning rubber fill the humid breeze as the car’s wheels spin against the embankment. 

In front of the car, a girl lies hunched, her blonde hair stained red. Her light summer dress is torn. She’s missing a sandal. Part of her wishes she were dead. Inside the car, the girl’s father is slumped over the steering wheel. Behind him, the girl’s mother lies motionless.

The forest is eerily quiet, silenced by the violence, while the shadows of the trees protect the carnage. Crime and justice are Detective Faith Whyte’s business. Murder is her speciality. Faith thinks she has seen it all, until she investigates the brutal killing of a family in Killarney National Park. However, the killer is closer than she thinks, and Faith must open her eyes before someone else becomes the victim of a dark and deadly mind.

Faith has spent a lifetime running, but the past is about to catch up with her. Now, she must surrender to the present and trust her instincts more than ever. What happens when the present collides with the secrets of the past?

I’ve reviewed the book below but first, KC Acton talks us through her writing process and what she thinks makes a good thriller…

I’ve just published my first book, Whyte Lies, and am almost finished the first draft of my second book, Whyte Heat, so I suppose I’m still experimenting with my writing process. I try to focus on getting a certain number of words written per day, for me that’s usually around 2,000 words. I tend to write better in the late morning because it takes a while for my brain to get going. No matter how much sleep I get, I usually wake up feeling like I’ve been smacked in the face with a frying pain. Needless to say, I am not a morning person! I usually can’t manage much more than a few muttered words until I’ve downed my second coffee–the stronger, the better.

Once I start writing, I like to write 1,000 words before I take a break, which can take anything from an hour to three hours, depending on how the story’s going. I like to get the first draft written within a month; I have this fear that if I don’t get the bones of the story written quickly that I’ll forget what I want to write, which is madness because I have quite a detailed outline of the story before I begin. The Story Grid, by Shawn Coyne is my outlining bible. His book breaks everything down and helps me map out the story before I dive in. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Originally, I bought the Kindle version, but it’s worth spending that bit extra on the hard copy to see his diagrams and graphs in detail.

When I finished the first draft of Whyte Lies, I spent two months rewriting it. Then I sent it off to my editor, who came back with lots of suggestions and corrections to be made. I spent another month working on the edits, so overall, it took me about five months from the start to finish of Whyte Lies, but given that it was my first book, it was a steep learning curve, so it’ll be interesting to see how Whyte Heat develops.

What do I think makes a good thriller? I think a good thriller has to have multi-layered characters and a twisty plot. A shocking opening chapter usually sets the tone for the whole book; as a reader, if I’m gripped from the opening few pages, I’ll want to keep reading. I love a completely unexpected ending, but also one that makes a certain amount of sense.

I think setting is an interesting layer in a thriller novel; characters and plot are paramount, but setting can add an extra layer to a story, which is something I tried to incorporate in Whyte Lies.

Ultimately, I think a good thriller is one that hits me emotionally. I think the reader has to be able to empathise with the characters, even if they aren’t particularly likeable; personally, I love a good villain. I enjoyed creating the characters in Whyte Lies, especially the character of Detective Faith Whyte. She’s flawed, but she has a kind heart, and has overcome many obstacles in her past. I have a lot planned for Faith’s future, so I hope my readers will stay tuned to see what’s going to happen next.

CreateSpace Indépendant Publishing, June 2016.

My verdict on Whyte Lies (Book One of the DCI Faith Whyte Crime Thriller Series.)

This book introduces us to DCI Faith Whyte. At the beginning of the novel we see her in charge of a murder investigation where nothing makes sense and is what it seems. The book switches between the present day and then back to Faith’s childhood which was violent thanks to her father.

Faith Whyte is a very mysterious and conflicted character. She’s very interesting and I am intrigued as to what she is about. You do find out a little about her background but I do get the feeling that there is a lot more to her that we are yet to find out.

The plot is thrilling. It’s evenly paced so not everything is revealed at once. There is also a great twist at the end. I read this book so quickly (and into the early hours at one point.)

I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go. The cases that Faith is investigating are as mysterious as she is. KC Acton throws in clues here and there so I really couldn’t get a grip on who the murderer might be. I thought I had an idea of who Faith was looking for and then the plot would throw someone else into the mix.

Overall this is a great start to what promises to be a great series. It’s well written with the right blend of plot development and mystery. I am looking forward to the next instalment.

About KC Acton: 

KC Acton is the author of the gripping new detective series featuring DCI Faith Whyte. WHYTE LIES is the first book in the series.

Reading, writing, travelling, and all things French (red wine and cheese) are Kate’s main passions in life. She speaks French (badly) having lived in La Rochelle for a year.
She lives in Galway, Ireland.
She is currently working on WHYTE HEAT, the second book in the DCI Faith Whyte crime thriller series, which will be available in Autumn 2016.
Find out more about the author at www.kcacton.com

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.