07 Aug 2024
We ask a different figure from the local community to choose 10 questions to answer from a list of 50. This week: St Albans-based author Heather Critchlow, whose next crime novel Unsound is set in and around Edinburgh.
Growing up between Aberdeen and Inverness, Heather lived in a caravan while her parents built their house, spending much of her free time roaming the local countryside. Her years living in rural Scotland have very much inspired her books, alongside her love of and fascination with true crime podcasts.
In 2023, Heather was shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland debut novel award for Unsolved, the first book in the Cal Lovett series.
Where do you walk when you want to think?
Symondshyde is one of my favourite places to walk the dog in St Albans. I love the ever-changing nature of the woods, the variety of trees and the smell of hot pines in the summer. The dog loves to swim in the lake and it’s the perfect place to lose yourself in the ferns. Because the paths there always change, it’s a novelty and you have to rely on your sense of direction to get out again. I’ve also stumbled over crashed cars, strange machinery and evidence of wild nights – it’s a great place for crime writing inspiration…
Do you ever Google yourself?
No! But I do check my Amazon rankings a bit too often…
How often do you check your phone?
Way. Too. Much.
Have you ever asked for an autograph?
Oh god. Yes. I generally don’t think people should bother celebrities but when I was a property journalist covering Liverpool I went out with some developers to a bar one evening. Gordon Ramsey was there as he was filming Kitchen Nightmares in the city. I had way too many cocktails and woke up with his signature on a napkin. Still makes me cringe now.
What’s your favourite meal?
Christmas lunch with all the trimmings. Followed by hitting the sofa and sinking into a food coma.
What’s your worst habit?
Worrying. I could make it an extreme sport. However, doing the Sophie Hannah Dream Author coaching programme has changed my perspective in some ways. I used to generally be pessimistic about whether I’d get an agent, get published etc. as a way of protecting myself against future heartache. I’ve realised there’s no way we can inure ourselves to disappointments – we have to feel them when they happen, regardless. In the meantime, it’s far more fun to dream about success.
What object would you save first if your house was on fire?
People and pets only. I’m terrified of fire and there is honestly nothing that is worth risking. I’ve spent too much time thinking about how we’d all get out if we were trapped… see the above worst habit answer!
What was your first job?
Livestock handling. When I was 14 I landed a job at Thainstone Mart in Aberdeenshire, herding sheep in and out of the ring. It was hard work, I would come home splattered to the chest in sheep dung, but it paid a small fortune (£2.75 an hour).
What’s your favourite place to have breakfast in St Albans?
It’s more a lunch thing, but my husband and I both work from home and at least once a week we pop out for a ‘cheeky Molens’ in the Quadrant. It’s always busy and buzzing in there and embarrassingly the staff know our order by heart.
What’s your favourite St Albans car park?
Definitely the Civic Centre – it’s on our side of town, easy to access and they actually give you room to fit a car in their spaces. Not something that can be taken for granted these days. (Yes, The Maltings, I’m looking at you).
