AN HOUR WITH MO HAYDER

AT THE AUCKLAND WRITERS & READERS FESTIVAL

Veteran bookseller Doris Mousdale introduced the author by describing her books as gripping. Probably the understatement of the Festival as was proved shortly after the introduction when Hayder read to us from her latest title, RITUAL........chilling, dark stuff which she read superbly. Some writers are hopeless at reading their own work aloud by Hayder pulled it off beautifully.

She is a bright cookie with three MA's to her credit and an ubelievable cv which includes periods as a barmaid, security guard, film maker, hostess in a Tokyo club, teacher of creative writing and a heap more besides. And she took the award of the most glamorous author at the Festival hands down.

She entertained us with stories of viewing ghastly poilce photographic records as part of her research, discussing the difference between crime fiction and literary fiction, how she started writing in her early 30's, her protagonist Inspector Jack Caffery, on theory as to why her readership is mainly female and then shew told the story of a diving disaster at Bushman's Hole in the Kalahari Desert which had the whole audience on the edge of their seats.

She was generous and gracious in her remarks, especially about other writers, and confessed that her own favourite authors were Thomas Harris and Pete Dexter while she can't wait to get home to start reading the Australian crime writer Peter Temple with whom she shared a panel earlier in the day.

Another wonderfully entertaining hour.