It\u2019s my absolute pleasure to welcome T.M. Payne to Linda\u2019s Book Bag<\/em> today to discuss her latest book in the DI Sheridan Holler series. Tina is such a witty, mischievous and friendly person that I have a feeling we\u2019re in for quite an evening!<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s find out more:<\/span><\/p>\n Welcome to Linda\u2019s Book Bag<\/em> Tina and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.<\/strong><\/p>\n Thank YOU for inviting me. I promise to wipe my feet before I come in\u2026oh and was I supposed to bring wine?<\/span><\/p>\n Er, no. I can\u2019t drink wine as it makes me ill. I can, however, drink champagne so, you know\u2026 next time\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve brought Play With Fire<\/strong>, which is the third in the DI Sheridan Holler series, and I\u2019ve chosen that one because it\u2019s out today! 14<\/span>th<\/span> March.<\/span><\/p>\n Happy Play With Fire<\/em> publication day.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I have to say, it\u2019s still strange to think that I\u2019m talking about book 3 in the series already.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I imagine so. I think when we first met you\u2019d only just written book one. Tell us a bit about the series.<\/strong><\/p>\n The first book, Long Time Dead<\/strong> was published in April 2024, the second called This Ends Now<\/strong> was out in October and now here we are talking about the third one. <\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019d also like to share (am I talking too much?) that I have recently signed a further four book deal with my publisher, Thomas and Mercer, so there will be at least seven books in the series.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Wow! That\u2019s fabulous news. Congratulations.<\/strong><\/p>\n What can we expect from an evening in with Play With Fire<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n PLAY WITH FIRE<\/strong> sees the return of DI Sheridan Holler and her team\u2026.and of course, Maud the cat, who is gearing up to be somewhat of a favourite amongst readers. It sounds a bit strange that a cat is an important character when I\u2019m writing a crime fiction series, but I\u2019m a huge animal lover and had to have a cat in there. If I had my way, there would also be dogs, a giraffe and probably a penguin, but they\u2019d be difficult to place in a crime novel. Not that I won\u2019t try one day. (Don\u2019t tell my agent\u2026our secret, eh?)<\/span><\/p>\n My lips are sealed Tina!<\/strong><\/p>\n I have said before that although I kill off characters in my books (being crime fiction and all that) I will never kill off Maud, no matter how old she gets as the series progresses. The wonderful Anna Mazzola actually reliably informed me recently that the oldest cat lived until the ripe old age of 38, so Maud\u2019s going to be fine.<\/span><\/p>\n She should last those next seven books then!<\/strong><\/p>\n Tell me about the setting for the series.<\/strong><\/p>\n So, the series is set in Liverpool and the Wirral, although I\u2019m originally from Hampshire, but call myself an adopted scouser. I\u2019ve lived on the Wirral for six years now, having met my wife, Susie, nine years ago, who\u2019s a scouser. I fell in love with the place the very first time I visited her (I kind of liked Susie too, of course) and just had to set the series here. Honestly, scousers have the best sense of humour and I like to feed that humour into my characters. Even though the subjects I write about can be quite dark, I think it\u2019s important to keep a bit of humour in there.<\/span><\/p>\n I totally agree \u2013 a bit of Shakespearean light relief, but how did you come to that conclusion?<\/strong><\/p>\n I spent 18 years in Norfolk police and 14 of those as a Case Investigator in the Domestic Violence Unit. It was heavy going dealing with high-risk victims of domestic abuse every day, but my colleagues and I would (never at the expense of a victim) grab moments when we laughed out loud. It\u2019s a coping mechanism when you\u2019re working in a job like that, it gets you through the toughest of days. And so, I inject humour into Sheridan and her team, because I know how police officers need to let off steam and I think it keeps that authenticity when you\u2019re writing about what goes on in a busy CID or specialist unit, or any job that involves high levels of stress.<\/span><\/p>\n Absolutely.<\/strong><\/p>\n I also thought that as I have quite a lot of experience working in domestic abuse, I\u2019d include this in the books. So, there\u2019s a character called Anna Markinson, who\u2019s a detective sergeant, and she\u2019s not only a colleague of Sheridan\u2019s, she\u2019s also her best friend. I wanted to show that anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, even a police officer.<\/span><\/p>\n I think it\u2019s always surprising what goes on behind closed doors Tina. Exploring those experiences through fiction is an important means of bringing them out into the open.<\/strong><\/p>\n So have you always been involved in crime \u2013 in the best possible way of course?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve pretty much always worked in the criminal justice system. I trained to be a store detective when I was in my early twenties and loved it. However, looking back it was such a dangerous job. I once had a massive kitchen knife pulled out on me and on another occasion, I got thrown in a river when I chased a kid onto a campsite after he\u2019d nicked a load of stuff from the shop I was working at. It wasn\u2019t the kid who threw me in, just to be clear, but some of his family. They were very nice about it and laughed while they picked me up by my arms and legs and swung me a few times before they launched me into the water.<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s OK Then!<\/strong><\/p>\n Then, I spent a few years working for a private investigator in London. Now, that was a job and a half. You never knew what you were going to be asked to do when you went into the office each day. There was one job that came in where my partner and I had to observe a building in London and the only place we could stand with a clear view was outside a bank. Obviously, this came with its own problems because we looked pretty dodgy hanging around there. So, I bought a newspaper, laid it on the ground and started singing American Pie by Don Mclean, pretending to be a busker. I picked that song because it\u2019s really long and I knew all the words. It worked too, because we got the information we needed about the building we were watching\u2026 and I made about five quid in change from passers-by who actually thought I was a busker.<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s hilarious. If I\u2019d sung they\u2019d have paid me to shut up. I bet you\u2019ve got considerable things in your background that you can draw on for your books then.<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019<\/span>ve got hundreds of stories to tell about the jobs I\u2019ve done and people I\u2019ve met along the way and believe me, the saying \u2018the truth is stranger than fiction\u2019 is spot on. Some of the things that have happened to me wouldn\u2019t be believed if I put them in my books.<\/span><\/p>\n But my life experience does help me to create the characters I write about. Some are based on people I\u2019ve encountered\u2026good and bad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Is Sheridan you then?<\/strong><\/p>\n Although Sheridan is not based exactly on anyone I know, there are elements of her which resemble an ex-colleague of mine and there\u2019s probably a bit of me in her as well. Although she\u2019s tall and slim\u2026 and I\u2019m not.<\/span><\/p>\n Not many of us are! Tell me more about Sheridan.<\/strong><\/p>\n I love writing about Sheridan, she\u2019s a really strong lead character who isn\u2019t afraid to bend the rules, sometimes to the point of breaking them, and she does this because she desperately wants to solve every case that comes her way. She wants justice for the victims and will push boundaries to get it. She has wonderful support from her team, because they respect her and they know that if she has a gut feeling about something, she trusts that instinct and in turn, the team trust her. She sees things that others don\u2019t, like that tiny speck of a clue that might have been overlooked, or that comment made by a suspect or witness that many wouldn\u2019t pick up on. She misses nothing. I also like her because she\u2019s not angst-ridden. I didn\u2019t want to create a character who goes home and drinks herself into a stupor every night because she needs to block out the horrors of her job, or has ongoing issues and constant battles with her boss or colleagues. I wanted her to be mentally very \u2018together\u2019 even though she carries her own tragic past.<\/span><\/p>\n Interesting. So many of our fictional detectives have huge emotional baggage. How did Sheridan become a police officer?<\/strong><\/p>\n Sheridan\u2019s backstory is, when she was 14, her brother, Matthew, who was 12, was found murdered and his killer was never caught. Sheridan made a pact with herself to join the police force, become a detective one day and solve his murder. So, this is a sub plot in the books as we follow the ongoing cold case into Matthew\u2019s death.<\/span><\/p>\n I really think it\u2019s about time I caught up with the series Tina! It sounds fabulous. Is it a challenge to keep a series going?<\/strong><\/p>\n I love writing this series and get excited when I start the next book. I also love an epigraph (that little poem or famous quote that authors use at the beginning of a book) but after spending days searching for something to fit the first book in the series, Long Time Dead<\/strong> and realising that nothing worked, I decided to write my own epigraphs. So, this is the epigraph for Play With Fire<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n The storms are coming, so hold your breath. For one brings rage and one brings death.<\/span><\/p>\n While Satan watches from the wings, awaiting what will be.<\/span><\/p>\n He will pretend that he\u2019s your friend. Four souls. Two blind. Two see.<\/span><\/p>\n He\u2019s found you now, too late to run. And now the stakes are higher.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s the sacrifice of men and mice. And those who play with fire.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I love that!<\/strong><\/p>\n I really enjoy writing my own epigraphs; I can play about with them until I get them right\u2026although I do have to be careful that I don\u2019t give anything away about the plot. I\u2019m in awe of authors who tell an audience about their books and don\u2019t let out any spoilers. I\u2019m rubbish at it, probably because I don\u2019t stop talking.<\/span><\/p>\n I hadn\u2019t noticed your garrulousness at all Tina\u2026 (cough).<\/strong><\/p>\n What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve brought a few things with me. The first is a bottle of Jack Daniels, not that it has anything to do with the books, I just fancied having a cheeky drink while we were \u2018staying in\u2019 \u2026 have you got any ice?<\/span><\/p>\n I have, but I\u2019ll have a Baileys with mine.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The next thing I\u2019ve brought along is a packet of Jaffa cakes\u2026because Maud the cat loves them, as do I. I know cats are allergic to chocolate, but she only eats the biscuit bit and the orangey filling. Maud is based on my old cat, Cookie Dude, although he was a boy, he used to steal biscuits, especially Jaffa Cakes.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re going to bring Jaffa cakes Tina, you can come again.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I thought I\u2019d also bring along a bit of music, a song by Adele, called \u2018A million years ago.\u2019<\/p>\n Why that piece?<\/strong><\/p>\n In book 2 in the series, This Ends Now<\/strong>, there\u2019s a scene on Crosby beach in Liverpool which, when I listen to this song, it puts me right there. It just fits the scene perfectly. I get goosebumps when I hear it and imagine those beautifully haunting statues called the Iron Men. There are a hundred of them along the estuary. They\u2019re life-sized casts of their creator, Antony Gormley. Seriously, if you ever get the chance to visit Crosby beach, they really are quite mesmerising, so I had to have a scene in the book which included them.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m hoping to take a trip in the motorhome this year actually as the statues are on my list of things I want to see.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And lastly, I\u2019d like to bring along Judi Dench. Not for any other reason other than I love Judi Dench. I think she\u2019d be fascinating to talk to\u2026 certainly more fascinating than me. Although she\u2019s probably never been thrown in a river. At least I hope not.<\/span><\/p>\n Judi Dench is VERY welcome, although you\u2019ve been pretty fascinating yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh\u2026actually, can I be greedy and bring the wonderful Heather Bleasdale<\/a> too? Heather narrates the audiobooks, and she has absolutely nailed every character. I think having her here would be like having Sheridan in the room.<\/span><\/p>\n You can indeed. The more the merrier. Thanks so much for staying in with me Tina to chat about Play With Fire<\/em>. You\u2019ve been one of the best guests I\u2019ve ever had. I\u2019m now desperate to read the whole series.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Well, I\u2019ve thoroughly enjoyed staying in with you, Linda. It\u2019s been an absolute pleasure, but I\u2019m going to go now because I\u2019ve noticed there\u2019s only one Jaffa Cake left, and I can see you eyeing it up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Damn! I hoped you hadn\u2019t noticed!<\/strong><\/p>\n A missing woman. A gruesome delivery. A terrifying discovery. Where is Caroline Crow?<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cJust when you think Payne is at the top of her game, she pulls this out of the bag.\u201d\u2015Graham Bartlett<\/span><\/p>\n All has been quiet in Liverpool, suspiciously quiet\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n So, when a frantic 999 call comes into Hale Street Police Station reporting a missing woman, it seems like there\u2019s work to do. Except for DI Sheridan Holler there are questions. Why did Caroline Crow take her purse, suitcase and even tell friends she was going away? There\u2019s no reason to suspect foul play\u2026until a severed, burned hand is delivered to another address.<\/span><\/p>\n With no hard evidence linking the two cases, Holler\u2019s gut is telling her that all is not as it seems and if she\u2019s right, time is running out to find Caroline alive.<\/span><\/p>\n As DI Holler attempts to weed out the truth from the lies, will this be one puzzle that runs out the clock? Or can Holler and her team fit the pieces together before it\u2019s too late?<\/span><\/p>\n Published by Thomas & Mercer today, 14th March 2025, Play With Fire<\/strong> is available for purchase here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lindasbookbag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/play-with-fire.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nStaying in with T.M Payne<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nPlay With Fire<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nAbout T.M. Payne<\/span><\/h3>\n