Kaitlin asked Rod Duncan:

After reading The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter, I was an immediate fan. Apart from the great characters and plotting, I really admire how you interpret and re-combine the tropes of many different genres into something surprising and engaging. If you had to pick a couple of different novels or authors that influenced the way you are approaching this series, who/what would they be?

Rod Duncan Hi Kait,

I'm so glad you enjoyed the book.

I try to not read anything similar in genre to whatever I am writing at the time. I am too easily influenced and fear that the narrative 'voice' of the book would pull me away from the voice I have set about using.

Having said that, I think you will see general influences from crime fiction and science fiction in this series. The self-deprecating, wry 1st person narrative of private investigator novels is there (early Val McDermid, Janet Evanovich, Raymond Chandler). But also elements of the more muscular 3rd person thriller (Martin Cruz Smith, Robert Harris, Peter Hoeg ). For world building within an alternate history, I am probably influenced by Mervyn Peake as much as anyone. As for the period aesthetic - Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde, Jerome K. Jerome.

But I have to say that I am heavily influenced by film also.

Now - I have just spilled a cup of tea over myself, so have to leave it there while I clean up!

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