Interview: Nikki Dudley, author of Ellipsis

Crime thriller, Ellipsis, is Nikki Dudley’s first novel.  Read on, as Contrary Life finds out more from the author herself:

Ellipsis is your first novel. Tell us a bit about it.

Ellipsis is a psychological thriller but it didn’t really start that way.  I love alternative detective novels so I started out with an aim to have two narrators, one who knows exactly what happens and another who knows very little.  There’s a murder in the first chapter but it’s not as straight-forward as it seems.  It’s basically about people trying to salvage some sense when nothing seems to make sense.

What makes Ellipsis different from other books in the crime thriller genre?

Like I said, the murder is the catalyst as always but if anything, it isn’t that important.  The important part is the suggestion that the murder was planned by the victim.  There’s also a lot of poetry in there.  I like to use very strong but succinct imagery as that’s what I enjoy reading!

How long have you been a writer and how did you get into it?

I’ve always written.  The only thing that’s changed is what I write and how good it is!  I always wrote short stories when I was very young and then got the poetry bug.  I had a brief idea of becoming a journalist but that soon passed when I realised I didn’t have an interest in research!  I started a novel in school but Ellipsis is the first novel I have finished.

You are joint editor of an experimental writing magazine called Streetcake.  Do you find it exciting discovering work from new writers?

Discovering exciting new writers was one of the main drivers behind streetcake.  Looking around, we saw that we couldn’t always find many avenues to distribute our own writing therefore we decided to try and plug the gap slightly.  We’ve found some great writers, and it’s always a pleasure to showcase their work. Other magazines have even scouted our writers for their magazines or events too!

What authors do you admire?  Have any in particular inspired you?

I love succinct writers like Haruki Murakami, Paul Auster and Andrey Kurkov.  I also like funny novels like Catch 22 and ones with great imagery like Enduring Love.  Translated writers seem to speak to me too, such as Jose Saramago, Kobo Abe, Arthur Koestler.  I think the main thing is to connect with the characters and that can come from a variety of authors.  I would say Paul Auster is a particular influence for Ellipsis, in terms of mystery writing and displacement of identity.

When you aren’t writing, what do you enjoy doing?

I love reading poetry and fiction of course.  I am also on a netball team, although we’re not particularly good!  I love films, especially quirky psychological dramas like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Stranger than Fiction.

Have you begun work on the next novel yet, or are you taking a much needed break first?

When I finished Ellipsis, I started writing about 3 novels!  I’ve decided to concentrate on one for now though and I’m slowly ploughing on.  I’ve found it hard to disconnect from Ellipsis in some ways and all the editing meant I couldn’t get it out of my mind for a while.  Onwards and upwards now though I hope…

Ellipsis is being published by Sparkling Books and will be released on May 10th 2010.

More info: ellipsisnovel.blogspot.com and Sparkling Books