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Mahi Cheshire, Deadly Cure
- I’m of Sri Lankan origin. I was born in Colombo and moved to the UK when I was four.
- The British Sri Lankan protagonist of Deadly Cure, Rea, came about because I wanted to see more female leads that looked like me in books, especially in psychological thriller, something I hadn’t seen much of at the time I started writing. I also wanted to see the diversity of the UK healthcare work force I experienced, represented in a book, and diverse characters that feature without their differences being a focus of the story. So that’s what I’ve aimed for in Deadly Cure.
- I was working as a junior doctor when I got the idea for Deadly Cure. I found a lot of inspiration in the hospital, which although it felt like the safest place when I was working there, was also very atmospheric. We’d often be working nights in old, drafty buildings full of darkened corridors and areas where not many people went. I thought there was a lot of potential for a thriller setting there. All the more because a hospital is the last place people would expect there to be anything untoward going on.
- I have a degree in Psychology and trained as a Psychiatrist before changing speciality (to become a GP). I’ve always been fascinated by the workings of the mind, which is one reason why I find psychological thrillers interesting to write. I like to write complicated, flawed characters as I find those are so much more fun to write, and hopefully, to read.
- I like to explore the moral grey zone in my writing. We’d often encounter ethical dilemmas working in the hospital and while we had clear guidelines for dealing with them, these would still often led to discussion in the team and raise a lot of questions. These questions stayed with me and are at the heart of Deadly Cure. I have to add though, that it is very much fiction, I’ve fortunately never encountered the kind of nefarious goings on that take place in the story, in any place I’ve worked!
- I like to write in different genres, from romance to YA to thriller. I think many of us come to writing because we have a lot of stories to tell and I don’t think those need to be in one genre or type of work if we don't want them to be.
- I love stories in any medium and find inspiration in movies, books I read with my little one, TV series or the plots of games via gamers in my life. I think so much inspiration can come from different genres than the one you’re writing in, and can be everywhere if you’re open to it.