I am thrilled to welcome Robert Bryndza, author of The Girl in the Ice, The Night Stalker and the Coco Pinchard series of romantic comedies to damppebbles today.

I developed the biggest girl crush on DCI Erika Foster after reading The Girl in the Ice, I may have mentioned that before (..?!) and it went straight into my top 5 favourite books of all time.

So imagine my delight when The Night Stalker, book 2 in the series, appeared on NetGalley!  The Night Stalker was my most eagerly anticipated book of the year and it didn’t disappoint.  You can read my review here.

Hello Robert, thank you for joining me on damppebbles today.  For those that haven’t come across your work before, can you please tell us a little about yourself.

Thank you for inviting me.  Hello, thanks for welcoming me onto your blog. My name is Robert Bryndza, and my debut crime thriller The Girl In The Ice was published by Bookouture in Feb 2016, and they have just published its follow-up The Night Stalker. I was born in the UK, and now live in Slovakia. I was originally an actor, which I used to combine with writing plays. Then the writing took over, and now I’m lucky enough to write full time.

Having been a successful romantic comedy writer, what made you decide to write in a different genre?  And why crime fiction?

I’ve always wanted to write a crime thriller, and I realised that if I didn’t do it soon, I never would. For the past year the character of Erika Foster has been slowly taking shape in my mind, and I’ve been scribbling down notes and story ideas for the past few years.

How far are you hoping to take the Erika series?  In other words, is the end for Erika in sight or do you plan to continue writing her for as long as you can?

I hope to continue writing many more Erika Foster novels. I love writing them!

Do you find any of your characters particularly difficult or tricky to write?  I know some writers struggle with dialogue, but the dialogue between your characters is one of the things I love about your writing.

I find that all writing is very hard. I admire anyone who has decided to write a book and has then followed it through to completion!

I’m afraid I haven’t read any of your romantic comedies starring Coco Pinchard.  With that in mind, who would win in a fight between Erika and Coco?

My first instinct would be for Erika to win, but Coco can be quite feisty when the occasion demands…

What are you working on at the moment, or is it time for a well-earned rest?

I’m working on the third Erika Foster novel.

Imagine you’ve set up your own publishing company.  Which three authors would you immediately sign and why (alive or dead)?  What would your publishing company be called?

I do have my own publishing company, it’s called Team Bryndza Books! It’s run by me and my husband Ján, where we self-publish all of the Coco Pinchard books. I love self publishing, but it is so much work , so I don’t think I would want the responsibility of publishing anyone else’s work.

Do you have a special writing ‘nook’ or ‘space’?  Or do you just grab the chance to write wherever and whenever you can?

I can write anywhere, and I like it that way. I have a cosy armchair by the window, which is my favourite place to write.

What one piece of advice would you give your younger self about writing and the publishing industry?

Have faith in your own ideas. Keep writing, and connecting with readers and don’t sit around and expect someone to discover you. Keep generating your own work and opportunities.

Finally, how can readers connect with you on social media?

I have a Facebook page Facebook.com/bryndzarobert you can find me on Twitter @robertbryndza and on Instagram as robertbryndza.

Thank you so much for joining me today Rob.  I’m over the moon that you were able to stop by and answer a few questions.

Thanks, it was a pleasure to be asked.

The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza was published in the UK by Bookouture on 2nd June 2016 and is available in paperback, eBook and audio formats | amazon.co.uk | amazon.com |