K F Fleming was born in Auckland and graduated from The University of Auckland, MA (Hons) and Auckland Teachers' Training College. She taught senior English for ten years before entering the world of commerce, selling high-end real estate in central Auckland. In 1999 she walked from Cape Reinga to Bluff with her future husband, co-writing a book about the journey, Every Step of the Way. Retiring to Fiji they built a home on the waterways of Denarau and sailed the local islands. It was there that Fleming’s writing career began, with stories about Fiji, its people and its tourists. Her first book Judge Jack was published in 2017, followed by Love in Lockdown. She talks to NZ Booklovers.
Tell us more about the genre you write in and what draws you to it.
I love crime and mystery, but there has to be the human element. For me characters are just as important as intrigue and, of course, I can never resist a bit of humour. We all like to laugh, right?
What inspired you to write your book?
The sheer horror of what everyone in this country was enduring during the Covid pandemic in 2020/21. I wanted to write about these events because they were consuming our lives. I also wanted to write about a serial killer. It was an irresistible combination: chaos on the streets (no one wants to go outside, everyone is jumpy, the virus could be anywhere) and a madman on the loose with bodies turning up all over the city.
Tell us a little about your book.
Love in Lockdown is a psychological thriller set in an inner-city, boutique boarding house in Auckland under lockdown, with a faithful portrayal of the paranoia and fear that pervaded the lives of New Zealanders. It focusses on the ordinary guests of Oak Tree Lodge and the way they cope while being thrown together like sardines. But is anyone truly ordinary? There is the anorexic Roz, who finds any challenge worthy of a wine, the elderly and hygienically challenged Frank, who requires a wheelchair except on rambles after dark, and the insufferable, muscle-flexing, wannabe journalist, Julius. And then there is the main character, the creepy Leo, who owns Oak Tree Manor and is hell-bent on wooing Meg, the beautiful British backpacker who arrived on the eve of lockdown. The unanswered question throughout the book is what happened to Chelsea, the aspiring young actress who went missing from the front room, and why are bodies turning up all over the inner-city.
What was your routine or process when writing this book?
I was recording history, so it was important to tune in to the daily briefings and stay abreast of all media releases. Obviously, the book is fiction, but I was careful with statistics and the political climate of the time.
What did you enjoy the most about writing this book?
It was an interesting and iconic time. I wanted to record it in a way that was accurate but also entertaining. So, I added a layer of terror to the already considerable panic that people were experiencing, which was the serial killer.
What did you do to celebrate finishing this book?
The book was finished about the same time as lockdown ended. I got on a plane and flew back to my seaside home in Fiji which I hadn’t seen for two years.
What is the favourite book you have read so far this year and why?
‘The Survivors’ by Steve Braunias. Recording the facts about New Zealand criminal tragedies in elegant prose with humanity and humour. About as good as it gets.
What’s next on the agenda for you?
I am writing a book about a wealthy, dysfunctional New York family desperate to cover up their corrupt past and take over in the halls of power.