I wanted to show how the experiences of one generation drip into another to fuel conflict, and how over time, the nature of that conflict can shift and change and refocus. It seems to me that the lessons we should have learned from Ireland have been quickly forgotten when it comes to the current terrorism threat. In 2002, Cherie Blair whipped up a storm of controversy when she said young Palestinian suicide bombers committed atrocities because they felt they had “no hope” but to blow themselves up. The outrage her comments provoked was very disturbing to me. This wasn’t a defence of suicide bombers. It was an attempt to understand the conditions in which they flourished. How do you stop something if you don’t understand why it happens? Without understanding, you have nothing.
8) What effect would you like your books to have on readers?
The thing I would most like to do is touch readers emotionally in some way, and make them empathise with the characters and their different dilemmas. I’d like them to recognise some kind of truth in the story, perhaps something that makes them look at life slightly differently. People are rarely black and white and I like stories that play a bit with your emotional responses, making you respond favourably to someone at one point, but question them at another. The language is important to me and like any writer, I’d like readers to enjoy the language and think the story well-written. But I am not just aiming for a clinical stylistic perfection. I’m aiming for the active involvement of a reader’s heart.
B – Questions and topics for discussion
1) Both Johnny and Pearson are – or have been – terrorists. What are the differences and similarities between them? How do they compare, from a moral point of view?
2) How does Danni’s motivation change throughout the novel? To what extent is she aware of her own feelings?
3) The story is written mostly in the present tense. Do you think this works? What effect does it have?
4) Kiss the Bullet has been described as a ‘thriller’ and even as ‘crime fiction’. Are these accurate labels? How would you categorise its genre? Are such categories helpful?
6) What do you think Kiss the Bullet says about the effect of loss and grief on people’s lives?
7) At its core, Kiss the Bullet is a love story, albeit a rather unusual one. Did you ‘believe’ in this element of the novel? Why (not)?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
With thanks to friends who read and advised on early drafts. Love to Eileen, Brian and Anton for unwavering support.
About the Author
Catherine Deveney is an award-winning features writer for Scotland on Sunday. She lives in Rossshire, Scotland, with her family. Kiss the Bullet is her second novel.
ALSO BY CATHERINE DEVENEY
Copyright
First published in 2011
by Old Street Publishing Ltd
Yowlestone House, Puddington, Tiverton, Devon EX16 8LN, United Kingdom
This ebook edition first published in 2011
All rights reserved
© Catherine Deveney, 2011
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 978–1–906964–64–1