Interview with Hardit Singh

I met Hardit Singh through Twitter, our first contact had to do with a Michael Connelly review I did on Goodreads. Since then we've become tweeps (Twitter/peeps) and I've become a fan of his writing.

While I've read his short stories Crossroads and Fast Lane, this interview focuses on Traffic, a griping story about sex trafficking in the U.K. Follow this link to read the review. And now...the interview:

Author Hardit Singh

Your books, with the exception of Crossroads, focus on detective stories. While the usual plot for a detective story would be murder-mysteries, with Traffic, you decided to focus on the white slave trade. Did you have any particular reason to write this kind of story?

I've always been interested in Murder Mysteries and I thought that this book would be one of those, however, while at my day job I came across an article about Sex Trafficking and that sparked the idea. I immediately began researching more of it on the internet just out of curiosity, as this was an issue that was so prominent but was under the surface, not many people were fully aware of it. The more I read up on Trafficking the more I wanted to write about it and create that awareness. 

What made Traffic very chilling for me were the details: the use of make-up bags, what kinds of things would be found in the drawers at the rooms, the cleaning duties, etc. Can you tell us about your research?

My research was primarily over the Internet. I did my best to just immerse myself in reading anything I could find on the subject matter without fear of finding the 'right' information. I read anything from news reports to personal accounts to white papers. I also watched some documentaries one which included a husband who tried to get his kidnapped wife out of the the sex trade. I didn't include this in my novel, but I have written a short story based on someone rescuing their relative from this industry. Hopefully this will be released in the future as a stand alone or part of a collection.

In Traffic we get introduced to Carla Fontaine, a detective who manages to solve a few crimes while she's unraveling the corruption in the Trafficking section of the Police department. This book barely scratches at the surface, she has a very complex past and in the present she kicks butt, will there be sequels for Carla Fontaine?

At the moment I don't plan on writing any sequels for Carla Fontaine, but perhaps she may make appearances in the future. I plan on writing a detective series but this will include a different character that I have been spinning together in my mind and one which I hope brings just as much to the table as Fontaine. But I will never say never.

What do you think Melanie and Theresa are doing now?

I think they are still together, perhaps sharing an apartment and working in the real world. I'm sure they will also be volunteering in some capacity to help women who are going through or have been through what they have - Theresa would've been insistent on that!

Are you working on something new?

I'm working on a Drama / Romance novel, that's based upon companionship. I feel like I needed to write about a lighter subject after Traffic, although I'm not sure how light it will be when I'm done with it!

To read my review click here or to purchase Singh's short stories and novel, check his Amazon page.