On Monday 4th August 2025 I was lucky enough to attend an author event run by the Open House Festival in my home town of Bangor, Northern Ireland. Author Chris Whitaker had been to Bangor before but was back again to discuss his books, and in particular his latest book All The Colours of the Dark. This book has become my favourite book for 2025 so far so I couldn't wait to attend this event and be a total fan girl! If you're interested, check out my review for the book HERE. 

From the very beginning of the interview it was clear that Chris Whitaker is a genuinely nice person. He is brutally honest about his childhood, his parents divorce and the trauma and abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother's partner / boyfriend. And, the negative impact of openly talking about that trauma has had on his relationship with his mum. Through his own experiences Chris Whitaker was able to write confidently about how one of his main character's Patch was going through trauma in All the Colours of the Dark. He had insight into what was going on in Patch's head and this gave a unique perspective that perhaps another writer would have had difficulty capturing. Chris admitted that writing some of the scenes for Patch were particularly difficult because of the experiences he himself had and it took him a long time to realise that. 

Chris discussed how his unresolved PTSD from the trauma he experienced as a child and then subsequently being stabbed during a mugging when he was a teenager has lead him down not so healthy paths in his life and there were times when this very talented author did get himself into some sticky situations as a result of poor decision making. He also discussed his writing journey and how he used writing as a therapy tool to get him to where he is today. It was wonderful to hear how he found that the library was his safe space throughout his childhood and into adulthood and for many of us we can totally relate to that. 

There were lots of interesting questions and comments from the audience and it was fabulous to be able to interact with both Chris and Nicci. They seem like such a great team and Chris often sought Nicci's own views on things, drawing her into some of the questions too. He was generous in his time with audience members and came across as honest and funny, despite some of the difficulties he has been through in life. I was lucky enough to be able to ask him a question about his character Saint from his latest book. I asked if there was any possibility that Saint could have her own book series based on the fact that she turned out to be a great investigator. Chris said that nobody had asked that question before! He discussed how he feels that Saint's journey ends with All the Colours of the Dark and he is happy to leave her there with Patch.  I for one will miss these wonderfully crafted characters who really affected me.