Denise Mina Quotes

A collection of quotes by Denise Mina.

Denise Mina is a Scottish author known for her crime fiction novels. She was born on August 21, 1966, in Glasgow, Scotland. Mina's writing career took off with her debut novel "Garnethill" in 1998, which won several awards. She has penned a number of critically acclaimed books, including the Alex Morrow series and the Paddy Meehan series. Mina's works often delve into social issues while maintaining an engaging and gripping storytelling style. Her contributions to the crime fiction genre have garnered her numerous accolades, establishing her as a prominent figure in Scottish literature.

In the 'Garnethill' trilogy, people always forget that Maure

In the 'Garnethill' trilogy, people always forget that Maureen O'Donnell's dad was a journalist and she did art history at uni and her brother did law, but no-one ever thinks they're middle-class - they're just working class because they speak with accents.

In the forensic science course I took at university they use

In the forensic science course I took at university they used photographs of dead bodies. For ballistics they showed us a guy lying on the floor, and his head had burst.

We don't really go in for big family dinners, but Scottish p

We don't really go in for big family dinners, but Scottish people are famously confrontational. It's a cultural thing, so maybe we don't need to have them to clear the air. Also, traditional family food isn't as nice here so there's no payoff for traveling hundreds of miles.

I was very aware of office politics because I was so baffled

I was very aware of office politics because I was so baffled by them. So much so goes unsaid. No one says 'you're a cheeky so-and-so,' no one says 'you're so moody,' nobody ever confronts anyone else about anything. But I'm very crass, and I'm very confrontational, and I have a temper. I had to be hyper-vigilant in every office I worked in.

Even if people do wrong, we're social animals, so what can w

Even if people do wrong, we're social animals, so what can we do about stopping them doing the same things in future? Saying people are 'bad' or 'evil' is just an unwillingness to engage an unwillingness to try to empathise. That sanctimonious attitude doesn't help anyone.

I always wanted to work at 'Take A Break' magazine, you know

I always wanted to work at 'Take A Break' magazine, you know, just to inject a little bit of politics into their stories. I applied for a job there after I'd done my law degree and didn't even get an interview. I only wrote 'Garnethill' because I didn't get that job!

Comics don't work if the story is all in the text and the im

Comics don't work if the story is all in the text and the images are illustrative. It's hard to have enough faith in the artists to allow them to do their job.

If you went for a job interview in a Glasgow law firm, they

If you went for a job interview in a Glasgow law firm, they used to ask you what school you went to. And that was a way of finding out what religion you were.

I love Mikhail Bulgakov. He is very original and takes the s

I love Mikhail Bulgakov. He is very original and takes the story to unexpected places. I didn't realise political writing could be so funny.