Denise Mina quotes

There's a real emphasis on being witty in Scotland, even in crime novels. (Denise Mina)
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. View quote
Denise Mina
Crime fiction is the fiction of social history. Societies get the crimes they deserve. View quote
Denise Mina
Crime is a very hard genre to feminise. If you have a female protagonist she is going to be looking after her mum when she gets older; she is going to be worried about her brother and sister; she will be making a living while bringing up kids. View quote
Denise Mina
None of us know what is going to sell or what people want to read. View quote
Denise Mina
I think the negative traits are what makes us love other human beings, the foibles and the flaws. View quote
Denise Mina
In my heart Im just a lucky waitress. View quote
Denise Mina
I have two children. They are more fun than anything in the world, and it's more immediate fun than the hard slog of writing. View quote
Denise Mina
Journalism is a Darwinian process. View quote
Denise Mina
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. View quote
Denise Mina
Most of the people who write to me are really clever, really engaged. They just want to say that they have read my book and liked it. (Denise Mina)
There's always these giant baffling books, like 'The Da Vinci Code.' People say it's not as well written as 'Midnight's Children.' Why aren't people reading 'Midnight's Children?' Nobody knows why these phenomenons happen but they're great. View quote
Denise Mina
I think graphic novels are closer to prose than film, which is a really different form. View quote
Denise Mina
Usually when I'm trying to establish character, I try and find out where they live. View quote
Denise Mina
I grew up in London under Thatcher and that really was disgusting. A feeding frenzy. View quote
Denise Mina
A man who thinks he has a higher purpose can do terrible things, even to those he professes to love. View quote
Denise Mina
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. View quote
Denise Mina
I came from this very traditional background and I benefited hugely from feminism. I felt privileged going to university and doing a PhD. Most people of my background don't get to do that. View quote
Denise Mina
Novelisation doesn't imply the truth. Readers are sophisticated enough to know that. View quote
Denise Mina
I just got an honorary degree from Glasgow University, and I had to wear around very painful shoes so that I didn't laugh all the way through the ceremony because I felt like an outlaw. View quote
Denise Mina
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. (Denise Mina)
The idea of suicide is of a very set narrative, as if killing yourself is a definitive statement. But it can be just as meaningless as throwing a stone in a river. View quote
Denise Mina
I'm terrified to get married. I'm not getting married till my gay friends can. View quote
Denise Mina
People are interested in crime fiction when they're quite distanced from crime. People in Darfur are not reading murder mysteries. View quote
Denise Mina
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! View quote
Denise Mina

Denise Mina

Denise Mina - Image
Photo: Scottish Government, CC BY 2.0
Occupation: Scottish Writer
Born: August 21, 1966
Quotes count: 36

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