Welcome to the website for thriller writer Claire McGowan, who also writes as Eva Woods.
About Me
Hello, thanks for looking up my website. I'm a writer and lecturer but mostly a writer -since the day I first figured out that the words in Dick and Jane said 'Look, Dick! Look, Jane!' (a vitally important text), books and words have been my life. I love to read them, write them, and help other people write some too. I write crime fiction as Claire McGowan and contemporary women's fiction as Eva Woods. Go to my blog to read more of my musings about writing and the creative process.
I also write scripts, articles, and endless to-do lists. I'd love to say I have tons of cool other hobbies but really, I don't. I am convinced that when I die it will be by being crushed by a gigantic stack of books.
I was born in Northern Ireland and now live in London, where I spend a lot of time dodging urban foxes and tutting at people who are too slow on escalators. I like to think of myself as being a cross between Jessica Fletcher (only slightly younger), Carrie Bradshaw (only with fewer shoes), and Sylvia Plath (only more....alive).
Free Book!
Get my free collection of short stories here, plus the the text version of my radio drama, Blackwater. Just fill in your email, sign up to my newsletter, and start reading as soon as you receive the confirmation email. Emails will only be used to contact you very occasionally with updates on my books or events.
Some of my books....

The Push
The party should have been perfect: six couples from the same baby group, six newborns, a luxurious house. But not everything has gone to plan, and while some are here to celebrate, others have sorrows to drown. When someone falls from the balcony of the house, the secrets and conflicts within the group begin to spill out …
What inspired you to start writing?
What do you enjoy most about writing?
I love how it can transport you. I’m not much of a planner, so the book can take me in unexpected directions, discovering entirely new places and people. It’s a form of magic, really. Also, you can do it anywhere – I’ve written sitting in the luggage rack of an overcrowded train before, and been perfectly happy.
Do you tend to begin with a character or a plot?
What and who are some of your favourite books and authors?
What advice would you give to a writer just starting out in his/her career?