It's always great to find books that feature strong female characters, and recently I discovered Beatrix Rose, assassin and seriously kick ass heroine created by author Mark Dawson.

I caught up with Mark outside the Freemasons' Grand Lodge of England in London and asked him a few questions. You can watch the video below or here on YouTube.

We discuss:

• How Mark got started in writing after being a lawyer in the city
• The various series that Mark writes: serial killer with Masonic twist; assassin John Milton making amends for the sins he committed in the secret service; Beatrix Rose series – a strong willed character with serious issues, a daughter who she is trying to protect.
• How much of Mark is in his books, and how thrilling is he anyway! How he does his research.
• Mark is a busy man, but he does read thrillers for pleasure – he enjoys Lee Child, Russell Blake, Barry Eisler – and also reads a lot of non-fiction for research.
• The themes of family, revenge and settling the score are important for Mark.
• Mark's latest book is Sword of God in the John Milton series – influenced by Rambo and True Grit. Mark currently works in the film industry so watches a lot of films and medium is important for him.

You can find Mark and his books at MarkJDawson.com and you can start the Beatrix Rose thrillers with In Cold Blood.