There’s Been a Murder Interview with Rebecca McKinney for Launch of Siren Song
Harrison Jones is a university lecturer with a secret: he moonlights as a psychic detective. Amy Bell is a paramedic who has the uncanny knack of knowing things are going to happen before they do. From their first accidental meeting on an Edinburgh bridge, both of their lives are destined to change.Harrison invites Amy to help him investigate the disappearance of a beautiful young singer. The search will lead them into the murky world of human trafficking, from Edinburgh to the streets of Athens, and into the darkest corners of the human mind…
Amazon Siren Song Link – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08FDWX713/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0
Rebecca McKinney was born in Boulder Colorado, raised in Northern California, and has spent her adult life in Scotland. She is a writer, therapist and community development practitioner, and lives near Edinburgh.
1. How did you get started writing?
When I was nine or ten, I wrote and illustrated a mythical story for a local library competition, and won! To be fair, I may have been the only entrant. I’ve been writing ever since.
2. What drew you to write a novel
I love creating characters, stories and worlds and then escaping into them. I suppose, being an introvert, it’s sometimes easier for me to spend time in the company of fictional people. I finished my first novel in my late twenties, but it remains unpublished. Call it a practice piece!
3. Which writers past or present have influenced your style of writing?
Many. I grew up in the United States and have lived in Scotland for twenty-six years, so I draw on both American and Scottish literary traditions. There are some similarities— the close linking of people and place, the gritty realities of life, the celebration of people whose stories might otherwise go unnoticed. In high school, I read a lot of Steinbeck, and he’s always there. But so too are Scottish writers like Iain Banks, William McIlvanney and AL Kennedy. Khaled Hosseini, for his ability to write about the heart-wrenching realities of war and displacement in a way that is still beautiful and hopeful. Barbara Kingsolver. I also draw on a lot of fantasy, which I read so much of as a young person.
4. When you first started writing did you find it hard to get publisher interest?
I tried to find a publisher for my first novel, without success. That’s probably for the best, because it wasn’t ready. Writing is like any other craft: it takes a lot of time and practice to hone your skill. A lifetime, really. Very few people get it right on the first go. I feel so lucky to have found Sandstone Press, the wonderful Scottish indy who published Blast Radius and The Angel in the Stone. They’re not big commercial stories. I write the stories that interest me, rather than the ones I think will land me a huge deal.
5. There are many interesting characters in your Novel, do you have a particular favourite one?
Harrison, the male protagonist. I drew inspiration from so many of my favourite characters from other books and films and just poured them into him. He’s smart and troubled and quite sexy beneath his slightly geeky intellectual exterior. I love spending time in his company.
6. What kind of research have you have to undertake for your Novel?
I have to say, I delved into an awful lot of websites that might now have me on some kind of watch list. I had to read about everything from human trafficking to psychedelic drugs…
7. Are the characters in your books based on any real life?
No— they’re purely fiction, although I have certainly drawn on a few quirky folks I’ve met over the years for inspiration. The previous two, Blast Radius and The Angel in the Stone, are about different aspects of trauma and grief. Real and difficult stuff. One of my motivations for writing a crime novel with a psychic theme was that it allowed me to break away from reality a little bit while still exploring some pretty dark themes.
8. Do you have a particular favourite scene in the book and why
I really love the scene in Harrison’s kitchen where he is making Amy breakfast and she’s questioning him about what it means to be psychic. It’s a meeting of two minds— quite a gentle and domestic scene. I loved writing that.
9. Do you see any of your characters personality in yourself and vice versa?
Absolutely. I think to write authentic characters, you always have to invest your own emotional experiences and quirks into them. As as I once heard Bruce Springsteen say about his songs, they’re not about me, but they are at least partly ‘emotionally autobiographical’.
10. If you can, would you give us a sneaky peak into any future novels you might planned.
I’m currently working on the follow up to Siren Song with the idea that this will be a three-book series (or more if there is an appetite and I have the energy!). I always have about three or four novel ideas bubbling around in my head at any one time. I’ve got a couple of other more realist/literary projects that are half-finished, which I want to return to at some point.
11. If you had the opportunity to write a novel with any writer alive or dead, who would it be and why
I don’t actually think I could write a novel with another person, no matter who they were. The process is such a deeply personal one: a love affair between the writer and their own creations. I wouldn’t want to have to share that!
12. Do you have words of advice you can share with anyone who is intrested in writing a novel
Read, write, read, write, repeat. Read widely and diversely. Read poetry, because it helps you learn rhythm and pacing, which is important in novels too. Just keep writing, and don’t let anyone tell you to stop!
Other Novels
The Angel in the Stone (Sandstone Press, 2017)
Blast Radius (Sandstone Press, 2015)
Links
Website – rlmckinney.wordpress.com
Twitter – @BexMcKinney
Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.co.uk/R-L-McKinney/e/B00K3LNXLY?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000
There’s Been a Murder Interview with Leela Soma
Leela Soma was born in Madras now called Chennai, in India and arrived in Glasgow in 1969. So she claims both India and Scotland to be her home. That dual heritage often is reflected in her writing, both in prose and poetry. She worked as a Principal Teacher of Modern Studies and started to write after retirement. When she is not writing she likes to travel, read a lot, does a bit of yoga or gentle exercise and has rather a lot of coffee morning or lunches with friends.
1. How did you get started writing?
I always loved reading. We were fortunate to be surrounded by books from early childhood. Dad used to take us to Higginbotham’s in Madras, the oldest bookstore and treated us to books. As for writing it started while I was teaching. I used to write pieces of satire as more and more ridiculous policy changes appeared on a regular basis in education. For example Munn and Dunning became ‘Munch and Dunkin’ and I enjoyed writing these short pieces for my teacher friends. I discovered I enjoyed writing so took up some Creative Writing classes at Glasgow University, then joined Strathkelvin Writers Group who encouraged me immensely to pursue my love of writing.
2. What drew you to write a novel?
The main reason for writing was to fill the void in the book shop shelves which had very few Asian writers and even fewer Scottish Asian books. I also was spurred on when I won the Margaret Thomson Trophy at Strathkelvin Writers Group, mentioned above, for New Writing. The adjudicator Robin Lloyd-Jones said to me ‘most writers start a novel but make sure you finish it.’ So I took his advice and completed my first novel ‘Twice Born.’
3. Which writers past or present have influenced your style of writing?
As a school girl I read Richmal Crompton, Enid Blyton, Daphne Du Maurier and the Indian superb collection of legends on gods, goddesses, and myths in the various editions of Amar Chitra Kath. I also read Agatha Christie, but world literature is so interesting from Salman Rushdie, Elif Shafak, Isabel Allende, and many others. For crime genre I do like Ian Rankin, Hakkan Nesser, and I do enjoy Alex Gary’s novels.
4. When you first started writing did you find it hard to get publisher interest?
I was rather naive and had no idea about the publishing industry at all. Just as I finished my first book Arts Council England offered publishing on ‘You Write On’ and I published ‘Twice Born,’ on that. While I was writing that novel a photo in The Times newspaper caught my attention and I started novel 2 immediately. I was lucky that it was picked up immediately by a small independent publisher in England so ‘Bombay Baby’ was published by Dahlia Publishing. Now Ringwood Publishers will be publishing ‘Murder at the Mela’ novel three.
5. There are many interesting characters in your book; do you have a particular favourite one?
I think the main protagonist DI Patel is my favourite, as he’s just started and I can see him progressing through the ranks and trying to solve his personal life too. Lots of interesting storylines there as my novel is very much character led.
6. What kind of research have you had to undertake for your book?
Quite a lot, to be honest. Police Scotland have a lot online about some of their procedures but it is nothing like getting information from the ‘horse’s mouth’. I am very fortunate to have had a lot of help from a retired Detective Chief Inspector to detective Constables and also helped by officers working now in the ‘productions’ side of a murder enquiry.
7. Are the characters in your book based on any real life?
None at all but as all fiction is based on fragments of characters and idiosyncrasies of people one has met it seeps into your consciousness and surfaces as one writes.
8. Do you have a particular favourite scene in the book and why?
I relished writing the scene of the party when Patel’s family celebrates his promotion as an Inspector. It gives a good introduction to his strong character and the views of the Asian community on choosing a career in the police force.
9. Do you see any of your characters personality in yourself and vice versa?
Not really. This is pure fiction and characters formed in my mind as I wrote them and they have a life of their own. They are more interesting than me!
10. If you can, would you give us a sneaky peak into any future novels you might planned?
This is the very first crime novel I have attempted, but I would like to write more in this series. I’ve a few interesting plotlines for DI Patel in my notebook. Would any publisher be interested or readers want more? We have to wait and see.
11. If you had the opportunity to write a novel with any writer alive or dead, who would it be and why?
I love Alex Gary’s novels so I would be thrilled if she would be willing to write a novel with me. Perhaps Detective Chief Superintendent Lorimer and DI Patel could meet up on an important case in the future?
12. Do you have words of advice you can share with anyone who is interested in writing a novel?
Read, read, read and write a lot. And believe in yourself.
Other Novels Available
Although a romantic at heart, Sita consents to an arranged marriage to a medic Ram and starts her new life in Glasgow. Her feisty, confident, vivacious personality wins her friends. ‘Here comes chapatti and curry,’ laughs the big guy of the tipsy duo.’ Aye and what are you, mince and tatties?’ retorts Sita, ‘Learnt the patter, hen?’ smiles the big guy. It is in contrast to the introverted Ram who says little, seems obsessed with his work, politics and cooking. He is content, a pragmatist, not for him the gush of desperate love. ‘Saying I love you, is a western concept, it’s unnecessary,’ he states. Sita yearns for more. Incompatible in every way, yet, they stay together. The unplanned birth of their daughter Uma brings them closer. Though there is no love in the marriage, there is mutual respect. ‘Twice born’ peels away the layers and presents the simmering progress of their life in Glasgow. Their struggle is heightened by her family’s rosy view of ‘life abroad’.
Some elders in the Glasgow, living in a time warp resent any change in their perceived idea of Indian culture. Aunty BB, a gossipmonger and hypochondriac is the bane of Sita’s life. BB clings to her like a leech directing her bile in broken English on all, claiming to uphold the Indian culture. ‘Shameless girls, showing, showing skin, mini skirt bad, all forget everything Indian, I blame parents,’ is her rant. Straddling the two cultures, putting down her roots while not forgetting her own liberal family values steeped in an ancient culture is a delicate balance for Sita.
Glasgow in the 1970’s, the soot encrusted, blackened, smudged city creeps into Sita’s soul. As it unravels its beauty as the European City of Culture, she develops affection for it and a feeling of belonging deepens. As the family searches for its identity, Scotland’s political future parallels with its fight for its own Parliament. Ram’s interest as a SNP activist gives a unique perspective to a changing Scotland. ‘What’s the use of Indian politics? We’re living here, this is what matters. An Independent Scotland is the future.’ Ram’s challenge to Indian friends, fall on deaf ears as Indian politics interests them more.
In an unexpected twist in her life, a middle aged Sita falls in love with Neil, a new colleague at work. Her heart yearns for the life of love with Neil but the freight of family and the fear of the Indian community’s reaction leaves her in a quandary. Glasgow, an upside down world now becomes her hesitant new reality. Neil, Sita’s soulmate tries to persuade her to leave all she knows and loves, the hardest decision of her life. Could she face the life ostracised by the close- knit community that had stood by her? She is truly ‘twice born,’ entwined in two cultures enriched by the Indian womb that had nurtured her soul and the Scottish cradle that had nurtured her being, her heritage unique.
The ‘baby’ of the title is Tina who sets off to find her biological mother and in so doing another ‘Bombay Baby’ is uncovered and lives are changed. Tina’s adventure is well-plotted and the reader is led through Bombay’s busy streets, through wealth and poverty in the search for her mother. The girl grows up and finds peace. A great read and worthy of a place alongside any modern fiction.
Tartan & Turmeric is her latest collection of poems. It was nominated for The Pushcart Prize. 2020 and shortlisted for The Erbacce Prize out of 9000 submissions! An eclectic collection of poems that reflect the Indo -Scot heritage of the author.
Newly appointed as Glasgow’s first Asian DI, Alok Patel’s first assignment is the investigation of the brutal murder of Nadia, an Asian woman. Her body was discovered in the aftermath of the Mela festival in Kelvingrove Park. During the Mela, a small fight erupted between a BNP group and an Asian gang, but was quickly quelled by police.
When Nadia is accused of having an affair with a local man, even more questions about her death arise. Was her murder a crime of passion, or was it racially motivated? Could it be an honour killing? The deep-rooted tensions within Glasgow’s Asian communities bubble to the surface as DI Patel struggles with his parents, who disapprove of his relationship with his Muslim partner, Usma.
As DI Patel struggles to gain any help from the Asian community, another body is discovered in the West End- the body of a white man. Is this new murder fuelled by revenge? Killed by an Asian gang? As the list of murder suspects grows, DI Patel finds himself grappling with the pressures of his new rank, including the racism of at least one fellow officer.
This novel peels away the layers of Glasgow’s Asian communities, while exploring the complicated relationships between Asian people and the city.
It is also an entertaining crime story in its own right, and adds an exciting new author to the ranks of Tartan Noir, and a fascinating new Detective to the fictional pantheon of Scottish police investigators.
Links
Website: https://leelasoma.wordpress.com/blog/
Twitter: @glasgowlee
Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leela-Soma/e/B00412LLCE/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1
There’s Been a Murder Interview with Kerry Watts
Kerry Watts was born and grew up in a small town in the East of Scotland where she still lives today. She is always writing and carries a little notebook and pen with her wherever she goes because at her age ideas need to be captured before they disappear. She began writing over twenty years ago after reading Isla Dewar’s book Giving up on Ordinary and decided she wanted to do that. Becoming a best selling author is a dream come true.
Kerry specialises in crime fiction because she enjoys pushing the boundaries of what it is to be human. The nature versus nurture debate fascinates her. She loves to put her characters in impossible situations just to see what happens. Her experience as a psychiatric nurse heavily influences her writing. She also wants to create characters that people can relate to who might be facing the same struggles as anyone else.
Authors who inspire her are anyone capable of creating a character who lives inside her head long after she has closed the book.
Her favourite fictional character’s are Dexter Morgan, created by Jeff Lindsay as well as Hannibal Lechter created by Thomas Harris. She doesn’t have a favourite genre as a reader. Kerry will read anything. Written by anyone. If the blurb has a good feel about it she’s hooked.
When she’s not writing she loves to spend time following her other passions – dogs, particularly rescue mutts and horse racing. The sight of a thoroughbred race horse at full stretch has been known to move her to tears, not just lump in the throat stuff but full on blubbing. And for that she is unashamed. One day she’s going to buy a racehorse filly and call her Into Darkness.
She also had a small role in a film called The Rocket Post but decided acting wasn’t for her. She would rather create a character than play one. All of her books are brought to you through the super powers of Tetley tea.
1.How did you get started in Writing and what drew you to write a novel?
Great question. I got started because when my daughter was a baby almost twenty five years ago, I read a book called Giving up on Ordinary by Isla Dewar who quickly became my favourite author and I had a sense that I’d like to do that. I wrote several terrible books and shorts stories over the years, but I think and hope that time and experience has ironed out most of the terrible bits. When I began I read an article about a single mum, which I was at that time, who used to write in a local café because it was warmer than her flat. She really inspired me. Her name was JK Rowling – I wonder whatever happened to her!
2.Which writers past or present have influenced your style of writing?
I think I’m inspired a lot by the Harlan Coben school of ending chapters on cliff-hangers. I also write in a very simple, easy to read kind of way, a lot like James Patterson and many others. In a third person narrator way. I like to be told a story, so I suppose that’s reflected in the way I write.
3.When you first started writing did you find it hard to get a publisher interested?
In a word Yes! I believe had it not been for the explosion of Kindles and self-publishing I would not be where I am today. Starting out in self-publishing helped me gain a small following which helped me gain a publisher. Having a social media presence also helps.
4.There are many interesting characters in your novels, do you have a particular favourite one?
5.It would be wrong not to say Jessie Blake. She is a character who in some ways is closest to me. She looks like me which makes it easy to remember how she looks. I also love Chardonnay as much if not more than her!
6.What kind of research have you had to undertake for your novels?
I usually incorporate some form of mental health problems into my books purely because this is what I know. I trained as a psychiatric nurse many years ago. Other research is done through asking friends and my old friend google. I have learned so much over the years.
7. Are the characters in your books based on real life?
Not always but I have just written a very dark book with a character loosely based on the serial killer Aileen Wuornos.
8.Do you have a particular favourite scene in the book and why?
My love of horse racing makes the scene near the end of Her Secret Past when Rachel is saddling her horse at Perth races is one of my favourites. I could see it and smell it like I was there. Another favourite was the unmasking of Daniel in Heartlands, when Tom arrives on Rob’s driveway and says, ‘Hello Daniel.’ It gave me goose bumps to write because I’d planned it in my head for so long. I literally made my stomach flip.
9.Do you see any of your characters personality in yourself and vice versa?
The way Jessie needs to see things through is a bit like me. If I’ve got something on my mind, a challenge that needs sorting, I can’t settle until it’s done. I can’t imagine what I’d be like as a detective. I’d probably never sleep.
10.If you can, would you give us a sneak peek into any future novels you might have planned?
I have so many projects on the go I wouldn’t know where to start. I have recently written some books with several unusual characters playing out some unusual stories. Some crime and some psychological thrillers.
11.If you had the opportunity to write a novel with any writer alive or dead, who would it be and why?
I’d probably love the chance to co-write with Harlan Coben, the reason for choosing him I can’t explain.
12.Do you have words of advice you can share with anyone who is interested in writing a novel?
A first draft isn’t perfect no matter whether you’re a first timer or an experienced writer. Just get it down. It can be edited and tinkered with later. Enjoy writing your story. You have to believe in it or nobody else will. If it bores you it will bore others.
Novels
Jessie Blake Series
Heartlands – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07M5KPPJ9/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i1
Her Missing Child – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07VJNKXYZ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i2
Her Secret Past – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0813N28BD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0
Joe Barber Series
Into Darkness – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07CJHTZZ2/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i3
Under Dark Skies – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PN339NF/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i4
Links
Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kerry-Watts/e/B01F7D6T5E/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1
Website – http://kerrywatts.simplesite.com
COVER REVEAL SIREN SONG BY REBECCA MCKINNEY
A man who glimpses other people’s inner worlds, and a woman who can foresee death. Can they trace a missing girl before the worst happens?
Harrison Jones is a university lecturer with a secret: he moonlights as a psychic detective. Amy Bell is a paramedic who has the uncanny knack of knowing things are going to happen before they do. From their first accidental meeting on an Edinburgh bridge, both of their lives are destined to change.
Harrison invites Amy to help him investigate the disappearance of a beautiful young singer. The search will lead them into the murky world of human trafficking, from Edinburgh to the streets of Athens, and into the darkest corners of the human mind…
Rebecca McKinney is a writer, therapist and community development practitioner, living and working in Midlothian, Scotland. She shares her home with her husband, two teenagers, three cats, and a growing collection of musical instruments.
Previous novels:
The Angel in the Stone: shortlisted for the Highland Book Prize, 2017: Sandstone Press
Blast Radius: 2015: Sandstone Press
Website:
News
There’s Been a Murder is Keeping the Conversation Going at The Online Edinburgh International Book Festival 2020
For more information on the other authors appearing and to save your place for an event or to just watch them live, go to https://www.edbookfest.co.uk also visit there social media pages
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YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/edbookfest
There’s Been a Murder Interview with G R Jordan
GR Jordan is a self-published author who finally decided at forty that in order to have an enjoyable lifestyle, his creative beast within would have to be unleashed. His books mirror that conflict in life where acts of decency contend with self-promotion, goodness stares in horror at evil and kindness blind-sides us when we are at our worst. Corrupting our world with his parade of wondrous and horrific characters, he highlights everyday tensions with fresh eyes whilst taking his methodical, intelligent mainstays on a roller-coaster ride of dilemmas, all the while suffering the banter of their provocative sidekicks.
A graduate of Loughborough University where he masqueraded as a chemical engineer but ultimately played American football, GR Jordan worked at changing the shape of cereal flakes and pulled a pallet truck for a living. Watching vegetables freeze at -40’C was another career highlight and he was also one of the Scottish Highlands’ “blind” air traffic controllers. Having flirted with most places in the UK, he is now based in the Isle of Lewis in Scotland where his free time is spent between raising a young family with his wife, writing, figuring out how to work a loom and caring for a small flock of chickens. Luckily his writing is influenced by his varied work and life experience as the chickens have not been the poetical inspiration he had hoped for!
1. How did you get started writing?
When I was younger, I used to write poetry and occasional pieces, but it was around about 2014 that I started getting the urge to write short stories and develop them into something you could publish. I guess I started reaching a time in life when you felt you had something to say and tried to put that on paper to some sort of degree. Initially, this was as allegorical pieces and I used the worlds of fantasy and make-believe to bring out my stories. Like most people, I look back and see the pieces as maybe a touch immature, not fully developed but I also have a fondness for them.
2. What drew you to write a novel
2. I have always been interested in the mythological and I had a laugh writing a short story for a friend at work which will never see the light of day – and best so for it was not always complimentary about certain characters we knew. But what it did was give me the belief that I could hold a story for a length of words. So, I decided I needed to write a full story, one which was serious if fun, full of adventure. And so “Crescendo!”, my first novel was born. Originally it was a hobby and I ran a Kickstarter to fund its production, which was successful. But it stirred a bug in me once I realised I could complete a novel and the next one just flowed from me. However,I first started writing crime when I entered a writing competition, set up by the Cromarty Arts Trust at the Crime and Thrillers weekend, which was co-founded by Ian Rankin. I did not win but got a commendation and a comment about how unique my short story was. This gave me confidence, and urged by my wife, I wrote “Water’s Edge”.
3. Which writers past or present have influenced your style of writing?
Believe it or not with the genre I now write in (i.e. Crime), Terry Pratchett has been one of my biggest influences as I believe I’m heavily character focused in my writing. Pratchett also wrote in fantasy but produced crime stories in that genre with my favourite character of his being, Sam Vimes of the City Watch. Although I disagree with some of his world views, I love Pratchett’s ability to get character across so that you know his people (or creatures!) and it’s something that has forced me to always look at what is happening to the person and not just focus on the action. The other great proponent of character is Agathe Christie and I actually love her non-crime work, especially “Absent in the Spring” which she wrote as Mary Westmacott. There’s little action in the novel but it held me with the unravelling of the woman’s character, piece by piece until its conclusion. I’d recommend that novel to anyone. Other honourable mentions go to Len Deighton, John le Carre for the plot building skills they taught me.
4. When you first started writing did you find it hard to get publisher interest?
I did not try to get publisher interest although my intentions before I started writing were very much to go down that route. However, I attended a self-publishing day course with author Ben Galley in Stornoway and was inspired that I could do everything, or to be more accurate, oversee all the actions to bring about a book’s development. And so to this day I have self-published which has meant having to learn on my feet, not just with writing but as a marketeer, a producer or as it is called these days, an authorpreneur. I’m not anti-publisher, it’s just I found that the self-publishing route engaged me more, gave me total control and also has paid well. It’s been a number of years now and I have not looked back!
5. There are many interesting characters in your Novel, do you have a particular favourite one?
Macleod is the lynch pin of the novel, as much as he is backed by Hope McGrath, and he has to be my favourite. He’s very divisive as he comes with a lot of baggage, having had a wife who committed suicide, but also the history to that of growing up in a lifestyle that many would not recognise. Times have moved on and diversity is seen as normal these days but for Macleod, his upbringing and the place of a man as taught to him, is so at odds with today’s views that he genuinely struggles. And yet he is a decent guy, upright if somewhat struggling with his view of women and their place in the world. As the novels have progressed his challenge of overcoming this upbringing, keeping the best of it while shedding the worst, makes him a complicated character who has caused a variety of opinions from readers. And that makes it fun to write if your character challenges people’s thoughts.
6. What kind of research have you have to undertake for your Novel?
For Water’s Edge, it was fairly easy as I was writing in my own patch. I have been on the Isle of Lewis for over twelve years and counting, so understanding the place and people was second nature. I tend to not stray too deep into police procedure but I have friends and experience in the emergency sector which has helped greatly.
7. Are the characters in your books based on any real life?
All my characters come from real life but they are not individual people as that would be unfair. I piece them together from elements of people I have met and seen but I would never say who generates what aspect of a character for two reasons: the elements are from my point of view and may be partially or wholly inaccurate of the person, and we don’t see ourselves as others do so I would probably cause offence or at least surprise!
8. Do you have a particular favourite scene in the book and why
At one point Macleod returns to the scene of his wife’s suicide, the water’s edge at Holm, and he has a row with God, and not a minor one either. He swears at his God and struggles to understand why his wife died all those years ago. I think it’s one of the best moments of character in the book and shows the struggles we all have with our beliefs and faith whatever it is we actually believe. The questions with empty answers come for us all. I know a lot of readers found this scene to be highly emotional which is a great feeling for a writer.
9. Do you see any of your characters personality in yourself and vice versa?
This is hard as I try not to think about myself when writing characters but definitely some of their experiences are my own. Unfortunately, everything a character sees and thinks causes someone to attribute that to the author’s own world view, which frankly is impossible. I think the questioning nature in of a lot of my characters is like me, but they have their own way to search.
10. If you can, would you give us a sneaky peak into any future novels you might planned.
Well the novel writing has continued at a rapid pace since I released “Water’s Edge”. There are now five books in the series, all doing well, and a sixth is coming out in September, “The Pirate Club”. I also have released a new series about a one-armed Northern Irish investigator called Patrick Smythe, and the first in the series, “The Disappearance of Russell Hadleigh” is out there with “The Graves at Calgary Bay” releasing in August. The advantage of being self-published is that you can write at a pace that suits you.
11. If you had the opportunity to write a novel with any writer alive or dead, who would it be and why
Agatha Christie because I want to know how she plotted everything and brought it together. I heard an interview where she talked about writing as the boring part once she had worked out the plot and I think there is an element of truth in that when writing crime. But her mind was amazing to have crafted such tales and keep us guessing.
12. Do you have words of advice you can share with anyone who is interested in writing a novel
I have three simple statements and others have already said these, so I don’t claim credit, but my experience has verified these lines.a. Don’t be afraid – you will get it wrong, but practice makes you get it right more often.b. A novel only gets written when you put your bottom on a seat and write. You can use Dictaphones, a secretary, a laptop, mobile phone or whatever, but if you do not speak the words or write them down,they will not be written. Writing is about hard graft as much as about imagination.c. Think what you want from your writing. Is it a hobby, an income, a prize on a wall? All of these are fine ambitions but knowing what you desire from your writing will drive what you write to achieve your desired goal. Not knowing this makes it a walk in the dark and you might get lucky, but you probably will not.
Realised 5th August 2020
A PATRICK SMYTHE SCOTTISH MYSTERY THRILLER
A naked body found on a lonely island. A band of sailors lifting graves in the dead of night. Can Paddy discover the secret that led a sheltered young man to a most gruesome death?
In his second full novel, former one-armed policeman Patrick Smythe takes to the Isle of Mull at the request of a distraught mother, looking for the truth of why her only son was found dead on the small island of Gometra. Along with his new feisty assistant, Susan Calderwood, Paddy uncovers the true story of a brutal death and incurs the wrath of local smugglers, sailors and a well-known photographer. But when things turn nasty, can Paddy plot a way out and see that justice is done?
“The Graves at Calgary Bay” continues the tale of the Ulster sleuth as his work takes him to the Isle of Mull, and the lonely island of Gometra. If you love underdogs and smart, dogged hounds of the truth, then you will love the adventures of Paddy and his red-haired teenage understudy.
Those who mess with the dead bring a reckoning onto themselves!
Realised 22nd September 2020
A body holding a spade in the sand amidst tales of a missing gem. An old boy’s network whose members are rapidly becoming extinct. Can Macleod solve the gamester’s clues before the club players are liquidated and the prize is gone forever?
In the sixth major case of Macleod and McGrath’s partnership, a deadly game is being played in the search for a long-stolen jewel of fantastic wealth. Whilst former friends dispatch their new enemies, DI Macleod hunts the pieces of parchment that will lead him to the resting place of a Sultan’s pride and joy, and the killers who cannot live without it. Will the pirate king emerge triumphant, or can the Inspector run their plans asunder?
When precious things seem out of reach, death may be the only compromise.
List of Books: Available on the authors website, Amazon, Kobo and other online book stores
Crime
Highlands & Islands Detective Series
Water’s Edge
The Bothy
The Horror Weekend
The Small ferry
Dead at Third Man
The Pirate Club (Releasing in September)
Patrick Smythe Series
The Disappearance of Russell Hadleigh
The Graves at Calgary Bay (Releasing in August)
The Fairy Pools (Releasing in September)
Urban Fantasy and Lovecraftian Action Adventure
Austerley & Kirkgordon Series
Crescendo!
The Darkness at Dillingham
Dagon’s Revenge
Ship of Doom
SETTA Series
Scarlett O’Meara: Beastmaster
Dark Wen Series
The Blasphemous Welcome
The Demon’s Chalice
Island Adventures
Surface Tensions
Links:
Website: grjordan.com
Newsletter link which includes a free short story download: https://bit.ly/PatrickSmythe
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/G-R-Jordan/e/B00P6WP9FS
THERE'S BEEN A MURDER 