Could you tell us about yourself?
I thought school was a laugh, though I doubt it was the same experience for my teachers. Most of my early life was spent in the music industry, mainly in London; bass guitarist, singer/songwriter, bands, session singer, recording. I worked with a lot of amazing people who went on to become very famous, but the Gods were saving me for something special! Met and married the girl who stole my heart as a young man, so it was time to get into a more straight lifestyle that could support a family. Do you know the difference between a pizza and a musician?…A pizza can feed a family of four!
So now it was time to get back into the education I had scorned as a youth. Karma visited me when I was asked to become a lecturer at one of Glasgow’s colleges and those early days of laughter at school came back to haunt me in the form of teenagers who didn’t give a rat’s about anything they were being taught. Fast forward a few years and my wife and I decide we want to live in the sun. So we built a villa on the beautiful island of Crete and split our time between there and Scotland. Living in the sun was a welcome change but it brought it’s challenges: what to do with all that time. Enter writing; I woke up one morning and announced I would write a book…
How long have you been writing?
Eleven years
Tell us about one of, or your most recent book?
My latest book Delaney: And So It Began is set in New Orleans and features ex-cop turned PI Vincent Delaney. I was delighted when it received a coveted Star Pick from The Sunday Times Crime Club.
Delaney is invited back by his old boss to assist when a serial killer targeting children at pageants throughout Louisiana is outplaying the police and FBI. Meanwhile traders who are being extorted come to him for help and insist he doesn’t inform the police, he’s shocked to discover that the extortionists are the police. At the same time an ex-convict that Delaney put away for murder has escaped and is after revenge for the brother that Vincent shot and killed. Hard times for Delaney; can he make it out of this alive?
What do you love about writing?
I love it when a sentence or phrase appears and takes me by surprise. I really enjoy trying to make the language and story flow effortlessly.
How do you get inspired/ where do you get your ideas?
I’ve always been attracted to faraway places, and find that my mind just opens up to ideas…when I decided I would like to write a detective story, the time I spent in New Orleans just crashed to the surface and demanded to be included. Similarly when the idea for Games People Play was born on a beach in Georgioupoli in Crete, Glasgow made itself heard. The name for Games was inspired by the old Joe South song. So the answer for me is that ideas spring from everywhere and anywhere.
Do you have a specific writing process?
Once I have an idea I want to proceed with, I need the beginning and end. My books are character and plot lead, so plotting is essential along with character development. I usually spend 5-8 hours 5 days a week writing, editing and plotting.
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Show up and be lucky.
What are you currently working on? How long before release?
Currently working on a standalone psychological thriller. As to release date, no idea at present, it depends on too many things.
What are you currently reading?
John Connolly The White Road
Who are your favourite authors?
I truly don’t have a favourite author; so many great writers out there. However my writing has been influenced by the great writers of the past: Raymond Chandler, John Steinbeck and more recently James Lee Burke.
Do you have any favourite fictional characters?
Sherlock Holmes, no question. An incredibly memorable and individual character.
Any fun facts about you that you would like to share?
Don’t tell anyone, it’s my guilty secret, I can yodel.
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