Alex Gerlis Interview

Alex Gerlis granted me the opportunity to ask him some questions following the release of his most recent book CITY OF TRAITORS which I reviewed last month. The book is the third book in the Double Agent series - released by Canelo - and it will reach it's thrilling finally next year.

This is the third book of the series, what was the original genesis of this series?

I wanted to cover a sweep of European history - from Stalin's purges and the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s, the Second World War, the start of the Cold War and the events of 1956

- The book is so well researched, do you enjoy research?

I do yes - and I also find that the research throws up interesting plot and storylines

- Do you like to travel as much as Charles Cooper?

I enjoy travelling, yes - perhaps not in the same way as Cooper and certainly not in clandestine circumstances but I like to visit the key locations covered in my books.

- Was this all plotted out and meant to be a four part series from the outset?

yes, I always envisaged this as a four-part series and I had a sense of what period and - to an extent - what events would be covered in each book and I also had an idea of how it would end. I've actually just written the end of the final book and it's far closer to the original ending I had in mind than I'd have expected. I like a book to develop and evolve as I'm writing it, but with a series you do have to be a bit more disciplined.

- The series has grown as it's gone on, from London to Europe to now America, was that deliberate?

Yes, I like the idea of including different countries. America was always part of the plan - it works with the plot.

- What is your typical writing day?

There's no absolutely typical writing day, I don't have a strict routine in that sense but I do try to write in the mornings and then from mid/late afternoon for 2/3 hours - but I often work around whatever else is going on in my life.  

- What spy books are you reading at the moment? Any recommendations?

Icarus 17 by Charles Cumming and Appointment in PAris by Jane Thynee. Both very good.

City of Traitors is out now from Canelo on all formats. 

Saul David Interview - Crucible of Hell

 

My interview with Saul David from 2020, in regards to his CRUCIBLE OF HELL book about the last great battle of WW2, Okinawa.

• What was the genesis for you to cover this vital battleground and portion of WW2? It actually came out of my last book, The Force, about an American/Canadian special operations unit that carries out its first mission in the Aleutian Islands against the Japanese. It reminded me how little I knew about the Pacific War, and it sparked my interest. At around the same time I read an excellent book about Truman’s first year as president, which begins with Roosevelt’s death a few days after the invasion of Okinawa and climaxes with the decision to use atomic bombs to end the war against the Japanese. Quite a baptism of fire, for which Truman has not received the credit he deserves.

• Do you feel as a historian, is the Pacific part of the war somewhat overlooked in terms of importance? Yes, certainly in the UK. We tend to think the war ended with Germany’s surrender, and the attention we give to VE Day (as opposed to VJ Day) is proof of that. Actually, there was no guarantee the war was going to end in 1945: most experts assumed it would carry on until late 1946, at the earliest, but Hiroshima and Nagasaki changed all that. There was a lot of very brutal fighting in the Pacific, and a number of hinge moments (Midway, Guadalcanal and the Battle of the Philippine Sea all come to mind), and it was far from a foregone conclusion.

• What amount of research did you do to gain the parts about each individual story where you go into such detail as mentioned? Research took me to archives in the UK, the US and Japan. I was very luck to find a lot of first-hand material that hadn’t been used before at the US Marine Corps archives in Quantico. It’s not an easy archive to gain access to: I had to get special dispensation from the British Foreign Office. But it was worth it. I also got wonderful material from the Truman and Eisenhower Presidential Libraries, including the diaires of the US commander Simon B. Buckner, and found some heart-breaking first-hand accounts of civilians in archives and museums in Okinawa.

• How long did it take to get the structure/draft right moving from American/Japanese perspectives? I was determined from the start to tell the story from all perspectives: American, Japanese and Okinawan, and also from ordinary people and soldiers up to generals, presidents and emperors. The best way to do this, I thought, was to keep shifting perspective in short, dramatic chapters. Most are 2,000-3,000 words long, which are quite short for a history book, but they give the reader a sense that the story is moving at pace.

• Have you always enjoyed history from an early age? Yes. I blame my father. He’s a great reader of military history and often discussed battles and generals over dinner with friends. I guess I wanted to contribute, because I started reading books about Victorian warfare by George MacDonald Fraser (the historical novelist and creator of Flashman), the biographer and historian Christopher Hibbert (author of The Great Mutiny), and others. I then moved on to books about the classical world: Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius Caesar, that sort of thing.

• What is your lasting impression of the WW2 in the Pacific? The savagery of the fighting, which took me by surprise. It’s as bad as anything you see on the Eastern Front, which is usually the benchmark for barbarity in war. This can make some chapters of Crucible of Hell difficult to read – they were certainly difficult to research – but it’s important for historians to record the unvarnished facts, and for the public to read them.

• Was dropping the bomb on Hiroshima the only course of action left for Truman and the USA? Yes, in many ways I think it was. Of course, he had options. But all of these had been discussed by his senior political, military and scientific advisors, and rejected. They were united in their belief that if he didn’t drop the bomb, and demonstrate to the Japanese its terrible destructive power, the war would have continued for up to another year, and cost both sides millions of casualties. Other possibilities have been suggested: starving the Japanese out, waiting for the Russians to make a military contribution to Japanese defeat, using a demonstration explosion. None of them would have been enough to convince the militarists at the heart of the Japanese government to agree to unconditional surrender.  

• How long do you think the war would have carried on for before an eventual surrender by Japan? Up to another year.

• What has your life been like in this Covid-19 world? Being a writer has it been okay or have you missed researching extensively? Actually, I hate to admit this, but lockdown has been good to me because it’s enabled me to write without distractions. I was incredibly fortunate in terms of timing in that, when the first lockdown began, I was part of the way through one book – the authorized World War II history of the Special Boat Service – so was able to finish that in June. Normally you’d need to spend up to a year researching the next book. But I’d already done that research the year before – at the same time that I was working on Crucible of Hell – and was ready to move seamlessly from writing the SBS book to the new one, Devil Dogs, the story of a company of US Marines fighting its way through the Pacific. I’m already 75,000 words in and should finish it in early 2021.

• Can you talk about your relationship with your publisher William Collins? I’ve been published by a lot of the great names in British publishing, and some excellent non-fiction editors: Richard Beswick at Little, Brown, Eleo Gordon at Viking Penguin and Rupert Lancaster at Hodder & Stoughton. My current publisher, Arabella Pike at William Collins, is the perfect fit: hugely-experienced, much admired in the business, and from a military background. Her father, Hew Pike, commanded 3 Para in the Falklands. She understands the military mindset, and has publishes some wonderful military history by authors like Max Hastings and Patrick Bishop. I’m delighted to have joined her stable.

• What advice do you have for budding young historians? Don’t get bogged down in detail, however fascinating you might think it is. Add plenty of colour, keep the story moving at pace, and place people at the front and centre of your narrative. Readers like to imagine what it might have been like to be present at a dramatic moment in history. Help them to realize that.

• What are your hopes moving forward? To publish my next book in ‘normal’ times, so I can give it the publicity push – talks, interviews, events – that it deserves. I’m bursting with ideas for new books, so watch this space.

• What are you working upon now? Devil Dogs (see above). I’m also editing my history of the SBS. I was the first historian to be given access to the secret SBS archives in Poole. The book – provisionally titled ‘SBS: Silent Warriors – The Authorized Wartime History’ – will be published in September 2021.  A donation from the sale of each book will be made to the SBS Regimental Association, which looks after former and serving SBS operators and their families.

My thanks to Saul David for his time in this interview, and I can only apologise for not posting it sooner. 

Crucible of Hell is one of the best books I have read in recent years and is available still on all formats.

Marion Todd Interview

On the day of publication, of her fifth book in the DI Clare Mackay series from Canelo. I was afforded the opportunity to interview the prolific author Marion Todd to talk about the gestation of her lead protagonist and her growth as one of the best authors to appear on the scene in recent years and just what is it like to write during a pandemic

• How did Clare Mackay come into your life? – ‘See Them Run’ was my first published novel but it wasn’t the first book I had written. A year earlier I wrote a novel set in St Andrews in which a murder took place. The focus was very much on the relationship between the killer and the victim. When I’d finished it I realised I’d learned a lot during the writing process and that it had flaws which might be too great to fix. But what it had given me was a feel for the setting and a ready-made cast of police characters I could use in the future, including my protagonist, Detective Inspector Clare Mackay. So I set about writing another novel and that became ‘See Them Run.’ I had chosen a female detective because I’m female and it felt easier to try and get inside her head than a man’s.

 

• What got you into writing? – In common with most writers, I’ve written since my schooldays. I have a 6-chapter mystery story I wrote when I was nine and I just carried on from there, writing children’s stories, short articles for my local newspaper, short stories for magazines etc. I love the idea of creating worlds and characters that haven’t previously existed

 

• Why base the action in your hometown of St. Andrews? – Actually I grew up in Dundee, eleven miles from St Andrews, although I moved closer to St Andrews when I married. I also lived in the town for a year and my children went to school there so I know it very well. It’s steeped in history with its ancient buildings and university. But it also has an eclectic mix of people, the population swelled each year by thousands of students and tourists from all over the world. It has a ruined castle, two beaches and is surrounded by rich countryside – it’s a gorgeous place to live. The only downside is it’s quite small (fewer than 17,000 people) so, six books in, I’m having to branch out of the town to avoid repetition.

 

• How have you coped during the pandemic, while releasing three new books? – I was one of the lucky ones. I found it easy to write during lockdown. I love company but I’m also good at being solitary. So I swapped the time I would have spent socialising for writing. I did miss seeing friends and family so much but, workwise, I was quite productive. I felt so sorry for those with young children, though, trying to home-school, work from home and stay sane – it wasn’t easy for lots of folk.

 

• Do you feel DI Mackay is a fair representation of current policing in Scotland? – Yes and no (hedging my bets, here!) She is careful, and mindful of regulations, rights and ultimately the law. She knows that evidence obtained without authority can be disallowed and even weaken the prosecution’s case. So she tries to stick to the rules. But, in terms of how she runs an investigation, the reality is quite different. St Andrews doesn’t even have its own Inspector, and murder investigations would be run by a Major Investigations Team which could include officers from across Scotland (we have a unified force). So I give Clare power and authority which wouldn’t exist in all these cases. But it’s fiction so I feel entitled to take some liberties. I have had positive feedback from serving officers which is the highest praise I could ask for.

 

• What is your opinion on current guidance for women to safely walk the streets at night? Do you feel safe yourself or is that not the problem? – That’s a difficult and complex question. Feelings run very high at the moment and a response is needed but it has to be considered, with input from all concerned, rather than a knee-jerk reaction. As a parent with children of both genders I’m concerned for them when they’re out and about. I want every single person to be safe but the reality is there are people out there who seek to harm others. In an ideal world we would spot these behaviours at an early age and intervene but I don’t feel qualified to say how that could be managed. I was married for many years to a police officer and, as a result, I became highly risk-averse so I am watchful when out at night, very aware of who is around me. I’ll go the long way round rather than down a poorly-lit street. I wish it wasn’t so but I do what’s necessary to feel safe.

 

• Do you write every day? – when I’m in the middle of a novel I try to write every day to avoid losing track. But I don’t have a routine. I tend to be more productive in the evenings so I’ll often work from 8 pm to midnight (or beyond, if it’s going well). But I’ll happily take a break when I’m between books. For me, thinking time is as important as writing time so I’ll dig the garden, walk the dog, all the while muttering to myself about plots and characters. And then there are other things to do – talks to prepare, social networking, answering emails from readers etc – great excuses for putting off writing!

 

• Do you read, I see so many similarities between stable mates MJ Lee/Sheila Bugler and yourself – That’s a lovely compliment. Thank you! Sheila and Martin (Lee) are wonderful writers and I’m thrilled to be compared with them. I suppose the three of us being Canelo Crime authors means there are certain similarities in how our books are edited and marketed but I love that I can dip into their books and enjoy a thoroughly good read. I do try to read as many different crime authors as I can so I always have a book on the go. At the moment I have an advance copy of Jane Shemilt’s new book, ‘The Patient’ and it’s a thrilling read.

 

• What is in store for Mackay, will she be happy with DCI Gibson? – now there’s a question! At the moment they are rubbing along together but it’s always in my mind that I might throw some rocks in to upset things. I’m still playing about with how to end book 6 (published in July next year) – I might just upset things. Watch this space!

 

• Any tips for new writers starting out, you started later in life, so is it never too late? – I don’t think age is a factor. It’s time and head space that matter. To write well you need to find time when you’re not distracted by the rest of life – not easy for lots of folk. Writing is like exercising a muscle. The more you do the more naturally it comes. A novel is a big commitment though – months of work – so start with smaller things. Look for opportunities online. FutureLearn offer free courses. The Scottish Book Trust is a great source of ideas for writers in Scotland. Look at The BBC Writers Room online. Immerse yourself in the writing world and become a writer. Join a book group and, as well as reading, listen to what the others in the group are saying about the books. What they like/ dislike, what works/doesn’t work. Attend author talks and listen to what they say about their process. Above all, read. Read widely, particularly in the genre you’d like to write in. Good quality prose will seep into you almost by osmosis and it will help your own writing. Start now and good luck!

My thanks to Marion for her time in answering my questions.

Please download, buy and read the DI Clare Mackay available from all good retailers.

Next In Line is out from Canelo on 21st October 

Exclusive Interview with Christina Sweeney-Bird, author of THE END OF MEN

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Christina Sweeney-Bird, author of the brilliant new novel THE END OF MEN published by Borough Press

What was the genesis of The End of Men and when did you start writing the first draft? 

I read WORLD WAR Z by Max Brooks when I was 21 or 22 and found it hugely engaging. I completely believed that the zombie war it described was real and found the breadth of stories around the world in that book very compelling. Then I read THE POWER by Naomi Alderman in early 2018 and found myself thinking, what would the world look like if women weren’t more physically powerful than men but completely outnumbered them? I felt that telling that story through many viewpoints would be the most engaging way to do it. I started writing it on 1 September 2018

When the pandemic took hold in early 2020, what were your instant reactions? 

I remember first hearing about it and not quite knowing how to feel. It felt so bizarre that the kind of news that normally belongs in fiction was now on BBC News and being emailed around by friends and colleagues going, ‘Have you seen this?’ Then, as I read more about it,  I felt total horror. Having done a lot of research into pandemics in the course of researching THE END OF MEN, as soon as I saw that the virus was spreading I thought, ‘Oh God it’s going to go global’. 

What research did you incorporate into your novel to gain knowledge of the different countries your novel visits? 

I grew up in Glasgow and live in London so those two settings came very naturally to me. Other than that, I find films, TV and plenty of online research tend to help with getting a sense of a place.

When did you decide to go away from the Amanda Maclean narrative as a lone central protagonist story and instead a tale of all women in this story?  

Right from the beginning I knew I would have lots of narrators, it was just a question of how many. The first draft had over 40 points of view which I then reduced down in the course of a heavy rewrite with my agent. Amanda and Lisa are the two most consistent POVs - they didn’t change much in the rewrite, I just expanded their stories. 

You start the story in Scotland, Glasgow specifically with such affection is this where you are from originally? 

Yes, I grew up in Glasgow and my parents are both from Glasgow. It’s such a wonderful city and has such a no-nonsense, determined sensibility. It made perfect sense that Amanda would be in Glasgow as the pandemic began.

What is your background as this is your debut novel? 

I studied Law at Cambridge University and work as a corporate litigation lawyer in the City. I always wanted to write and would start writing a novel every summer from the age of 15 (and inevitably fail to get past 10,000 words). As time went on, I read more and got better until when I was 25 I managed to finish my first novel which had taken two years. That novel was in a different genre and didn’t land me an agent but I had some encouraging responses from the agents I sent it to. I started writing THE END OF MEN as soon as I finished that novel, knowing it was an idea I wanted to explore, and here we are!

What is your personal Covid-19 history, how have you adapted much like your female characters?

 

I caught COVID in March 2020 which was challenging but also I’m very lucky to have only been ill for two weeks and now fully recovered. I think I have adapted pretty well to the changed world but I’m very aware that circumstances differ enormously and your circumstances have a huge influence on how affected you are. I read somewhere that we’re all in the same storm but we’re not in the same boat. That really resonated. I’m able to work from home (both as a lawyer and an author) and spent a lot of Spring with my family in Glasgow but not everyone is able to do that.

How do you feel the world will adjust/adapt (a central theme of the novel) post-pandemic? 

I have a fundamental belief in human resilience and optimism. I truly believe that people can adapt to almost anything. I think - no matter how the pandemic itself plays out - we will manage to adjust and hopefully keep our healthcare systems, the arts, workplaces and other industries going.

What are your hopes for the novel come April? And can you mention your relationship with Borough Press? 

I hope the book reaches as wide an audience as possible and I would love to be able to in person book events if it’s safe to do. Borough have been really brilliant. My editor, Carla, has been such a champion right from the first days after my agent sent the book out on submission and the publicity, marketing and other teams are so clever and innovative. I feel very lucky to be working with them.

What have you been reading lately as your twitter feed attests to, what can you recommend? 

I’ve been in an Ann Patchett phase; I read THE DUTCH HOUSE and COMMONWEALTH both of which I absolutely adored. I read a lot of romance and YA fantasy (my comfort genres) so I’ve read five Julia Quinn novels over the last few months. Her most popular series, the BRIDGERTONS, is now a Netflix show being aired in December and if you like the sound of witty, feminist, engaging historical romance you’ll love her. I’ve also become a huge Sarah J Maas fan over lockdown. Oh, and THE LAST ACT OF LOVE by Cathy Retzenbrink was gorgeously written and made me cry.

Any advice for freelancers or young writers out there? 

Keep going! So many authors take multiple books to get an agent and/or publishing deal so don’t be disheartened if it doesn’t happen straight away. Finish the manuscript; you can’t do anything with an unfinished book. And read, read, read. Both broadly across different genres and deeply in the genre you’re writing in. I think it’s Caitlin Moran who says that no one else will ever have read the exact mix of books you’ve read so make sure you’re reading lots of different things to make your voice as unique and interesting as possible. I find romance helps with writing compelling characters, thrillers make my writing more gripping, women’s fiction teaches how to pace well and literary fiction/memoir teaches you beautiful, illustrative turns of phrase. Different types of books help in different ways.

THE END OF MEN is published by Borough Press/Harper Collins on Thursday 29th April 

Ken Lussey Interview

The debut novel by Ken Lussey EYES TURNED SKYWARDS the gripping WW2 novel published by Fledgling Press

My review of the book can be found here, and the author granted me the opportunity for an interview with him, for which I am very grateful.

How did the character Bob Sutherland come to you?

I needed someone who I could maintain interest in and enthusiasm about to carry out the investigation at the core of the book. Bob Sutherland evolved as an ex-fighter pilot no longer able to do what he really wants to do because of an injury sustained right at the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940.

I based his career up until that point – though not his life - on that of a real Scottish Battle of Britain ace who was sadly killed on the day that Bob Sutherland was injured.

To my mind it’s slightly ironic that although Bob is the character I started with and who I ought to be able to associate with most closely, my favourite character in the book is Monique Dubois, the MI5 agent with an exceptionally dark story. Hers is also an incredibly improbable story, until you know she was closely based on a real woman who disappeared during the war after the two German spies she landed with in Scotland were executed.

 

What was the genesis of Eyes Turned Skywards?

I’ve always been fascinated by the way that World War Two had an impact on Scotland and I’ve always been interested in military aviation. Reading about an incident late in the war at an airfield in Aberdeenshire led me to think there was the basis of a “truth is stranger than fiction” novel in it.

Then I realised that writing a novel set in late 1944 might be rather limiting if, as I hoped, it became the first of a series. I’d only have a few months of the war left to mine for material and settings.

I therefore began to look for intriguing real-life stories from earlier in the war. When I came across an account of the crash of a flying boat in Caithness in August 1942 in which the Duke of Kent, the younger brother of King George VI, was killed, I knew I had my starting point.

 

Your first book was a guide to Great Britain, and you are a non-fiction writer; so how was the transition to historical fiction?

Why the long gap from 1983 to publish your next book?

Writing ‘A Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to Great Britain’, published by Penguin in 1983, seemed a natural thing to do after mis-spending my student days hitch-hiking around Great Britain. But factual writing, though a skill in its own right, was not what I really wanted to do. Meanwhile, the real world had intervened, and I had become a civil servant, doing lots of factual writing!

I always wanted to become a novelist and made a couple of abortive attempts to write ‘the great novel’ over next few decades. When 'Eyes Turned Skywards' was published, 35 years and 5 days after 'A Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to Great Britain', I did wonder whether it might be some sort of record for the gap between first and second books by an author. Not a chance. It took Harper Lee 55 years to publish her second book, and there are a few other very long gaps too.

As for the choice between historical and contemporary fiction, it was simply a case of finding an idea that really appealed to me; and that led me in a historical direction.

 

How much research did it involve?

More than I could ever have believed possible. These days, there’s a huge amount available online, from websites setting out conspiracy theories about the Duke of Kent’s death through to Google Earth and Street View. But to my mind there’s no substitute for actually going and walking the ground your characters walked and looking at what they were looking at.

That becomes tricky, of course, when your characters were seeing the very different world of 1942. Then it becomes necessary, for example, to visit and work out what the road at the bottom of Berriedale Braes in Caithness looked like before several later generations of road realignments. And it was equally important to make a winter yomp across boggy moorland to find the memorials at the site of the air crash. Sometimes local knowledge is the only way forwards. For example, I had to ask local experts whether Wick had a municipal electricity supply at the time. The need to guard against assumptions about people, about places, and even about the use of language nearly eight decades ago is vital to get the sense of realism I am looking for.

One moment stands out as sending chills up and down my spine. The official account of the cause of the crash that killed the Duke of Kent was given in a written answer to a parliamentary question on 7 October 1942. I’d realised early in the research that the online version of Hansard showed that the answer gave the date of the crash as 15 August 1942 instead of 25 August 1942, but I’d put this down to an error that arose when the records were digitised. It was only when I visited the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh that I realised that the wrong date was given in the original written record, which is truly remarkable given it was about what would have been at the time a very recent and very high-profile event.

 

 

 

What comes easier, the dialogue or the action?

I enjoy both, though perhaps dialogue flows more easily. I set my characters up in a situation and let them have the conversation I want them to have. I hear their voices in my head and simply transcribe what they are saying. I always have an idea of where the conversation is meant to go, but my characters will often surprise me by adding detail or heading off in unexpected tangents. For me this gives a sense of discovery and is one of the joys of writing.

 

Can you describe the area of Scotland the action takes place, it sounds wondrous and vast?

Scotland is indeed wondrous, and it is pretty vast. I used a number of different areas of the country in ‘Eyes Turned Skywards’. The action moves from Oban in Argyll on the west coast to the east side of the far north of Scotland. Scenes are set on the coast of Caithness at the fictional Sarclet Castle and inland at the real Loch More, and pretty much all the way down the coast to Inverness.

 

Did you want to do a sequel?

The sequel to ‘Eyes Turned Skywards’, called ‘The Danger of Life’, has also been published by Fledgling Press. It again features Bob and Monique as its two central characters and its central strand takes place at and around the Commando Basic Training Centre in Lochaber.

Book 3, set mainly in Orkney at the end of 1942, was completed last year and Book 4, set mainly in Stockholm early in 1943, was finished a few months ago. But like everything else, the answer to the question of how they will emerge into the light of day will have to await the world's return to something a little closer to normality.

 

How long can you write about Bob for?

There’s two years of World War Two left after the as yet unpublished Book 4 in the series, so Bob and Monique have plenty of mileage left in them. I’ve even got the opening few pages written of a book that would see them visiting Soviet central Asia in 1972, when they are both 60.  

 

As someone with a long career and long gap in publications, what advice would you offer

Keep on trying. At the end of the day, all you need is one person – the right person – to believe in what you have written as much as you do.

Eyes Turned Skywards is out now from Fledgling Press now on all formats

 

Brian McGilloway Q&A

Last week I reviewed the new release from Brian McGilloway, the New York Times Bestselling author, with his new thriller The Last Crossing. A stand alone novel that looks at how actions can have ever lasting consequences.

After excitedly reading the book, the author granted me the pleasure of an interview which I can share with you now.

What was the genesis of The Last Crossing following your series of books, why a standalone novel now?

With each book, I simply write the story I want to tell. Usually, that fits in to one of the two series, but with this book it didn’t. I liked the idea of looking at 3 ordinary people who do something terrible for what they all believe to be justified reasons and who have to face that again 30 years later. I was interested in how each would have changed, how what they had done would have changed them, and the manner in which each had attempted or failed to reconcile themselves with what they had done. From the beginning, I knew this wasn’t going to be a police procedural, nor did I want it to be.

How easy was it to juggle the two timelines was it like writing two stories at same time or separately then edited?

No, I wrote one straight into the next using concatenation where the final phrase of one chapter opens the next. It was to create continuity between past and present and also to link the two more closely. It’s a technique used in a medieval poem called The Pearl which I’ve tried to use a few times before – most obviously in Little Girl Lost where I had two narratives connected in this way in the first draft. After hitting a block about three quarters of the way through, I realised it wasn’t working for that book and removed both it and the entire second narrative. I’ve been wanting to use it since and thankfully, in this book, the technique suited the structure and theme more obviously and finally worked for me. I found using it helped create impetus in the actual writing of the novel.

You are from Londonderry, the Troubles was more a way of life than a snapshot, was it easy to write about from memory having been born there?

I love Derry and am very proud to have grown up there. It suffered a lot through the years of violence to the extent that its personality and sense of identity have been changed by it in some ways. That reflects the way in which all of us who grew up through it were similarly changed by it in ways – some more obviously than others. The book, I hope, reflects the various gradations of impact the violence had on the various characters.

The story is about looking back at life's regrets do you have any?

I suppose we all have moments of wondering ‘what if?’ – the Road Not Taken moments. With the story between Tony and Karen, I’d say the influence of Tom Waits’ Martha is there – someone looking back on how their life’s course has gone in a completely different course from the one they’d expected and how we react when faced with that realisation as we meet someone we once loved. Larkin’s Dockery and Son deals with a similar moment of terrible clarity. My own regrets tend to focus on friendships lost more than choices not made – we all make our choices and live with them after all. I’m very lucky and blessed in so many ways, it would be churlish to regret.

What are your hopes for the book? 

It’s a book of which I’m quite protective. I just hope it finds any kind of readership and finds kindred souls to whom it speaks. It’s a challenge to get people reading Northern Irish fiction, so finding someone who’d not ordinarily have read fiction from here would be a bonus!

Did the speed and economy of the book come from editing or down to the jumping back and forth of timelines to induce this whip crack nature of looking back and forward ?

I suspect it’s a reflection of how I write. The book was written very quickly once I got started – and benefitted from the support of a number of friends and crime writing peers who read it and encouraged me along the way. I tend to write in short bursts – maybe an hour or so per day – and aim to keep things moving. I get bored with slow narratives myself, if I’m honest.

Do you miss teaching full time?

No – I still teach full time. I took a sabbatical for two years when my kids were younger to help look after them but have been back teaching for 5 years now. I still love it – though it does make writing a book a year almost impossible for me at least, thus the longer break between books. The characterisation of the younger character in the novel who drives the other three around was informed by great advice from a group of my former students who’ve all kept in contact with each other and me. It’s a privilege to introduce young minds to great literature for the first time and to spend your days talking about books you love.

What advice would you give to any would be authors?

Trust your instincts. Read widely, but don’t try to guess the market or write for the market – instead produce a work of which you are proud and can stand over and it’ll find a readership eventually. Writing is about connecting with a reader – the size of the readership will vary from book to book, but the essential connection stays the same and that’s the important bit.

How have you coped with self-isolation?

We’ve four kids so with six of us in the house altogether it’s been pretty busy. Plus I’m still teaching remotely, so the days pass quickly enough. I’ve great plans to get another book written and to read loads: I’m chipping away slowly at both…

My thanks to Dome Press for the review opportunity.

Jonathan Whitelaw - Interview

Exclusive interview with Jonathan Whitelaw, author of Hell Corp and The Man in the Dark, published by Urbane Publications

Jonathan Whitelaw is one of the most distinctive authors to appear in Britain in recent years, his utilisation of the Devil as his main protagonist in two books now has served up a richly black sort of humour that had this reader in hysterics and guffawing out loud by the climax.

By having such an iconic person at the thrust of the story can be both rewarding and daunting, after reading the book I took the opportunity to ask Mr. Whitelaw via social media about the possibility of answering a few questions. It is nice to say he did respond and here is my interview with Jonathan Whitelaw.

- What was the genesis of writing Hell Corp and writing about a character as universally known but misunderstood as The Devil?

I guess I had always wanted to write a crime novel - but I'd never thought I was clever enough! As a reader and reviewer yourself, you'll know that there are lots of great writers out there doing some fantastic work in the crime and thriller genres. But we've seen every type of antihero under the sun. If a cop isn't an alcoholic, they're a workaholic. If they don't see their family enough they see them too much. On and on it goes. 

So I got to thinking about writing an antihero like no other. And I started at the anti-part. Every culture on earth has an antagonist in their folklore and mythology. An embodiment of evil so awful that their mentions are usually the stuff of horror. So that, naturally, is where I started. 

I conjured up this image of The Devil as being somebody growing tired of being that bad guy, always being the villain. I figured if he wanted to go on holiday he'd still need all of his wicked ways to be carried out - hence the eponymous HellCorp. And from there, really, the story grew. 

I knew I needed a foil for The Devil and I suppose there really wasn't much choice - it had to be the Man Upstairs. Although sometimes its the Woman Upstairs of course! Having Him challenge The Devil to solve a murder mystery seemed like such a perfect medium and outlet for this Old Nick character I had created. And from there it all just grew arms and legs!



- Do you have a black humour yourself?

I think I do. I'm often told by my wife that the things I find funny I probably shouldn't. It's not my fault of course. I blame all the top-notch comedy on the BBC in the 90s when I was a kid growing up. Seriously, if I wasn't watching The Fast Show I was glued to the League of Gentlemen and Bottom. So blame all of those people!

When I'm not being a full-time writer I'm a full-time journalist. And I'm pretty sure its a pre-requisite to be a hack that you have a black sense of humour. My career has predominantly been in the digital world so you always get a lot of change and different types of stories across your desk. Being able to laugh in adversity and get on with your colleagues can actually be quite therapeutic. Especially if it's being a particularly brutal day. 

But yes, I'd say I have a black sense of humour. It clearly helps when you're writing about The Devil solving crimes!



- How long/How many drafts did this novel take and was it easier following the reception of the first book?

This is the first time I've ever written a sequel. So that was a big adjustment to my normal writing process. I sat down with a vague idea for The Man in the Dark and thought 'oh, here is a cast of characters that I already know - what fun, dangerous and thrilling situations can I put them through?'

It was a little strange at first. But one thing I enjoy about writing is getting to know the characters I'm creating. Dialogue is a big part of my work. Getting into the nitty-gritty, the psychology of a character is key to creating that dialogue. If you don't understand your characters then you won't be able to write what they would think, say and ultimately do. Having that already established in a way was quite liberating, even if it took me a while to get used to it. 

In terms of drafts, I'd say about 75% of my first draft of the book was cut. It suffered from what I call the 'Fast & Furious' effect. As a quick explainer - the first Fast and Furious movie is about street racers and stolen cars. The last one had international crime syndicates, nuclear submarines and a supercar jumping between skyscrapers in Dubai. In short, things got out of hand very quickly - spiraling way out of control. 

The very first draft of The Man in the Dark had helicopter chases and all kinds of other huge, mind-boggling madness. And as I wrote it I knew it was never going to fly - pun intended. So I finished the draft, all 80,000 words, before scrapping it. Writing can be like that. Sometimes you need a warm-up to get yourself going. You wouldn't run a marathon without prepping or getting in the right frame of mind. 

So yeah, I think the start and finish of the book on the shelves now survived The Great Purge. And ultimately it was for the best. The story I wanted to write wasn't the one I had written before. I needed to go through that process. It made for a better story in the end. And I'm extremely proud of The Man in the Dark. 



- You paint the Devil as a know all but powerful, this contrast of emotions and characteristics is it difficult to balance?

Balance has always been at the heart of the HellCorp novels. I've always loved authority figures who get cut down to size. And I love watching them still try to maintain that arrogant air and sophistication, even when there's metaphorical egg on their chin. 

That's a very artsy way of saying that I like to put my characters in situations I know they'll hate. The Devil in my books is all-powerful, all-knowing but also all too aware of his lot in the universe. He knows the proper way of doing things and, oddly, abides by the rules - he's made a lot of them up himself. He does, of course, get up to mischief and, like most authority figures, is always willing to stack the cards in his favour so that he wins. 

I like that about his character. I like that he's prone to mistakes and, while he would rarely, if at all, admit to them publically, he knows that he's just as prone to making them as everyone else. The difference being that if he drops the ball then there are huge ramifications and consequences. He's a realist and a pragmatist, a skeptic at heart in a world filled with the illogical, bizarre and downright strange. 



- Was it fun to write the good cop/bad cop scenes? The chemistry between the two is done well.

You're very, very kind. The fiver is in the post!

I love dialogue. And actually, it's always been a big part of my enjoyment of other literature, film and TV. Some of my fondest books and movies feature a strong relationship that's brought entirely to life through the dialogue. The Lethal Weapon movies always stick in my mind. It's clear on-screen that everyone involved in those movies, in front and behind the camera, had an absolute ball making them. And that only continues as the franchise went on. 

The dialogue is snappy, it flows, you're drawn into the world of these characters and the veil of fantasy completely envelopes you. It's not Mel Gibson and Danny Glover on there, it's two LA cops who've been through hell and high water together and have become family. 

I always strive for genuine interaction and dialogue with my characters - even if it's The Devil and God having an argument about the end of the world. It's something I like in work that I read and watch. So I always strive to make it come alive in my own. 



- What is next for the Man in the Dark?

Well he's been left in a bit of pickle by the end of the second book. So I supposed we should probably find out what happens shouldn't we?

Being all cryptic aside, the third novel in the series is with my publisher. Which is very exciting. 

And being the money-grabbing, starving author I am - I'm not giving away any more than that! You'll just have to read it and see!



- What is your writing process?

The million-dollar question! I get asked about my process quite a bit. And it's not normally until I'm asked about it do I actually give it a lot of thought.

I'm lucky in that I can write at any time, really anywhere. When my first novel, Morbid Relations, was written, I definitely had a process. I was working in Glasgow but living in Edinburgh so I had two hours commute every day to just sit and write. It was a pretty intense process but it worked for the story and the characters etc. 

Thankfully I don't have that commute anymore. And as such my writing isn't quite as focussed and distilled into those two hours a day. So some writing days now I can be going for hours and others I struggle to craft 50 that even make sense. 

One thing that's a must for any writer though is... actually writing. I was told by a very lovely tutor of mine at uni that you can't edit a blank page. And that still rings true today. If I'm asked about advice from anybody wanting to make a living from writing I always tell them that. You can have the greatest novel and story ever living inside your head. But if you don't get it out of there, in some way, shape or form, nobody is ever going to be able to enjoy it and share the experience and talent. 

It's a surprisingly motivating mantra actually. And it's one that's served me well in the five or so years I've been a professional author. 



- Can you speak about the partnership/relationship with Urbane Publications?

The amount of support, backing and general love I've had from my publisher has been nothing short of amazing. They have, quite literally, made my dreams come true by giving me a platform and outlet to tell my stories. I genuinely can't thank them enough. 

A good example was just before Christmas. The authors and staff of Urbane genuinely feel like a family - one that I've been welcomed in to with open arms. We all have a strong bond with each other - brothers and sisters in arms. That's why we were all so shocked last year at the sudden death of writer Dan Proops.

I wanted to do something, anything, really, to honour him. So I wrote a HellCorp short story - The Fright Before Christmas - with the intention of asking for donations for charity for anybody who wanted to give. But Matthew at Urbane went above and beyond. We got the short story published on Amazon as a special e-book - and all proceeds were being donated to The Samaritans. It was a really wonderful, special gesture that meant a great deal to me. A level of support and unwavering faith that, ultimately, meant we could make a difference and help a really worthy cause. 

The feedback we got was fantastic. And I am, truly, very grateful for the support that Urbane offered to me and my desire to help out. That and they let me write about The Devil solving crimes. I really couldn't ask for a better publisher!

The Man in the Dark is available now from Urbane Publications across all formats