My latest novel, Fluke’s Cradle, was published in April, a book I’m very proud of, but one I fear is also very difficult to follow...
Signing copies of Fluke's Cradle at its official launch in Knaphill, Woking
It’s my fifth novel and, Eddie Noble is its protagonist. Like, Tommy Compton, Jack Compton and Harry Rogers from my other books, they’re all what you might call vulnerable types, the kind of lost souls my lovely loyal band of readers have always endeared to.
Now though, do I break the mould? Change direction, genre? Do I write from a different perspective and change the protagonist’s voice?
The idea for a new novel is very much in its infancy. A crime and mystery affair, linking two very true but separate stories as I combine a missing person’s case in the south with a shocking murder in the north.
As with any good fiction based on a true story (or stories), there's always a need to take reality and give it a full makeover. During which period do I set it? There must be subplots and a backdrop. Who will be the supporting characters, and where will they come from? From there, poetic licence and the imagination can run riot!
My subconscious has always acted as my spirit guide, told me what to say, and showed me where to put the words… It feverishly combats any fatigue or writer’s block, as some people might call it. It creates and fuels direction.
I’ve always found that the battle is virtually won once the first chapter is written down. Then, after a few months, and with something that resembles a finished manuscript, I experience a sense of semi-achievement, whilst knowing that the arduous editing process and the tricky route to publication is yet to come.
After each book has been sent to the publisher, I've always wondered, how the hell did I write that? How?
Now though, this person, this voice inside my head, matters as I need him to make the next book happen. The same voice that once told me, “The pen is mightier than the sword!” Even though I write using a laptop, of course!
