How much of your story comes from your real life experiences?

None. There is a saying that you should write what you know but when it comes to thrillers I don’t go along with that. Unless your life involves murders, chases, and intrigue, I adhere to the philosophy that you should write what you read, trying to write for readers like yourself.

Have you always written?

No, in fact I used to struggle to write and my spelling was atrocious. At primary school I followed a now defunct scheme called ITA which left me languishing in the remedial classes when joining Secondary school. About that time, aged 11, I stopped eating red meat and my fish intake soared. Coinciding with this dietary change, my writing markedly improved and by the 3rd year I had climbed to the top group for English. I don’t claim to be a literary writer - some books are like taking a Venetian gondola, mine are like taking the big dipper at Blackpool – but I credit any talent partly down to Omega 3 oil.

So you’re not a literary writer?

I write commercial fiction. My writing is all about the entertainment. I try to make my books easy to read and hard to put down.

Do you outline/know the ending before you begin?

Absolutely. I write plot-driven novels because I need a tight structure in order to land the twists, deadlines and cliffhangers in quick succession. I can plant seeds, even red herrings, early in the story because I know exactly what’s going to happen. In fact, the structure is completed before I even sit down to write the first chapter. Sure, chapters can be altered or even added as the story requires but I generally stick quite close to my original outline. Character driven plots work well for longer books or novels set over a lengthy period of time. They achieve plausibility as the writer asks themselves ‘what the character would do next?’ My books stick with a short time frame for the entire story as I try to elicit a feeling of real-time for the reader.

Why did you set Chasing Shadows in Los Angeles?

Most of the books I read are set in a big American city. When I picture Chasing Shadows in Nottingham the story just doesn’t seem plausible. Furthermore, I needed the whole fish out of water vibe that sending Edson Taylor into the violent underworld of LA established. Furthermost, I find that the geography of LA, the gang culture and the ethnic mix, all lend themselves to the story. I have lived and worked in America but I didn’t know LA all that well - being there on holiday many years ago only provided so much - but I believe that an overkill of detail can detract from the story, certainly too much description slows a thriller down, so my web based research offered all the info I needed. Mapquest’ and ‘google earth’ were particularly good for locations.

How much of Edson Taylor is based on you?

We are both tall but that’s about it. That said I wanted Edson Taylor to be an everyman character. The reader should be able to identify with him. After all most people aren’t black belts or familiar with firearms, in fact, like Edson Taylor, most people avoid violence like a naked dwarf avoids nettles. Chasing Shadows takes a regular guy and drops him in a dangerous world. That’s why I chose to write the chapters featuring Edson in 1st person. I wanted readers to put themselves in his shoes.

What are you writing next?

Another stand alone thriller. This one is set in New York City and its working title is The Kill List.

How can readers contact you?

Via my links page.

Do you have any advice for writers?

For what they're worth, here goes...

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