Ask the Author: Paul Stephens
Answered Questions (9)
Paul Stephens
First of all, you're very kind (and generous) to describe my book as 'one of the best books I've ever read'- thank you very much!
Writing the second book (Death in the Deauville) left me fairly exhausted, so I took a while off. I am working on a third Mary Miller story (I'm about 30,000 words in), but I also got sidetracked into another project, a comic novel about a cantakerous old female farmer who sees herself as a last bastion of tradition against the relentless onslaught of modernity. If you can imagine Cold Comfort Farm with air-conditioned tractor cabs, you've got the basic idea! That book's in progress too, also at 30K words.
The third Mary Miller book is set about 18 months after the end of the second one, and has all the usual main characters - Mary, Michael (whose circumstances have changed rather dramatically), the DI, Doc Singh, the ever-lovely Jolene Buller - solving what looks, at first, like a 'good old fashioned' murder at a local holiday site. Death in the Deauville ended somewhat bleakly, but I decided to go for a reset (hence the 18 months time setting gap) and back to a lighter approach. It will be a lot shorter than the first two books - 70-80K words rather than 120-130K - so will hopefully be a 'rattling' read.
I will finish both books (and I've got an idea for another) - hang on in there please, and thanks again for the kind words!
Writing the second book (Death in the Deauville) left me fairly exhausted, so I took a while off. I am working on a third Mary Miller story (I'm about 30,000 words in), but I also got sidetracked into another project, a comic novel about a cantakerous old female farmer who sees herself as a last bastion of tradition against the relentless onslaught of modernity. If you can imagine Cold Comfort Farm with air-conditioned tractor cabs, you've got the basic idea! That book's in progress too, also at 30K words.
The third Mary Miller book is set about 18 months after the end of the second one, and has all the usual main characters - Mary, Michael (whose circumstances have changed rather dramatically), the DI, Doc Singh, the ever-lovely Jolene Buller - solving what looks, at first, like a 'good old fashioned' murder at a local holiday site. Death in the Deauville ended somewhat bleakly, but I decided to go for a reset (hence the 18 months time setting gap) and back to a lighter approach. It will be a lot shorter than the first two books - 70-80K words rather than 120-130K - so will hopefully be a 'rattling' read.
I will finish both books (and I've got an idea for another) - hang on in there please, and thanks again for the kind words!
Paul Stephens
Hi Alan,
Yes, I've started work on a third Mary Miller novel (with all the usual characters), but I've also become sidetracked into a completely different project (a comic novel), so things are moving slowly. Sorry for the delay, but please hang on in there!
Paul
Yes, I've started work on a third Mary Miller novel (with all the usual characters), but I've also become sidetracked into a completely different project (a comic novel), so things are moving slowly. Sorry for the delay, but please hang on in there!
Paul
Paul Stephens
Hi Jackie, yes there's definitely another Mary Miller book in progress - I'm just finishing the second draft so it's getting near to publication now (I'm aiming for early February). It's set a few months after the Bodies in the Beach, with the same team and a new mystery, based on some very Westonian themes(!).
I'm not very skilled (or experienced) at promotion, I'm afraid, so I don't have an email list for fans, although it sounds a very good idea and I'll look into setting one up. I am very intested in getting pre-launch feedback on the new book from readers of the Bodies. I'll message you separately about that.
I'm not very skilled (or experienced) at promotion, I'm afraid, so I don't have an email list for fans, although it sounds a very good idea and I'll look into setting one up. I am very intested in getting pre-launch feedback on the new book from readers of the Bodies. I'll message you separately about that.
Paul Stephens
Stay true to your own style and avoid adjectives.
Paul Stephens
Do something else entirely to take my mind off it (something physical is good - I go cycling).
Paul Stephens
I don't - I treat it as a job and sit down and do it. I've been an IT journalist for 25 years, so I'm used to having to produce copy even when I don't really feel like it, and I'm convinced that you can be creative that way. I admit that it doesn't sound very romantic though!
Paul Stephens
Bringing believable characters to life.
Paul Stephens
I'm currently working on the sequel to The Bodies In The Beach, with the same core characters and same location (Weston-super-Mare). It's another murder mystery (of course), with a theme that's quite high-profile in the real Weston-super-Mare. The books are designed as a series, so there are more to come!
Paul Stephens
My detective novel, The Bodies In The Beach, began with the characters. A real-life friend of mine was living in Weston-super-Mare (an English seaside resort) in much the same circumstances as Michael Slade does in the book. I thought he'd make a good basis for an amateur sleuth, with ultra-high IQ but an unconventional lifestyle, who gets involved with the police.
Having based Michael on my friend (although there are a lot of differences!), I needed a police detective for him to work with, and I thought it would be good to have a female officer, DS Mary Miller. Mary in turn has a male boss (the Detective Inspector), creating potential for contrasts in the way she deals with these two very different men in her working life.
With the three of them in place, I set out on devising a story for them. I got the basic framework (body in beach, Michael seeming to know too much, etc), but then stalled for over a year because I couldn't think of the details. In desperation I started writing, and found that the details just popped up as I typed.
Having based Michael on my friend (although there are a lot of differences!), I needed a police detective for him to work with, and I thought it would be good to have a female officer, DS Mary Miller. Mary in turn has a male boss (the Detective Inspector), creating potential for contrasts in the way she deals with these two very different men in her working life.
With the three of them in place, I set out on devising a story for them. I got the basic framework (body in beach, Michael seeming to know too much, etc), but then stalled for over a year because I couldn't think of the details. In desperation I started writing, and found that the details just popped up as I typed.
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