Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "suspense"

Today, I'm thrilled to be introducing you to an exceptionally talented author, Darcia Helle.

I was fortunate to meet Darcia via social networking sometime last year. She is the brains behind BestsellerBound, a message board where independent authors can chat with readers. Darcia had the idea for BestsellerBound.com last year and approached me in the summer asking if I would like to join her and Stacy Juba, as a moderator/resident author on the message board. I didn't really know Darcia back then, but now we have become great friends. She is one of the most supportive and creative writers I have had the pleasure of meeting in the past couple of years.

BestsellerBound has become a respected, supportive, and innovative site, where independent authors meet and chat with other authors, share ideas, help each other out, and answer readers' questions.
We have Darcia to thank for bringing that message board to life.

Darcia writes murder/mystery/crime/suspense fiction. I have become a fan of her writing, and have read
The First Kill,The Cutting Edge,and Enemies and Playmates. I'm looking forward to reading all her books.

As well as answering my interview questions, Darcia is also giving away ebooks to two lucky winners. If you're a winner, you'll be able to choose which one of her books you win!! To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment here. Good luck!

Here are Darcia's answers to my interview questions:

Is there a particular author, or book, that inspired you to start writing?

Not that I remember. I always loved words and also have an overactive imagination. Writing is the perfect outlet for my chronic daydreams.

When did you first discover your love of writing?

Again, I don't remember a specific point in time. I was a strange child. I loved to play school. Each week, my mother would let me pick out one workbook type thing. I don't even know if they sell them, anymore. They were in the magazine section of the store. They were marked by grade level and had an assortment of topics. Phonics was my favorite.

Do you have any tips for someone who is considering self-publishing their own book?

Network with other indie authors. I've learned so much by doing that. Be open to constructive criticism. Remember that you cannot possibly please everyone with your writing. Some will love it but others are bound to hate it. And avoid subsidy publishing. Those companies charge a lot of money for nothing.

As well as writing books you have a blog where you interview authors, and you also created BestsellerBound.com, I also know you read a lot of books. How do you fit it all in?

I don't sleep and I watch very little TV! It helps that I have more free time available to me than a lot of people. I have chronic health problems that keep me pretty much housebound. My sons are both grown up. (Legally, at any rate!) And my husband works crazy hours. I do have three dogs and two cats that are a constant source of distraction. If I could teach them how to do laundry and clean, I'd have even more time for writing!

I have noticed that you seem to be a very fast reader. On average how long does it take you to read a book?

I don't think I read particularly fast. I just spend a lot of hours doing it! I generally read two to three books a week.

I recently read your short story, The First Kill, which features Michael Sykora who I understand is a character from a series of books written by you. It definitely made me want to read the series. Which books are in the Michael Sykora series, and can they be read as individual books or do they have to be read in any particular order?

So far I have two books in that series. I intend to write more but keep getting sidetracked with new characters demanding their stories be told. The first book in the series is
No Justice and the second is Beyond Salvation: A Michael Sykora Novel. Ideally, they would be read in that order. However, I intentionally wrote them so that they could each be read as stand-alone novels. I hope I succeeded! :)

If someone wanted to read your books, which would you recommend they read first, and why?

Wow, that is such a difficult question. I think the answer depends largely on the reader's preference. Enemies and Playmates is strong romantic suspense. Hit List has a degree of romance but the strongest element is straight mystery/suspense. This one has the most twists of any of my books. No Justice and Beyond Salvation are perfect for readers who like series fiction and don't mind language and violence. These two books explore human nature at its best and its worst. Miami Snow is all sex, drugs and murder. It's more drama sprinkled with suspense. And Cutting Edge sits by itself. This is the only book I've written in first person. It's main element is dark humor, though there is a certain amount of mystery and suspense.

I read and enjoyed Enemies and Playmates, your first novel. That book deals with the subject of domestic violence and the villain Alex Covington is probably one of the most evil characters I’ve ever met in literature. What inspired you to write that story?

First, thank you for that! It's a huge compliment that you consider Alex Covington such a memorable villain. While I wasn't conscious of it at the time, I think a large part of the inspiration for that story was my own life. I was going through a tumultuous period. Writing that book was my way of making sense of it all. The book is definitely not autobiographical in any sense, though there are distinct parallels.

I know that as well as being a writer, you are also a hairdresser. Your latest novel, The Cutting Edge is all about a hairdresser who fantasises about killing her clients. I’m currently reading that and enjoying the dark humour. Did you ever fantasise about killing any clients? And were any of the scenes in the book based on real experiences in your salon?

I no longer do hair for a living. I don't think I'd have gotten away with writing The Cutting Edge if I'd still been working as a stylist. My clients would have fled!

I did not ever fantasize about actual murder, though I did fantasize about shaving their heads bald or telling them what I was really thinking when they waltzed in twenty minutes late. This book is the closest thing to my reality that I've ever written. The fictional salon is based on the salon I worked in (owned by my mother) and set in the same very real small town that I lived and worked in. The salon scenes - the clients and conversations - are almost all based on actual real life clients from that salon. My disclaimer is that I changed the names and minor details to protect the innocent and hide the guilty. One reviewer stated that I had invented the worst imaginable clientele a stylist could ever have. This was said as if what I'd done bordered on ridiculous. I laughed and laughed. Truly, I could not have made these people up. They were every bit as real as you and I.

We did not ever have a serial killer roaming our small town. At least not that I'm aware! That part is entirely fictional.

Who are your favourite authors and what is it about their writing that you like?

I have many favorites, you among them!

(Thank you :))

My favorite authors are those who step out of the way of the story being told. They are the authors who make me care what happens to the characters, no matter what the plot or genre might be. Lately, these authors are almost all indie. I've been disappointed with the cookie cutter mold of mainstream fiction.

Is there a book you own that you’ve read more than once?

I own more than 600 print books and another 200 or 300 ebooks. (I have a serious book addiction!) I have no time to read all the books on my to-read list, much less read a book more than once. With fiction, I don't typically keep a book once I've read it. I do keep signed copies or those written by indie authors I know. (Your books are among my keepers!)

(Thanks! That's great to know :))

But I have yet to re-read any of those. I do keep all my nonfiction. I've reread passages of those for reference, though I have not reread an entire book.

What was the last book you read?

I just finished Run by Blake Crouch. This was one of the best thrillers I've ever read.

Are you reading a book at the moment?

I'm about to start Breathing into Stone by Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick.

What do you think of ebooks?

For the reading experience, I will always prefer print books. I love the feel and the look of print. But I like the convenience and the low cost of ebooks. And my ereaders are like grown up toys, which is also fun.

How important are reviews for you as a writer?

Reviews are more important than I ever realized before publishing my first book. As indie authors, we rely on word of mouth and reviews to drive sales. Readers want to get an idea of what the book is like before spending their money on an unknown author. The number of reviews, along with the quality, helps nudge each book up on the list on searches. Those reviews also help our books get listed on various Amazon pages as suggested reads. The reviews do not have to be long or overly descriptive. In fact, many readers don't want that. A quick paragraph highlighting what you loved (or hated) is all that's necessary.

How do you go about choosing a cover for your books?

So far, I've purchased rights to various photos through istockphoto. After I finish the first major edit of a book, I like to let it sit and settle for awhile before going back to begin minor editing. (Which I find tedious!) Searching through photos for just the right one to express the book's content is a great diversion. I plug myself into my iPod and ignore all things writing related for a little while.

What are you working on now?

I'm working on my first paranormal suspense. There are no vampires, zombies or witches. Instead, there is one clumsy spirit named Max who is intent on finding his murderer.

Where can people buy your books?

My books are available in both print and Kindle format on Amazon.

My Amazon Author's Page for the U.S. is: Darcia Helle on Amazon.com

In the U.K.: Darcia Helle on Amazon.co.uk

In Canada: Darcia Helle on Amazon.ca

All ebook formats are available on Smashwords: Darcia Helle: Smashwords

I won't flood you with links but they're also available on Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Sony's ebookstore and Apple's iPad store.

Do you have your own website or blog where people can read more about your work?

I have two URLs for my website. They both go to the same place:
Darcia Helle
Quiet Fury Books

My blog is: A Word Please

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

A huge thank you to all who take the time to read my books! With the thousands of new books published each day, I'm still astounded that people find and choose to read mine.

Thank you, Darcia

Remember, if you want to win one of Darcia's books, all you have to do is leave a comment here. The contest will run until 13th March 2011, and the winners will then be chosen.

Today Jason McIntyre is taking over my blog while I go and make a cup of tea. He's a great guy, I'm sure he will entertain you.

Over to you Jason:




Why is blood so creepy?: discussing my new book ‘Bled’

There’s no denying that there’s blood in my new book. After all it’s front and centre: the title is Bled, after all. And there’s a big dab of it right on the cover, hot red against stark white.

So what’s with suspense and horror writers’ fascination with the stuff? It’s visceral, I suppose. It’s the stuff we are all made of. Pumping in all our veins is this common material. Without it we would die.

And if we see some of it (or lots of it, as the case may be) it probably means we’re on the very cusp of dying. Or hurting. Since suspense is often about what it is to hurt, and horror is often about what it’s like to have hurt inflicted, it makes sense that blood would be bound up in these kinds of fiction.

But how much blood is in my new book Bled, anyhow? Is there’s just gobs and gobs of it? If you read this story, will you have to get on your waders and dive in?

I can tell you that it’s not gory for the sake of it. There are some difficult scenes but my catalogue would never be called gratuitous. Nor would Bled. In fact, I would venture to say I’m not a horror writer at all. Bled is much more about the human condition, much more about facing imperious odds and seeing if one can come out alive. If there’s a lasting legacy with the story, if readers can remember something other than the bloody cover, I do hope it is this: people can push back when they’ve been pushed too far.

So, what do you think of the title and cover? Does blood make you squeamish? Does it excite you? If it does, I might be tempted say you do like horror. But I bet you’ll like this book anyway.







Bled: About the Novella

She only wanted to leave. But he took that option from her. Now she wants it back.

Set on the same island as the reader favorite Shed, the latest literary suspense novella from bestselling author Jason McIntyre picks up the Dovetail Cove saga with this story of one lonely woman...trapped.

Tina McLeod is on the cusp of a new life. Extraordinary change is rare in her world but this newsflash means she can finally leave her small island town for good. No more pouring coffee for townsfolk in Main Street’s greasy spoon, no more living under the weight of her born-again mother. That is, until Frank Moort comes in for his usual lunch and dessert on an ordinary Friday in May.

Bled sees things turn backwards and upside down for each of them. Their encounter is prolonged and grotesque, the sort of thing splashing the covers of big city newspapers. Both are changed. And neither will come out clean on the other side.

A story about taking what’s not yours, Bled explores pushing back when you’ve been pushed too far. It paints in red the horrors from our most commonplace of surroundings: right out in the open where nothing can hide behind closed doors and shut mouths.

About the Author

Jason McIntyre has lived and worked in varied places across the globe. His writing also meanders from the pastoral to the garish, from the fantastical to the morbid. Vibrant characters and vivid surroundings stay with him and coalesce into novels and stories. Before his time as an editor, writer and communications professional, he spent several years as a graphic designer and commercial artist.

McIntyre's writing has been called darkly noir and sophisticated, styled after the likes of Chuck Palahniuk but with the pacing and mass appeal of Stephen King. The books tackle the family life subject matter of Jonathan Franzen but also eerie discoveries one might find in a Ray Bradbury story or those of Rod Serling.

Jason McIntyre’s books include the #1 Kindle Suspense, The Night Walk Men, Bestsellers On The Gathering Storm and Shed, plus the multi-layered coming-of-age literary suspense Thalo Blue.


Bled: Link to buy at Amazon
http://to.ly/bano


Bled: Teaser Trailer

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaSd5I...

One of my favourite authors, Darcia Helle, has released a new novel this week!! I'm very excited about this book because I've already read it. In fact, I was one of the first people to read it... Okay, I'm showing off now! Anyway, my point is, Darcia's new novel, Secrets is a page turner, or maybe in this age of e-books, it's a thumb-clicker... it's finger clickin' good! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself).









Just take a look at the cover. It's absolutely gorgeous:




I know you shouldn't really judge a book by its cover, but I think in the indie publishing world, you probably should, because I think if an author takes time to make sure that the cover of the book is outstanding, then more than likely, the content will also be outstanding. This is definitely the case with Secrets.

This is a book that really gets into the mind of the characters, and takes you on a suspenseful adventure. It has some dark content, and some distressing content, but it is told with sensitivity and skill. Darcia Helle is a seasoned writer having already written numerous other books, and she has a talent for writing suspense that I have rarely seen equalled by other authors.

My message to you: buy this book. You'll love it!

But wait... you could be lucky enough to win a copy. Darcia has offered to give away 2 e-book copies to readers of my blog. To enter, please comment below or simply 'like' this post. Lucky winners will be chosen on 16th September 2012.

Earlier this month, I interviewed Darcia about her latest release. Here's what she had to say:

Secrets, I understand, was the first novel you ever wrote and you recently found the manuscript at home. What was it like reading through a novel that you'd written so many years ago? Had you forgotten some parts of it? Did you remember how it ended? I find sometimes that if I read something I wrote a while ago, it's often hard to remember I wrote it.

I think I finished this book in early 1992. It had been sitting in a manuscript box since then; moved from one place to another, but never looked at. Reading through it the first time was a unique experience. While I remembered the basics, I'd long forgotten most of the intricacies of the story. I'd get to a twist or a new aspect of the plot and I'd be totally surprised. This was a gift, really, as we authors rarely get to experience our own work this way.


What kind of shape was the draft you found? I know, from my own experience that our writing evolves over time. Did it require a lot of editing? And did you notice any definite ways that your writing has changed over the years, for example, was there something you did then that you don't do anymore when you write?

Oh, editing! Is there ever a time when something we write doesn't require editing? I could pick up every one of my already published books and edit them to death!

All things considered, this manuscript wasn't in bad shape. Some parts required a lot of revisions, while other parts remain almost as they were originally.
I definitely noticed changes in my writing style. The biggest difference, I think, comes in my characters. Early on, I had more of a black and white sense of people and their behavior. At their core, people, and by reflection my characters, were either good or bad. There weren't a lot of gray shades.

Now that I'm older and wiser, I know this is rarely true. And I find those gray shades infinitely more interesting than the black and white. My writing these days is about finding that little bit of darkness in an otherwise good person. I like to pull on the loose threads and see what unravels.

Can you remember how long it took you to write the first draft of Secrets?

My best guess would be in the vicinity of six months. As I was writing this one, I had the idea for what became Enemies and Playmates, so I was often writing both books at the same time. I had two small children and a full-time job. I'd stay up until the wee hours of the morning writing, then try to make it through the day on three or four hours sleep. This proves that writing is not a choice for most of us. There's a hidden force that drives us to tell these stories. Or we're just crazy. :)








I know you did a lot of research into the psychology of secrets as I read a blog post you recently wrote on the subject. What, if anything, surprised you most from your research?

I was pleasantly surprised by how well the research matched up with Samantha's character. At the time I wrote this book, there wasn't a lot of research to be found on how keeping secrets effects us. There also was no such thing as Google back then! When I started to research the issue, I was a bit worried that Samantha's behavior would seem ridiculous against the science. That, thankfully, was not the case at all.


What's the biggest secret you've ever kept from anyone?

If I told you, it would no longer be a secret!

The biggest secret I ever kept is now actually public knowledge, so I can share the story. *Drum Roll* My secret is? My husband and I were married for about two months before we told anyone. I'd gone through a difficult divorce from my sons' father a few years before. The short version of the story is that Michael, my current husband, and I had been pen pals from around the time my ex and I first split up. Michael was in the Middle East during the first Gulf War. We met when he got out of the military and we've been together ever since. We didn't tell anyone because we wanted the ceremony to be private. If I'd told my parents they first would have tried to talk me out of it, then would have insisted on being present. My friends would have made a fuss and wanted a party. We didn't want any of that. We wanted it to be about just the two of us. We were married on July 4th, 2000, at the beautiful home of a local Justice of the Peace. We spent our wedding afternoon at World's End National Park with my younger son.

Can you remember what your inspiration or motivation was when you began writing Secrets? I know it was over 20 years ago, so you may have forgotten.

I don't remember any specific trigger that set the story off in my mind. I do know the broader backdrop of inspiration. Back in the late '80s and early '90s, repressed memories were making headlines all over the U.S. This was a particularly hot topic in the New England area where I lived. Sadly, all the hype led to a lot of false accusations and put quite a few innocent people in prison. But that fallout didn't come until years later. At the time this story was born, we were hearing a lot about woman who'd been abused as children and had repressed that memory into adulthood. Various psychological problems brought them into therapy, where psychologists discovered their repressed memories.

This isn't exactly how Samantha's story goes, but the roots are in these news stories.

Given that Secrets was set back in a time when most people didn't have mobiles and Internet, how hard was it for you to edit the story and avoid having a character pick up his or her mobile? I recently had to edit part of my upcoming novel, Haunted, because I'd inadvertently had a character chat to someone on his mobile back in 1991...

Actually, I didn't have a problem with this at all. Because I'd written the original story back then, all the pieces fit just the way they were. I don't want to give away details, but to bring modern technology into the story would have required massive editing. Therefore, it was easy for me to remain 'back in time'.

Are there any other hidden manuscripts in your house that we can expect to see published soon? (I hope so!)

I wish I had another one complete! I do have a novel that is about half done. I'd started writing it in the late '90s. Then I made a major move and had a lot of health complications to deal with. Life got in the way, and I wound up putting that one aside. I'm not sure why I never picked it back up. But it's on my list of things to do!


I love the cover for Secrets. Having read the novel, I really think it's perfect. How did you go about choosing the photo?

As you know, cover art is of huge importance and can be a complicated process. I started out with the idea of placing a chain around the center of the cover, with a padlock holding it together. The padlock would have the title written on it. I played with this idea and decided I hated it. Then my husband had the idea of making it look like a journal, with a lock, where Samantha kept her secrets. That idea didn't work out, either.

I spent many hours searching through photo sites, where authors can purchase the rights to use various photos. The problem with these sites is the content is endless. You need to narrow things down with search words. I'd tried the obvious, such as 'secrets', 'lies', 'abuse', etc. I looked at hundreds, perhaps thousands, of photos. But nothing was clicking.

Finally, I thought about Samantha's character. Who was she? What was she like? I came up with the thought that she wears a mask for the world, keeping her true self hidden. I typed 'mask' and 'woman' into the search box. Two dozen or so photos popped up. The moment I saw the one you now see on the cover, I knew it was what I wanted.

You have a book trailer for Secrets. Did you make that yourself?

I do, and I did! Like cover design, this is a major creative endeavor. You need the right photos to go with whatever your captions are. Then you need music that captures the feel of the book. I spent one entire afternoon listening to thirty-second music clips!

The captions I used for this trailer are from the back cover. I thought the blurb/description worked well for the trailer. The photos are all from Morguefile.com and the music is from FreePlayMusic.net.

You can see the trailer on YouTube

Or on the trailer page of my website


Have you read any outstanding novels recently?

Too many to list them all! I've read somewhere around 80 books so far this year, and probably half of those were outstanding.

A few of those novels are:

The Book of Sylvia by Michael Scott Miller
Senseless Confidential by Martin Bannon
Hide and Seek by Jenny Hilborne
Gone by Julie Elizabeth Powell

And, of course, your revised edition of Coincidences!

Thank you!! :)

Do you have any other novels or projects in the pipeline?

I'm working on book #3 in my Michael Sykora series. This one is long overdue. I nudged it aside several times because a different character with a different story took up residence in my head. Now Michael's tired of waiting and has his story all mapped out for me. I just need to listen and follow along.

Thank you, Darcia, for being a fabulous guest, as always!


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Remember to leave a comment below or 'like' this post if you want a chance to win a copy of Secrets!! Good luck!

I am pleased to announce that my latest novel, Haunted is available on Amazon Kindle!




Haunted is a psychological thriller, darker than my other novels. It is about a man who is on a downwards spiral. He has kept a secret that now threatens to destroy him. There's a paranormal twist to the tale.

I hope you'll enjoy it.

You will notice that the Kindle version has been expertly formatted with an interactive table of contents and links included to my Amazon page and my other books. There are even images included at the end of each chapter. I was very impressed with the quality of the formatting and would highly recommend eBookBuilders which is the company I used to produce this Kindle edition.

The links to Amazon where you can purchase the book are below. If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can borrow the book from the Kindle Lending Library for free!

Amazon.com (includes India): http://www.amazon.com/Haunted-ebook/d...

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunted-ebook...

France: http://www.amazon.fr/Haunted-ebook/dp...

Germany: http://www.amazon.de/Haunted-ebook/dp...

Italy: http://www.amazon.it/Haunted-ebook/dp...

Spain: http://www.amazon.es/Haunted-ebook/dp...

Japan: http://www.amazon.co.jp/Haunted-ebook...

To celebrate the launch of my new novel, Haunted, I have written a guest blog post for K.B. Walker's blog. Click the link below to read all about the recurring themes in my novels, and my inspiration:
http://nutsandcrisps.wordpress.com/20...

Haunted is the Featured New Release on West of Mars.

West of Mars is the website for Rock & Roll fiction author, Susan Helene Gottfried. Susan helped me with the editing for Haunted.

You can find out all about Susan's editing services here: http://westofmars.com/susans-editing-...

Follow this link to see the Featured New Release post, and find out what song makes me think of my book: http://westofmars.com/featured-new-bo...

I've created a book trailer to help promote my latest novel, Haunted

I found the photos on morguefile.com, and the background music is from http://freemusicforvideos.com/

Here's a link to the trailer on Youtube:


http://youtu.be/64B01EquOyk

I was recently interviewed by author Darcia Helle about my new novel, Haunted.

You can read the interview here: http://quietfurybooks.com/blog/2012/1...

Darcia asked some very probing questions about my inspiration for writing the book, I hope you'll enjoy the interview!

I'm currently running a giveaway here on Goodreads. You can enter to win one of 2 paperback copies of my latest title, Haunted. It's a psychological thriller with a touch of the paranormal.

If you'd like a chance to win a signed copy, enter here: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Good luck!

My guest today is 
Geoffrey David West, author of the gripping thriller Rock 'n' Roll Suicide.

After reading his book, I was keen to invite him here and introduce him to all of you. His book is a great murder mystery, and I would highly recommend it. As luck would have it, you have the chance to download your copy FREE from Amazon this week (between 14th and 18th January)!

The Kindle edition is readable not only on a Kindle e-reader, but also on your PC, Mac, iPad, or smartphone - you can get free apps from Amazon to read Kindle books if you don't own a Kindle. So, make sure you grab a copy of "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" this week.

Here's the link you need (this clever link should take you to your local Amazon store): viewBook.at/B009XA5SQ4



Here's my interview with Geoffrey:

When did you start writing Rock 'n' Roll Suicide, and did you have a plan for the story when you started?

About a couple of years ago I think. Just had a hazy idea at first, began writing, put it away for a while, then started again in earnest. Had no plan at all when I started.

Did you do all your own editing?


Yes, and in retrospect it was a mistake. I didn’t want copy editing, as I’d already done that, but I thought I’d done the proofreading, having read it over several times. But on the kindle screen I saw more mistakes, and republished. And now I know there are still more mistakes, so I’m going to republish again. I’m really short of money, but rather than have the nightmare all over again I’m going to ask Julia, Terry Tyler’s sister, for help with my next book, as an amateurish manuscript with typos and missed words is awful and embarrassing.

Hmm... to make you feel better, I have just read a book published by Penguin that had no less that 6 typos... there may have been more that I didn't spot, of course. I do believe that it's not possible to get a completely typo-free book.

There is a lot of description in your novel about places and buildings. Did you visit all the places mentioned in the novel, during the course of writing it?


I already knew the places in Kent, because I write for a magazine called Kent Life, in which I described towns and places, so that was fine. And I know Paris slightly. But as for Hamburg, I’ve never been, did it all from books and on the net, so I hope there aren’t any mistakes.



I know that you also write non-fiction. After writing your first novel, which would you say you prefer, fiction or non-fiction writing?


Fiction, definitely. Nonfiction is a lot easier, and also rewarding, but essentially you’re just presenting facts, not creating anything.

Do you think your experience in non-fiction writing helped or hindered you when you came to writing fiction, and in what ways?


Helped definitely. I’ve written many articles about subjects I knew absolutely nothing at all about when I started, to the extent that if I phoned experts, for instance on a building-related subject, I wasn’t even sure which questions to ask. I realised that you just have to bundle into it, get something down, not wait around until it’s crystallised in your mind. Even if you put down rubbish, you can extract what’s any good from it, arrange it into a different order and so on. Many people talk about writing, but hardly any actually get down to doing it.

When you came up with the idea for your novel, did you plan to write a series or is that something that you decided on later?


Decided on later, when I found Jack Lockwood seemed to be an interesting person.

Jack Lockwood, your protagonist, is a psychologist. Do you have any psychology qualifications?


No, none at all I’m afraid, it’s all from what I’ve read and tried to understand, and I hope I’ve got away with it.

How many books do you plan to write in the Jack Lockwood series?


I’d like to write about six, I think, maybe more, but depends if they sell.

Part of your novel revolves around a conspiracy theory about John Lennon’s murder. Were you/are you a Beatles fan? If so, what do you think is their best album?


I was about 10 when they had their first breakthrough (I remember ‘I want to hold your hand’) and back then I was certainly a fan, and followed their careers until I was around 18 I suppose. I always remember the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club album being played at a friend’s party when I’d just left school – that one I suppose is my favourite.



Much of your novel includes characters who are in some way linked to the music industry. Do you have a musical background?


No, I’m afraid not. But I have read a lot of pop star autobiographies.

What is your favourite type of music?


Country Music, and it’s sad because you hardly ever hear it in Britain. I love Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, the Dixie Chicks, Lyle Lovett. I also like the old rock bands, for instance Lynyrd Skynyrd. And I do like David Gray, Fleetwood Mac and Richard Thomson and the old folk bands, such as Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span.

Was Maggi O’Kane, or any of the band members in your novel, inspired/based on real musicians?


I suppose I loosely thought of Suzi Quattro, but only because she’s the closest to what I had in mind – Maggi is certainly not based on her. However the place, ‘The Mansh’, I think was based on someone (I think a Fleetwood Mac member) who owned a country mansion, and they called it ‘The Manor’ and used it as a recording studio. The lovely old building and the musicians in it, gave me the idea for the beginning of the book, and the ‘What if’ extension of the beginning turned it into a story.



How much research did you do for the book?


Quite a bit I suppose, but nothing too deep. For instance, I read a lot of pop star biographies, researched Hamburg for the travel details and so on, and also researched the ‘new’ career of being a Behavioural Investigative Adviser, and read books by leading criminal profilers about their careers and cases they worked on.

The book is written in the first person, and often when I read books written in the first person, I wonder whether the character is similar to the author. How much of you is there in Jack Lockwood, or is he based on someone else/purely fictional?
  

A lot of first person writing is, perhaps, wishful thinking – I would love to be a fearless righter of wrongs and intrepid in the face of danger. I would also like to be extremely clever! However the only real way Jack Lockwood I suppose is like me in that I love building, crafts and DIY and do a lot of that kind of work, and know plumbing, carpentry etc.

Apart from the Jack Lockwood series, are you working on any other projects?


Yes, I’m lucky enough to get writing work for Kent Life magazine, also I’m trying to get back into writing articles about building and DIY, plus I’m planning to do a few building/DIY books on kindle. I tried to interest publishers on books on Kent, but with no success at all.

Your book is only available in e-book format at the moment, as far as I know. Do you have plans to make it available as a paperback?



Not at the moment because I cannot afford it. Although I suppose there’s the Print on Demand option, how do you sell books when you’re unknown? People might risk wasting 77p (99c), but would they risk £5 for a book they may not like?

Do you prefer reading e-books or print books?


I suppose print books, it’s nice to feel a book in your hands, but the convenience and cheapness of e-books is their advantage, being able to buy one within seconds.

Do you have any tips for someone who may be considering self-publishing a book?


Yes, get someone to read it to check for mistakes, or, better, pay a professional proofreader, because, for some reason, there are always more mistakes than you realise, and you can’t see your own mistakes. And don’t be put off by the technical side of formatting, because Kindle and Smashwords.com both offer very good free guide books that take your through the entire process. I was also lucky enough to hook up with some really nice people on Twitter who helped me in many ways: Terry Tyler , Maria Savva (of course!), Darcia Helle , Martin Johnson , Mary Metcalfe and a number of other kind folk. Going on Twitter is an excellent way to try to market your book and discover other tremendous authors to read.

Who designed your book cover?


Ian Scaife, of www.isgraphics.co.uk He
did a terrific job.

Yes, it's a great cover!

Who are your favourite authors?

Robert Goddard, Dick Francis, Douglas Kennedy, Tony Parsons, Sarah Waters, Barbara Vine.

There are lots of twists and turns in Rock’n’Roll Suicide, and lots of murders/deaths! As a crime fiction writer have you ever based a character on a particular person you dislike and then killed him or her off in the novel?

Great question, but actually no, I don’t think I hate anyone enough to want them dead. But who knows about the future?

Where can people buy your books?

Rock’n’Roll Suicide: viewBook.at/B009XA5SQ4 And I’ve got a page on Amazon for my others: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Geoffrey-West...

Where at the best places for people to connect with you online?

www.geoffreydavidwest.com and my blog at http://bit.ly/QoYXbv

Thank you, Geoff! I wish you continued success with "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide", and look forward to reading the rest of the series!

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Don't forget to download your free copy of "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" between 14th & 18th January 2013: viewBook.at/B009XA5SQ4