What makes you and your books special?
I work hard to make my characters feel real rather than caricatures, and Kenny Murrain is really like no-one else.
Where do the ideas for your novels come from?
From all kinds of places. A few have been influenced by real stories in the news, but more commonly I begin with a vivid scene which often comes out of nowhere, peopled by mysterious characters. My task, as the writer, is then to work out who those people are and why they’re in that location. That’s usually the start of the story…
How did the spark for your series come about? Was there a lightbulb moment?
The idea for the first book in the series, Late Checkout, came from a period when I was spending too much time staying in hotels for my then day job. It occurred to me that hotels, especially anonymous chain hotels, are potentially sinister places – all those rooms, and who knows what’s going on behind the doors?
What was the hardest scene to write and why?
I’m not a great plotter (or at least my intended plots tend to veer often in more interesting directions as soon as I start to write) so the most challenging point is generally around three quarters of the way through the book when I’m trying to work out how the various strands fit together. Quite often, the answer surprises even me, which I hope makes it gripping for the reader.
Where and how do you prefer to write? Do you have a routine or favorite spot?
I have a wonderful space to write in on the upper floor of our house on the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands. The room looks out on to the Cromarty Firth, with the Ben Wyvis mountain in the background. I’ve set up my desk side-on to the view, or I’d spend the whole day staring out of the window.
What do you enjoy reading privately and what was your latest highlight?
I read very widely, including contemporary and classic crime fiction. My favourite UK crime writer is probably Reginald Hill, author of the Dalziel and Pascoe series, but there are countless other crime writers I could mention. My recent highlights, though, are both SFF novels: There is no Anti-Memetics Division a mind-twisting book by an author who writes as ‘qntm’ and Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdoba, a remarkable and moving magical realist novel. Both were recommendations from my son, who knows much more about contemporary SFF than I do.
Do you have a short message or some words for your readers?
Please keep reading – not just my books (though I’m very grateful for that!) but generally. In this world where there are so many distractions and attention spans seem ever shorter, it’s wonderful that people continue to read novels.