In my office there’s a kitchen colender but it has never strained any vegetables. It is lined with tin foil to stop my ideas leaking out.
It was a gift from my family in response to regular cries of “I thought of that ages ago” while watching crime or thrillers on TV.
It’s a long-running family joke. Much blood, sweat and treasure has gone into my crime thriller series about Danny Lancaster, an Afghanistan veteran who lost a leg and is now trying to make it as a private investigator.
I have written three books – The Wreck Of The Margherita, Death Squad and Rough Diamond – and the fourth, Rock Hard, is due out for Christmas.
So you can picture my face when the world’s most famous author parked her tanks on my lawn with The Cuckoo’s Calling which features wounded-Afghan-veteran-turned-detective Cormoran Strike.
But publishing, like crime writing, is an unsentimental brutal business. I haven’t read JK’s book as I’m working on mine but her foray into crime has been highly praised. Her global fame is an automatic boost to her talent. All I have is talent (hopefully).
The industry that is JK Rowling switching from wizard to crime fiction risks grinding me and Danny under her tank tracks.
So we have a David v Goliath situation here. But Danny was a paratrooper, trained in speed and aggression against heavy odds. Me? I’m just bloody-minded.
On the bright side, maybe JK has created a crime sub-genre of squaddie-turned-tec fiction.
Anyway, the fight is on. Danny is smearing on the camo cream. I am strapping on my Thought Helmet.
So, Cormoran, come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough.
I AM recently returned from mingling with the masters of murder at the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate.
Killer writers included Lee Child, Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, Ruth Rendell, Peter James and Mark Billingham among a cascade of crime writing talent. Lovely friendly people.
Many sessions were interesting and entertaining and it was a great opportunity for fans to met their favourite authors and get their books signed.
It is also a major industry event with a heavy presence of publishers and agents which may explain why there was no mention of ebooks or independent authors.
Missed opportunity.
Just finished Simon Kernick’s Ultimatum, a fast and twisting Formula 1 of a thriller. Excellent stuff.