Good characters are central to a book. An idea flashes out of nowhere and you have a blank outline, people-shaped but empty.
Then the work starts.
What is their back story? What part do they play? What character traits drive their actions and emotions?
Getting it right is vital.
It often involves a lot of time staring out to sea.
J K Rowling’s new Cormoran Strike crime story is out in June, the second of seven. But why wait when right now you can meet wounded Afghanistan veteran turned detective Danny Lancaster in four cracking 5* crime thrillers:
A deadly cargo must be found – THE WRECK OF THE MARGHERITA
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007OVUG6Q
Revenge fuels a rock band’s murder – DEATH SQUAD
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0085V9HL4
There is no honour among thieves – ROUGH DIAMOND
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DK7F6I6 –
How far do you go for the man who saved your life? – ROCK HARD
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GXDU5DA
I used to be quite squeamish. It started with hiding behind the sofa from Dr Who as a kid. In adult life I’ve sat in cinemas and on theme park rides with my hands over my eyes.
But I’m toughening up as a result of television CSI shows. Every time I sit down with dinner on a tray just after the watershed someone turns over a rotting corpse or lifts dripping innards from chest cavity.
I used to put down my knife and fork until the scalpel work was done.
Now I just plough on. It’s better for my digestion but slightly sad I have become hardened to it.
Thought I was developing a hearing problem. The sudden silence was worrying until I realised it was the absence of rain.
www.facebook.com/DannyLancasterInvestigates
@williamjtodd
Remembering Barbara – www.barbaragubbins.co.uk