To
start things off Val, can I ask how you began writing fiction? Was there a
specific trigger?
There was indeed a trigger, I began writing my first novel when I was being treated for breast
cancer. I had taken early retirement and was beginning to wonder how I had ever
had time to work when I received the unwelcome diagnosis of breast cancer. As my treatment proceeded, I started to blog about my
experience. My writing here still receives considerable attention: www.survivingbreastcancernow.com.
I found my treatment very tiring and had little energy to do anything but read,
so I started reviewing the books I read on www.bookreviewstoday.info
.I have always enjoyed reading crime fiction and I began
to think that, as I had the time, I would try my hand at writing a crime
fiction novel. It was not an easy task, and it took a lot longer than I thought
it would, but the result was Hunter's
Chase.
The
novel features DI Hunter Wilson. How would you describe him?
Hunter
Wilson, like all my characters in Hunter's
Chase, is a combination of several people that I have found interesting. I
needed my main protagonist to have certain characteristics including patience,
perseverance and a desire to achieve justice for those who could not attain
that for themselves. Hunter is a compassionate man who fights for the underdog
and is a fine team player. These are important qualities in my main character. But
I also needed Hunter to have flaws. Everybody has faults and to make Hunter
believable, he had to have them too. He is not a saint. He is divorced, he is
untidy, he likes to win, he bears a grudge.
How
did you first come up with the plot for the book and how did it develop from
those initial ideas?
The original idea came from a former employee of mine.
She had worked in a lawyer's office, in the north of Edinburgh, where they
specialised in criminal law and when she came to work for me in a rather
different type of office in a rather elegant part of Edinburgh city centre. The
comment my employee made was “It is lovely not to work in a place where you smell the
clients before you see them!” It was this comment gave me a kernel of an idea that
formed the basis of the Johnson family in Hunter's Chase from that
central family and their story, my novel evolved from there.
To
what extent is a sense of place important in your books and how do you create
this?
I chose Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland
as the setting for Hunter’s Chase. Setting is most important to a novel and
Edinburgh is a beautiful city of around half a million people. It is big enough
so that anything that I want to happen in my novels can happen, but it is also
a small enough city that many people in the city know each other. The main protagonist of
'Hunter's Chase' is Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson. He lives in Leith, an
area to the north of the City and drinks in his local pub, the Persevere Bar.
His home is also close to the Hibernian (‘Hibs’) football ground. The other main character,
Detective Constable Tim Myerscough lives across the city from Hunter, in the
south-west of the city. He moves into a flat Gillespie Crescent between
Tollcross and Bruntsfield. His local pub in the Golf Tavern, off the
Bruntsfield Links. DC Tim Myerscough's father, Sir
Peter Myerscough, lives even further to the south in the Morningside district
of Edinburgh. From his large house he has fine views across the Pentland Hills.
Plot,
character, setting, theme, genre…which of these do you focus on initially when
you are developing a new book?
My novels fall squarely within the genre of crime
thrillers. I first draft out a rough idea of the plot of my novel. That tells
me who I need to populate the story and make it come to life. In Hunter's Chase, DI Hunter Wilson
struggles to ensure the crime in Edinburgh does not go unpunished. Hunter's
Chase introduces a new detective, DI Hunter Wilson into the ‘Tartan Noire’
genre. I am delighted to be compared to other proponents of Tartan Noire
such as Ian Rankin, Alex Grey and Quintin Jardine. I
think all crime novels explore the triumph of good over evil. The readers know
the criminals will not succeed. Still, the thrill of the chase and the problems
overcome to achieve justice for the victims must enthral and satisfy the
readers.
How
do you come up with names for your characters?
I have always been interested in names and this interest
has stood me in good stead when populating my novel with characters. In many
cases, the characters told me their own names. Hunter Wilson, for example:
reflects the fine Scottish tradition of using surnames as first names. Wilson
is a popular Scottish surname and I do like the conceit of having an
investigating detective who goes by the name of Hunter. Meera Sharma is another character who told me her own
name. I once knew a very pretty girl whose name was Meera. I partnered the
first name with the name Sharma because I thought it had a good ring to it. As
for Timothy Myerscough, I have been savouring the name Myerscough for over twenty-five
years and the first name Timothy balanced it nicely. Names for the characters come easily to me and I enjoy
finding names for my characters very much.
I
see from your biographical details that you have a background in law – both in
practice and in teaching. How has this influenced your writing?
I write crime fiction, but I was never involved in the
practice of Criminal Law. Indeed, I only passed my Criminal Law exams at
university by promising the Professor that I would never work in that field! However, I did meet many policemen and sat through many
court cases. There is no doubt that my background fired my interest in crime
novels.
Do
you have a regular writing regime? What would a typical writing day look like
and do you have things which help you along, such as a regular supply of
coffee, music, or a stimulating view from the window?
I usually write in the afternoons. In the mornings I take
care of the regular household and social matters that I need to deal with. In
the evenings, I tutor local children for their English exams at school, so in
the afternoons, when I have the house to myself, I write. I find Earl Grey Tea,
quiet, familiar music and watching my cats all help in their own way if I have
a block in my flow. However, most help is afforded to me by chocolate. That is
my excuse and I am sticking to it!
And,
can I ask, is there a new book in the pipeline?
Only this week, I heard from my publishers, Crooked Cat
Books, that they have accepted the sequel to Hunter's Chase: Hunter's
Revenge. It is very early days, but we are aiming to get the novel
completed and edited with a view to publication during August or September
2018.
Thanks
very much for answering our questions and good luck with ‘Hunter’s Chase’ and
your future projects.
Thank you for allowing me to visit the blog
today, Dave. I really appreciate it. I can be contacted on social media at:
Val
was interviewed by Yorkshire Writers’ Lunch member, Dave Rigby.
