The Roving Eye Interviews Luke Murphy

Today's Roving Eye Interview is with crime writer, Luke Murphy. Luke lives in Shawville, Quebec with his wife, three daughters and pug. He played six years of professional hockey before retiring in 2006. Since then, he’s held a number of jobs, from sports columnist to radio journalist, before earning his Bachelor of Education degree (Magna Cum Laude).

Murphy`s acclaimed debut novel, Dead Man`s Hand, was released by Imajin Books on October 20, 2012.

When did you first realise that you wanted to write for a living?

Writing is not my full time job. I’ll tell you more about that in question 6.

Actually it happened by accident. Growing up I never thought much about writing, but I was an avid reader. The only time I ever wrote was when my teachers at school made me. I wanted to be an NHL superstar…period.

It was the winter of 2000, my second year of professional hockey, and I was playing in Oklahoma City.  After sustaining a season ending eye injury (one of the scariest moments of my life), I found myself with time on his hands.

My girlfriend at the time, who is now my wife, was attending a French college in Montreal. She received an English assignment to write a short story, and asked me for some help.

I loved the experience—creating vivid characters and generating a wire-taut plot. I sat down at my roommate’s computer and began typing. I wrote a little every day, around my intense rehabilitation schedule and before I knew it I had completed my first manuscript.

I didn’t write with the intention of being published. I wrote for the love of writing.

Thirteen years later, I still write for pleasure—and I still love it! The fact that I am being published is a bonus.

What made you choose crime fiction?

I was always an avid reader. My first books were the Hardy Boys titles, so they are the reason I love mysteries. As an adult, some of my favorite authors are Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly and Greg Iles, so naturally I write what I love to read – mystery/suspense/thriller novels.

What crime novel would you most like to have written?

“Kiss the Girls” by James Patterson was the first adult crime-book I ever read, and I fell in love with the genres. Probably my favorite crime book to date is “The Poet” by Michael Connelly. I would love to write a Harry Bosch novel. What a great character.

Who is your favourite author outside of crime fiction and why?

I don’t know if you count thrillers as in the same class as crime-fiction, I’m assuming you do. My favorite thriller writers are Greg Iles and Harlan Coben. I haven’t read a lot outside of my crime-fiction and thriller genres, so this is a tough question. I’m the kind of guy who likes familiarity and rarely strays from what I know. My wife and I really enjoy the Nicholas Sparks movies, does that count?

Who are you reading right now?

I’m currently reading Blood Memory by Greg Iles. These days I don’t read as much as I’d like, because I have so much going on.

If you weren’t a writer, what else could you see yourself doing?

I always say I write because I can’t sing or dance (LOL). Writing isn’t my full time job, I would have starved long ago if it was.

I’m an elementary school teacher, I tutor Math and English part time and I’m a husband and father. So as you can see, I only write when I find time.

My dream was to play in the NHL. I ended up only playing 4 games for the Florida Panthers in 1999, then injuries and age took over. But it was a fun journey and a wild ride while it lasted.

My dream job today would be to write full time. To make enough money, be able to stay home and write what and when I wanted would certainly be my ultimate goal.

Playing on tour in the PGA wouldn’t be bad either. J

What was the last great book that you read?

Man, I’ve read so many great books by so many talented writers. The last book I read that actually had one of those “wow” factors was “Pied Piper” by Ridley Pearson.

How do you feel about ebooks vs. print books and alternative vs. conventional publishing?

Guilty as charged, okay, I admit it, I don’t have an ereader. There is just something about holding a book in my hands, the smell and the feel. I can’t explain it but for me I love holding an actual book. That being said, I sell a ton more ebooks than I do paperback, so I appreciate where society is taking us into a paperless future. As for publishing, I’ve always been a traditional kind of guy, but I realize times have changed, and more writers are gaining an opportunity, exposure and a chance to get their books in front of readers though self-publishing and PODs. I think I just enjoy the challenge of being evaluated by my peers, and I think that it is more fulfilling when you realize that a publisher wants to take a chance on your work, rather than you paying to have it done. But I have heard very positive things about self-publishing. It’s different for everyone.

What five words best describe your average day?

 

Normally “writing” would be in there, but since baby #3 arrived in May, I haven’t written a thing. So these are the 5 words that sum up my current days:

Fathering

Loving

Teaching

Learning

Promoting

Sum up your latest novel in less than 20 words.

DEAD MAN’S HAND takes readers inside the head of Vegas debt-collector Calvin Watters, one-time football star, now murder suspect.

And, lastly, just for fun..

Have you read or would you ever consider reading 50 Shades of Grey?

I have never read 50 Shades of Grey (don’t know if I’d admit it if I had J ), and I probably never will. I heard all about it though. I can totally understand the allure of the content, but I’ve also heard that it is very poorly written, and I probably would get fed up and frustrated half-way through the first chapter. But I do respect the author and what she accomplished with those books. I would certainly like to be as successful as she has become from that series. I’ve actually written a blog post about the book, and if it would have been as well received had a man written it.

 

For more information on Luke and his books, visit: www.authorlukemurphy.com

 

The Roving Eye Interviews Eva Hudson

Today's Roving Eye interview is with crime writer, Eva Hudson. Eva grew up in south London and now splits time between the Sussex countryside and central London where she writes full time. Her three novels, The Senior Moment, The Loyal Servant (which won the inaugural Lucy Cavendish fiction prize in 2011) and current novel, The Third Estate are all available via Amazon.



When did you first realise that you wanted to write for a living?

When I was eleven my English teacher asked the class to write a short account of what we wanted to be when we grew up. I plumped for barrister or author (I think maybe Rumpole of the Bailey must have been on TV at the time!). Given I've never even set eyes on a law book, let alone studied the subject at any level, I think my authorial ambitions have well and truly trumped my legal ones.

What made you chose crime fiction?

When I started out I decided I only wanted to write books that I would like to read. And I do enjoy a good mystery. I love stories with great plots, interesting characters and proper endings. You can't beat crime fiction when it comes to ticking those boxes.

What crime novel would you most like to have written?

The Secret History by Donna Tartt. More of a 'why-on-earth-dunnit' rather than a whodunnit, it's a compelling novel that stays with you long after you read the last page and close the book.

Who is your favourite author outside of crime fiction and why?

Hilary Mantel. I know she's won every prize going and it's almost a cliche to admit being a fan, but her prose is so crisp and her characterisation so deep it's hard not to be totally charmed.

What’s the earliest memory you have of writing a story?

One I properly remember was for a local authority competition. Everyone in my class was entered, as was every other ten-year-old in Southwark. We had a choice of titles and I chose 'The Haunted House'. Maybe I should be writing horror! Mind you, from what I remember of the plot, I set it in a fun fair and I think there was some sort of crime involved (in a Secret Seven kind of way).

How do you balance your working life with your writing life?

At the moment I'm writing full time. It's a wonderful luxury. Previously, when I tried to work full time and write I didn't manage to balance anything at all!

What is your least favourite part of the writing process?

In these times of author platform and social media, marketing has effectively become part of a writer's responsibility. And it is definitely not something I enjoy. Everything else, from coming up with the idea, through character development, plotting, drafting, editing, right through to proofing, I absolutely love.

One record and one book to a desert island, what would you take?

Hounds of Love by Kate Bush and Lofty Wiseman's SAS Survival Guide.

Having successfully navigated the world of self publishing, what advice would you give those thinking of treading the same path?

I feel like I'm still navigating, but I think Lofty's wisdom could be applied to self-publishing too. Two bits of advice that I need reminding of regularly: 1) don't compare yourself to anyone else and 2) be patient.

Sum up your latest novel in less than 20 words.

A thirty-year-old mystery haunts the mother of a missing child

And lastly, just for fun, have you read, or would you consider reading Fifty Shades of Grey?

I haven't and I won't. I can't get past the clunky prose and apparently the sex scenes aren't all that either.

The Roving Eye Interviews Jane Casey

Today's Roving Eye interview is with crime writer Jane Casey. Born and brought up in Dublin, Casey has been twice short-listed for the Irish Crime Novel of the Year Award. She is the author of The Missing and two previous Maeve Kerrigan novels The Burning and The Reckoning.You can follow Jane on on Twitter, here - @JaneCaseyAuthor

  
When did you first realise that you wanted to write for a living?

I decided I wanted to be a writer fairly early on, without having much of an idea of what I should write! I would love to say that I was the kind of child who was always writing, but actually I spent my childhood, teens and twenties reading everything and wishing I knew what I should write myself. It took me a long time to shake off the fear of letting other people read and judge my work. 

What made you chose crime fiction?

I tried and failed to interest myself in writing literary fiction. It took me a remarkably long time to realize you should always write for yourself. I had a very academic background. For some reason I thought people would expect me to write a Great Irish Novel. I just didn’t have it in me. What I loved, and love to this day, is the toe-curling thrill of good crime writing. I’ve never been snobby about it as a genre but I still never thought I could write a crime novel until I had the idea for my first, THE MISSING. I wrote that one in my head, before I finally admitted defeat, sat down and started typing it out.

What crime novel would you most like to have written?

I know this is a massive cliché for authors in their thirties but I was bowled over by THE SECRET HISTORY when I read it as a teen. I must have read it a hundred times. I’ve never attempted to recreate it but to me it’s the perfect blend of humour, poetic imagery, brilliant characterization and the purest tragedy. I love the inevitability of it, and the way the characters come to appreciate the horror of their actions. There are so many books out there that got tagged with ‘the new SECRET HISTORY’ and just weren’t that. I would be very wary of trying to do my own. But beautiful, wealthy, murderous college students was a great subject and Donna Tartt wrote the hell out it.

Who is your favourite author outside of crime fiction and why?

I don’t think I can get away with saying Graham Greene because the books I really enjoy are his crime novels . . . I love Maggie Stiefvater’s YA novels, which are miles ahead of the rest of the paranormal field. She has a beautiful narrative voice, a gift for understated romance that is wholly believable, and she is utterly fearless in her subject matter.

Who are you reading right now?

Sharon Bolton’s LIKE THIS FOR EVER. The things she does to her series characters . . . No one is safe! I’m reading it through my fingers, mainly.

If you weren’t a writer, what else could you see yourself doing?

I used to be a children’s books editor and I would go back tomorrow if I wasn’t writing anymore. I loved it. I concentrated on the older end – twelve-year-olds and upwards. There is a wealth of fantastic writing for that age-range, and very inventive it is too. It’s an exciting area of publishing, and a growing one. This year I sneaked back into that part of the world by writing my own YA novel, HOW TO FALL, the first in a new series featuring a nosy teenager named Jess Tennant. The subject matter isn’t all that different from my novels for grown-ups – murder, suicide, that sort of thing – but the books are much less swear-y and a lot of fun.

What was the last great book that you read?

I just read Belinda Bauer’s RUBBERNECKER and Erin Kelly’s THE BURNING AIR and I completely adored them both in very different ways. Belinda’s book is razor-sharp and darkly hilarious – a real departure in the crime genre too. I’ve told everyone I know to buy THE BURNING AIR for their holidays. The twists are so much better than the ones in GONE GIRL, and it is the definition of page-turning. Lovely writing too.

How do you feel about ebooks vs. print books and alternative vs. conventional publishing?

I stick to print – when I read, I like the full tactile experience of sitting down with a book. I spend enough time staring at screens and pressing buttons. Reading print is relaxing; ebooks remind me of work. Having said that, I do love the way you can buy an author’s book instantly and start reading it as soon as you’ve read a review or a recommendation, rather than standing in a bookshop months later, scanning the shelves for a name to jog your memory. As an author, I feel ebooks can only be good for backlist sales. As a reader, I would be saddened beyond words if my nearest bookshops closed. Browsing is a joy. The internet is not the same.

I am a big fan of alternative publishing, but I do think most people underestimate the work put in by publishing houses. They more than earn their share of the cover price of a book. I would probably never have the energy or organizational skill to publish anything myself, and those who make a success of self-publishing have to work very hard indeed.

There is an issue of quality with self-publishing, and I don’t mean this to sound snobby at all, but the reality is that writing is hard. Most people don’t do it very well, and the kicker is that they don’t know they don’t write well – you can’t judge your own writing any more than you can be objective about your own children. Being rejected makes you try harder and write better. That’s not to say that there aren’t very talented writers out there who deserve a break. In ten years of reading unsolicited, unagented manuscripts, I bought and published one – but it went on to win awards. If you can find a readership, though, and keep them coming back for more, however you do it, more power to you.

What five words best describe your average day?

Minding children while imagining murders. (You may decide whether the two things are related.)

Sum up your latest novel in less than 20 words.

THE STRANGER YOU KNOW
When a serial killer’s crimes echo a twenty-year-old murder, police have one suspect: Maeve Kerrigan’s irascible inspector Josh Derwent.

And, lastly, just for fun..

Have you read or would you ever consider reading 50 Shades of Grey?

I am so glad 50 Shades of Grey exists, because I have wept with laughter when reading outraged critiques of it on various blogs. I haven’t read the book itself but I’ve read enough extracts from it to know it’s not for me. I do think it has tremendous innocence, in an S&M-themed way, and I can’t bring myself to feel anything but admiration for E. L. James – and maybe a bit of sympathy too. It can’t be easy being the porn J. K. Rowling. Anyway, as a Random House author I’m aware she’s bankrolling us all . . . 

The Roving Eye Interviews William Ryan

Today's Roving Eye interview is with crime writer, William Ryan. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin and the University of St Andrews he worked as a lawyer before taking up writing full-time. His first novel, The Holy Theif, was short-listed for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year, The Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award, The CWA John Creasy New Blood Dagger and a Barry Award. His second novel, The Bloody Meadow, was short-listed for the Ireland AM Irish Crime Novel of the Year.

 When did you first realise that you wanted to write for a living?

 

Certainly when I was at school - I was lucky enough to know people who made their living from writing when I was growing up so it always seemed possible to me. But I think writing isn't always something you're ready to do earlier in life. I had a brief go at writing screenplays professionally in my early thirties but it wasn't until I was nearly forty that I was able to produce anything decent. Or maybe I was just a slow developer.

What made you chose crime fiction?

 

Ithink it's all about moral choices - and that's interesting for most writers. And I like reading crime fiction, so it's good to be writing something you're enjoying reading at the same time.

What crime novel would you most like to have written?

 

Very difficult - but almost everything Georges Simenon wrote was brilliant.

Who is your favourite author outside of crime fiction and why?

 

I don't have a favourite author as such - but I certainly love writers like Kazuo Ishiguro, Hilary Mantel and George MacDonald Fraser. I like books that entertain me basically - and keep my mind working at the same time.

What’s the earliest memory you have of writing a story?

I remember writing short stories at primary school - but I'm pleased to say none of them have survived to this day. I can't remember what they were about but I suspect they featured cowboys and knights and so on. Maybe I'll find one in the attic one day and be pleasantly surprised, but I doubt it.

   

If you weren’t a writer, what else could you see yourself doing?

 

I'd do whatever I had to, I suppose. I had a lot of dodgy jobs when I was a student - including being a bathroom attendant in a New York nightclub. In fact, I wouldn't mind doing that again - the tips weren't bad and I met some very curious people ...

 

What is your least favorite part of the writing process?

 

I find the time around publication to be pretty stressful. You hope your book will do well but you never know how people receive it until it's out there. The Twelfth Department is coming out on 23rd of May, so I'm a little nervous in the run up.

One record and one book to a desert island, what would you take?

 

It's another tricky one - I'd take the Encyclopaedia Britannica, if that wasn't cheating (and if it still existed) - otherwise the risk of taking a much-loved book and ending up hating it would be quite high, I think. But maybe Anna Karenina - that's a book you could read over and over, I think. As for one record? Maybe Henry Purcell's Rondo from Abdelazar - I'd play it as I made my way down to the beach for my morning swim.

With the rise of ebooks and self publishing, what are your thoughts concerning the current state of the literary world?

 

I'd imagine you get some fairly long and detailed answers to this but I'm afraid all I can say is that, despite all the doom and gloom, I'm optimistic that the publishing industry, which includes indie writers as much as anyone else, will start selling books at price levels which bear some relationship to common sense.

Sum up your latest novel in less than 20 words.

 

A Soviet detective finds himself caught between rival branches of State Security, with his son's life the price of failure.

And, lastly, just for fun..

Have you read or would you ever consider reading 50 Shades of Grey

 

It's not my sort of thing - but I'm not going to judge it. Anyone who manages to finish a novel gets a pat on the back from me. And if they manage to sell as many as EL James has, then I'm delighted for them.

The Roving Eye Reviews The Wicked Girls.

The Wicked Girls - Alex Marwood. 

5/5

I’m going to start this review with a word of warning (which really should be highlighted on the book jacket) and that is, if you chose to read The Wicked Girls, then make sure that all other plans are put firmly on hold, because if ever there was a case for a ‘one sitting’ novel, then you’d have to go a long way to beat this.

The Wicked Girls

Every once in a while a novel comes along that revitalises a genre. In the same way that J.K Rowling did fifteen years ago with Harry Potter and, more recently, Justin Cronin with his horror epic The Passage, Alex Marwood’s story of the death of a young child and the resulting lives of her killers, is currently doing the same for the crime genre.

In 1986 we meet Jade and Annabel, two eleven year old girls from very different walks of life and with very little in common, who are thrown together for one fateful day in which they are responsible for the death of four year old girl. Imprisoned for their crimes and rehabilitated separately, they are finally released on licence with new identities and able to begin new lives.

Skip forward to the present day and we are introduced to the rag bag cast of characters of the Funnland amusement park in the seaside town of Whitmouth. In the grips of a series of vicious attacks on young women, the town has become the focal point for the country’s media and freelance journalist Kirsty Lindsay arrives to report on the case. It is then that her life is turned upside down when a brief encounter with fairground cleaner Amber Gordon threatens to shatter a 25 year secret that both women have tried desperately to protect.

For me, the true strength of this novel comes from Marwood’s expert characterisation. Each and every one, major and minor alike, fizzes from the page jaded and trapped against the backdrop of the shabby glamour of the British seaside in recession hit Britain.  

With the secret of the two main characters being no secret to the reader, and with no real mystery to solve, this in no way detracts from the novel’s power, in fact, it heightens it. The continuing daily struggle that our protagonists face in keeping their terrible secret from family, friends and colleagues as they are unexpectedly thrown together is expertly crafted. Intersperse this with an hour-by-hour account of the happenings on the day the girls met, and you have the makings of a gripping, thought provoking and wonderfully unsettling novel.

The Roving Eye Interviews Kerry Wilkinson

Today's Roving Eye interview is with crime author Kerry Wilkinson. Kerry is one of the UK's most-successful self-published authors with sales of over 250,000 copies of his DS Jessica Daniel series. In February 2013, the fourth Jessica Daniel book, Think of the Children, became Amazon UK's no.1 Kindle pre-order.

When did you first realise that you wanted to write for a living?

 

I never have, really. I still think of myself as a journalist and it's going to take a while to stop thinking that. Even when I'm writing, there are all sorts of other things I'd like to try. I think to just label yourself as a writer and decide that's what you're going to do for ever is a bit limiting. 

What made you chose crime fiction?

Pure accident: it was just an idea that I had, so I started writing it. 

What crime novel would you most like to have written?

I've probably only read half a dozen crime novels in my life. It's not really my thing. I watched Luther on a plane and really enjoyed it, so ended up watching it all from the beginning. Probably that, though I read a lot of comics, so if that counts then Sleeper by Ed Brubaker or Powers by Brian Bendis.

Who is your favourite author outside of crime fiction and why?

Probably Stan Lee. Nowadays, superheroes are cool and absolutely everywhere - but Stan was the man who came up with all of that stuff when it wasn't cool, alongside people like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. The first 130-odd Spider-Man comics are an incredible read. The pacing teaches you all you might ever want to know about long- and short-term plotting, regardless of what medium you're writing in. Writing twenty pages of comics to tell a singular story, while also writing an arc that can take years to unfold is a very skilful thing to do.

What’s the earliest memory you have of writing a story?

In year two at school, so I would have been six. We had to produce our own hardbacks. I made some mental pattern on a piece of cloth with a cut-up piece of potato and some paint. Some cardboard, sticky-back plastic and crude crayon writing later and it was ready. My mum's probably got it somewhere. 

How do you balance your working life with your writing life?

Well, that's the question I've been asking myself for two years, where I've been essentially doing two full-time jobs. For the most part, I just get on with it. I'm not easily distracted. I figure it out. Live could be worse.

What is your least favorite part of the writing process?

Editing afterwards. When I'm done, I'd be happy never reading a word of it again. I want to get on with the next project. 

One record and one book to a desert island, what would you take?

Frank Turner's England Keep My Bones is an amazing album. I could listen to it all the time and not get bored. I'd have the Alan Partridge autobiography too. I've read it about a dozen times and it's still hilarious.

 

Having successfully navigated the world of self publishing, what advice would you give those thinking of treading the same path?

Being lucky is the first one. There's a lot to be said for being in the right place at the right time. Other than that, just write something you think is cool. If other people like it, then great. If not, then you've already won by doing something for yourself. 

Sum up your latest novel in less than 20 words.

 
Stuff happens, then more stuff, then there's some fire.

The Roving Eye Interviews David Mark

Today's Roving Eye interview is with crime writer, David Mark. David spent more than 15 years as a journalist, including seven years as a crime reporter with The Yorkshire Post. Dark Winter is his first DS Aector McAvoy novel, and has been followed by his newly released ORIGINAL SKIN which is out now in all good book shops.

When did you first realise that you wanted to write for a living?

I’ve always written for a living. I’ve been a journalist since I was 17. I’ve wanted to write novels since I was tiny. I’ve written loads of books but only got good enough to

be published a couple of years ago.

What made you chose crime fiction?

I’ve been obsessed with all kinds of story-telling for as long as I can remember but it was when I discovered the crime genre that I really discovered what a page-turner was all about. I’d just finished my umpteenth Famous Five story and was getting a bit sick of Julian and my nana suggested I try Agatha Christie. Death in the Clouds changed my life. There’s something about the structure of the crime novel that appeals. It’s got a very specific structure, which you can then improvise around. Essentially, you have aberration, then investigation, then redemption and restoration. From that basic spine you can do a lot. My own experiences as a journalist have rather dictated that as an author I gravitate towards crime, as that’s what I know a bit about, though I do think that crime fiction is a very broad church and that there are lots of sub-genres within it. I hope that if you took the crime element out of my work you would still have something that looked a little like literature. What I mean is, you can still write well and use a little poetry and insight when you’re writing about why somebody killed somebody else.

  

What crime novel would you most like to have written?

Ooh, you are clearly a bastard. Off the top of my head, I reckon The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen as it is just a perfect piece of fiction. But there are so many books I admire, and it’s hard to separate the books you enjoy and consider your own underground discoveries, with those that have made a fortune and turned their creators into household names. I’d like to have written something that Cormac McCarthy wrote, because then I’d be as good as him. But I’m not, which sucks.

Who is your favourite author outside of crime fiction and why?

Probably Pat Barker. She just has a way of dragging me in to whatever world she is creating. Sebastian faulks has also left me truly breathless with the beauty of his writing. And I am proud to say I adore the escapist, populist and truly brilliant worlds of Terry Pratchett in terms of fantasy, and Bernard Cornwell in terms of historical action.

What’s the earliest memory you have of writing a story?

I used to do plays with my mam when I was little more than a toddler and when I had to go to bed I would carry on the games I had been playing with my toys earlier in the day, but using just my imagination and constructing a narrative as I was falling asleep. That was sort of just telling myself a story and I’ve never got out of the habit. I only discovered recently that I was weird. Thankfully, my kids have inherited the gene.

If you weren’t a writer, what else could you see yourself doing?

Spree killing? I really don’t know. I was an okay journalist but I hated it. I never really wanted to be anything other than a writer. I’d probably have become a jaded and cynical teacher. I was a decent boxer for a while and I could play the saxophone but really, my only skills were in describing what I could see, and coming up with stories people wanted to hear the end of. Come the zombie apocalypse I’m going to be no use at all.  

What is your least favorite part of the writing process?

Waiting. I am not a patient man, and my previous life in journalism ensured that I tended to get swift answers and immediate replies to my queries and feedback came within the hour. Nowadays I spend weeks and months waiting for news on whether my latest book is any good or foreign publishers are going to renew contracts or the like. There is always something about to happen that you can’t influence any more than you already have done. That’s hard to take when it feels like your whole life depends on the outcome.

One record and one book to a desert island, what would you take?

The record would be The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash. I’ve never heard a life so expertly transformed into music. The book? The Idiots’ Guide to Building a Boat Without Any Skills Whatsoever. If that isn’t a book, somebody should write it. Failing that, The Bible. I find it fascinating. I actually considered a degree in theology for a while. It’s a book people should read before forming an opinion on.

With the rise of ebooks and self publishing, what are your thoughts concerning the current state of the literary world?

We’re in pretty good shape but we have to be careful. I like the idea of self publishing as it does give people an outlet for their work when they have struggled to get a conventional deal. But sometimes that struggle has come about because the book is not particularly good. That’s certainly what happened to me. I felt there was a conspiracy against me for years, when in truth, I was just writing bad books. Things happened for me when I wrote something good. But I can only say that in hindsight. At the time, I thought publishing was old-fashioned, exclusive and elitist. I just hope readers prove themselves to be discerning and turn their nose up at stuff that isn’t great. Saying that, the top ten hardbacks usually make for depressing reading. How many cookbooks and comedian autobiographies do we actually need? Thank goodness for Hilary Mantell.

Sum up your latest novel in less than 20 words.

The secret world of pleasure-seeking is brought into the light – and somebody is ready to kill to keep their private life hidden.  Is that 20? If it’s more, tough.

And lastly, just for fun...

Have you read or would you ever consider reading 50 Shades of Grey?

I’ve had a flick through it and it does exactly what it says on the tin. But there is plenty of erotic fiction out there that is better written. I wish that one of the unfulfilled housewives reading this stuff would take a chance and read Sons and Lovers or The Story of O. It’s a damn sight more grown-up and erotic than loads of tame sado-masochism. I do think it would be funny to find out it was written by a bloke. Can you imagine the outcry? 

The Roving Eye Interviews Chris Carter

Today's Roving Eye interview is with Sunday Times best selling and acclaimed crime writer, Chris Carter. Chris is the author of four novels, The Crucifix Killer, The Executioner, The Night Stalker and The Death Sculptor, all of which feature Criminal Behaviour Psychologist turned Detective Robert Hunter. His fifth novel, Watch Me Die, is out this coming August.

When did you first realise that you wanted to write for a living?

The truth is that I never planned to write a book.  I wasn’t planning on a career in writing and I wasn’t thinking of stories I wanted to write down.  One day, out of the blue, many years after I had left the profession of Criminal Behaviour Psychologist, I thought of a plot for a crazy story – not a crime thriller.  I mentioned it to my girlfriend one morning and she said - ‘You know what?  You should write that book.  It’s a good idea.’  So I said - ‘You know what? I will.’  And so I wrote the first chapter of this crazy story I had in my head.  Once I got to the end of that chapter, I thought to myself - ‘This is crazy.  If I’m gonna put effort and time into writing a book, I should at least write the type of story I like reading – crime thrillers.’  I also thought that due to my background in Criminal Behavior Psychology, I could probably come up with some interesting plot for a psychological thriller.  So I decided to write the first chapter to a crime novel as well (I had no plot whatsoever, I just wrote a chapter that I thought it would make a good opening for a thriller).  A week later I gave both chapters to my girlfriend, asked her to read them and give me her truthful opinion.  Even though crime thrillers aren’t really her thing, she said - ‘I must admit that the crime thriller chapter is more exciting than the other one.’  And that was it, a decision was made.  Crime thriller it was to be.  I then took some time to come up with a story.  That story became The Crucifix Killer.

What made you chose crime fiction?

I’d say that the main reason is because crime fiction appeals to a very larger readership.  So many people are fascinated by them, including me.  But I also wanted to add the criminal psychology aspect to my stories.  A criminal profiler can only profile an offender if he or she is a repeat offender, because repetition creates a pattern, and that pattern is what is analyzed by psychologists.

 Of all the different types of serial criminals, killers are no doubt the most intriguing.  Hopefully I have made them interesting my stories as well :-)

What crime novel would you most like to have written?

None, really.  The reason other crime novels are good books, or become successful, is because those are that author’s ideas and words.  If anyone else had written it, it would not have been the same book.  For that reason, I don’t wish I have written any other book other than the one I have :-)

Who is your favourite author outside of crime fiction and why?

I couldn’t say I have a favourite author.  I read a lot, and there are so many authors that I like and admire that it would be very hard to narrow it down to one.

What’s the earliest memory you have of writing a story?

The Crucifix Killer, really.  Before writing my first novel, I had never even written a short story.  As I have said - I never planned to write a book, and I wasn’t planning on a career in writing.

If you weren’t a writer, what else could you see yourself doing?

Probably selling the Big Issue on a street corner somewhere.

What is your least favorite part of the writing process?

Reading the proof.  When the proof comes, it means that the whole novel is pretty much set to go to press.  All the edits have been done, and you cannot really change anything.  The problem is, it doesn’t matter how many times I edit any of my novels, as soon as I read it over, I’ll find things that I could probably had done better, and would like to change.  That happens every time I read the proof, but I can’t change it anymore. To me, the proof is quite a frustrating read.

One record and one book to a desert island, what would you take?

Yes, very tough question.  Record, probably the one that I consider one of the best rock albums ever made – Appetite For destruction from Guns and Roses.  I love every song on that album.  Book?  That’s even harder.  Maybe The Analyst by John Katzenbach.  It’s a great story.

What are your thoughts concerning the current state of the literary world?

I don’t really have any.  I’m not a literary writer, I’m a commercial writer, and I believe that the situation at the moment is tough for every profession.

Sum up your latest novel in less than 20 words.

Hunter is after the toughest serial killer he’s ever encountered.  Full of twists and turns :-)

And, lastly, just for fun.

Have you read or would you ever consider reading 50 Shades of Grey?

Yes, I’ve read it. And I do understand it’s appeal to so many women.