The Intel: Peter Lovesey

Peter Lovesey is crime fiction royalty. The author of nearly forty novels – featuring Sergeant Cribb, Peter Diamond and Hen Mallin, among others – he’s been nominated for nearly every award worth having, and in 2000 won the prestigious Cartier Diamond Dagger for his lifetime achievements.

His latest Supt Peter Diamond novel is called Down Among The Dead Men and features the consequences of what happens when a car thief makes off with a stolen BMW. When the police pull him over, a nightmare discovery in the boot earns him a life sentence for murder.

Years later, Diamond finds himself investigating that old case, and his formidable colleague Hen Mallin, and dealing with with spirited schoolgirls and eccentric artists. But more people are going missing…

We’re all kinds of thrilled about this intel – Lovesey is an engaging and generous interviewee. He discusses the evolution of Peter Diamond since his first – and last – appearance 25 years ago and the series’s debt to Ed McBain – and he reveals the one question fans always ask that always makes him uncomfortable….

Tell us about Supt. Peter Diamond… 

When he first appears he is asleep on a trolley outside the post mortem room while an autopsy is going on inside. This helps to establish him as a stubborn yet sensitive man who does his own thing regardless of what is expected. His ample shape suggests a dinosaur luring in a primeval swamp. I wanted to suggest he was one of the old school of detectives, an anachronism in modern policing. He’s overweight and dresses in a raincoat and trilby as if he’s stepped out of one of the black and white movies he loves. I’d know him if I met him, but if he knocked on my door I’d think twice about inviting him in.

Diamond made his first appearance in 1991’s The Last Detective – how has he changed down the years?

As the title implied, that first book was intended to be a one-off. By the end of it Peter Diamond had quit the police. End of, I thought. Unexpectedly it won the Anthony award for best novel (I wasn’t in Toronto and didn’t find out till later, which meant I didn’t even have to make an acceptance speech). Diamond was already middle-aged. When asked if I would write another story with this character I revised my writing plans and did one called Diamond Solitaire, with him getting involved in crime as a civilian. By then I saw he had potential for a series, so The Summons was my way of getting him back into the police. He has now been a detective superintendent at Bath for another twenty-five years. How has he changed? Not at all. Peter Diamond is a portly, middle-aged Peter Pan. He has the gift of eternal middle age.

Down Among The Dead Men features Diamond investigating the disappearance of an art teacher – what was the inspiration for the novel?

They say you should write about what you know. I went to university to study fine art. I would have applied for English, but in those days they insisted everyone studied Latin and I was so abysmal at it that I didn’t even take the exam. The art was my back door route to an English degree. I wrote some essays the English professor saw and after a couple of terms he invited me to switch – with nothing said about Latin. Later I did some teaching in technical colleges. I was wary of writing fiction about art and teaching in case an old colleague recognised herself, but I’ve finally bitten the bullet.

You’ve said your supporting cast of detectives is a nod to Ed McBain – do you have any favourites among Diamond’s colleagues?

Yes, Ed and I shared the same agent and became good friends. Under the name of Evan Hunter he’d written The Blackboard Jungle, so we had teaching in common as well. He was the father of the police procedural novel and his writing doesn’t date, even fifty-eight years on from Cop Hater. I learned a lot from him about handling a team of detectives rather than just the sleuth and his sidekick. Among my characters I liked Julie Hargreaves, but she couldn’t stand Diamond and asked for a transfer.

The main female interest now is Ingeborg Smith, formerly a freelance journalist. I’m hoping she will tough it out with the old curmudgeon. Among the men, there’s John Wigfull, an enemy of Diamond’s who does PR for the police. And I enjoy writing scenes for Leaman, the inspector who does everything by the book and is the eternal fall guy.

DCI Henrietta ‘Hen’ Mallin – who spun off into two of her own books – makes another appearance in Diamond’s life. Do you have any plans to return her to the limelight in another novel?

I like Hen and enjoy making sparks when she works with Diamond. Nothing is planned and she doesn’t have a spot in Another One Goes Tonight, the next book. People sometimes ask if I have another book inside me. I tell them I don’t. It ‘s uncomfortable.

How did you start writing?

Like everybody else, at school. I won a prize at 15 for writing a history of my town . The first book I wrote was about long distance running and the first novel  was also about running and called Wobble To Death. It was used to launch the Macmillan crime list in 1970. Being set in Victorian times, it was different and got me started on a series of eight books that eventually appeared on Granada TV as Cribb, starring Alan Dobie as the detective.

What’s the hardest lesson you ever had to learn about writing?

Never get too excited about the promise of getting onto the big screen. Wobble To Death was optioned by Carl Foreman (of High Noon fame) and The False Inspector Dew by Peter Falk (Columbo). I was lunched by the great men and started counting the days (‘It won’t be long, Peter’) but ultimately neither project went into production.

Who are the authors you admire, and why?

It’s unfair to mention living writers. I still enjoy Ed McBain because he was such an innovator and a stylist. And Donald E. Westlake, whose Dortmunder books are the funniest crime series ever. Who else? Patricia Highsmith, who didn’t invent the inverted crime plot, but made it into high art. And Arthur Conan Doyle, who is undervalued as a comic writer.

Give me some advice about writing…

Always have the next book written (or well under way) before the previous one is published.

What’s next for you?

Another One Goes Tonight is the seventeenth in the Diamond series and appears in July. Number eighteen is under way. I can’t say well under way, but hell, there’s plenty of writing to be done between now and then. This is where I stop answering your questions and get back to work.

***

Down Among the Dead Men by Peter Lovesey is published by Sphere, price £8.99 in paperback.

You can find out more about Peter at his website www.peterlovesey.com

The Intel: Richard Davis

Readers can’t get enough of those FBI guys who travel the length and breadth of the States. Going off the grid, getting embroiled in mayhem and conspiracies, going mano-a-mano with diabolical forces. We love it when they’re mavericks — rule-breakers fuelled by a burning sense of justice.

Saul Marshall is one of those guys. He’s the protag in a new, high-octane series by Richard Davis. In the first, False Prophet, Marshall takes on a psychotic cult leader who has taken his son hostage.

Richard grew up in north London. He graduated from UCL and Cambridge University, and his fascination with the US stems from a series of childhood holidays there – touring the east and west coasts – and as he went from state-to-state he developed a taste for American thrillers. Richard’s writing career has started early, he’s still in his twenties, so you can expect plenty more Saul Marshall adventures to come.

He’s kindly agreed to give us the intel on his enigmatic conman hero, scary cults and how a young man from North London came to start a US-set crime series. And he talks about the punishing candle-burning sessions that allowed him to study for a Masters and write a action-fuelled thriller. You’re really going to want to read this…

Tell us about Saul Marshall…

Saul Marshall is a tough-talking New Yorker. In his late teens and early twenties he landed himself in a world of trouble when his ambitious – and wildly successful – confidence tricks put him firmly on the FBI’s radar. But once the FBI finally hauled him in, they realised it’d be a waste to let him rot, and so he joined their ranks. Fifteen years on, a reformed Saul is still living with the fallout from his past. But though he’s now on the straight and narrow, the Bureau has only enhanced Saul’s capacity for deception and mayhem – meaning that should he once again be forced to work outside the law, he’d be all the more formidable…

Saul is analytical, passionate (at times to the point of recklessness), loyal, and graced with an absurd sense of humour. He loathes injustice, always sticks up for the little guy, and inspires powerful emotions in those who cross his path.

In False Prophet, Marshall takes on a deranged cult leader – why are crime readers so fascinated by cults?

Crime readers are fascinated by cults because they’re fascinating!

In November 1978, over 900 occupants at a cult settlement in Guyana took their own lives at the behest of their messianic leader, the infamous Jim Jones. In March 1995, Aum Shinrikyo, a cult headed up by a man self-styling as Christ reborn, released sarin gas into five subway carriages in Tokyo, killing fifteen. These, of course, are extreme examples, but they demonstrate what cults are capable of – and I think what people want to know is: how and why do some cultists end up behaving in these ways? These are questions I explore in False Prophet.

I think the fascination is also fuelled by the relatively recent prominence of extreme Islamic groups, because they share many similarities with violent cultic movements – a fact not lost on my deranged cult leader, who draws direct inspiration from Islamists.

You’re a guy from North London – some people may be surprised that you’re writing a new high-octane thriller series set in the States…

I hope so – it’s always good to surprise people.

The truth is, there is a long history of outsiders writing about the States. And that stands to reason, given that America was a nation founded by – and made into the preeminent world power that it is – by outsiders and immigrants. And America’s founding philosophy is deeply democratic, and so, by the logic of the New World, absolutely anyone is eligible to write about it. Arguably an outsider writing about the American experience is the very definition of an American writer.

I find it no surprise that the biggest writer of American thriller fiction today is the British, West Midlands born Lee Child, and that the Brixton born David Bowie felt at home enough in the States to call himself a child of New York.

What kind of research did you do to get a detailed sense of location?

I am lucky enough to have travelled a good deal around America: I have visited some 14 states, and have been to most major locations featured in False Prophet – New York, Boston, Washington DC. In fact, I have stayed in a couple of the hotels I write about, as well as the address in the Prologue. And though I’ve never visited Mineral, Virginia – the small town that makes a big appearance – I have visited other towns in a similar neck of the woods.

When it comes to familiarising myself with the exact geography of a location – even a place I’ve been to a number of times – Google Maps is a godsend. But I also try to read up on locations I write about: I found an interesting essay on the history of DC’s architecture, for example, which deepened my understanding of a place I’d already visited.

Not many people have authored a new crime series at such a young age – you’re still in your mid-twenties – what has been your writing journey?

I’m not sure I’d consider myself particularly young – after all, Saul Marshall accomplished far more than me by 25!

I started writing my first novel in my third and final year at UCL – when I was twenty-one – and completed it the following year, during my Masters at Cambridge (where I specialised in, you guessed it, American Literature). I’d aim to get the academic stuff done by 1 a.m., then would work on my own stuff until 3.30 – 4 a.m. After university, I decided to write a new book – something that I would attempt to get published – and that’s when I started dreaming up Saul Marshall.

First came the research – which led to a document of well over 100,000 words of notes – and then came the seemingly endless rounds of writing and rewriting. I immersed myself in the world of the FBI, cults, and weaponry, and, in doing so, pretty much fell off the grid. I wrote it to a soundtrack of David Bowie and Alabama 3 (a London-based band that has appropriated the sound of American gospel and country music), and drank so much coffee that I nearly hospitalised myself.

I should add that it would have been impossible to make the journey to publication without the support of my incredible agents, Harriet Poland and Maggie Hanbury, and the vote of confidence from the threesome running Canelo, the best publisher anyone could ask for.

What’s the hardest lesson you ever had to learn about writing?

There are no short cuts when it comes to writing a novel. The hard way is the only way if you want to produce something worthwhile.

Who are the authors you admire, and why?

G.K. Chesterton, for his ingenious plots. Patricia Highsmith, for her supreme sense of timing, and her unrivalled ability to evoke place. Paul Auster, for his crisp, effortless prose, and outlandish ideas. Lee Child, for showing me the dark potential of small-town America.

I can’t really provide an exhaustive list here, because it’d go on forever – but those are a few of my favourites.

Give me some advice about writing… 

I feel strange offering advice, because I’m still learning myself…

If I had to say something, it would be this – plan your novel meticulously. I reckon that knowing where you’re going enormously increases your chances of seeing the thing through.

What’s next for you and Saul?

Work has started on a sequel – and, unfortunately for Saul, it looks like he’s about to be sucked into the orbit of another deadly and shocking conspiracy. I don’t want to give too much away, but I’m introducing a very different set of antagonists in the sequel: I don’t want Saul, or my readers, getting too comfortable.

***

False Prophet, published by Canelo, is available to download as an ebook right now.

 

 

Guest Post: V.M. Giambanco

The Devil has all the best tunes. You know that, I know that – it’s why we read crime fiction. A good protag is nothing without an evil antag. A deliciously evil – and yet vulnerable – villain can elevate a good crime book to something great. Just ask Thomas Harris, Stephen King or our old friend Conan Doyle.

V.M. Giambanco knows that as well as anybody. In her Alice Madison series she’s earned herself a reputation for specialising in complex and dangerous bad guys.

In the latest, Blood And Bone – which is out today! – Seattle detective Madison finds herself tracking an elusive killer whose brutality is legendary even among high-security prisoners. If you’re a crime reader or writer, you’re going to want to read Valentina’s terrific guest post for Crime Thriller Fella about what makes a satisfying villain. She talks Hannibal, Ripleys Tom and Ellen, and careless dentistry…

What do I want from a villain?

As I write this post I’m working on the fourth book of the Alice Madison series and when the issue of a subject for this piece came up I had little doubt that I wanted to talk about: villains. Why? Because, more than in any other genre, villains define the crime fiction novel and it is by what villains do that the other characters come alive.

Where would Clarice be without Hannibal? Or Holmes without Moriarty? Or even Nick without ‘Amazing Amy’? The best villain is the one who gets the best out of the hero and by that I mean that it is the character who pushes all others around him to act in ways that make the story compelling, revealing, multi-layered and memorable. And it’s not a small task, which is why – and I’ve only realised this as I started to think about this piece – I generally start each story by working out who the villain is and why he does what he does. Only when I’ve found something that feels suitably gripping does the story really begin.

I have a theory – and obviously it might just be something that works for me and no other writer or reader – but when I’m trying to build an effective villain I need four elements; a couple are pretty obvious, the others maybe not.

First, and it’s no big surprise, my villain has to give the story a real sense of danger which translates into urgency and keeps the clock ticking. Examples are almost unnecessary but for the sheer creepiness of it I’ll mention Annie Wilkes in ‘Misery’, whose mood swings and inner workings are as terrifying as any serial killer out there.

Second, there has to be a motive, something strong enough that the villain can hang his whole behaviour on it and it has to be so powerful that it can carry him throughout the story. By the way, I keep saying he for ease of writing but, as I have just mentioned, crime fiction villainy is an equal opportunity employer – ever met Chelsea Cain’s Gretchen Lowell?

Third, and here things get more complicated, I really enjoy seeing the story through the eyes of the villain. Take Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley for example, he is the central character and what he does appears merely as a string of necessary actions to further his very reasonable needs. That’s all.

When Thomas Harris inhabits Francis Dolarhyde’s mind in ‘Red Dragon’ he is so skilled at building character that we can’t help feeling a tiny sting of compassion for him even at his most frightening and amoral. I’ve read once that Harris said he was always glad when he knew he was writing a chapter with Hannibal Lecter in it but was also glad when Lecter left and he didn’t have to see the world through his maroon eyes anymore.

Four, I’m intrigued when I can see the humanity of the villains: the unstoppable serial killer without weaknesses does not really interest me because it moves through the story in a similar manner to the alien creature in ‘Alien’ – slaughtering everyone in its path until it gets blasted out of the ship, and where’s the fun in that? I absolutely love ‘Alien’: if we’re talking about slowly building menace and claustrophobia and terror, it’s a classic – and the unusual hero of the series is a resourceful, stubborn woman who can operate heavy machinery. But that’s not where I go if I want a complex, multi-layered villain.

So, I have my four elements: physical danger, motive, a different way to look at life and an ember of humanity – this is what I look for in a villain. Sometime they are all found in one character, sometimes the story will give us more than one straight villain to play with and then we can split these elements. Recently I watched ‘Marathon Man’, written by William Goldman from his excellent novel, and the villain is an old man with a lethal blade hidden in his sleeve and dentist’s tools in his satchel. Szell, the Second World War Nazi, is one of the most terrifying villains ever created because he is a little guy who certainly couldn’t run after the protagonist to catch him but, once he has him tied up on a chair, there is no end to the pain he is prepared to inflict to achieve his end. His age, vulnerability and cruelty make him human and real and more repulsive than someone like Lecter could ever be because we know Nazi existed and we know what they did while a cultured, engaging, sociopath with a perfectly replicated middle finger and a taste for murder is yet to be born.

As a crime writer I’m always looking for a great fictional villain and yet sometimes it is reality that is too extreme to be believed: I’ve read online today that a pharmaceutical company has raised the price of a life-saving pill from $13.50 to $750, not even Hannibal Lecter can match that kind of evil.

***

Blood And Bone is available now, published by Quercus Books, in hardback, and also in ebook.

The Intel: Ed Chatterton Reloaded

Crime Thriller Fella is taking a much-needed summer break.  I know, I know – parting is always such sweet sorrow, etcetera – but, hey, we’re going to meet up again right here very soon. However, do keep coming back. Over the last year there’ve been all sorts of reviews and Intel interviews we’ve enjoyed doing, and which you may have missed, you fickle thing.

For example, we loved Ed Chatterton’s excellent procedural Down Among The Dead Men, so we were thrilled when Ed kindly gave us The Intel on his writing process.

Ed is the prize-winning author of more than twenty children’s novels (published under the name Martin Chatterton), and then turned to writing crime novels creating DCI Frank Keane. He was born and brought up in Liverpool, but is a serial traveller and has lived in Florida, Lyon, Australia and London.  A Dark Place to Die was his first crime novel in the DCI Frank Keane series. Down Among the Dead Men is Ed’s second novel in the series and is split between Liverpool, Los Angeles and Australia. He lives in the UK with his wife and two children. To find out more visit his website at www.edchatterton.com

What’s your writing process? What comes first – plot or character?

There’s a great quote from Raymond Chandler which, in essence, said that good books aren’t planned they are distilled. That really chimed with me as almost all my books (I’ve written about 35) start life as a rough idea based around one or two central characters and a couple of loose story possibilities. From there I start writing around a few key early scenes, gradually ‘distilling’ as I go. I always leave the endings unplanned as I believe that this makes the narrative less predictable. If I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen then it should be a surprise to the reader, right? That’s the theory anyway. In practice this means that I rewrite and redraft a lot. I’m continually refining and cutting and chopping until I’m happy. I know this is how a lot of writers work but I think I’m more ruthless than most. I enjoy working with editors and virtually never disagree with suggestions and cuts. Other people can see much more clearly what works and what doesn’t. A good plot should have a strong backbone but shouldn’t be in charge of the characters. Once a character starts doing something to help the plot I think the book starts to become hack work. Characters are the key.

Take us through a typical writing day for you?

It varies depending on what I’m working on but usually it would start with getting outside a coffee as quickly as possible. I’d then walk the dog or do something that takes me outside the house before starting work. After that it’s really dull: I just sit down and write. In recent years the rise in importance of social media has put huge time pressures on writers. Sometimes much of my day seems to be taken up with ‘selling’, which can be annoying when I know I’d rather be creating. I usually roughly work office hours, which is something I’ve always done. I’ve been a freelance creative for thirty years full-time and without being disciplined, or having some sort of routine, I’d have been out of work long ago.

Who are the authors or you love, and why?

Most of my kids books have been comedies and I’m a big admirer of good comedy writing. I think it’s by far the hardest type of writing. and I can tell you that writing drama is much easier. I love PG Wodehouse, Evelyn Waugh, Kyril Bonfiglioli, SJ Perelman and TV writers like Armando Iannucci, Larry David and Ricky Gervais. The best contemporary comedy writers are working in TV.

In crime fiction my heroes are Elmore Leonard, George Pelecanos and Patricia Highsmith. I love the way that these writers centre their books on character. Reading a good Leonard book you get the feeling that the narrative could move in unexpected directions. These writers also write beautiful dialogue. I don’t read much contemporary British crime fiction, to be honest.

What’s the hardest lesson you ever had to learn about writing?

Quality has no relationship to sales.

How do you deal with feedback?

I find that a cosh to the base of the neck usually does the trick. If the feedback’s from my editor I do listen closely and enjoy the experience. Feedback from readers can be a two-edged sword. Usually people are very positive but I try not to pay attention to reviews, good or bad. Every writer will tell you that in a good review we’ll pick out the one negative comment and dwell on that. I have a particular problem with reviews that pick up on the sexual element of my books. One mainstream reviewer called ‘A Dark Place To Die’ ‘sex-drenched’. It has one sex scene.

How has your own experience influence your writing?

I’m not a huge believer in the ‘write what you know’ thing but I do think that a writer is better for having had some life experience. When I’m writing children’s fiction, less of my own life experience comes into play, while when writing adult crime there’s more scope to bring in things that help the books. I’ve lived in a few countries and travelled a lot and this is probably the main thing that has been an influence. For instance, despite the series being anchored in Liverpool, I like to widen the story out to include places I know well or that have had an impact on me. In the first book (A Dark Place To Die) the story bounces between Australia and Liverpool, echoing what was happening in my life – without the body count and violent drug deals. In this book the story moves from Liverpool to Los Angeles and beyond. Having lived in the US helps enormously.

Another area of influence is knowledge of policing and the criminal world. While I’m not a cop or a criminal I’ve had a fair amount of contact with people on both sides of the fence in one way or another. I like to think this lends authenticity to the characters, many of whom are based on composites of people I’ve met or know. In terms of my career experience I think my background in design and illustration/film helps me to write economically and in a very cinematic way.

Give me some advice about writing…

The flip answer is: don’t start. I hesitate to say that because I know it’s not what aspiring writers want to hear. Sadly though, it’s the truth. Writing is an incredibly tricky road to take and simply writing well won’t help much (although that should be taken for granted.) If you do decide you absolutely have to write, then, for crying out loud do it in the privacy of your own home. And then, if the monstrous thing you produce still demands to be seen, coax it outside and then put it in front of someone with a bit of editorial experience. If you can’t find an amenable one at a publishing house – and you probably won’t – then there are a few decent editors for hire. This is a problem area (I believe) in that there are quite a number of  dubious editorial ‘services’ offered. Ask around and when you have found a good editor listen to them. Keep writing and keep re-drafting. Don’t be precious. The most precious writers – the ones who react least well to suggestions – are often the least experienced. What you think is gold usually turns out to be, at best, copper. Hopefully, if you keep at it for long enough then you may eventually produce something worthwhile. And if you don’t, then put the vile thing you’ve created back into a locked room and throw away the key. It’ll be for the best, in the end.

What’s your best advice for an author looking to get into the marketplace…

Didn’t you read that last bit? No? OK…then I guess that you need to be professional. I did a workshop last year at the State Library of Queensland on this subject. In preparation I asked a few friends and colleagues, all pros, to chip in their advice. There were a variety of responses but, in essence, they could all be boiled down to ‘be professional’.  By that they mean getting the basics right. Spell words correctly. Use decent grammar. Don’t submit ‘gimmicky’ manuscripts in violet-scented hand-made boxes. Have some idea of the market: if your book is a thriller submit it to a company that publishes thrillers, not cookbooks. Go further and try and find out who the publisher already publishes. If your stuff is like something they already publish it may be that they have that market share already ‘covered’. Use any personal contacts you can. Keep writing. Write anything. Write some more. Develop a skin like a rhino. Have a back up plan. Think about how you might sell your book. Do you have a good back story? Can you talk in front of groups of people? If not, you could be in trouble because authors have transmogrified (I’m not sure when, I had my back turned) into stand up comedians and dramatic actors. Perfect your performing monkey skills because you’ll need them. Above all, write something good that you have already shown to other people with critical abilities who have given you feedback that you have then acted upon.

Simple.

What’s next for you?

I’m writing book 3 in the Frank Keane series. I’m about two thirds of the way through. I’m also writing a YA novel called ‘Archangel’ which is about halfway through. That’s a sci-fi thriller based on ‘slavery’ as a theme. I’m also doing a PhD which involves writing a ‘big novel’. Mine is called ‘The Last Slave Ship’ (www.thelastslaveship.blogspot.com.au) and tells the story of the final slaver voyage from Liverpool in 1809, combined with a contemporary narrative involving race-hate crime and civil unrest. I’m working on a film project with an Australian film company writing a movie based around the memoirs of the son of a famous Sydney gangland boss. That should keep me busy.

The Intel: Paul Gadsby

Crime Thriller Fella this week reviewed Paul Gadsby’s novel Chasing The Game, about the true-life disappearance of the World Cup trophy – and it knocked our socks off. As a result, Paul has earned himself another free kick from a dangerous position. We immediately dug out the Intel Interview he did about the intriguing unsolved mystery surrounding the theft of the Jules Rimet Cup, and about his writing regime, and present it here for your enjoyment one more time.

Paul is a journalist and writer. Having worked in sports, news and trade journalism for 14 years, he’s the co-author of the seminal snooker book Masters of the Baize. Chasing The Game is his first crime novel, and you can buy it right here.

Chasing The Game is based on the true story of the disappearance of the World Cup trophy in 1966 – what happened?

It’s a fascinating story – one that has a dose of crime, shame, desperation and intrigue in roughly equal measures. The World Cup, or Jules Rimet Trophy as it was known, was on display in Westminster Central Hall in March 1966, three months before the World Cup tournament was due to begin. The stakes were high because the Football Association (FA) wanted the event to go very smoothly, it being the first – and so far only – time England have hosted the World Cup.

But one Sunday lunchtime the trophy was stolen from its display case. A few days later a ransom demand was made to the FA, and a note later delivered setting up a rendezvous where the trophy would be exchanged for the cash. But the plan fell apart, the switch never took place (despite coming tantalizingly close) and the thieves were never identified. The trophy, for reasons unknown, ended up under a bush in a London street where it was discovered by a dog named Pickles a week after the theft. Pickles briefly became a national hero, praised for sparing England’s blushes and saving the reputation of the World Cup tournament as a brand.

How closely is your novel based on true events?

Pretty closely in many ways, which is why I didn’t go into too much detail above! I always wanted this project to be a work of fiction, though, so certain elements – the nature of the theft in particular – were dramatised in order to drive the narrative. I kept certain characters such as the chairman of the FA (although I changed his name and created my own persona for him) while the gang of thieves was entirely down to my imagination. I’ve always felt the theft had an organised criminal element behind it, but not a large scale one, so it was fun creating a ‘firm’ who could carry out the raid but were under real pressure to collect the ransom because they desperately needed the cash.

Pickles is the only character that maintains his real-life name. In 1966 there was also a replica of the trophy made, commissioned by the FA but against FIFA’s wishes, and I exploit this conflict in the story. I’m a big fan of blending fact with fiction (David Peace and James Ellroy being the masters at this) and have always felt authors should be encouraged to use fiction as a vehicle to enhance intriguing factual narratives and sharpen the motivations of characters or historical figures.

What drew you to the story?

The curious nature of the theft, the bizarre discovery of the trophy, and the fact that the crime remains unsolved. Who were the gang of thieves? What went wrong between them to result in the trophy, worth a significant amount of money, ending up under a suburban hedge? I was surprised that no one had taken the Pickles story and done something exciting with it, so I thought I’d jump in there and weave my own narrative.

I also tied this in with a theme I’d been toying with basing a crime novel on for a while – leadership, and the pressures that come with fronting a criminal enterprise or firm. I’ve always been fascinated with the internal struggles and conflicts that crop up within a systemised criminal set-up, and seeing people try to take on the skillsets required to fill certain roles. So the tense and complex professional relationships that exist between members of the gang make up a central theme of the book.

Take us through a typical writing day for you?

I wish I had more of them! I write around a day job (I write copy for a marketing company) and am married with a three-year-old son, so my blocks of time for creative writing can be varied and unpredictable. On the occasions when I have a few hours to write, I begin by (and most writing guides advise against this) doing a light edit of what I’d written previously. I trained and worked in journalism for a few years and the editor in me just can’t resist, but I do enjoy ploughing on with a first draft knowing that the product behind me is a strong one.

Obviously the second draft stage is always an extensive one, but I don’t want a major re-structuring job at that point; I’d rather fix problems and enhance areas as I go along. I’m also a big fan of Stephen King’s theory of ‘write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open’ so I’m very much in my own head when unleashing a first draft, then liaising with friends and fellow writers for feedback on the second draft.

Chasing the Game is my first published novel but I wrote three crime thrillers before that; I’ve been writing seriously since about 2005 when I had a non-fiction book published and got the bug for writing full-length works.

Who are the authors you love, and why?

I adore Elmore Leonard’s dialogue, Adrian McKinty’s action sequences, Ken Bruen’s humour, the powerful prose of James Sallis, Jake Arnott’s deep characterisation, Patricia Highsmith’s ability to build drama, James Crumley’s sense of time and place and Graham Greene’s story structure. James Ellroy, David Peace and Don DeLillo do a glorious job of mixing fact with fiction while I also love Ian Fleming’s Bond books. As remarkable standout thrillers I really enjoyed Eddie Bunker’s No Beast So Fierce (which apparently inspired Tarantino to write Reservoir Dogs) and The Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips.

What’s the hardest lesson you ever had to learn about writing? 

Probably the fact that it’s incredibly difficult – and increasingly rare – to make a full-time career out of it. At a recent writing event I had a chat with an established, award-winning author who’s terrifically talented but told me how many copies her last book had sold and how many other things she had to do in order to supplement her time to write, and I thought that was a shame. The less time an author has to write, the fewer chances we have to enjoy them.

On a technical point, I like writing a synopsis but find it bizarre, frustrating and amusing that every agent and publisher appears to have a different idea about what they want to see in one. It’s an area that takes subjectivity to a new level!

How do you deal with feedback?

I embrace it during the editing stages of my writing. An interesting point is what to do with all the feedback you collectively receive. I know some writers who literally change everything that is recommended from all sources, but the danger of this is that the focus of the manuscript can then fragment and before you know it you have several half-realised themes and sub-plots going on.

I don’t think an author should ever lose sight of the initial purpose they had at the onset of the project. I think it’s best to take all feedback on board, apply a great deal of it if necessary, but to always consider that this is your book and the reader has to be convinced that it has come from one soul.

As for feedback from the industry, rejections are a familiar tale and for me have always been tempered by the fact that you know thousands upon thousands of writers are going through the same thing. Many writers collect their rejection letters but I’ve never really gone in for that. Positive responses from the trade, meanwhile, are obviously fantastic; it’s great to spend time speaking with agents, publishers and authors, and when you’ve had your work praised by such people it comes as a relief as well as a joy.

Give me some advice about writing…

Tough one. Any advice given by writers is obviously going to be very personal to them, but I’d say the most valuable way to spend your time is to focus on both finding your own distinctive voice (there’s no better way to make an impression on your first page) while at the same time reading as much of other writers as you can. If you’re writing a full-length novel you need prose worming through your brain pretty much all the time. The passion to write can only be driven by the passion to read.

What’s next for you?

I’ve written a first draft of another crime novel, which I’d like to polish and edit in the near future. It has another sports link, and is about the physical and mental struggles of a recently retired boxer who gets dragged by his former manager into a murky world of crime and an underground bare-knuckle fighting circuit, while also struggling to deal with his Alzheimer’s-stricken father. It’s called When the Roar Fades.

Who’s going to win the World Cup this summer?

All World Cups previously held in South America have been won by a nation from that continent, and I can’t see that pattern changing. It’s hard to see past the hosts, Brazil, but Argentina could be handy. I think England might sneak through their tough group but I’d be surprised to see them go beyond the quarter-finals.

The Intel: Paul Gadsby

We love writers with synchronicity. Paul Gadsby’s novel about the true-life disappearance of the World Cup trophy is released with the 2014 tournament just round the corner. Paul is a journalist and writer. Having worked in sports, news and trade journalism for 14 years, he’s the co-author of the seminal snooker book Masters of the Baize. Chasing The Game is his first crime novel, and you can buy it right here. Paul gives us the lowdown on an intriguing unsolved mystery – and, of course, his writing regime.

Chasing The Game is based on the true story of the disappearance of the World Cup trophy in 1966 – what happened?

It’s a fascinating story – one that has a dose of crime, shame, desperation and intrigue in roughly equal measures. The World Cup, or Jules Rimet Trophy as it was known, was on display in Westminster Central Hall in March 1966, three months before the World Cup tournament was due to begin. The stakes were high because the Football Association (FA) wanted the event to go very smoothly, it being the first – and so far only – time England have hosted the World Cup.

But one Sunday lunchtime the trophy was stolen from its display case. A few days later a ransom demand was made to the FA, and a note later delivered setting up a rendezvous where the trophy would be exchanged for the cash. But the plan fell apart, the switch never took place (despite coming tantalizingly close) and the thieves were never identified. The trophy, for reasons unknown, ended up under a bush in a London street where it was discovered by a dog named Pickles a week after the theft. Pickles briefly became a national hero, praised for sparing England’s blushes and saving the reputation of the World Cup tournament as a brand.

How closely is your novel based on true events?

Pretty closely in many ways, which is why I didn’t go into too much detail above! I always wanted this project to be a work of fiction, though, so certain elements – the nature of the theft in particular – were dramatised in order to drive the narrative. I kept certain characters such as the chairman of the FA (although I changed his name and created my own persona for him) while the gang of thieves was entirely down to my imagination. I’ve always felt the theft had an organised criminal element behind it, but not a large scale one, so it was fun creating a ‘firm’ who could carry out the raid but were under real pressure to collect the ransom because they desperately needed the cash.

Pickles is the only character that maintains his real-life name. In 1966 there was also a replica of the trophy made, commissioned by the FA but against FIFA’s wishes, and I exploit this conflict in the story. I’m a big fan of blending fact with fiction (David Peace and James Ellroy being the masters at this) and have always felt authors should be encouraged to use fiction as a vehicle to enhance intriguing factual narratives and sharpen the motivations of characters or historical figures.

What drew you to the story?

The curious nature of the theft, the bizarre discovery of the trophy, and the fact that the crime remains unsolved. Who were the gang of thieves? What went wrong between them to result in the trophy, worth a significant amount of money, ending up under a suburban hedge? I was surprised that no one had taken the Pickles story and done something exciting with it, so I thought I’d jump in there and weave my own narrative.

I also tied this in with a theme I’d been toying with basing a crime novel on for a while – leadership, and the pressures that come with fronting a criminal enterprise or firm. I’ve always been fascinated with the internal struggles and conflicts that crop up within a systemised criminal set-up, and seeing people try to take on the skillsets required to fill certain roles. So the tense and complex professional relationships that exist between members of the gang make up a central theme of the book.

Take us through a typical writing day for you?

I wish I had more of them! I write around a day job (I write copy for a marketing company) and am married with a three-year-old son, so my blocks of time for creative writing can be varied and unpredictable. On the occasions when I have a few hours to write, I begin by (and most writing guides advise against this) doing a light edit of what I’d written previously. I trained and worked in journalism for a few years and the editor in me just can’t resist, but I do enjoy ploughing on with a first draft knowing that the product behind me is a strong one.

Obviously the second draft stage is always an extensive one, but I don’t want a major re-structuring job at that point; I’d rather fix problems and enhance areas as I go along. I’m also a big fan of Stephen King’s theory of ‘write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open’ so I’m very much in my own head when unleashing a first draft, then liaising with friends and fellow writers for feedback on the second draft.

Chasing the Game is my first published novel but I wrote three crime thrillers before that; I’ve been writing seriously since about 2005 when I had a non-fiction book published and got the bug for writing full-length works.

Who are the authors you love, and why?

I adore Elmore Leonard’s dialogue, Adrian McKinty’s action sequences, Ken Bruen’s humour, the powerful prose of James Sallis, Jake Arnott’s deep characterisation, Patricia Highsmith’s ability to build drama, James Crumley’s sense of time and place and Graham Greene’s story structure. James Ellroy, David Peace and Don DeLillo do a glorious job of mixing fact with fiction while I also love Ian Fleming’s Bond books. As remarkable standout thrillers I really enjoyed Eddie Bunker’s No Beast So Fierce (which apparently inspired Tarantino to write Reservoir Dogs) and The Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips.

What’s the hardest lesson you ever had to learn about writing? 

Probably the fact that it’s incredibly difficult – and increasingly rare – to make a full-time career out of it. At a recent writing event I had a chat with an established, award-winning author who’s terrifically talented but told me how many copies her last book had sold and how many other things she had to do in order to supplement her time to write, and I thought that was a shame. The less time an author has to write, the fewer chances we have to enjoy them.

On a technical point, I like writing a synopsis but find it bizarre, frustrating and amusing that every agent and publisher appears to have a different idea about what they want to see in one. It’s an area that takes subjectivity to a new level!

How do you deal with feedback?

I embrace it during the editing stages of my writing. An interesting point is what to do with all the feedback you collectively receive. I know some writers who literally change everything that is recommended from all sources, but the danger of this is that the focus of the manuscript can then fragment and before you know it you have several half-realised themes and sub-plots going on.

I don’t think an author should ever lose sight of the initial purpose they had at the onset of the project. I think it’s best to take all feedback on board, apply a great deal of it if necessary, but to always consider that this is your book and the reader has to be convinced that it has come from one soul.

As for feedback from the industry, rejections are a familiar tale and for me have always been tempered by the fact that you know thousands upon thousands of writers are going through the same thing. Many writers collect their rejection letters but I’ve never really gone in for that. Positive responses from the trade, meanwhile, are obviously fantastic; it’s great to spend time speaking with agents, publishers and authors, and when you’ve had your work praised by such people it comes as a relief as well as a joy.

Give me some advice about writing…

Tough one. Any advice given by writers is obviously going to be very personal to them, but I’d say the most valuable way to spend your time is to focus on both finding your own distinctive voice (there’s no better way to make an impression on your first page) while at the same time reading as much of other writers as you can. If you’re writing a full-length novel you need prose worming through your brain pretty much all the time. The passion to write can only be driven by the passion to read.

What’s next for you?

I’ve written a first draft of another crime novel, which I’d like to polish and edit in the near future. It has another sports link, and is about the physical and mental struggles of a recently retired boxer who gets dragged by his former manager into a murky world of crime and an underground bare-knuckle fighting circuit, while also struggling to deal with his Alzheimer’s-stricken father. It’s called When the Roar Fades.

Who’s going to win the World Cup this summer?

All World Cups previously held in South America have been won by a nation from that continent, and I can’t see that pattern changing. It’s hard to see past the hosts, Brazil, but Argentina could be handy. I think England might sneak through their tough group but I’d be surprised to see them go beyond the quarter-finals.

The Intel: Ed Chatterton

As you know, we love writers here, and we’re keen to learn from them. Earlier in the week we reviewed Ed Chatterton’s excellent new novel Down Among The Dead Men, so it’s kind of a thrill to be able to say that Ed has agreed to answer some questions about his writing process.

What’s your writing process? What comes first – plot or character?

There’s a great quote from Raymond Chandler which, in essence, said that good books aren’t planned they are distilled. That really chimed with me as almost all my books (I’ve written about 35) start life as a rough idea based around one or two central characters and a couple of loose story possibilities. From there I start writing around a few key early scenes, gradually ‘distilling’ as I go. I always leave the endings unplanned as I believe that this makes the narrative less predictable. If I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen then it should be a surprise to the reader, right? That’s the theory anyway. In practice this means that I rewrite and redraft a lot. I’m continually refining and cutting and chopping until I’m happy. I know this is how a lot of writers work but I think I’m more ruthless than most. I enjoy working with editors and virtually never disagree with suggestions and cuts. Other people can see much more clearly what works and what doesn’t. A good plot should have a strong backbone but shouldn’t be in charge of the characters. Once a character starts doing something to help the plot I think the book starts to become hack work. Characters are the key.

Take us through a typical writing day for you?

It varies depending on what I’m working on but usually it would start with getting outside a coffee as quickly as possible. I’d then walk the dog or do something that takes me outside the house before starting work. After that it’s really dull: I just sit down and write. In recent years the rise in importance of social media has put huge time pressures on writers. Sometimes much of my day seems to be taken up with ‘selling’, which can be annoying when I know I’d rather be creating. I usually roughly work office hours, which is something I’ve always done. I’ve been a freelance creative for thirty years full-time and without being disciplined, or having some sort of routine, I’d have been out of work long ago.

Who are the authors or you love, and why?

Most of my kids books have been comedies and I’m a big admirer of good comedy writing. I think it’s by far the hardest type of writing. and I can tell you that writing drama is much easier. I love PG Wodehouse, Evelyn Waugh, Kyril Bonfiglioli, SJ Perelman and TV writers like Armando Iannucci, Larry David and Ricky Gervais. The best contemporary comedy writers are working in TV.

In crime fiction my heroes are Elmore Leonard, George Pelecanos and Patricia Highsmith. I love the way that these writers centre their books on character. Reading a good Leonard book you get the feeling that the narrative could move in unexpected directions. These writers also write beautiful dialogue. I don’t read much contemporary British crime fiction, to be honest.

What’s the hardest lesson you ever had to learn about writing?

Quality has no relationship to sales.

How do you deal with feedback?

I find that a cosh to the base of the neck usually does the trick. If the feedback’s from my editor I do listen closely and enjoy the experience. Feedback from readers can be a two-edged sword. Usually people are very positive but I try not to pay attention to reviews, good or bad. Every writer will tell you that in a good review we’ll pick out the one negative comment and dwell on that. I have a particular problem with reviews that pick up on the sexual element of my books. One mainstream reviewer called ‘A Dark Place To Die’ ‘sex-drenched’. It has one sex scene.

How has your own experience influence your writing?

I’m not a huge believer in the ‘write what you know’ thing but I do think that a writer is better for having had some life experience. When I’m writing children’s fiction, less of my own life experience comes into play, while when writing adult crime there’s more scope to bring in things that help the books. I’ve lived in a few countries and travelled a lot and this is probably the main thing that has been an influence. For instance, despite the series being anchored in Liverpool, I like to widen the story out to include places I know well or that have had an impact on me. In the first book (A Dark Place To Die) the story bounces between Australia and Liverpool, echoing what was happening in my life – without the body count and violent drug deals. In this book the story moves from Liverpool to Los Angeles and beyond. Having lived in the US helps enormously.

Another area of influence is knowledge of policing and the criminal world. While I’m not a cop or a criminal I’ve had a fair amount of contact with people on both sides of the fence in one way or another. I like to think this lends authenticity to the characters, many of whom are based on composites of people I’ve met or know. In terms of my career experience I think my background in design and illustration/film helps me to write economically and in a very cinematic way.

Give me some advice about writing…

The flip answer is: don’t start. I hesitate to say that because I know it’s not what aspiring writers want to hear. Sadly though, it’s the truth. Writing is an incredibly tricky road to take and simply writing well won’t help much (although that should be taken for granted.) If you do decide you absolutely have to write, then, for crying out loud do it in the privacy of your own home. And then, if the monstrous thing you produce still demands to be seen, coax it outside and then put it in front of someone with a bit of editorial experience. If you can’t find an amenable one at a publishing house – and you probably won’t – then there are a few decent editors for hire. This is a problem area (I believe) in that there are quite a number of  dubious editorial ‘services’ offered. Ask around and when you have found a good editor listen to them. Keep writing and keep re-drafting. Don’t be precious. The most precious writers – the ones who react least well to suggestions – are often the least experienced. What you think is gold usually turns out to be, at best, copper. Hopefully, if you keep at it for long enough then you may eventually produce something worthwhile. And if you don’t, then put the vile thing you’ve created back into a locked room and throw away the key. It’ll be for the best, in the end.

What’s your best advice for an author looking to get into the marketplace…

Didn’t you read that last bit? No? OK…then I guess that you need to be professional. I did a workshop last year at the State Library of Queensland on this subject. In preparation I asked a few friends and colleagues, all pros, to chip in their advice. There were a variety of responses but, in essence, they could all be boiled down to ‘be professional’.  By that they mean getting the basics right. Spell words correctly. Use decent grammar. Don’t submit ‘gimmicky’ manuscripts in violet-scented hand-made boxes. Have some idea of the market: if your book is a thriller submit it to a company that publishes thrillers, not cookbooks. Go further and try and find out who the publisher already publishes. If your stuff is like something they already publish it may be that they have that market share already ‘covered’. Use any personal contacts you can. Keep writing. Write anything. Write some more. Develop a skin like a rhino. Have a back up plan. Think about how you might sell your book. Do you have a good back story? Can you talk in front of groups of people? If not, you could be in trouble because authors have transmogrified (I’m not sure when, I had my back turned) into stand up comedians and dramatic actors. Perfect your performing monkey skills because you’ll need them. Above all, write something good that you have already shown to other people with critical abilities who have given you feedback that you have then acted upon.

Simple.

What’s next for you?

I’m writing book 3 in the Frank Keane series. I’m about two thirds of the way through. I’m also writing a YA novel called ‘Archangel’ which is about halfway through. That’s a sci-fi thriller based on ‘slavery’ as a theme. I’m also doing a PhD which involves writing a ‘big novel’. Mine is called ‘The Last Slave Ship’ (www.thelastslaveship.blogspot.com.au) and tells the story of the final slaver voyage from Liverpool in 1809, combined with a contemporary narrative involving race-hate crime and civil unrest. I’m working on a film project with an Australian film company writing a movie based around the memoirs of the son of a famous Sydney gangland boss. That should keep me busy.

***

Ed Chatterton is the prize-winning author of more than twenty children’s novels (published under the name Martin Chatterton), and then turned to writing crime novels creating DCI Frank Keane. He was born and brought up in Liverpool, but is a serial traveller and has lived in Florida, Lyon, Australia and London.  A Dark Place to Die was his first crime novel in the DCI Frank Keane series. Down Among the Dead Men is Ed’s second novel in the series and is split between Liverpool, Los Angeles and Australia. He lives in the UK with his wife and two children. To find out more visit his website at www.edchatterton.com