| 1)
What makes a truly great crime/thriller novel? |
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| Character of course. We have to believe not just in the central characters – the detective figures – but also in the perpetrators, the victims, everyone involved in the action. I’m a bit of a traditionalist so I love the cheap thrill of a surprise ending. It’s not always easy to combine this with psychological credibility but it’s such a treat when the author manages it. And place is important too, not just as a background to the action, but to explain the characters who are rooted in specific communities. |
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| 2)
Now that the crime/thriller genre represents the largest section of fiction sold in the UK and Ireland, do you think we do enough to celebrate the quality and diversity of the writing? |
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| I think people involved in the business of crime-writing work hard to do this. The CWA promotes new writers and translated crime through the Daggers, we have websites like CRIMESQUAD.COM, passionate bloggers, great festivals. But as the High Street retail market contracts things are very difficult. Even well-known authors find it hard to get their books onto the shelves and supermarkets seem reluctant to stock titles by new writers unless they’ve had a huge marketing spend. |
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| 3)
Did you have the idea to set these stories in Shetland and then arrange to go there, or were you a frequent visitor and then decide it was an ideal setting for a detective story? |
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| I first went to Shetland more than thirty years ago – I’d dropped out of university and was offered the job as assistant cook in the bird observatory on Fair Isle – so BLUE LIGHTNING takes me right back to where it all started. I’ve been visiting ever since and have great friends there. The idea for the first story came during a trip in mid-winter. |
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| 4)
Did it involve a great deal of research and visits to the islands mentioned in the books? |
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| Yes, lots of tax-deductible trips to Shetland! Lots of time spent sitting in croft kitchens and listening to stories. Really no hardship! I love the islands and visit three or four times a year. Shetlanders have been astoundingly gracious about the books, considering I’m an outsider. The manuscript is always read by a friend before it goes to print. |
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| 5)
I felt that as the books moved on the atmosphere and understanding of the people of the islands also grew. Is this something you were aware of, or even deliberately developed? |
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| Characters always develop as you think about them and write about them. Certainly I know Shetland much better now than I did when I started RAVEN BLACK. I’d spent more time in Fair Isle then than I had in Shetland mainland. I take an interest in the preoccupations of the islanders, read the local paper, just talk to people. |
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| 6)
Were the four books planned from the outset- the colours in the titles suggests that maybe they were- and if so how much detail is required for each plan? |
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| RAVEN BLACK was going to be a stand-alone novel. My editor thought it would stretch credibility to have more than one crime novel set in such a small community. Then it won the Dagger and got good reviews and we thought again… It was obvious to use the seasons as a basis for a quartet: Shetland is so far north that each season varies dramatically. It’s almost like writing about a different place. And there’s no plan at all. I start the book without any idea what’s going to happen. |
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| 7)
Do you feel sad now that the quartet is finished, and are you tempted to pursue Perez’ career, wherever it may take him? |
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| I’m sad to have completed the quartet, but I haven’t finished with Shetland. I’ve left the possibility of a return, though the central characters might be rather different. There’ll be a gap - I’m concentrating on the Vera Stanhope books for a while because ITV has filmed one of the novels – but I certainly intend to go north again. |
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| 8)
The longest serial character of yours lasted eight books. Inspector Ramsey, lasted six books, the Stanhope novels stand at three and Blue Lightning is evidently the last of a quartet featuring Jimmy Perez. Are you not keen on being trapped with a particular character for a long time or do you get ‘itchy feet’ and need to explore new people from your imagination? |
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| I think I would feel a little claustrophobic if I were to stay with the same central character without a break. Although I shift point of view throughout the book, I am seeing the world pretty much through my hero’s eyes for the time I’m writing. Shetland’s an interesting world but I’d like to explore other ideas that don’t fit in well to that environment. I’m very much enjoying writing about Vera Stanhope again now and coming home to Northumberland. |
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| 9)
What do you think drives a story best – plot or characters? |
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| I’m not very good at plot – that’s one of the reasons I write traditional crime. The story’s set out for me: there’s a murder, a limited number of suspects and a hero who brings about a resolution at the end. I’m much more interested in writing character and relationships and the action is driven by that. |
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| 10)
In a dream scenario who would you like to direct and star in a film/TV adaptation of your book? |
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| The director would be Douglas Mackinnon. He’s done a lot of great popular drama on television and he has a passion for Shetland because his mother came from Yell. He understands the place and anyone directing would need that. The actor for Jimmy Perez? David Tennant. But that would be a dream scenario! |
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| 11)
What is your favourite movie adaptation of all time of a crime/thriller novel? |
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| I’m horribly ignorant about film, but I’m a radio addict, so can I choose the Smiley season that’s running on radio 4 at the moment? I love Le Carre’s novels and the adaptation is brilliant. |
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| 12)
What is your favourite crime/thriller novel of all time? |
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| This is impossible and I change my mind every time I’m asked. I’ve just come back from a holiday in Paris, so anything by Simenon. |
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