| 1)
You have encapsulated many racial and religious tensions in Streets of Darkness while also placing the Capulet and Montague roles on Virdee and his wife. Why did you choose to do this? |
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| Bradford has a strong history of racial tension and to-date there are still areas which appear mono-cultural as opposed to multi-cultural. I wanted to subvert the perception of Asian characters in fiction by creating strong leads who would define themselves as British English and are fiercely patriotic but who are also troubled by some of the darkness brought about by their ethnicity. |
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| 2)
Your setting of Bradford is one you bring alive. Why did you choose a provincial city and how much research did you have to do? |
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| Having lived in Bradford my whole life, my research was my own knowledge and feel of the city. It does have a Gotham-esque feel to parts of the city with derelict satanic mills dotted around the centre. There is an edginess to parts of the city which is a perfect setting for crime-fiction. |
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| 3)
The timing of the release of ‘Streets of Darkness’ is very apt considering the current political climate in which the far-right is gaining more prominence. Do you consider there are forces orchestrating things within the country in the same way that you have fictionalised in your novel? |
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| I think we live in times where economic and welfare struggles mean that scapegoats are easily made and victimised. We also need to see more diversity in our literature and television screens so that what it means to be British is more clearly defined and visible. There are still areas of the UK where being British is seen as a “white” identity and with Harry Virdee I am claiming Britishness is not restricted to being of any specific colour or creed. It is about democracy, tolerance and patriotism. |
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| 4)
You encapsulated so many of your characters perfectly. Are they based on real people or are they entirely original? |
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| I have met a vast array of characters in my life and all my characters are influenced by my life experiences but not based specifically on anybody. I like to think that Harry Virdee’s love of his city and country are similar to mine and I perhaps dissipate some of my frustrations through him in literature! |
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| 5)
Is ‘Streets of Darkness’ a standalone or will we see more of Harry Virdee in the future? |
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| It is the first in a series. I have just finished the second book, ‘Girl Zero’, out in 2017 and am currently working on the television script as TV rights were quickly snapped up. |
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| 6)
Which elements of pace, setting, characterisation, plotting and theme do you consider to be the most important? |
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| Pace! Always, pace. Characterisation is equally as important but I love cliff-hanger endings and plunging my readers into a pacey, dramatic thriller where the clock is ticking. |
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| 7)
What are the best and worst things about being a writer? |
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| The best is the ability to create stories which excite me and my readers and fictionally do things you cannot do in real life! The worst is procrastinating (which I hold a gold medal in!) and those times when a blank screen becomes your evil enemy. |
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| 8)
Which three crime novels have left a lasting impression on you and why? |
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Tess Gerritsen’s,’The Surgeon’ – it got me writing back in 2006. I loved how much it scared me!
Thomas Harris’ ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ – Hannibal in my opinion is the greatest villain of our time in literature. I aspire to create someone half as scary.
Dan Brown’s ‘Angels and Demons’ – pace, power, PERFECT. The ending was the greatest twist I have ever read. |
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