Why this website?


Even shy, retiring types like myself need some form of soapbox. Uncomfortable as I am with the concept of self-promotion, I realise it's a necessary evil, and something I'm going to have to get used to if I wish to succeed in this trade.


Where can I get a copy of COLD GHOST?


Okay, now there are a few choices. Your local bookshop should be able to order it for you, as I've signed up to Gardener's (distribution people), or you can get it online at Amazon if you wish to be royally ripped off (for reasons known only to them they have decided upon a £1.99 surcharge for this "hard to find" novel. Bunch of crooks. Easiest way, I would guess, is to drop me an email, and I'll be only too happy to sort you out a copy.


Where do you get the inspiration?


Tricky one this. Cold Ghost was originally a short story that I wrote in a fit of creativity some ten years ago. I pulled it out of a drawer a couple of years ago, kept the core idea, and decided to do something serious with it. In January 2003, when it looked as though I might actually finish it, I began to worry that, should I be lucky enough to find a buyer, I'd have nothing else to follow. Happily, this fretting lasted only a few weeks. The second novel, which I'm going to keep to myself until it's ready, arrived pretty much fully formed, which was terribly handy, although it doesn't really answer the question adequately enough.


How long did this take you?


Eighteen months, on and off. I hold down a full-time job, so I've been scribbling mostly at lunch-breaks (I can get about 1000 words done in that hour) and occasionally in the evenings and weekends. If that sounds laborious, you'd be right.


What medium do you prefer - pen or keyboard?


Although I polish the final version on a laptop, I write the initial draft with pencil and A4 paper - ultimate portability and versatility. For some reason, words just flow better to paper than they do to screen.


Are you extremely good-looking and wealthy?


I've been described by one ex-girlfriend as "interesting-looking". Oh, and I'm dirt-poor.


What do you intend to do next?


Write another book, naturally. I'm working through a second idea, which I mentioned a few questions back, getting as much of it down on paper as possible, and I'm beginning to get very excited about it.