Q&A with Simon McCleave - the new kid on the block!

There is a new kid on the block for crime fiction and that is the brilliant Simon McCleave and his new series DI Ruth Hunter!

Simon is an experienced hand though! Having worked for the BBC as a Script Editor and then as a producer for Channel 4, native Londoner McCleave moved across the Atlantic to LA where he worked as a Story Analyst for Hollywood Studios such as Fox and Miramax. Returning home, McCleave then spent his time writing television and film scripts. He worked on a huge range of television series including Silent Witness, The Bill, Eastenders and even wrote a script for David Walliams’ first television role in the BBC2 drama ‘Attachments’. His film ‘Out of the Game’ for Channel 4 was a critical success – ‘A darkly comic and unflinching portrayal of modern male friendship – The Guardian Guide.’

Having made the move to the more idyllic landscape of North Wales with his wife and children, Simon locked himself away last year and wrote his first novel, a gripping crime thriller ‘The Snowdonia Killings.’ 

I will post a review of the series on the publication date on the 16th January but here is the Q&A!

1) We all have to admit that people who write crime fiction come up with some gruesome aspects in their work. Where do you get your inspiration?

I guess I have absorbed decades of books, true crime books and documentaries, television and film. When I start to write, my ideas come out as a mish mash of the real and fictional. I try to keep my books as real and procedural as I can, while realising that they need to entertain and so a degree of artistic license is okay. 

2) What was your day job before your writing took off and how do you think it has affected the books you create?

 I spent fifteen years working in the television and film industry. I worked as a script editor and in development at places like the BBC Drama Department. That meant I spent every day working with writers on ideas and scripts for film and tv. I then became a script writer on programmes such as Silent Witness and The Bill. I learnt about structure, dialogue and re-writing my work. I'm very lucky to have all that experience before tackling my novels so I can hit the ground running.  

3) Whose is your favourite author at present? 

I love James Ellroy, Ian Rankin and Tony Parsons. 

4) Who is your favourite of all time? 

Graham Greene is my favourite author of all time. 

5) Is there a genre of books you just can’t stand?

I haven't read widely but I think I might struggle with complicated Sci Fi books!

6) If you were only allowed to read one book for the rest of your life what would it be?

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene.

 7) How does the ‘location’ i.e. geographical area play it’s part when you are writing a book?

My books are set in Snowdonia, North Wales. It's a gift of a location because there is so much myth and legend associated with the region. Snowdonia gives the books a darkness and a unique atmosphere as though it is a character itself. 

8) Describe your day when you are writing?

 Once I drop the kids at school, I take my cockapoo Tilly for a walk and think about the scenes I've got to write that morning. I spend 3-4 hours writing whatever book I'm working on and hope to get around 2,000-3,000 words done. Afternoons are then spent re-writing other books, marketing, publicity and social media. 

9) Can you give us any clues about the book you are working on? 

I'm currently writing Book 5 of my Snowdonia Crime Thrillers series - it's provisionally called 'The Ceiriog River Killings'. I'm about halfway through and revolves around two suicides that may not be what they first seem. 

10) How important do you think the blogging community and social media in the book industry?  

It's becoming increasingly important. People complain about social media but I've met some fantastic people there. Fellow authors or people who love books. It's a real community and that's important to me. I also think that if you are genuine with what you put on social media or in a blog, you will find lots of like-minded people and hopefully people who are interested in what you've got to say. If you use social media or blogging in a cynical form of self-promotion, you will get found out.   

And finally a bonus question!  

What would rather have as a method to kill off a character - a hundred penguins descending on a person or one solitary shaving nick, which led to an infection and death? Why did you choose what you did?   

It's got to be the shaving nick. It's the tension and surprise of how something so innocuous can lead to death. I love the unexpected.