Today I’m pleased to be taking part in the blog tour for Greed. My post is shared with thanks to Zoe O’Farrell for inviting me on the tour and to Tim Beeden for answering my questions!

Have you always wanted to write?

Yes. I grew up writing stories and devouring books. I’ve always loved the notion that a thing can exist in your head and only you can turn that thing into something other people can then read. A few years ago we were stood in line waiting to go into the Harry Potter Studios near London and my son turned to me and said, “Daddy, all of this came from inside her head!” 

What were your previous jobs? Have they helped you with your writing process?

I’ve had a lot of jobs. Everything from warehouse work through to teaching. I’ve taken two things from each and every job: 1) People are fascinating 2) Hard work beats everything.

What was your inspiration for Greed?

Tough one. The answer to this is probably an answer that combines something quite ‘floaty’ like the desire to create and be heard with something more straightforward like to show my son what’s possible if you commit and work hard.

How do you construct your characters? Do they have traits of people you know?

Every character I’ve ever written is probably based either entirely, or at least in part, on someone I’ve met. That being said, I don’t plan or construct characters. I like to let things develop and see where the characters go from there. Seems like a fun way to do things.

What does your writing process look like? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Once the idea’s there, it’s a case of buckling up and going for it, blasting out a first draft and hoping it doesn’t resemble something a monkey at a laptop would produce (spoiler – it often does). 

How did you research Greed? Did you enjoy it?

I suppose the research for Greed was a lifetime of reading books, interacting with people and then finding out the best way for me to write a book. The thought of doing research in the strictest sense makes me shudder. Not my style.

Who are your favourite writers? Are you influenced by them?

This is a list which could go on forever. Here’s a select few:

Stephen King – For showing me that story is always the most important thing.

Robert Crais – For nailing character

Ronan Hession – For beautiful simplicity

Mark Twain – For being Mark Twain

If you could invite three people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be and why?

I’ll resist the dead people at a dinner party gag and go with:

1) Denzel Washington – A master of his craft and absolutely worth listening to

2) Billie Holiday – That voice. And can you imagine the stories!

3) Beau Miles – His outlook fascinates me.

Who would you least like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

The guy whose job it is to fix the lift.

Who would play the main character/s in a film version of Greed?

For the Hoffenbach brothers, let’s go with either Simon Pegg & Nick Frost or Ryan Reynolds & Hugh Jackman

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My son’s about to turn eight and it’s a glorious age. Spending time with him and my wife makes me happy.

What is next for you?

Like a naïve fool, I’ve said that Greed is the first of eleven books based around the Seven Deadly Sins and Four Last Things. The next book is called Envy and, if I say so myself, is really rather unwritten. Better get a move on!

Favourites:

Book – The Long Walk by Stephen King.

Film – The Big Lebowski or The Princess Bride.

Band/Singer – The White Buffalo.

TV show – At the moment, Bluey. The gold standard of kids TV.

Colour – What colour’s a doughnut? Brown? Beige? Let’s go with that.

Place – Denmark.  

Biscuit – Custard Cream. The most reliable yet underrated member of the biscuit family.

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Greed is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: