Today I’m joining the blog tour for It Never Rains. I’m sharing my Q&A with the author with thanks to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on the tour and to Tony Bassett for answering my questions!

Have you always wanted to write?

Ever since I got lots of ticks for my school essays at the age of ten. 

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

I worked as a journalist for 43 years before I turned to writing crime novels. For six years, I worked on local newspapers in Sidcup, Worcester and Cardiff before moving to Fleet Street. In London, I mainly worked for the Sunday People, both in their newsroom and their investigations department.

What was your inspiration for IT NEVER RAINS?

I was inspired to write the book after a series of break-ins at the homes of professional footballers over the past five years in places like Nottinghamshire, Cheshire and Surrey. One of the most recent robberies happened during the World Cup in December 2022. England international Raheem Sterling had to fly home after an armed gang raided his Surrey mansion. 

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

 I suppose the characters in my nine published books must be based on a myriad of different human traits I have come across over a long and varied life – friends, relatives, work colleagues, people I have interviewed, characters in books I have read and people I have met in day-to-day life. 

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

When I began writing novels in 2015, I was a dedicated pantser, very much flying by the seat of my pants. But my methods have evolved. I now begin with the kernel of an idea, a set of characters, a basic structure and, as I begin writing the first chapters, I find myself planning several chapters in advance. 

How do you carry out research? Did you enjoy it?

I mainly do my research online. I sometimes wonder how writers could have managed to write books before the arrival of the internet. Occasionally, I make inquiries on the phone. I enjoy doing research but prefer the actual writing process.  

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

I would have to say Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie were favourite authors in my early years. More recently, Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, Peter James, Colin Dexter, Gillian Flynn and C.W. Craven. I imagine most crime writers must have been inspired or influenced in some way after reading works by their favourite authors.

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

I would invite the sharp-shooter from my novel The Crossbow Stalker; serial killer Carl Innocent from my novel Out For Revenge; and the assassin from my London thriller Seat 97. I would ask them all: Do you want the chicken or the beef?  No, seriously, I would ask them: How on earth did you think you would ever get away with it?

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

Sir Paul McCartney’s ex-wife Heather Mills and his cousin Kate Robbins.  

I actually was stuck in a lift with them in London in 2000 in the course of my work.  They made it abundantly clear they were in no mood to answer any of my questions and had no time for the British press.

Who would play the main character/s in a film version of IT NEVER RAINS? 

I quite fancy the idea of someone like Rukku Nahar (she plays Habiba Ahmed in East Enders) playing Detective Sergeant Sunita Roy.  It might be harder to cast someone as DCI Gavin Roscoe. The actor would have to be tall, stocky, in his mid-fifties, able to show a cantankerous side and with a Birmingham accent. Not an easy call.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Sorry, spare time?  If I get any, I like to visit my grown-up children and their families in Wales, play the piano and watch television. 

What is next for you?

I’m currently writing the ninth book in my Midlands crime series. 

FAVOURITES:

Book?

My favourite book is The Thirty-nine Steps by John Buchan.

Film?

What’s Up Doc? (1972) starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal. 

Band/Singer?

Sir Paul McCartney

TV show?

Would I Lie To You? (BBC).

Colour?

I don’t have one. 

Place?

Anywhere in the UK.

Biscuit?

Chocolate digestive.

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It Never Rains is available from Amazon.

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