Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Preston, an industrial town in the North West of England, but I was raised in Thornton-Cleveleys, a smaller town in the Blackpool area. Blackpool, amongst other things, is the UK’s most popular tourist destination, a kind of ‘poor man’ Las Vegas. After completing high school and college, I joined the Royal Navy. In addition to serving at sea, I had the opportunity to work in British embassies across South America, including Argentina and Uruguay. After I retired from the Navy, I made my home in London; however, soon, I was off on further adventures when I was hired by a well-known Australian TV producer and his author’s wife to work aboard their superyacht. After seven more years of traveling the globe, I eventually settled in Savannah, Georgia, before I finally (I hope) moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I’m married, have one wonderful daughter, two equally wonderful stepdaughters, and a cat named Mike.
I have written nine books and three short stories.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, ‘A Cozy Mystery…With Cupcakes and Zombies’ is a parody of poorly written cozy mystery novels. I do enjoy cozy mysteries, don’t get me wrong, but I also love comedy. The book centers around Poppy Darling and her unorthodox methods of solving murders while baking cupcakes in her spare time. It is pure parody, with the character the polar opposite of the usual cozy mystery heroine. She is spoilt, entitled, inadvertently racist, and homophobic, as well as unlikeable. Luckily, she is aided by her sidekick, Chelsea Sweetheart, who is more like a poorly developed cozy mystery heroine. The book is purely tongue-in-cheek and is my first real comedy since my novel, The Reluctant Jesus, won the Reader’s Favorite Book Award for Comedy in 2014. The book took me four months to write; it is short, and if you enjoy satire and deliberately over-the-top characters, then any reader would enjoy it…apart from fans of some cozy mystery writers! I was inspired to write it after seeing just how many baking mysteries there are…come on, I mean?
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always write in the nude. Always.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite authors include Agatha Christie, Ben Elton, and John Kennedy Toole. I also enjoy JK Rowling, C Terry Cline, Jnr, and Richard Osman. My favorite genres to read are dark comedy and mysteries. However, a combination of both is my ideal genre.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on another parody cum comedy entitled ‘Murder, She Hoped,’ which is a spoof of ‘Murder, She Wrote.’ It is at the editing stage, and the premise sees a self-published cozy mystery writer (best-selling in several sub-sub-subcategories) solving what she believes are real-life mysteries…
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Bookbub worked well for me and Facebook Ads do work if you can get the right demographic.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My biggest mistake when I started writing was not using an editor. The best advice that I can give is to use a professional editor. I wish I had when I first started out.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I was ever given was from the late Australian TV producer Reg Grundy, who was once a boxing commentator, who told me to ‘keep on throwing punches; one will hit eventually.’
What are you reading now?
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
What’s next for you as a writer?
I intend to write a series of short stories, which I will offer for free. I have three already out there (though Amazon keeps putting them back for sale…it’s a long story) and I have several more in the pipeline.
What is your favorite book of all time?
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
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