Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my debut novel. So far it has had five 5-star reviews on Amazon from the UK, US and Australia so I must be doing something right!
I am a career journalist having worked for the London Daily Mail, Reuters and latterly the Liverpool Daily Post on Merseyside in the UK. I was also the journalists’ leader in the region. I have experience as a crime reporter, feature writer, business editor and latterly, a senior sub-editor.
My qualifications include a BA (Hons) English, from the University of Liverpool; a BA (Hons) Fine Art and an MA in Creative Practice both from Liverpool Hope University.
I will be publishing my second full-length novel, Kill Joy in the New Year and as a taster I have written a short story which features the same central female character in which she talks about her world and her life. It is, however, essentially a ghost story. T hat is also published on Kindle.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My debut novel is called The Poseidon Files and it was inspired firstly by a conspiracy theory surrounding an installation called HAARP in Alaska in which the US military were suspected of weaponizing the weather. I have spun a web of mystery and suspense around it in which a young woman and the supernatural become involved. That was inspired by grandmother who was a psychic and a mystic. Much the story takes place in Liverpool in the UK but also in Toronto, Canada, and Gakona, Alaska.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I enjoy writing in the first person, present tense. I think that gives a sense of immediacy to a story so my central characters always talk in the narrative.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Historically, Graham Greene but more recently the Cormoran Strike stories of Robert Galbraith (J K Rowling). I also enjoy Ruth Ware but I think my all time favourite is Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
What are you working on now?
My second full-length novel is called Kill Joy inspired by the murder of children’s writer Helen Bailey who was murdered by her partner and whose body was eventually found in a cesspit under garage. I am currently working on a third inspired by the Zodiac murders in San Francisco.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, I think Facebook campaigns have been the most successful.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes I do. Employ a professional book editor once you have finished your first draft. Every story needs the advice of a professional in a structural edit.
Secondly, if you think you have a really good story put it to the test with reliable reviewers.
And finally, never give up!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When you finished the first draft, put it to one side for a couple of months and then read it again with fresh eyes.
What are you reading now?
I have two books. The first is The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott and You’ll Never See Me Again by Lesley Pearse.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am also an artist and my stories reflect that through my central character Naomi Richards. I have in mind a story based in Toronto, Canada where a woman almost died because of breast implants that basically poisoned her body. She fought a three-year battle to get a correct diagnosis during which time she lost her job, could hardly eat and was bedridden.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Dracula. Great story and it is still published today
Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Rickett Website
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