Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m Mike Scantlebury, living in North West England. I live across the river from the Regional Centre, Manchester, but this neighbourhood is in Salford, where a certain TV soap comes from – ‘Coronation Street’. (If I walk out my door, and turn right, the T-junction at the top of the road is Coronation Street. If I turn left I can walk to the home ground of Manchester United Football Club. You may have heard of them too.)
I’ve written dozens of novels, most in the category ‘Crime Fiction Mystery Thriller’. I have two series. One is called ‘Mickey from Manchester’ and the other is ‘The Amelia Hartliss Mysteries’. What often confuses people is that these two characters are sometimes in each other’s books too, sometimes fighting together, sometimes fighting each other. It’s an on-off romance. (Also confusing is that ‘Mickey’ isn’t his real name; he isn’t FROM Manchester; and he’s not even living there anymore. Melia lives in a flat in the middle of Manchester and works for a government agency that doesn’t exist.)
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s complicated. The latest book finished is called ‘CO-VID2020’. It’s Part Four in a trilogy that I started last summer and finished off in November during ‘National Novel Writing Month’. I took advice from a blog that said readers these days want short novels and shorter chapters. The whole of the ‘CO-VID2020’ story might have been squashed into one large doorstop, but I decided to spread it out – and see what readers thought of the new structure.
As far as inspiration is concerned, well, there’s the virus –
Still, my books operate on several different levels. The novels mention the pandemic, of course they do, but in my Amelia Hartliss story ‘Co-vid’ actually stands for ‘Co-operative Videographers’ and starts in 2013, (in a previous novel called ‘The Golden Chip’, published then.)
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My novels are very plot-heavy, which means I have to get the details right, about who goes where, does what and with whom. That usually means starting on the kitchen table with a several sets of ripped up pieces of paper, spreading them out, arranging and re-arranging them into an order that makes sense. This process can take weeks or months, but since I’m already in the kitchen, food and drink is readily available.
When I’m satisfied wih my charts and graphs, I usually grab a keyboard and retire to bed to actually get the story down.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I started with Private Eyes and authors like Ross MacDonald, Raymond Chandler and Norman Eddington. The usual. Then I discovered Mickey Spillane and got a lot more tough. Mr Spillane is called Mickey and has a hero called ‘Mike’. One of my series features a protagonist called ‘Mickey’ and my name is Mike. Coincidence?
What are you working on now?
My latest trilogy is called ‘Korruption Kills’. I know, it’s spelt wrong, but that’s my starting point. I read a book about corruption in the Third World, places like Afghanistan and Nigeria and what the author made clear is that people in the West have absolutely no idea of the extent and impact of corruption. Then she started talking about the UK and the USA – wow, that was a bit confrontational.
My story features Mickey, and he becomes involved in his local property development company and he is shocked and horrified by the amount of corruption at even this low level!
Of course, being a thriller, that is only the beginning, and things then start to go from bad to worse before Mickey can solve the problems, at least where he is. Wish him luck!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
When it comes to promotion, just look at my results. Nothing.
I’m a total failure at promoting my books, it seems. I have started getting in touch with Book Promotion websites, bloggers and reviewers in this year 2021, but mainly because my efforts on Social Media haven’t worked at all. I joined Twitter in 2009 and Facebook even earlier. I’ve had a website (or two) since 2007. I’ve got a blog on Blogger; one on Goodreads; and one on WordPress. Have you read them? The fact is I go completely unnoticed. (And please don’t say you’ve simply passed me by. I’ve looked my own name up on Google and all those sites are mentioned, one after the other. There are literally hundreds of links, to the sites and to individual books.)
Anyway, that’s all in the past. I’ve been to ‘Book Marketing Tools’ website and downloaded a list of over a hundred Book Promotion sites. I reckon it will take the rest of the year to get through them all, and to stick within a manageable budget, but that’s my future. I’m looking for reviewers, bloggers and blog tours. Watch out! I’m coming your way.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is ‘Start by writing what you know’, but then use that as the launchpad and let your imagination soar. For me, I always say, ‘Yes, I set my books in Salford and Manchester, but all that means is the geography’s right. The people and plots are my own invention.’
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best adviice I’ve ever heard for authors is ‘Write the book that you’d really love to read’, because that’s the one you can probably do, and will enjoy writing. But be careful: there’s lots of misleading advice too. One example is ‘Write what you know’. Follow that route and we’d have a million books about people in attics writing novels!
What are you reading now?
I tend to read non-fiction a lot and my latest challenge is ‘Natural Cures’ by Alan Inglis. It’s fascinating. as well as a book called ‘The Biggest Bluff’ by Maria Konnikova.
As far as fiction is concerned, I’ve just about finished ‘History is a lie’ by Morton R Leader – really challenging – and I’m just about to start ‘Storm’s Fury’ by Mary Stone.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My son-in-law has given me a book called ‘Write, Publish, Repeat’ by Johnny B. Truant, and it’s a handy guide for all would-be writers. But, of course, what I’ve realised is that ‘WPR’ is not the whole story. If you focus on just those three things, then you can go on writing and publishing but never sell a single book!
My recommendation is ‘WPPSRR’ – and that stands for ‘Write, Publish, Promote, Sell, Receive, Repeat’. One day I’m going to write the book that explains that – and make a fortune. Meantime, it’s just my mantra. I think it will work for me.
What is your favorite book of all time?
My favourite book ever is called ‘The Mansion’ by William Faulkner, a man who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. The novel is stunning, launching a saga in the very first page, then hurtling along at breakneck speed with a cast of many different characters at all levels of society, and Yes, it has mystery, crime, romance and pity in it. It’s a real thriller.
Author Websites and Profiles
Mike Scantlebury Website
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