Author of Subtraction
Questions: R. Murry
Hello, Roy...thanks for inviting me back. I see you've decorated
since I was last here...hope you restocked the fridge. Ah....nice...no, no
slice of lime.
Can you tell me a little about yourself?
Well, as you know, I’m a man of few words,
most of them plagiarized. Since we last met, I've written another three novels,
lost twenty pounds and bought two new suits. Sadly I then put on twenty-five
pounds, so the suits don’t fit. I've become much less successful at writing and
much less attractive to women. My cats
still love me.
Can
you tell us about your book?
This one is called “Subtraction” and its set in Las Vegas in the
sixties. It features Mark Paris, who makes a living gambling small and assisting
people who don’t know where else to go for help. He has quite an interesting
back-story, but I’d prefer that people found that out for themselves. The book
is as much about him as about the mystery. story starts when he gets called up one
morning by a vague acquaintance who’s woken up in bed next to a gorgeous
blonde...who sadly appears to be dead.
I’ll leave the synopsis there, as I really do like readers to
find out the story as it unfolds. .
Most authors complain about 1* reviews...me I just assume that
that guy bought the wrong book, or is too stupid to appreciate my brilliance.
The ones I dislike most are the 5* reviews that insist on telling the reader
everything that happens in the first hundred pages.
What genre best fits for the book?
I think this one’s as near as I’m likely to get to a straight crime story. Wry rather than funny, gris foncĂ© rather than noir.
What genre best fits for the book?
I think this one’s as near as I’m likely to get to a straight crime story. Wry rather than funny, gris foncĂ© rather than noir.
Are
you working on something new at the moment?
No, I wrote ten books and three Kindle-only novellas between
June 2012 and August 2013, and I think I might be done now, In my opinion the
last three were the best, and I’d hate to drop the standard. Maybe I’ll think about writing
something else once Amazon sell out of the existing ones
Do
you have any tips for aspiring writers?
You should really have listened in your English classes at school and read a lot of very good books from different centuries twenty years ago. It’s probably too late for you now. Find a different hobby.
You should really have listened in your English classes at school and read a lot of very good books from different centuries twenty years ago. It’s probably too late for you now. Find a different hobby.
If you decide to persist, discard all advice that quotes Stephen King, Elmore Leonard or Ernest Hemingway and especially ignore all advice from American “editors” about removing adverbs and only using “strong” verbs. If everyone did what they advised, every book would read the same - Bland.
Where
can people go to read your work?
I have about ten things available now, short story collections, novellas and novels and they can all be found on my Amazon author page.
I have about ten things available now, short story collections, novellas and novels and they can all be found on my Amazon author page.
Do
you have anything to add?
Merely to thank you once again for inviting me back...and to point out that my glass is empty.
Merely to thank you once again for inviting me back...and to point out that my glass is empty.
A great interview - thank you Andrew, and thank you Roy
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me back
ReplyDeleteI love a man in pink, what can I say? I'd be more than happy with a 4* review from you, I'm prepared to grovel too. More gin?
ReplyDeleteVery good!!
ReplyDelete