My Seven Facts
Author Graham Smith
1. While researching a novel I once managed to get myself politely ushered from a church I was researching as a murder site.
2 Whenever realistically possible, I try to visit the locations where my books are set. This especially applies to my latest series which is set in some beautiful parts of Scotland.
3. I’m a terrible creature of habit. I place exactly the same order whenever I go for a takeaway, I visit the same restaurants, bars etc. With my writing, I have a process that I use quasi-religiously, but I pretty much get my bum in the seat at the same time every day and aim for a regular word count before moving onto the next task.
4. I’m such a fussy eater I rarely accept invitations for dinner at someone’s house. Even my parents get asked what’s on the menu before I’ll accept. This has now got to the point where they’ll tell me what they’re cooking as part of the invitation. I work firmly on the principles that if the meat can swim better than me it doesn’t deserve to be eaten and once the milk has left the cow, the two should never regain contact. However, and this is because I’m a big bag of contradictions, I’ll happily try new dishes –provided chicken is the meat – when visiting an Indian restaurant.
5. The flip side of being such a fussy eater is that I’ve become quite adept in the kitchen. I can knock up several of my favourite dishes with ease, and I’m not averse to trying new things provided I create the new dish from ingredients I know I’ll enjoy eating.
6. I came to writing later in life than I would have liked, but considering how many life experiences I’ve had, it’s probably all worked out right in the end.
7. I sometimes feel that being a writer is both the best and worst thing. When I’m slogging my way through the first draft, I find myself visualising the scene to the point where I can smell and hear what my characters can. I’m totally in the room with them and it’s a wonderful thing to experience as the story I want to tell unfolds around me. However, there are times I’ve been in the middle of something at work or in family life and I’ve found myself thoroughly distracted by either a plot point or even a conversation between a couple of my characters.
Author Bio
Graham Smith is a time served joiner who has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since Christmas 2000, he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland.
He is an internationally best-selling Kindle author and has six books featuring DI Harry Evans and the Cumbrian Major Crimes Team, and four novels, featuring Utah doorman, Jake Boulder. His ‘Lakes’ series which has three novels featuring DC Beth Young has received much critical acclaim.
Graham is the founder of Crime and Publishment, a weekend of crime-writing classes which includes the chance for attendees to pitch their novels to agents and publishers. Since the first weekend in 2013, sixteen attendees have gone on to sign publishing contracts.
Graham also writes as John Ryder and G.N. Smith.
Graham can be found at
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Graham has two books out on the 22nd September 2023
The Flood
Entering the kitchen, Fiona let out a gasp. The body lay askew on the floor and a trickle of blood ran from the man’s nose and across his cheek. Fiona felt deep fear as she looked down at the man she never thought would meet this kind of end…
Still haunted by the historic murder of her parents, PC Fiona MacLeish has been told by Police Scotland that she must take a break from the demands of a busy force. So she’s returned to her remote childhood home in the Borders, where she grew up with her aunt. A place where nobody even knows she’s in the police force.
But when a terrifying storm cuts the small farming community off, and the bloodied body of one of her aunt’s neighbours is found, she realises the very place she has gone to find peace may be far more dangerous than she could ever have imagined.
And, as the rain hammers down and the flood waters rise, the killer who is moving amongst them is getting braver…If the killer finds out Fiona is really a police officer, she may be next. Has Fiona got what it takes to discover which of the trusted people in the tiny rural community is a murderer before they strike again?
The Flood is the first book in the Fiona McLeish series. With an unforgettable setting, a strong female lead and packed with twists, this is the perfect read for fans of JM Dalgliesh, JD Kirk and Simon McCleave.
The Island
Her hands bang desperately on the window of Fiona’s car door as the wind flaps her pink hair sideways. Through the glass the distraught mother shrieks, ‘Please, you have to find her! You have to find my little girl.’
When eight-year-old Cait Yorke goes missing on a remote island off the coast of the wild Scottish Highlands, PC Fiona MacLeish is quickly sent to investigate. But a gale is gathering force, and Fiona becomes increasingly concerned for a little girl braving the strong winds alone. As Fiona questions the locals, she soon realises that they are hiding many secrets. What is this island, and who really lives here?
Then a boat violently crashes off the coast of the island. On board, Fiona discovers the body of a man who has clearly been murdered. But the killer is nowhere to be found. The only place they can be is on the island with no way out.
Realising a killer is trapped on their island, tensions amongst the locals and Fiona begin to rise. As the gale rages on and the body count continues to rise, will Fiona find the young girl and the killer before they strike again?
The Island is the second book in the Fiona McLeish series, set against the remote Scottish Highlands. Fans of JM Dalgliesh, JD Kirk and Simon McCleave will love this character-driven police procedural with a dark twisty plot.
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