Love Byte
Love Byte was released on 30th June and took me around 18 months to write - this was from the start to the final version which isn't bad. The inspiration came from a casual comment by my wife one day after I'd dressed our older daughter in purple leggings and a green and red spotty top. (If she didn't want me to put them on her they shouldn't be in her drawer.) Anyway her comment was: 'God help her if anything happened to me she'd go out dressed like COCO the clown every day.'
That got me to wondering what WOULD happen...would she come back and haunt me?? The whole concept grew arms and legs from there, but that was the basic premise. I like to think the story is both funny and heart-warming.
It has been well received so far, but would benefit from some further publicity.
Edinburgh’s literary heritage and quirky bookshops provide you with your inspiration so can you tell us a bit more about this?
I am originally from Glasgow but as I am now resident in Edinburgh I am acutely aware of the city's literary heritage - from Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, JM Barrie & Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to more contemporary writers Ian Rankin, Iain Banks, Kate Atkinson ( no relation - at least I don't think so), & JK Rowling. Not that I dare suggest I am anywhere near their status at this stage more that it is something to aspire to. The City also boasts the largest book festival in the UK. They claim it to be the biggest in the world - but I'm not sure about that. The city is also crammed with little bookshops that more often than not reflect the 'preferences and philosophy' of the owner. This can mean each shop provides something a little different from the larger chains that are also represented in abundance - Waterstones, WH Smith etc.
To what extent do you think being in a family of women has helped you to write romantic fiction?
I suppose I've always been lucky and had some 'girl-friends' that were friends and not partners - whilst studying at college I spent the best part of 2 years sharing a flat with 3 girls - they all had boyfriends and I had a steady girlfriend at the time so it was useful 'training' and I learned a lot about moods/preferences and heartaches over those 2 years. Sex always gets in the way to some extent as blokes (unless they are gay) probably can never fully set that aside. I think being in an all-female household is an extension of that and I do use a lot of what happens, especially with the kids - albeit with some changes and exaggerations in my writing. My favourite part of writing is creating dialogue and having worked on scripts previous to doing any serious novel writing certainly helped with this - I personally hate the dialogue in books that simply says, he said/she said - I like to think the reader is intelligent enough to work out for themselves (especially when only 2 people are talking) who is saying what and when.
Please tell us about the character of Andy Hunter.
Andy Hunter is an amalgamation of a few people I've known over the years and I suspect there is a little bit of me in him too. He is a bit of a 'lost soul' who tends to drift along. To an extent he lacks self-confidence but at the same time knows what he likes. Somebody in a review wrote that he is like a 'crumpled shirt' and I suppose that is a good description, he needs someone to look after him - not to the extent that he needs a mother, more that he needs a woman to help him fulfil his potential. I wanted to create a character with obvious and common personality flaws that could be manipulated but not to the point where he was a wuss - hopefully I managed that, but ultimately it is up to the reader to decide. I think most men would recognise a bit of themselves in Andy.
How difficult is to write for a female audience?
I didn't consciously set out to do that, I just wrote the story as it came to me without any real audience in mind. I wrote what made ME laugh and made ME cry. I'm probably well in touch with my feminine side which helped but ultimately writing romantic comedy allows me a lot of latitude in terms of what I can and can't do and even though I didn't subvert the ending - although I was tempted - I like to think I avoided being syrupy and sentimental and yet still managed to given the ending everyone would have wished for Andy...eventually.
Why is Edinburgh the perfect setting for a romance?
The city is a naturally romantic place - steeped in history and full of little nooks and crannies that lovers can get lost in. It can be breathtakingly beautiful on a cold winter's day and full of vibrant life during the warm summer months with the arts festival and thousands of tourists. I love using it as a back drop for my writing, and hopefully it will inspire people to visit.
Please tell us about your previous book Flowers for Dying.
Flower's was my first fully completed manuscript which I ended up self-publishing. It is a crime novel and completely different from Love Byte and is mainly set in South London though does make use of a number of other UK locations. I have recently removed it from sale as it needs some editing and reworking and is not as professionally finished as it could be. I hope to re-release it next year along with a sequel I have been working on. Flower's taught me a lot in terms of plotting and the discipline required to bring a story together as well as the whole publishing process in the UK.
What is next for you?
I am currently working on a new Romantic Comedy as part of my contract with my publisher, as I type I am approximately 2/3 of the way through in terms of writing it - I hope to have the first draft ready for edit and review by the middle of September and possibly ready for publication by Christmas, though the lead in times for publishing etc. tend to be longer so it will probably be next year before it is out.