1. In one sentence, tell us about your latest book.
The Shoulders of Giants is the story of a new
private investigator's first case, which gets complicated when the missing girl
he's looking for shows up dead.
2. Are you currently working on any new writing?
I'm currently plotting a sequel to The Shoulders of
Giants, and I'm just finishing off the second in a series of quiz books about
American TV shows.
3. Your favourite book?
I have to pick just one? Wow, that's hard. I would have to say The Godwulf Manuscript by
Robert B. Parker. It's a fantastic debut
for my favourite character in all of fiction, Spenser.
4. Tree books or e-books?
I love to have physical books around me - my
grandfather had bookshelves on just about every wall in his house, and
sometimes bookcases in front of them! A
house without books just feels weird to me.
But I also appreciate the convenience of having a library of books in my
pocket, and it certainly makes the suitcase lighter when I go on holiday!
5. Last film you watched?
I took my daughter to see Epic at the weekend - we
both thoroughly enjoyed it.
6. If you could choose any location in the world to
write in, where would that be?
My detective, Jake Abraham, lives and works in
Chicago, so if I wrote there instead of sunny Hertfordshire it would certainly
make the local research easier!
7. Who, if anyone, do you get to read your work
before it is published?
Anyone who I think will give me some honest
feedback. When I used to make short
films I would hold test screenings and give the audience a questionnaire to
find out what they liked or didn't like, what they didn't understand, and so
on, and when I was finishing The Shoulders of Giants I used a similar
questionnaire for my beta readers.
8. What was the last book you read?
The Black Mile, by Mark Dawson - it's a
serial-killer thriller set in the London blitz during WWII. Mark and I used to work together at the BBFC.
He's a phenomenal writer, and he just gets better with each book. I'm really looking forward to his next one.
9. (posed by previous guest author, Andrew Barrett) Have we seen the best of you? Is there still a story inside you that you
know is the best you could ever write?
If there is, why haven’t you written it yet?
I hope I haven't peaked already! I think the reason I haven't yet written the
best story I could ever write is because that evolution into a better writer
happens over time, with practice, and is probably helped by greater life
experience. I don't have a particular
story that I know will be my best, but I do have several that I wish I had the
time to sit down and write.
10. What question would you like the next guest
author to answer?
If you had to write something outside your usual
genre, which genre would you pick?
Thanks to Jim for taking part!
You can find out more about the author on his website HERE
You can follow Jim on Twitter HERE
