Today I’m delighted to welcome my good friend Andrew Scorah to talk about his brilliant book Devlin.
JULIET: How do you view the public reaction to your book?
ANDREW: Thanks for chatting with me. I love the reaction from people who read my work, good or bad; if they have taken the time to leave a review then I have affected them to the extent that they felt they needed to tell the world.
JULIET: For those people who have not yet read Devlin please can you give us a brief outline of what the book is about?
ANDREW: Basically, Karl Devlin was involved in a security van heist in Swansea. The job went bad and his partners in crime left him to take the punishment. Before the police catch up with him, he manages to hide the proceeds of the robbery in Swansea. The book kicks off with his release from prison; he then heads back to Swansea to retrieve the dough with his old partners alongside a bent copper hot on his heels.
JULIET: Is Karl Devlin based on anyone you know personally or is he simply your idea of what a modern former copper should be?
ANDREW: He’s totally made up from the dark depths of my imagination.
JULIET: What do you most like and dislike about Karl Devlin? What do you see as his main strengths and weaknesses?
ANDREW: He’s a tough no nonsense kind of bloke, but I also think he is a bit insecure. He’s loyal to those he cares for and an absolute nightmare to anyone who gets in his way.
JULIET: Are there any social or political issues you would think twice about touching on in your books and why?
ANDREW: I try to stay away from that kind of subject, I’ll leave that to the big names and stick to writing dime novels.
JULIET: Do you read other genres of fiction or do you read mainly crime?
ANDREW: I read all kinds of stuff, from Sci Fi to horror, don’t read Mills and Boon stuff though, too mushy.
JULIET: This may be a tough one, but which crime novel do you wish you had written and why?
ANDREW: It is a tough one, while not a crime novel per se, I would have to say The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. Why? Because it’s one of those books that’s eternal, and it made Mr Ludlum a lot of money, he he he.
JULIET: If Karl Devlin could invite any five famous people (fictional, living or dead) to share a takeaway with him who do you think he’d choose and why? (Not including other characters in the book or series)
ANDREW: William Henry McCarty, Jr, AKA Billy the Kid would be one. Growing up Devlin had a fascination with the old West. And Billy was one of his favorites. David Stirling, the progenitor of the Special Air Service, another hero of Devlin’s and the inspiration behind Devlin joining the army. Johnny Cash, he grew up listening to Cash songs, and he would want to ask him why he really dressed in black, and he could provide the entertainment. His next guest would be Al Capone so he could teach him how to not be caught, he he. And finally he would have Sigmund Freud so he could explain why they did the things they did. On the menu would be pizza, Jack Daniels and apple pie.
JULIET: What, for you, are the best and worst aspects of book promotion?
ANDREW: For me the best kind of promotion is word of mouth, I love it when someone reads one of my books and they tell others about it. Worst aspects are endless postings on social media sites, it’s a pain in the butt.
JULIET: What writing projects do you currently have on the go? Are you planning on a second charity anthology like Shadows & Light?
ANDREW: I’m currently putting the finishing touches to a book with the working title The Omega Sanction, the title will change come publication as I have recently discovered another book out there with the same title. The book is about a group of modern day Nazis who are after a device held in Area 51 which will enable them to travel back in time. It’s fast paced with lots of action. I have no plans yet for another charity book, despite it being for a most worthy cause it hasn’t done that well.
JULIET: When will your next book be out?
ANDREW: My next book should be out in a month or so, once I’ve finished all the editing and proofing.
JULIET: Where can readers get hold of your books?
ANDREW: All my books are available through Amazon worldwide, just type in my name and they’ll all pop up.
JULIET: Please could you share a brief excerpt from Devlin with us?
ANDREW: Well, it was hard to choose, but I had to give you this excerpt starring Rags Daniels, who sadly recently passed away, and who actually wrote this part for himself.
A middle-aged man walked unsteadily through the doors. He was dressed in a Crombie overcoat, and wearing a trilby hat, tilted at a rakish angle; a red neckerchief at his throat. He reminded Devlin of a thug from a forties gangster flick.
“What’s wrong?” Devlin asked.
“Rags Daniels, a pill popping pain in the arse, he’s a loud mouthed drunk, always trying to touch us girls up.”
The next thing Devlin knew, Rags had anchored alongside them, chuntering something about how the place had gone to the dogs since Taliesin had taken the city.
Devlin ignored him, carried on sipping his pint. Rags slapped a five-pound note on the bar.
"Don't you think you've had enough, sir," the barman politely said.
"Do you know who I am," Rags slurred. "I'm Rags fuckin' Daniels, now pour me a pint and a whiskey chaser, fatman, before I clear this fuckin' bar."
He looked to Devlin, trying to focus his red-rimmed eyes.
“I’m a big man in this fuckin’ town me, it’s about time people gave me proper respect, I mean who the fuck does Taliesin think he is?”
Rags wobbled unsteadily on his feet. Banging on the bar to get the barman’s attention, a few heads turned at the noise.
“He expects me to take the scraps from his table, and be fuckin’ grateful, doth my cap, and say thank you, well he can fuck off. Rags Daniels bows down to no man. I was making noises in this town while he was still walking around in a shitty nappy.”
JULIET: Where can we find you on social media?
ANDREW: You will find me on Facebook and Twitter
You can read my interview with Andrew concerning the Shadows & Light charity anthology here