Q&A with Mike Craven
So Mike Craven the author of ‘The Puppet Show’ and ‘Black Summer’ has very kindly agreed to do a Q&A session with me!
Mike has two new books being released today (9th Jan) ‘Born in a Burial Gown’ and ‘Body Breaker’, which form the start of a series which revolves around DI Avison Fluke. Now if you are getting confused please be aware that these are a re-release of novels Mike had published a few years ago. He has since re- edited them and slightly changed some aspects, so its best to get these new books rather than go for the back dated versions.
The below has been taken from Mike’s website and gives us a bit of an insight to the character of Fluke;
Avison Fluke is a brilliant but stubborn man. Luckily for the people of Cumbria he is also in charge of the Force Major Incident Team (FMIT). Frequently in trouble with his superiors (or inferiors as he calls them), he has a tendency to speak his mind and ignore direct orders, focusing on what’s right, not what’s easy. He’s a cancer survivor and tires easily. Sometimes he gets in over his head. Luckily for him he has friends: the psychotic ex-Para/current detective sergeant, Matt Towler; the geeky Jiao-long; the moral compass of the team, Jo Skelton and the team weirdo, Alan Vaughn. They are supported by a range of fascinating characters: Bridie Harper-Tarr, Fluke’s long-suffering girlfriend; Nathaniel Diamond, Cumbria’s crime boss; Henry Sowerby, a pathologist born a century too late; Steeleye Stan, the one-eyed bouncer-turned-villain . . .
Let’s dive into the questions!
1) We all have to admit that people who write crime fiction come up with some gruesome aspects in their work. Where do you get your inspiration?
My inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere, in fact I can’t turn it off! It can be something complex like it was for Poe 5, The Botanist, which was a news article on what a Chinese scientist had just been jailed for, or as simple like a song title, as it was for Poe 4, Dead Ground.
2) What was your day job before your writing took off and how do you think it has affected the books you create?
I joined the army when I was 16 and left 12 years later to train as a social worker. After qualifying I joined Cumbria Probation Service, rising to Chief Officer grade. In 2015 I took the plunge, accepted voluntary redundancy and became a full time writer.
Like all authors, I’m a sponge – I absorb everything that’s going on around me: the experiences I’ve had, conversations with double murders and triple rapists (probation) and men who’ve killed people in hand to hand combat (army). It all goes into the filing cabinet in my mind, ready to be recalled when I need it.
3) Whose is your favourite author at present?
Hard one. Michael Connelly is my favourite crime author by a long way. All his series are superb (although, like most people I would probably go with Harry Bosch of forced to choose just one).
Mick Herron (closely followed by Chris Whitaker) is probably the best British writer at the moment – he can, and did, make a central heating system seem interesting. Carl Hiaasen is hilarious and Dennis Lehane and Don Winslow never let you down. Too many to list really.
4) Who is your favourite of all time?
I were to choose one author above all others it would be Terry Pratchett – the man was a genius and I was genuinely distraught when he died.
5) Is there a genre of books you just can’t stand?
There are genres I don’t read like romance but there are books I’ve read and enjoyed that have romance in them. I read SF, fantasy, farce, literary novels, crime obviously. I don’t read a lot of non-fiction – the last one was probably What Does This Button Do?, Bruce Dickinson’s autobiography.
I don’t think I’d like exploitative books like 50 Shades of Grey but I’ve not read it so can’t really comment.
6) If you were only allowed to read one book for the rest of your life what would it be?
Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
7) How does the ‘location’ i.e. geographical area play it’s part when you are writing a book?
I think it’s important but only if done well. I write about Cumbria but only because I live there. If I still lived in the north east that’s where my books would be set. In Poe books that I’ve written but haven’t yet been published, there’s less emphasis on Cumbria (Poe’s in a national unit) as they spread their wings and take on other cases
8) Describe your day when you are writing?
Get up and walk the dog, have breakfast then start writing – usually between 10:30 and 5:30/6ish, Mon-Fri. I always start the new book on December 1st and aim to have it with my agent by late summer. I always have music on, punk or metal usually, and, unlike EVERY OTHER crime writer, never drink coffee during the day . . .
9) Can you give us any clues about the book you are working on?
It’s called The Botanist and it’s basically a series of locked room mysteries. Poe and Tilly go up against someone who can seemingly walk through walls and kill whoever he wants, even after giving them advance notice.
10) How important do you think the blogging community and social media in the book industry?
Bloggers are important obviously, a lot more important than some publishers realise (my publicist loves bloggers) and should always form part of a multimedia marketing and publicity campaign. For smaller publishers and independent authors I’d go as far to say they are absolutely essential.
And as for social media, it’s a great way to interact with the writing community. Serious readers, casual readers, bloggers, authors and publishers – I love engaging with them all.
And finally a bonus question!
What would rather have as a method to kill off a character - a hundred penguins descending on a person or one solitary shaving nick, which led to an infection and death? Why did you choose what you did?
My favourite authors would undoubtedly go for the penguins – as a comedic animal they're right up there with ant eaters – but I’d go for a shaving nick as it’s feasible and dare I say, a bit dastardly.
Is there anything else I should have asked Mike??
