I am a British thriller writer and former foreign correspondent in the Middle East. I am in the process of uploading my backlist (which was self-published way back when it wasn’t fashionable) to Kindle. The Winds of Kedem was an international bestseller, and the film rights were sold for Schreiber’s Secret. Cry of the Needle and High Heels & 18 Wheels will be available shortly. My blog and website (a work in progress) is at http://www.radford46.wordpress.com
I was a proud Indie 20 years ago, and now I am a proud Indie again, thanks to the ebook revolution.
Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?
I usually think of the end and work towards it. I have never suffered from writer’s block.
Do your characters ever want to take over the story?
When writing thrillers, one must draw a line between too much characterisation at the expense of pace, and vice versa.
What is your favourite food?
My wife’s sesame-covered schnitzels.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Morning.
Where do you dream of travelling to and why?
Tel Aviv, Israel, my second home and the world’s most vibrant city.
Do distant places feature in your books?
Yes, apart from my latest medical thriller, which is UK based.
Do you listen to music while writing?
Yes. Baroque, mainly Vivaldi or Bach.
Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?
The Winds of Kedem: a story about an Israeli spy’s bid to thwart an Arab nuclear plot to destroy Israel;
Schreiber’s Secret: A thriller about a Nazi sadist who lives a double life in order to conceal his identity, the Jew who vows to bring him to justice, and two reporters chasing a double murder trail that leads to the Old Bailey and the 'trial of the century'.
What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?
Never to believe what most mainstream publishers tell you. The industry drowns in platitudes.
Is there anything you would do differently?
No. I became the most successful Indie publisher in the UK twenty years ago. I’m now trying to do it again on Kindle at the age of 66.
Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?
My English teacher at school, and Stefan Zweig, IMHO the finest author of the 20th century.
Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?
Draw from your experiences, and don’t be afraid.
What are three words that describe you?
Confident, determined and altruistic.
What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?
Beware of Pity and everything else written by Stefan Zweig.
Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book
SCHREIBER’S SECRET: Most Nazi sadists went to the grave with their secrets. Who was Hans Schreiber - and what was his terrible secret?
Crime reporter Mark Edwards and his colleague Danielle Green wade deep in red herrings and a twisting and turning plot as they seek to discover the terrible secret of a Nazi sadist who has continued his murdering ways in modern London. The story switches from a wartime transit camp in Czechoslovakia to contemporary Germany; from a London suburb to the Old Bailey, the world's most famous criminal court, where two men strive to claim that the other is the real Hans Schreiber.
Schreiber's Secret is a gripping tale of unimaginable horror and hatred revolving around a question of identity. Who is the real Hans Schreiber?
FILM RIGHTS SOLD
Mossad agent David Katri is torn between duty to country and to conscience as he battles to prevent an Arab terrorist plot to destroy the House of Israel. His implacable foe, Rashid Sedawi, is determined to bring about the end of the Jewish state. The action switches between Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv and the Syrian Desert, between the teeming Shi'ite suburbs of Beirut and Pakistan's secret nuclear base near Islamabad. The streets of Stockholm and snow-bound Vienna also become soaked in blood as Katri finds himself tangled in a web of deceit spun by Arabs, Christians and Jews. A web where even love has a price.
The Winds of Kedem is a heart-stopping tale of vengeance, courage, love and betrayal ...
International bestseller
List of previous books if any
To come shortly: Cry of the Needle, a medical malpractice thriller.
Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.
www.radford46.wordpress.com
Cry of the Needle is now available. http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_13?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=cry+of+the+needle&sprefix=cry+of+the+ne%2Cdigital-text%2C358
ReplyDeleteWhen medical malpractice leads to violent revenge, Irish-style...
Kieran Kelly's world turns upside down when his wife's health is devastated by an epidural in childbirth. Incensed by damning evidence of medical and pharmaceutical misconduct, the tormented former IRA hit man plots revenge against those he deems responsible, including a government that doesn't seem to care.
Kelly's quest brings him face-to-face with an alcoholic physician, an altruistic scientist and a corrupt government minister – but not before the love of a stunningly beautiful but crippled Countess makes him question his motives. He meets Countess Magda von Esterhazy at a meeting of a self-help group for victims of the uniquely painful iatrogenic (doctor-caused) disease that struck down his wife. Magda awakens feelings that he thought he had lost forever.
Meanwhile, one of Kelly's targets, scientist Jonathan Tring, finds himself embroiled in the Machiavellian machinations of his boss, the gruff and corrupt owner of a pharmaceutical company, and the man’s stunning young American wife. In all the mayhem, Tring, too, finds love – and desperately wants to live to enjoy it.
Cry of the Needle is a searing tale of love and vengeance. Revenge that is a dish best served Irish.
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ReplyDeleteGood interview for a brilliant writer. After reading Schreiber's Secret and then The Winds of Kedem, I am a big fan of the author. The way the reader gets drawn into the stories is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI have just started to read The Cry of the Needle and after only a few pages am hooked.