What is your favourite childhood book?
As a kid, I loved the Tarzan books by Edgar Rice Boroughs and the Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard. I also liked the Sherlock Holmes adventures by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. I was also a big fan of Marvel and DC comics! Do they count? I think they should!!
At school, were you good at English?
Yes, it was probably my best subject. Without doubt, my worst subject was maths; I was beyond terrible at it! If it is possible for someone to suffer from numbers dyslexia, then I genuinely believe I have the condition as number sequences always gets jumbled in my head. For instance, I could look at 1,2, 3 and see 1, 3, 2.
What have you written to date?
I’ve written five novels and one novella, all part of the same British police procedural series, and am currently 2/3rds of the way through writing the sixth instalment. My books are all 500 pages plus, so I only tend to average one book a year.
What genre do you write?
I write crime thrillers. To be more specific, I write gritty British police procedurals that focus on the exploits of a team of London based Homicide detectives. My books are quite dark and edgy in places, and very realistic, so are definitely not for the faint hearted.
What draws you to this genre?
I was a Met police officer for 30 years. The last ten was spent investigating homicides. They say you should write to your strengths and stick to a subject you know, and that’s exactly what I do!
Do you have a special time to write?
Yes, I try to write in the mornings, starting between eight and nine a.m., and working through to around 1p.m.
Do you write every day?
I write most days. I also procrastinate. Some would say that I’m far better at doing that than at writing! If I’m not writing, I am researching stuff for the books or dealing with the promotional and marketing side of the business. That’s not something that comes naturally to me, and I can’t say I enjoy it, but it is a necessary evil.
Where do your ideas come from?
Well, in addition to having a very active imagination and a decidedly warped sense of humour, I am fortunate enough to have a wealth of knowledge and experience to tap into from having investigated so many murders and other serious crimes for real. While all my stories are fictional, I do tend to use some elements from real life events. To be honest, some of the cases I’ve investigated are stranger than any fiction, so I am never short of subject material!!
Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to see where an idea takes you?
A bit of both really. I start off with an overall idea of what the story is going to be about, who the main characters will be, and what direction I want to take the book in. The first part of the book is structured and I know exactly where I’m going in advance. But then I get to a point where I think to myself, “Okay, let’s see where this particular stand of the storyline takes me.” From that point onwards, things become more spontaneous and I only discover what is going to happen as I write. I can honestly say that I never know how a book is going to end up taking me until I get there. This keeps me on my toes and hopefully prevents the stories from becoming formulaic or predictable!!
How long does it take you to write a book?
On average, I complete one book per year. I really wish I could write faster, or write smaller books, but I seem to be incapable of doing that. They all exceed 150,000 words, which is probably. Because they are layered, with several story arcs interacting and overlapping with each other and (hopefully) coming together at the end.
For your own reading, do you prefer e-books or paper books?
I love physical books. I’ve always promised myself that if I ever win the lottery, I will buy a big enough house to have its own library, and this will be crammed to the rafters crammed with books! However, from a practical point of view, you can’t beat an e-reader, which is what I mainly use these days. Not only can I load it with a bazillion books (a very handy feature seeing as the brilliant CFA Christmas Advent Calendar will enable me to download s stack of great books from our authors!!) but I can adjust the font size so that my aging eyes don’t have to strain quite so much.
What book are you reading at the moment?
Blunt Force by Lynda La Plant. First one of hers I’ve read, and I’m really enjoying it. Before that, I read The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwall, which was brilliant.
Do you proofread/edit your own books, or do you get someone else to do it?
I do several rounds of proofreading and editing on my books, then I have a team of five trusted people I send the manuscript out to with instructions to find every fault, spelling mistake, incorrect use of grammar and plot defect. When they have done their thing, and I have made all the necessary corrections, I get the books professionally edited and proofread.
Do you think the cover plays an important part of the buying process?
Yes, I do. Covers are the first thing that attract most people’s eye to a new book. I also think the blurb is crucial. I just wish I was better at writing them! Honestly, they give me such a headache every time!!
How are you publishing your books? Indie, traditional or both?
I’m an Indie publisher. I published my first book in December 2018. I’ve had a couple of opportunities to go with publishing houses since then, but decided against it in the end as I felt I was giving up too much control by doing so.
What are your views on social media?
It’s clearly very important if you want to be successful, which is a bummer because I’m useless at it!
What is the first book to make you cry?
I dropped a very large encyclopaedia on my foot when I was young, and that made me cry. Does that count?
How can readers discover more about you and your work?
My books are available from all amazon platforms, and you can read the entire series for free if you have a KU subscription. You can also find out everything you need to know about me and my books by visiting my website (markromain.com). While you’re there, why not download a free 50,000 word DCI Tyler novella?