Interrogating Alan McDermott, author of Gray Justice
How do
you strike the balance between writing something you want to write and writing
something that people want to read, in terms of the compromises you make, if
any?
The simple answer is: there is no balance. As an indie author I get to write what
interests me without an editor or publisher telling me to re-write a character
or remove certain scenes, and I think that enables me to get me story across
the way it was intended. I could fluff
out my characters a little more, explaining how big their feet were and what
they had for breakfast, but unless it adds to the story I don’t see the
point. When I’m reading a book I hate to
go through four or five pages detailing someone’s past when only one line
becomes relevant later on, so I give the reader the bare minimum
information. This also lets the reader
visualise the characters in their own mind, which gives them more of a
connection with the story as it is their version of Tom Gray and their version
of Andrew Harvey that are locking horns.
I wanted to leave it to the reader to decide if they like or
dislike Tom Gray without me insisting that he’s the good guy and everything he
does is right. In fact, I intended him
to be just another father, with flaws just like anyone else. The idea of him being the perfect hero was
never an option, because that has been done to death. Tom could have come up with a Justice Bill
that made perfect sense and would be a real improvement on the current judicial
system, but I thought it better for him to have misguided conceptions guided by
anger rather than any true political insight.
If I tried writing a different way I would soon get bored, and I
know my readers would, too. Tom Gray has
built up quite a fan base, with a couple of thousand coming back to read the
second book in the series, and to change my style now would be a disservice to
those readers.
What excites, attracts or appeals to you
about the genre(s) you write in.
I’ve always had a fascination with the SAS, and I wrote a story
based on them over 20 years ago. Sadly
that was lost, but I was always going to create a character who was either a
serving member or recently retired from the regiment. If someone is going to go through tough
situations, it is important that they have the background to enable them to
cope, and I just couldn’t see an accountant going through Tom Gray’s
experience.
Do you have a box, drawer, folder etc
where you keep thoughts and ideas for future stories? Such as names you have
come across, bits of dialogue, ideas, characters - even if you have no idea
when you might use them?
It’s a Word Document called Next Book, and I add to it now and
again. If none of the ideas fit in the
current work, I think about how they could be used in future stories. At the moment I have several ideas for book 4
but haven’t yet decided on the main theme.
My plot bunnies also go in here, otherwise they’d just bounce around my
head all day long.
How much of you is in your characters?
Which of your characters is the you that you’d most like to be? Or be with?
I think the only resemblance between myself and Tom Gray is that
he’s just an ordinary man, the kind of person you could bump into in the
supermarket. He isn’t arrogant, and he
isn’t perfect, but the comparison ends there.
I don’t think there are any characters I would particularly like to be,
but I would enjoy an evening in the pub with Tom and his mates.
Do you become so wrapped up in your
writing that your spouse wonders if they're married to you or one of your
characters?
With Tom having flaws and being capable of overlooking the simple
things (like the air-freshener), I think my wife would say we were one and the
same. I haven’t changed since I began
writing, but I certainly haven’t spent as much quality time with my wife as I
used to. It was only in the last week
that I decided to cut out social media for a while to concentrate on family
life and writing, otherwise I would still be spending four hours a day on
Twitter and getting nothing done. I
still get up at just after four in the morning, but now I spend all of that
time writing rather than on Twitter, and my evenings are clear to take the kids
to the park and watch a movie with my wife.
What type of book do you like reading?
Is it the same genre as you write?
I love reading thrillers, especially ones involving the military
or security services. Tom Clancy’s
Rainbow Six is one of my all time favourite books, and I’ve read the entire
Jack Ryan series. I need a book to be
realistic, flow quickly and keep me hooked throughout; otherwise I get bored
and give up. This is something I try to
apply to my books, too.
What lengths do you go to to convince us
readers that your book has the X factor?
I’ve never been one to blow my own trumpet, but I do let people
know I have one! I will quote from
reader reviews when trying to get the message out, because their opinion counts
the most.
How do you feel when a reader points out
the spelling mistake(s) you have made?
I am so grateful when this happens. As an author you get so close to the book that
even glaring mistakes seem invisible, and it takes a reader to spot them. When I first published Gray Justice I rushed
to make it available to the public, and it hit the shelves with a couple of
hundred errors. Readers have pointed
some of them out and eventually I had it proof read by a fellow author. Even this didn’t catch everything, and I have
had three glaring whoppers pointed out since.
The good thing is that where once my reviews mentioned the need for a
proper edit, more and more people are complimenting me on the lack of
errors. I did get a negative one
recently but that was from a copy that was purchased prior to the major edit.
I already have some author friends and some Tom Gray fans waiting
to go over Gray Redemption with a critical eye, so I am hoping that between
them they manage to eliminate the vast majority of the mistakes before the
public get their hands on it.
What do you like most about visiting
KUF/forums?
I’ve met some wonderful people and have found a few gems, but it
also gives me an insight into the readers and their thoughts on everything from
pricing to the perfect length for a book, as well as the dilemmas faced by
other authors.
What is on your near horizon?
I am currently writing Gray Redemption, the final part of the Tom
Gray trilogy, after which I shall take a short rest from writing while I
develop the idea for my next book. I
would quite like to create a series based on Andrew Harvey, the MI5 agent from
Gray Trilogy.
Will I bring Tom Gray back in a future book? I haven’t decided yet. Even as I write a book, I have no idea how
it’s going to end, so even I don’t know what’s going to happen to Tom. It’s going to be exciting finding out, though!
Where can we find you for more
information?
