I'm delighted to have the awesome author Chrus Longmuir with me today, who is currently celebrated the release of her brand new book, Night Watcher. Hi Chris!
“You have a nice blog, Suzy, thanks
for inviting me along.” Chris wriggles into a more comfortable
position. “I hope you’re a sympathetic interviewer and don’t
ask too many probing questions.”
LOL, thank you Chris! And no, I promise not to be too nosey!
“Before we start I want to invite you
all to the launch of Night Watcher at loveahappyending.com.
If you haven’t visited there before, you’ll find it’s a great
place to meet fab authors and readers, editors and publishers,
they’re a lovely group of folk. And after you’ve had a look
around Love a Happy Ending, you might fancy popping over to my blog
at chrislongmuir.blogspot.co.uk
for the Night Watcher party. Bill and Sue and all the gang are there,
even the Night Watcher turned up, that’s why I called it Who
Invited Night Watcher to the Party?”
OOh sounds faulous, Chris... I know I'll be popping over!
Can you tell us a little about your latest book.
What inspired you to write it?
I never know what inspires me to write a particular book, although this one developed from a short story I wrote, which is now published in ‘Obsession & Other Stories’ and it was about a deranged stalker. Now I hate to admit this, and I feel quite ashamed about it, but someone I knew did something nasty to me so I gave her a present of my stalker, and that’s how Night Watcher started. Of course the story was very different to the reality which is just as well.
Is it part of a series?
Yes ‘Night Watcher’ is part of my Dundee Crime Series. It is the first book of the series, although ‘Dead Wood’, the second book of the series, was actually published first, but that was only because it won the prestigious Dundee International Book Prize. I am currently writing book three.
If your latest book was made into a movie, who would you like to play the main characters?
Oh, now, there’s a thought. It would have to be Scottish actors because the books are set in Dundee. I think John Hannah would make a good Bill Murphy, and I can quite see Kelly MacDonald as Sue. Julie would have to be Sharon Small, and Peter Capaldi would be ideal as the boss of the Department Store, Patrick Drake. Not sure who I would choose for Nicole, maybe Ashley Jensen would suit. But of course none of them fit the images I have in my mind, so it’s maybe just as well Night Watcher is not a movie!
What made you want to become an author?
I’ve been a reader all my life and when I was young I had this idea that writers were really special people, and that you had to be very clever to write a book. I didn’t think I was clever, nor was I special, so it was beyond my wildest dreams that I could actually be one of these special people who not only read books but wrote them as well. When I did find out I could write, I also found out that there was nothing really special about being a writer at all. In fact, ordinary people like me could do it if they wanted to enough.
Name one of your all-time favourite book covers?
Well, that would have to be one of my own, and I think Night Watcher has a really fab cover, and that’s all thanks to Cathy Helms, of Avalon Graphics. She’s a wiz at designing covers.
Name one book that made you think 'wow'? Why did it have such an effect on you?
There have been loads of books that have affected me this way so it’s difficult to pick one. I really loved Ken Follett’s ‘Fall of Giants’, it was the wide sweep of history plus the characterisation that got to me. Jeffery Deaver’s books also have the ‘wow’ factor. I think it’s the way he twists the story with twist after twist, so you don’t see the end coming.
Who, or what, inspires you?
I’m not sure I can answer this, however writing is like an addiction to me, if I stop I go into withdrawals. So maybe it’s the avoidance of the withdrawals that inspires me.
Where is your favourite place to write?
I prefer to write on my desktop in my study. It’s my place. I do have laptops I can use around the house and out and about, but the best place is my study.
What is your favourite movie that was based on a book?
Oh, there’s been so many, but probably the two best ones are oldies, and they are Margaret Mitchell’s ‘Gone with the Wind’, and Daphne DuMaurier’s ‘Rebecca’.
Who is your favourite author (s) and why?
Again I have so many. I sometimes think my favourite is the one I am reading at the time, unless it’s a turkey of course, but favourite authors are Val McDermid, Jeffery Deaver, Dean Koontz, Ken Follett – I could go on and on.
If you could have a dinner party with any authors from any time in history, who would you choose and why?
I’m not really into dinner parties, not my thing, but let me play devil’s advocate here, and say Thomas Harris, provided he brings Hannibal Lecter with him as well as Clarice Starling.
Tell us a random fact about yourself.
I’m a geek! I build my own computers.
Tell us something interesting about the area where you live.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s father was a patient at the local asylum for many years.
Thank you for having me, it’s been a pleasure to be here and I hope to see you over at the launch and most importantly, remember to pop over and boogie at the party.
Chris Longmuir
Its been a pleasure having you here, Chris! And best of luck with the launch of Night watcher.
Night Watcher on You Tube
Night Watcher on Amazon UK
Night Watcher on Amazon.com
Website: http://www.chrislongmuir.co.uk/
Blog: http://chrislongmuir.blogspot.co.uk/
Author Central Books Page
Twitter: @ChrisLongmuir
Facebook: Chris Longmuir
No comments :
Post a Comment