Northern Writer ~ Conrad Jones

I am delighted to bring this feature to Jaffareadstoo which showcases

 the work of authors who live and write in the North

 ✧ Here's Northern Writer : Conrad Jones ✧

A very warm welcome to Jaffareadstoo, Conrad. Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started as an author? 

Conrad Jones a 52-year-old Author, living in Holyhead, Anglesey, which I class as my home, before starting a career as a trainee manger with McDonalds Restaurants in 1989. I worked in management at McDonalds Restaurants Ltd from 1989-2002, working my way up to Business Consultant (area manager) working in the corporate and franchised departments. 

In March 1993 I was managing the Restaurant in Warrington`s Bridge St when two Irish Republican Army bombs exploded directly outside the store, resulting in the death of two young boys and many casualties. Along with hundreds of other people there that day I was deeply affected by the attack, which led to a long-term interest in the motivation and mind set of criminal gangs. I began to read anything crime related that I could get my hands on. 

I link this experience with the desire to write books on the subject, which came much later due to an unusual set of circumstances. Because of that experience my early novels follow the adventures of an elite counter terrorist unit, The Terrorist Task Force, and their leader, John Tankersley, or `Tank`and they are the Soft Target Series, which have been described by a reviewer as ‘Reacher on steroids’. 

I had no intentions of writing until 2007, when I set off on an 11-week tour of the USA. The Day before I boarded the plane, Madeleine Mcann disappeared and all through the holiday I followed the American news reports which had little or no information about her. I didn't realise it at the time, but the terrible kidnap would inspire my book, The Child Taker years later. During that trip, I received news that my house had been burgled and my work van and equipment were stolen. That summer was the year when York and Tewksbury were flooded by a deluge and insurance companies were swamped with claims. They informed me that they couldn't do anything for weeks and that returning home would be a wasted journey. Rendered unemployed on a beach in Clearwater, Florida, I decided to begin my first book, Soft Target. I have never stopped writing since. I have recently completed my 20th novel, The Journey, something that never would have happened but for that burglary and my experiences in Warrington. 

As far as my favourite series ever, it has to be James Herbert’s, The Rats trilogy. The first book did for me what school books couldn’t. It fascinated me, triggered my imagination and gave me the hunger to want to read more. I waited years for the second book, The Lair, and Domain, the third book to come out and they were amazing. Domain is one of the best books I have ever read. In later years, Lee Child, especially the early books, has kept me hypnotised on my sunbed on holiday as has Michael Connelley and his Harry Bosch Series.

Would you say that your novels are influenced by your northern background and how have the people and its landscape shaped your stories? 

I like to write about places that I know well, hence I use Liverpool and North Wales. 

In your research for your novels, do you visit any of the places you write about and which have made a lasting impression? 

Yes. I travel to the cities and towns to see how they have changed. It’s important to keep in touch with what is going on. It adds to the realism of the novel. 

If you were pitching the North as an ideal place to live, work and write – how would you sell it and what makes it so special? 

The diversity of the cities, history, mingled with modernism. Each northern city is different to the next yet the people are passionately similar. The diversity of the population adds to the rich mixture of cultures. Then we have the jaw-dropping beauty of Snowdonia, Anglesey and the Lake District. 

As a writer based in the North, does this present any problems in terms of marketing and promoting your books and if so, how do you overcome them? 

I think marketing and promotion are mostly internet based now. 

Writing is a solitary business - how do you interact with other authors? 

I am a member of several online author groups and I try to attend as many festivals as possible. 

How supportive are local communities to your writing, and are there ever any opportunities for book shops, local reading groups, or libraries to be involved in promoting your work? 

The support locally is mixed in my area. The nearest book shop is 80 miles away. My local libraries are very supportive and stock my novels. 

Links to my series: 

The Detective Alec Ramsay Series 

My latest book

The award winning, very emotional, The Journey; 

Huge thanks to Conrad for being my special guest on the blog today

Twitter @ConradJones

Coming next  time : Andrew Rainnie

Review ~ Not Without Risk by Pete Trewin

AIA Publishing
2017

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

Martin Bennett works behind the scenes for a regeneration company which is working on new ideas to bring prosperity back to Merseyside. Liverpool seems to be a place which is crying out for redevelopment, but, as Martin discovers, to his cost, that not everyone is of the same opinion.

Not Without Risk is a complex thriller which takes us on a lively journey through the sinister underworld of the city of Liverpool. It’s a place where all manner of shady individuals ply their trade, and thanks to a few bent coppers who turn a blind eye, they always seem to succeed in keeping one step ahead of the law. When Martin witnesses the suspicious death of an old adversary, he inadvertently gets drawn into this criminal netherworld, a world which is inhabited by unethical lawyers and equally corrupt politicians.

Trying to put together all of the pieces of this complicated jigsaw puzzle is what makes Not Without Risk such an entertaining read. I enjoyed getting to know Martin, he’s a likeable chap, and even though when we first meet him he’s slightly down on his luck, he rises to the challenges that the story throws at him with great aplomb. His lively banter with his colleague, Lester, and their thwarted efforts at getting fit made me laugh out loud, especially at the descriptions of Lester’s somewhat dubious sport attire. 

I found much to enjoy in Not Without Risk, not just because I’m a northerner and could appreciate the dry wit and ready repartee which is so reminiscent of this part of the country, but also from the way the author really brings Merseyside, and in particular, Liverpool, to life in such a convincing and entertaining way. 

About the Author

Pete Trewin is the author of three crime mystery novels – with a touch of noir – set in Merseyside and the north of England.

Website

Twitter @PeterTrewin

Amazon UK

 

Close To Home ....Martin Edwards

As a book reviewer I have made contact with authors from all across the globe and feel immensely privileged to be able to share some amazing work. However, there is always something rather special when a book comes to my attention which has been written by an author in my part of the North of England. So with this in mind I have great pleasure in featuring some of those authors who are literally close to my home. Over the next few Saturdays, and hopefully beyond, I will be sharing the work of a very talented bunch of Northern authors and discovering just what being a Northerner means to them both in terms of inspiration and also in their writing.

Today I welcome North West Crime Writer


Martin Edwards

Tell us a little about yourself and what got you started as an author?

I’ve always wanted to write stories – really, from the time I was able to read. And I became fascinated by detective stories at a very tender age – just short of nine years old. (I tell the full story of how that came about in the introduction to THE GOLDEN AGE OF MURDER). I wrote a mystery at age 10 – the first in a series! – and a full-length thriller while I was training to be a solicitor (my parents had wisely urged me to get a ‘proper job’ so that I could pay the rent while trying to write). But I realised the thriller wasn’t good enough to publish, and so I never sent it anywhere. When I started working in Liverpool, I began to write articles, and later books, about the law. My first book’s unlikely title was UNDERSTANDING COMPUTER CONTRACTS. Surprisingly, it did quite well. But novels were what I wanted to write, and eventually I published ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE in 1991. The hero was, naturally enough, a down-at-heel Liverpool solicitor....

As a writer based in the North West, does this present any problems in terms of marketing and promoting your books and if so, how do you overcome them?

The British publishing world revolves around London, there’s no denying that. But I’ve always been devoted to my part of the country, and writing books set first in Liverpool and more recently in the Lakes has been  a source of great enjoyment. Also, technology means that you can live pretty much anywhere and still do quite a bit to promote your books.

Your novels are set in the North West but I wonder do the people and its landscape shape your stories in any way?

Absolutely. The Harry Devlin books couldn’t be set anywhere but Liverpool, and when I returned to the series after a ten year gap with WATERLOO SUNSET, I really enjoyed exploring the changes in the city during that time, through his eyes. The sub-text of the series is the metamorphosis of Liverpool since the dark days of the early 80s (which coincided with my arrival there, but I don’t think I was to blame....) In a different way the Lakeland landscape – and literary heritage – is at the heart of the Hannah Scarlett books. There the sub-text concerns the pressures on rural English life, and in particular on Lakeland life..

If you were pitching the North West as an ideal place to live, work and write – how would you sell it and what makes it so special?

I have tried to ‘sell’ the North West many times during my legal career, explaining to disbelieving young solicitors why it would be appealing to relocate oop North. For those addicted to London, it’s only a train ride away, but the quality of life is immeasurably better here in my personal opinion. It’s not just that housing is so much more affordable (even in Cheshire!) but also that there is so much variety on your doorstep in terms of landscape and places to spend quality time. There’s culture aplenty – look at Liverpool’s museums and art galleries, let alone all the others – and plenty of peaceful places where you can get some writing done. An example, a short bus ride from Chester, is the unique Gladstone’s Library.

In your research for your books, do you visit any of the places you write about and which have made a lasting impression?

I always visit them, and for me it’s vital try to soak up the local atmosphere. So I explored Williamson’s Tunnels in Liverpool when working on FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST. I even dragged my protesting teenage children to Coniston for a very wet and cold February week-end so I could see what the place was like at the time when THE ARSENIC LABYRINTH was set. Luckily they are still speaking to me. Among many other examples, I’d highlight the fascinating west coast of Cumbria, around the intriguing ancient port of Ravenglass, which forms the backdrop to THE DUNGEON HOUSE. A wonderful part of the world, and very atmospheric.

Writing is a solitary business - how do you interact with other authors?

I’ve been a member of the CrimeWriters’ Association for many years, and CWA events have helped me to form many friendships. I was a founder member of the very active Northern Chapter of the CWA, and later a founder member of Murder Squad, founded by Margaret Murphy and also including Ann Cleeves and Cath Staincliffe among others. Both groups are still going strong. I’m now the Vice Chair of the CWA, and a year ago I was elected eighth President of the Detection Club, which was the world’s first social network for crime writers. It was founded by G.K. Chesterton, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and several others; that trio were among my predecessors as President, so I’m honoured and excited to have the role. We have three dinners a year in London, and they are very convivial events. Apart from all that, I enjoy going to crime conventions here and overseas.

How supportive are local communities to your writing, and are there ever any opportunities for book shops, local reading groups, or libraries to be involved in promoting your work?

I’ve found libraries in particular very supportive of my writing, and I enjoy doing a range of library events – including talks, workshops, and murder mystery evenings. I’m concerned about the threat to library funding – libraries form an essential part of every community and any local council and government that is committed to improving community cohesion should take care to protect and enhance the library service.

And finally, if someone is new to your work, which book do you think they should start with?

THE COFFIN TRAIL is the first of the Lakes books, and a lot of people tell me they like to start there. My own favourite in that series is THE DUNGEON HOUSE, while I’m fond of YESTERDAY’S PAPERS and WATERLOO SUNSET in the Devlin series.

You can discover more about Martin on his website by clicking here

His crime writing blog by clicking here 

Twitter @medwardsbooks

Huge thanks to Martin for sharing his thoughts about his work and also about

what makes living and writing in the North West so special.

Coming next week : Paula Daly

~***~