Stephen Terry is a British crime writer living in Thailand. He’s had two thrillers released on the kindle via Amazon and his current novel, ‘Darkness’ is being previewed on his website currently. I came across him on the writing forum, the Word Cloud. He was good enough to do an interview for me:
1: Instead of the normal question of where do you get your ideas from, which do you find is the stronger source of inspiration in your writing: non-fiction & fiction books, TV, radio, films, real life?
Life experiences, plus copious amounts of reading in the crime genre.
2: What is your writing routine? In your case do you find that being retired helps make your writing easier, & do you believe that your quality of writing has improved by having presumably more time to dedicate to it?
Being retired on a modest income gives me the freedom to write. The more I write the better I get (hopefully). I think that would be a truism for any aspiring writer. At the very least my technical skills have improved. Posting chapters for critique on Word Cloud is a fast track to improvement, IMO.
3: Who are your favourite authors and how do you believe they help mould your writing?
Mainly in the crime genre: Elmore Leonard was my one time favourite. He helped me understand how to write, esp. dialogue. He was influenced by Hemingway, and I have taken the same route.
Lee Child for his Reacher books, I’m a big fan of the lone vigilante.
Gerald Seymour, who is one of the most skilled espionage writers with great stories and characters –a class act.
Denis Lehane, whose US crime fiction is superb – his descriptive skills are worth the money.
I’m not so impressed with the UK police crime writers; IMO they’re over-rated, but Stuart MacBride (apart from Flesh House, which had a story line that was not credible, and a rushed finish) is probably on top of the heap for realism.
4: Do you think self-publication on Kindle is the way forward for unpublished authors? If this becomes more commonplace do you think it will affect the standard of writing available due to it not going through the agent/publisher sifting/critique stage, & do you think there will be a time when people will see it as a ‘first call option’ without bothering with the traditional avenues?
Yes and no. Quality is key, both the writing and the technical side. Clearly publishers have the expertise on the technical side that most unpublished authors would lack. I always pay for a critique/edit, but I proof-read. I think that there will be a marked increase in Kindle type publishing in the short to medium term as unpublished authors seek to get their work into the market place. Inevitably, there will be lesser quality books on offer. Longer term, with the initial writers’ demand satiated, I can envisage the quality improving.
5: ‘Darkness’ is set in the UK, whereas your other two novels are set further afield. Do you think living abroad helps or hinders your choice of location?
I have visited over 40 countries in the last 12 years. That’s a positive experience. Nowadays, You Tube and the Internet have made my location immaterial – although, of course, I cannot attend a few UK courses/events that I would have otherwise joined.
Thank you, Stephen.
