Apologies for the delay but I am belatedly sharing my Blog Post for THE LOST CHILDREN This is a stunning new addition to the Ray Paterson series that will have the adrenaline pumping from the first page to the last. Today I am sharing a Guest Post where Steve responds to Questions Readers often ask:
Questions that readers ask me.
How did you start working with Joffe Books?
I had self-published my first book and whilst it initially did okay, it very quickly sunk into Amazon oblivion and I had no idea as to how to revive it. So I didn’t. I left it out there and got on with writing the next one and when that was done, put it aside and started again. As I began work on the third book I got wondering what the point of it all was if I never intended publishing them and then I remembered that a couple of years ago, I came across a couple of digital publishers and also remembered that I had considering submitting to them but never got around to it. So, I went onto the net and saw that Joffe had an open submissions policy. I dusted off the first one, sent it off never expecting anything to come of it and to my surprise, Jasper came back pretty quickly with an offer to publish. That was only a few months ago and I have now had those first two books published and, dare I say it, are doing extremely well. I can’t tell you how glad I am that I took a chance and Joffe Books took a chance on me!
What’s your favourite/ most memorable reader review?
That’s not an easy one. I have been fortunate to have had so many 5* reviews and some of them have been generous with the content. I appreciate the time and effort it takes to write any kind of review but to know that someone has sat down and given me their honest thoughts and opinion, sometimes over several paragraphs, is truly humbling. That someone thought enough of the story and the characters to be moved to write about it and share their thoughts is good enough reason for me to keep writing..
Do you get a lot of fan mail?
I’ve had a few, yes. Some people have taken the time to write to me via the contact page on my website which, to be honest, caught me by surprise a bit. I know we put these sites up for people to read but I don’t think I ever really expected anyone to actually do so given that the web is clogged with author sites. The letters that I have had so far have been extremely encouraging. Who knows, maybe more people will write to me as time goes on.
What is your writing routine?
Ah…Okay, fess up time here. I don’t have a writing routine as such. I know I should have and I’m working to get myself much more disciplined, but I’m easily distracted. I live in a small close where the neighbours are apt to drop in without warning. I don’t mind, I like to see them of course, but it’s an interruption I can sometimes do without! Of late, I’ve taken to writing in the car with an iPad.
My editing is mostly done at home though, simply because it’s easier and I have a bigger screen to work with. Editing is done after 9pm when I know there’s virtually no chance of anyone wanting a cuppa and a chat.
Do you like TV crime shows?
Definitely. I’ve watched crime shows since I was a kid and just love them (not all of them, mind!). If I know that there’s a show coming on written by Jed Mecurio or Chris Lang, I’m there. I also love Sally Wainwrights’ ‘Happy Valley.’ I didn’t think I would but after the first episode, I was hooked. Brilliant writer that she needs to get on with doing series 3!
As a point of interest, I have spent some time downloading and studying scripts of these TV shows. For me, scriptwritng is the best way to learn to tell a story. You have to think very visually and write very tightly. My first book ‘Their Last Words’ began it’s life as a script and when I came to turn it into a book, I struggled to bring up the word count. I found it hard to put in descriptions of things as it’s not something you have to worry about in a script. But, that script was a ready-made template for a book and even now, when I write, I outline it almost as I would do if it were a script.
What does your partner think about your books?
My wife, Carol is just thrilled. She knew that I wanted to write books for years but life got in the way (as it often does) and when I got the opportunity to do it, she was fully there for me. I think she was shocked when she read the first one as she couldn’t equate the content of the book with the me that she knows but she is fully aware that I have seen and done things that perhaps needed to find an outlet. However, to both our surprise, she was hooked and I say surprise because she has never read a crime thriller in her life. Never been interested. Now, I’m getting my earhole bent to write more. She wants to know how things are going to turn out for Paterson & Clocks in the long-run and I’m told it better end well.
My sons can’t read them. They can’t seem to separate me as dad and me as writer. My eldest read the first page of Their Last Words and that was as far as he got. I can understand that. I’m not sure how I would have felt if my dad wrote some of the things I do.
Are there any books/genres you’d love to write?
Yes. A few actually. I grew up with my father reading horror stories all the time and I always wanted to do that. In fact, I have written four short stories and put them under a pen name on Amazon (you’ll never find it). I also have a couple of ideas for psychological thrillers that I want to get around to at some point and I would also like to write an adult fairy story. As you would expect from the mind that brought you Paterson and Clocks, it will be dark. Very dark.
THE LOST CHILDREN by Steve Parker
Available from AMAZON
Discover a crime thriller full of shocking twists by one of the most exciting new authors you’ll read this year.
A MAN IS SHOT DEAD IN THE STREET. BUT WHAT THE POLICE FIND NEARBY IS FAR WORSE.
An elderly African man is found dead in the street, shot through the head. The killing has the hallmark of a professional assassin. Dumped in a waste bin next to the dead man is the dismembered torso of a child.
On his first day back at work, disgraced Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson finds himself teamed up again with newly promoted Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks.
They must hunt down a ruthless killer with connections that go far beyond anything they’ve ever come across before.
Within days they know who committed the murders and why, but are left reeling when they are ordered by the government to release the child’s killers.
FINDING THE KILLERS WASN’T THE HARD PART. BRINGING THEM TO JUSTICE IS.
This is the second in a series of action-packed, edge-of-your-seat crime thrillers, with an ending that will have your heart in your mouth.
Perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers, Damien Boyd, Rachel Abbott, Patricia Gibney or Martina Cole.
TWO DETECTIVES WHO HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT EACH OTHER MUST WORK TOGETHER.
Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is a young and (thanks to family money) wealthy womaniser, separated from his model wife and tipped to be the youngest ever commissioner of police. He knows he’s weak when it comes to practical policing and struggles to find a place among his peers, desperate to be a good policeman and not just a ‘climber’.
Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks is a foul-mouthed, working-class officer. He grew up surrounded by rogues and villains to become a first-class thief taker with the Met police. However, his childish attitude has short-circuited his career and he spends his days antagonising as many people as he can.
THE AUTHOR
Steve Parker is a retired police officer who served for 20 years in numerous high-profiles squads.
THE SETTING
Bermondsey is an area of London nestled on the banks of the River Thames. It once had a reputation for housing more armed robbers, murderers and career criminals than anywhere else in the country. Now one of the most upmarket places to live and work in London, it has all but severed itself from its working-class roots. Home to the iconic Tower Bridge and crammed with expensive apartments, art galleries, fancy restaurants and famous residents. But for the police, those who truly know, Bermondsey never lost its roots . . . or its reputation.
DETECTIVE RAY PATERSON
Book 1: THEIR LAST WORDS
Book 2: THE LOST CHILDREN
Author Bio
I was born and raised in South East London (Peckham to be precise – cushty, my son). At the ripe old age of twenty-one, I joined the Metropolitan Police where I served for twenty years before I was pensioned out with a serious back injury. I then went to work as an enforcement officer for a local authority before taking redundancy.
Thankfully, I’ve been blessed with a complete lack of DIY skills so was legitimately able to get away with swanning around the house doing bugger all, all day long. Finding myself with plenty of spare time and a deep desire to never work for anyone again, I gave myself permission to go back to writing (I’d been writing on and off for years).
When I’m not writing, I’m out taking photographs, something I’ve done since I was a nipper and will do until the day I shuffle off this mortal coil.
I live down in the windier part of East Sussex near the sea with my long-suffering wife and my ‘off-her-nut’ cockerpoo. I have two sons of whom I am so proud, I cannot begin to tell you.
