Ask the Author: Robert McCracken
Answered Questions (7)
Robert McCracken
My immediate thought is to say D'arcy and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, this due mainly to Jane Austen's brilliant characterisation the interchange between them. From a crime point of view, I'd plump for Morse and Lewis trying, of course, not to think of the television actors who played those parts.
Robert McCracken
My ideas usually come from a clash of various notions. For An Early Grave, I actually had the idea for the character Callum first. Initially he was going to be the detective. When I needed a police contact to play off I came up with DI Tara Grogan, and she took over. For the plot I married several ideas, one being the idea of a reunion (I'm always obsessed about the passage of time and how people change and manage their lives), the other was the notion of a down and out solving crime. I took it all from there.
Robert McCracken
My earliest inspiration was my pretty English teacher in third form. She was the first person to explain to me the motives behind good writing. she pointed me towards the best in literature and why a book can be worth the read. Since then I have always wanted to write. Nowadays it's the easiest thing in the world to get inspired. Ideas are all around you, everyday life, books, films, TV and people you meet.
Robert McCracken
I didn't start out to be a writer of crime novels, but now I have one published, another accepted for publication and my third in the Tara Grogan series is under way.
Robert McCracken
Don't ever let anyone put you off. If you're moved to write then write. It's not a matter of whether you're bad or good at it. If you enjoy writing then write. What comes after that will depend on so many things. Call yourself a writer from the outset.
Robert McCracken
One word: escapism. In your mind you can take yourself on all kinds of adventures and fantasies. then you simply commit them to paper (or computer).
Robert McCracken
I can't say that I've ever been conscious of suffering from it, but when I'm struggling with an idea I let my mind wonder into other subjects. I'm very good at doing that; most people call it a lack of concentration. I'm quite patient to wait for a solution and usually it works out in the end. I either have the solution or I've forgotten all about the original idea.
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