Chin Wag At The Slaughterhouse: Interview With Allan Guthrie

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Allan Guthrie is an award-winning Scottish crime writer.

His debut novel, TWO-WAY SPLIT, was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger award and went on to win the Theakstons Crime Novel Of The Year in 2007.

He is the author of four other novels: KISS HER GOODBYE (nominated for an Edgar), HARD MAN, SAVAGE NIGHT and SLAMMER and three novellas: KILL CLOCK , KILLING MUM and BYE BYE BABY.

When he's not writing, he's a literary agent with Jenny Brown Associates. He also runs Criminal-E, a blog on ebook crime fiction.

He met me at The Slaughterhouse where we talked about psychosis and vegetables.

Do you think that the pathology of extreme psychosis such as evinced by a paranoid schizophrenic is more disturbing than the psychology of a gangster in terms of crime fiction or is there no divide?

What we're talking about is abnormal behaviour, and whether or not it comes about through mental illness or personal choice. At least that's what I hope we're talking about. I don't think there's an easy answer. If you're talking about a gangster like Tony Soprano, then he's certainly a disturbing guy.  But then so are Jim Thompson's first person narrators. Not much to choose between them, I don't think.  Of course gangsters can be paranoid schizophrenics too. Wasn't Ronnie Kray a sufferer?

Tell us about your literary influences.

I think different influences show up in different books. I'll try to pinpoint them.

http://www.amazon.com/Bye-Baby-ebook/dp/B003Y5H8FI/