Introducing Geoffrey D West, author of Rock 'n' Roll Suicide!

My guest today is 
Geoffrey David West, author of the gripping thriller Rock 'n' Roll Suicide.

After reading his book, I was keen to invite him here and introduce him to all of you. His book is a great murder mystery, and I would highly recommend it. As luck would have it, you have the chance to download your copy FREE from Amazon this week (between 14th and 18th January)!

The Kindle edition is readable not only on a Kindle e-reader, but also on your PC, Mac, iPad, or smartphone - you can get free apps from Amazon to read Kindle books if you don't own a Kindle. So, make sure you grab a copy of "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" this week.

Here's the link you need (this clever link should take you to your local Amazon store): viewBook.at/B009XA5SQ4



Here's my interview with Geoffrey:

When did you start writing Rock 'n' Roll Suicide, and did you have a plan for the story when you started?

About a couple of years ago I think. Just had a hazy idea at first, began writing, put it away for a while, then started again in earnest. Had no plan at all when I started.

Did you do all your own editing?


Yes, and in retrospect it was a mistake. I didn’t want copy editing, as I’d already done that, but I thought I’d done the proofreading, having read it over several times. But on the kindle screen I saw more mistakes, and republished. And now I know there are still more mistakes, so I’m going to republish again. I’m really short of money, but rather than have the nightmare all over again I’m going to ask Julia, Terry Tyler’s sister, for help with my next book, as an amateurish manuscript with typos and missed words is awful and embarrassing.

Hmm... to make you feel better, I have just read a book published by Penguin that had no less that 6 typos... there may have been more that I didn't spot, of course. I do believe that it's not possible to get a completely typo-free book.

There is a lot of description in your novel about places and buildings. Did you visit all the places mentioned in the novel, during the course of writing it?


I already knew the places in Kent, because I write for a magazine called Kent Life, in which I described towns and places, so that was fine. And I know Paris slightly. But as for Hamburg, I’ve never been, did it all from books and on the net, so I hope there aren’t any mistakes.



I know that you also write non-fiction. After writing your first novel, which would you say you prefer, fiction or non-fiction writing?


Fiction, definitely. Nonfiction is a lot easier, and also rewarding, but essentially you’re just presenting facts, not creating anything.

Do you think your experience in non-fiction writing helped or hindered you when you came to writing fiction, and in what ways?


Helped definitely. I’ve written many articles about subjects I knew absolutely nothing at all about when I started, to the extent that if I phoned experts, for instance on a building-related subject, I wasn’t even sure which questions to ask. I realised that you just have to bundle into it, get something down, not wait around until it’s crystallised in your mind. Even if you put down rubbish, you can extract what’s any good from it, arrange it into a different order and so on. Many people talk about writing, but hardly any actually get down to doing it.

When you came up with the idea for your novel, did you plan to write a series or is that something that you decided on later?


Decided on later, when I found Jack Lockwood seemed to be an interesting person.

Jack Lockwood, your protagonist, is a psychologist. Do you have any psychology qualifications?


No, none at all I’m afraid, it’s all from what I’ve read and tried to understand, and I hope I’ve got away with it.

How many books do you plan to write in the Jack Lockwood series?


I’d like to write about six, I think, maybe more, but depends if they sell.

Part of your novel revolves around a conspiracy theory about John Lennon’s murder. Were you/are you a Beatles fan? If so, what do you think is their best album?


I was about 10 when they had their first breakthrough (I remember ‘I want to hold your hand’) and back then I was certainly a fan, and followed their careers until I was around 18 I suppose. I always remember the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club album being played at a friend’s party when I’d just left school – that one I suppose is my favourite.



Much of your novel includes characters who are in some way linked to the music industry. Do you have a musical background?


No, I’m afraid not. But I have read a lot of pop star autobiographies.

What is your favourite type of music?


Country Music, and it’s sad because you hardly ever hear it in Britain. I love Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, the Dixie Chicks, Lyle Lovett. I also like the old rock bands, for instance Lynyrd Skynyrd. And I do like David Gray, Fleetwood Mac and Richard Thomson and the old folk bands, such as Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span.

Was Maggi O’Kane, or any of the band members in your novel, inspired/based on real musicians?


I suppose I loosely thought of Suzi Quattro, but only because she’s the closest to what I had in mind – Maggi is certainly not based on her. However the place, ‘The Mansh’, I think was based on someone (I think a Fleetwood Mac member) who owned a country mansion, and they called it ‘The Manor’ and used it as a recording studio. The lovely old building and the musicians in it, gave me the idea for the beginning of the book, and the ‘What if’ extension of the beginning turned it into a story.



How much research did you do for the book?


Quite a bit I suppose, but nothing too deep. For instance, I read a lot of pop star biographies, researched Hamburg for the travel details and so on, and also researched the ‘new’ career of being a Behavioural Investigative Adviser, and read books by leading criminal profilers about their careers and cases they worked on.

The book is written in the first person, and often when I read books written in the first person, I wonder whether the character is similar to the author. How much of you is there in Jack Lockwood, or is he based on someone else/purely fictional?
  

A lot of first person writing is, perhaps, wishful thinking – I would love to be a fearless righter of wrongs and intrepid in the face of danger. I would also like to be extremely clever! However the only real way Jack Lockwood I suppose is like me in that I love building, crafts and DIY and do a lot of that kind of work, and know plumbing, carpentry etc.

Apart from the Jack Lockwood series, are you working on any other projects?


Yes, I’m lucky enough to get writing work for Kent Life magazine, also I’m trying to get back into writing articles about building and DIY, plus I’m planning to do a few building/DIY books on kindle. I tried to interest publishers on books on Kent, but with no success at all.

Your book is only available in e-book format at the moment, as far as I know. Do you have plans to make it available as a paperback?



Not at the moment because I cannot afford it. Although I suppose there’s the Print on Demand option, how do you sell books when you’re unknown? People might risk wasting 77p (99c), but would they risk £5 for a book they may not like?

Do you prefer reading e-books or print books?


I suppose print books, it’s nice to feel a book in your hands, but the convenience and cheapness of e-books is their advantage, being able to buy one within seconds.

Do you have any tips for someone who may be considering self-publishing a book?


Yes, get someone to read it to check for mistakes, or, better, pay a professional proofreader, because, for some reason, there are always more mistakes than you realise, and you can’t see your own mistakes. And don’t be put off by the technical side of formatting, because Kindle and Smashwords.com both offer very good free guide books that take your through the entire process. I was also lucky enough to hook up with some really nice people on Twitter who helped me in many ways: Terry Tyler , Maria Savva (of course!), Darcia Helle , Martin Johnson , Mary Metcalfe and a number of other kind folk. Going on Twitter is an excellent way to try to market your book and discover other tremendous authors to read.

Who designed your book cover?


Ian Scaife, of www.isgraphics.co.uk He
did a terrific job.

Yes, it's a great cover!

Who are your favourite authors?

Robert Goddard, Dick Francis, Douglas Kennedy, Tony Parsons, Sarah Waters, Barbara Vine.

There are lots of twists and turns in Rock’n’Roll Suicide, and lots of murders/deaths! As a crime fiction writer have you ever based a character on a particular person you dislike and then killed him or her off in the novel?

Great question, but actually no, I don’t think I hate anyone enough to want them dead. But who knows about the future?

Where can people buy your books?

Rock’n’Roll Suicide: viewBook.at/B009XA5SQ4 And I’ve got a page on Amazon for my others: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Geoffrey-West...

Where at the best places for people to connect with you online?

www.geoffreydavidwest.com and my blog at http://bit.ly/QoYXbv

Thank you, Geoff! I wish you continued success with "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide", and look forward to reading the rest of the series!

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Don't forget to download your free copy of "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" between 14th & 18th January 2013: viewBook.at/B009XA5SQ4