Monthly Online Book Review and Listings Magazine ~ June 2009

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INTERVIEW WITH COLIN INGRAM (The Stone Gallows - Crime Book of the Month) The Stone Gallows, by C. David Ingram, is published by Myrmidon priced £7.99 and is available from Amazon

Hi Colin. Thanks for agreeing to answer a few questions for Books Monthly.

Q. Who inspires you, who scares you in our modern world?

A. The thing that scares me most these days is how complacent we have become, not just to crime but generally to bad behaviour. It’s seems that violence has become increasingly casual - just yesterday there was a man sent to prison because he deliberately drove his car at a fan of a rival team and killed him. I can’t think of a more meaningless thing to do, and I can’t help but feel sorry for all the lives that have been ruined by such a senseless act.

Who inspires me? My son. He’s one now and for the first time in my life I find myself hoping that the world can be a better place.

Q. Can we look forward to the further adventures of Cameron Stone or do you have other stories to tell about other people? He’s such a strong character, I’d like to think you have more in mind for him.

A. Definitely. I loved writing The Stone Gallows, and Cameron Stone was great fun. I’ve got at least another two books planned for him over the next five years; one will pick up exactly where Gallows ended and will be called Unfinished Business and the other will be set a few years down the line. I don’t want to give too much away, but what I will say is that I was slightly unsatisfied with one of the story element of Gallows - I don’t think that Cameron Stone has paid enough for his sins. I think he got off lightly and I’ve had a few people who were mildly disappointed that Detective John Coombes doesn’t get his come-uppance. Along with Cameron, I would bring back other characters from Gallows; Joe Banks and Liz were nice to work with.

Q. Do you have contacts within the police force that enable you to keep up to date with police procedures, forensic science etc.?

A. Not really. I decided early on that I wanted Cameron to stand apart from the official police investigation process.  This was mainly because as an amateur writer, I wasn’t sure that I would get any co-operation from the police. I’ve got an old pal, Phil Gray, he’s an ex-copper who answered a few questions from time to time.

Q. Are any of the characters you write based on anyone you know…

A. Yeah, but I’d probably get sued if I went into detail . . .

Although it wasn’t a conscious decision, the character of Joe Banks is partially based on somebody I used to work with back when I was a trainee sheriff officer (or Bailiff). This guy was a retired copper who had gone on to open his own private investigation agency and he was a larger-than-life guy who had done just about everything - some of it was even legal.

The only character that was consciously based on a real-life person is that of Maureen Black from the nursing home. She was meant to be based on an ex-boss of mine who treated me badly. Unfortunately, Maureen turned out to be quite a lot more likable than my ex-boss ever was. I rewrote the scene to make her more unpleasant, only to have my editor say that her dialogue felt slightly unrealistic! On examination, my editor was right- I guess that it proves the point about how you shouldn’t climb up on your high-horse in a work of fiction!  

Q. Are you looking forward to such things as books signings / readings / meeting your fans?

A. Fans? I’m going to have fans? Wow, that’s a scary prospect! I’m always happy to meet people. If I meet a fan, I’ll enjoy discussing the book with them - which bits did they like, which bits did they think could have been done better?

Book signings are an extension of meeting fans - I’m quite happy to sign books. To be honest, I think I’m incredibly lucky to be in the situation I am now, and am grateful to anybody who has bought a copy.

As to the readings- I’m doing my first reading tonight and I’m absolutely terrified! I’ve been practising in front of the wife, and I feel like the world’s biggest numpty! Still, it’s part and parcel of being a writer, and I’ll muddle through somehow.

Q. What books did you read in your formative years? Did any one thriller/crime writer inspire you to become a crime writer yourself?

A. I was very lucky because I grew up in a household that treasured books. My parents taught me to read before I went to school, and I started off with things like Enid Blyton. Before I was eight I was reading Stephen King and James Herbert (with a torch under the bedclothes). Now that I’m thirty-five, I still love reading. The one book that really helped when I was writing Gallows was The Business of Dying by Simon Kernick.  I loved reading it, and I realised that Kernick was doing something similar to what I wanted to do - lot’s of action and black humour.

Q. Did you decide that Glasgow was already well-served by the police in crime fiction and therefore your own “hero” would have to be just outside the law, i.e. a private detective with strong links to a police past?

A. Exactly. Glasgow already has several crime series where the protagonist works within the system.  Alex Gray’s excellent Lorimer novels spring to mind. The truth is that when I started the book, I knew that I wanted to write a novel with an ordinary citizen as the protagonist.  I wanted Cameron to be almost entirely separate from the justice system. Some of the action in Gallows would not have been possible if Cameron had remained a copper.

Q. Do you read contemporary crime fiction for enjoyment, or perhaps to keep up with how and what your fellow crime writers are doing?

A. Now that I’m published, I like to think that I’m just doing research, but the truth is that I read crime fiction because I love to read, although I don’t have as much time as I would like. I try not to let what other people are writing influence me.  First and foremost I want to enjoy the process of writing, and trying to imitate what other people are writing is like wearing blinkers.

Q. Are you working on another book right now or do you take a break between projects?

A. I’ve nearly finished a new novel which is a companion novel to Gallows. It takes one of the supporting characters from Gallows - Katy Dollar, Cameron’s mental-health counsellor - as its protagonist. It’s a shifting-perspective narrative about a bank robbery that goes terribly wrong. It’s quite long and it’s been a difficult book to write.

I love writing so taking a break is a bit like asking my wife to take a break from chocolate. But as soon as the new book’s done, I’m looking forward to working on the next Cameron Stone. 

Q. What do you do to relax, i.e. when you’re not writing? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

A. I still love reading, but I also love shooting stuff on my X-Box, and it certainly helps me to de-stress. I love spending time with my wife and wee boy - I would give almost anything to be able to work full-time from home. Apart from that, it’s the usual stuff; guitars, friends and pubs. I’ve recently given up riding motorcycles; I was too damn reckless for my own good.

I don’t listen to music when I work; I’ve tried everything from classical to thrash-metal and it just distracts me. I tend to get up early; between half-five and seven, and try to spend a couple of hours working before my wife and son get up. Then I try and get three or four more sessions in throughout the day.

Q. Do you think it important to plan your novel, or do you write off the top of your head and simply “go with the flow” as it were?

I’ve tried planning novels, but it doesn’t work for me. Unfortunately this means that I need to spend a lot of time re-writing and editing, but on the other hand, I think it keeps the work fresh and unpredictable.

Q. Would you like to see THE STONE GALLOWS turned into a TV drama or maybe a film, and who would you choose for the main roles if you were able?

A. I would love to see a film or T.V adaption of Gallows, but I don’t know how it would work; some of the set-pieces (I’m thinking of the motorway chase/crash) are perhaps too big for T.V. production companies to afford. Cameron Stone needs to be a big man with a big presence; maybe Dougray Scott would fancy a go. I’ve heard he owns a production company, perhaps I should send him a copy of the book . . .

Q. Finally, what five books (or series of books) would you want to have with you on your desert island?

A. Of all the questions,  this one is the hardest, mainly because five just isn’t enough . . .

1. Stephen King’s Dark Tower novels; I just can’t get on with Tolkien, and think that in time, the Dark Tower is going to replace it as the standard for fantasy fiction.

2. John Irving; either The Hotel New Hampshire, A Prayer for Owen Meany, or A Widow for One Year; he writes beautifully.

3. Joseph Hellers Catch 22; so black. So very, very black.

4. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris; the first and the best of the Hannibal Lecter books.

5. I’d take a copy of every single z-list celebrity biography ever printed. Then I wouldn’t be stuck for something to make a signal fire out of.

Thanks, Colin. I really enjoyed THE STONE GALLOWS and hope it’s not too long before your next book appears.

(Thank you very much- it’s nice to get positive feedback, and I hope you’re right about the next novel. I enjoyed answering the questions as well, so please let me know if there is anything else.)

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