Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is David Beckler and I live in Manchester, UK. I’m an ex-firefighter and now run a sunglasses import business. Anyone who knows Manchester’s reputation as ‘Rainy city’ will recognise the challenge I face. I’ve been writing for eight years and I’ve published two novellas and two novels in the Mason & Sterling series of crime thrillers. These feature Adam Sterling and Byron Mason, two ex-Royal Marines. Adam is a firefighter – easy research for me – and Byron runs a security company.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Profit Motive was inspired by my business trips to Wenzhou, an industrial city in Southern China.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I listen to the sound of thunderstorms when I write. I live in a busy city and use my own sounds to cut out the noise from outside.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Graham Greene – his ability to describe a person with a few words is something I strive to do.
James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, Robert Crais and Lee Child are writers I admire in my genre.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on the third Mason & Sterling novel and a short story anthology with 11 other writers in my genre.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve had greatest success with Bookbub but you’re not guaranteed a slot and it’s not cheap.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every day.
Find a supportive but challenging writing group.
Recognise good advice and take it, but don’t emulate other writers.
Be prepared for knock-backs and don’t give up.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Rather than setting writing targets, make writing a habit, and you’re more likely to stick at it.
What are you reading now?
Dead Lions by Mick Herron – it’s the second of the Slough House novels. I’ve read three others and enjoyed them hugely.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have another series I want to develop, I’ve written the first and plotted three more. They feature a female protagonist and would stand alongside the Stieg Larsson trilogy.
I also have a historical series set in the 1930s I want to write.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I assume books on how to survive and escape from a desert island wouldn’t be allowed.
The Cornish Trilogy by Robertson Davies – I know it’s a trilogy but is in one volume.
Robinson Crusoe – the first ‘grown up’ book I remember reading.
Ulysses by James Joyce – I’ve never got past page 6 but if I’ve got nothing else to read I might finish it.
Author Websites and Profiles
David Beckler Website
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