Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hmmm, what to put down… Well, let’s be honest, does it really matter where I was born, my school, which university I attended (there were three of them if you must know). Telling you my favourite colour or which football team I support would actually give you more insight into what I assume are the two important things here:
1) Why write
2) What I write about.
Starting with the first one: why does anyone do what they do unless it’s the result of choice of compulsion. In my case it was both. I considered it an itch I needed to scratch but then I realised it was much more than that; I had found the one thing that I knew I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I have given up a career I invested the whole of my adult nearly 20 years in but I am supported by a wonderful wife and our young son who are willing to make sacrifices to see if I can turn this dream into a reality.
So what do I write about? At the risk of sounding deliberately vague; anything and everything. That’s when I realised this was more than a hobby. I just love the craft of writing. I wrote a children’s picture book series, a primary school aged story, and a teen novel. It didn’t bother me that I was skipping from genre to genre and between age categories. They were never meant to lead anywhere. That was until I turned my hand to crime. Not literally, but literary (thought I would chuck in a weak joke to combat the seriousness of all this). One of my early blogs talks about this in detail but I found something that I was not only proud of, but wanted to share. It has turned into a series and, although I am likely to remain in the adult sphere in terms of what is published, I won’t be writing crime thrillers exclusively.
I’ve now written 2 British crime thrillers (Gamekeeper Turned Poacher – 07/04/18 and Gamekeeper Turned Poacher: Retribution – 18/05/18). Book 3 of this series is work in progress and will be released at the end of June.
I will also be releasing a light hearted sci-fi novel at the end of July, titled Never mind, Just Rewind. Full details of these can be found on my website, www.denvermurphy.com or Amazon Kindle
Thanks.
P.S. If you’re an agent reading this: you had your chance!
P.P.S. Only kidding, send me your details and we can talk turkey.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Gamekeeper Turned Poacher is the first novel that I have written which is aimed at adults. In all honesty, I was in a bit of a dark place, feeling quite aggrieved by society and the protection that is given to people who can legally fleece you or just treat people like rubbish. I see a bit of me in Brandt and he became a good outlet for my anger! I think people will relate to him. He says things that are close to the bone than many people think (whether that is correct or not….) but would never say out loud. I look forward to the reviews!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a big fan of the semi colon if that counts, as well as the Oxford comma.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
What excited me as a reader was the way no one seemed safe in a Stephen King novel. The notion that anyone could be killed off has become popularised by programmes like Game of Thrones. I’m not keen on the typical Hollywood ending, which has influenced my writing.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently putting the finishing touches to the third and final book of my Crime Series. I’m considering a very different project next about someone who finds out they are terminally ill and tried to right the wrongs of his past. I’ve enjoyed writing a series, but think it will also be good to have a standalone book here and now and try out new genres. I just love writing!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As I’m new to this I’m not sure. At the moment my main method is via social media. Watch this space!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a new author having only published my debut novel, but if anything it is to not to give up. Treat writing as any other job. You need to put the hard work in, especially if you are self publishing.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I can’t remember who said it to me but when struggling to start my Masters Dissertation I was told just to write. It didn’t matter if I came to see it as rubbish, the process of getting something down gave me a greater understanding of what was needed to produce decent work.
What are you reading now?
Dan Brown’s Inferno. I read his others years ago and picked this one because I like the pace he has to his stories.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll be back to Crime after what I mentioned above as I’ve caught the bug. I think I will have a female lead again but want to start just as she joins CID. I want to create a series where you don’t necessarily have to read them in order but if you do you will see the character’s life and career develop. Similar, I guess, to how Lee Child approaches his Jack Reacher series.
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?
Sir Thomas Mallory’s Le Morte D’Arthur – it’s the original telling of the Arthurian legend as we understand it. The style and language is tough going but it would keep me occupied.
The Bible – I guess if I were to be stranded I would be looking for a bit of divine inspiration
Lord of the Rings – I always found fantasy a bit of a challenge as a reader because my mind wanders if there’s too much description of made up places and races. I tried to read it when I was in my teens but now I’ve seen the films it should be much easier going.
Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Series – a bit of a cheat here because there’s 8 books in total but I get bored easily and, although I’ve read them twice, I think I could manage another go.
Author Websites and Profiles
Denver Murphy Website
Denver Murphy Amazon Profile
Denver Murphy’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account