Interview With Author Ian C. Grant
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am from Dundee, Scotland and have created the Detective Inspector Wiggins adventure series of books. I have written two books in a planned series of six, featuring the lead character, Detective Inspector Albert Wiggins, who years earlier was the leader of Sherlock Holmes’s Baker Street Irregulars, and the only member to be mentioned by name by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The books are set in Edwardian London, just prior to the Great War.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Gallery of Death: a DCI Wiggins adventure” is the sequel to my debut novel “The Reign of the Beast: a DI Wiggins adventure” and follows on from the first murder, suspense and mystery novel. I have hopefully crafted memorable characters that readers can believe in and empathise with and I wanted to explore their development further.
The series of adventures hopefully delivers a new spin on the classical tones of Sherlock Holmes with this new turn-of-the-century fiction featuring characters from the original work by Arthur Conan-Doyle. Hopefully, readers will like the books if they have a love for the Holmes originals – and have a fetish for top hats, monsters, and detective work!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say I have any unusual writing habits although I constantly cross my legs and there are two words I annoyingly mistype every time – becuase and recieved!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Complete Illustrated Sherlock Holmes has for obvious reasons been a huge influence. The works of Dame Professor Sue Black and her lifetime of forensic anthropology have given me insight into the way I write about murders being committed and the anatomy and mechanics of dying. Also any books on Edwardian London, its people and times.
What are you working on now?
The third instalment in the Wiggins adventure series. “The Hand of Darkness”. Wiggins and his redoubtable Sergeant Jem Pyke face an insidious new threat that touches at the very heart of their lives. A grisly menace shrouds the City already immersed in the evil of the criminal underground and a monster from ancient times past.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I suppose it has to be social media. I don’t have much of a budget to self-promote and market traditionally, so this avenue seems best suited to self-published authors like myself.
I have done a couple of promotional videos which I’m quite proud of, and have appeared in a few radio interviews.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you are writing historical fiction like myself, ensure your research is accurate; places, dates, descriptions and events of the time must all be accurate. With the Internet at our disposal, this is a lot easier to achieve today and is, therefore, more accessible for your readers to check!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In regard to writing, this would be to spell check, grammar check and speel cheek again!
In regard to life, one of my first memories was of being very young and colouring in a colouring book with my Grandmother. I was distraught that I’d made a bit of a mess and she said to me, “Ian, sometimes it’s best to go outside the lines” and that has stuck with me ever since.
What are you reading now?
As well as reading lots of murder mysteries and paranormal fiction, I absolutely love reading about the history of sports, specifically boxing and boxers. I am currently reading “Sam Langford: Boxing’s Greatest Uncrowned Champion” by Clay Moyle (2012).
It’s a fascinating read about Sam Langford, who stood at only 5′ 7″ tall, but who was one of the 20th century’s greatest fighters from middleweight up to heavyweight, and because of this many champions refused to fight him for fear of losing.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Apart from the DCI Wiggins adventures, I’d like to write a book of short stories delving into the lives of minor fictional characters that played a huge part in a work of fiction. For example, the gunner who fired the shots that killed King Kong. What happened to him and how did he live and cope with his thoughts and emotions.
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?
The Complete Illustrated Sherlock Holmes just has to be with me.
The Sweet Science by A.J. Liebling, is arguably the greatest work on the sport of boxing.
The complete works of Robert Burns. I’ll choose just three, as I seem to have cheated a bit with The Complete Works Of theme!
Author Websites and Profiles
Ian C. Grant’s Social Media Links