I want to thank Stewart for taking part in this series of interviews. These interviews are so much fun and I learn so much about the author.
Author Bio – Stewart Giles
I’m originally from the north of England but I’ve spent the last twenty years living on the banks of the Vaal Dam in South Africa.
Eight years ago, my wife dropped a huge speaker on my head and when I regained consciousness, I had an idea for the protagonist in a detective thriller series. Eight years later and Detective Sergeant Jason Smith is 17 books in.
Three years after the speaker incident I was contacted by Joffe Books to ask if I would like to work with them. After hundreds of rejection letters from agents and publishers it was very refreshing to have a publisher actually contact me, so I jumped in head-first. We published the Beekeeper and nobody was more surprised than me when it hit the number 1 spot in Australia.
I’ve written 35 books now – as well as the Smith series I have the Harriet Taylor books, the Miranda Trilogy and a series featuring a grumpy Irish inspector in Guernsey. Added to that I felt like trying my hand at horror and The Divide is a dark and twisted tale of five kids trying to survive in Dartmoor. I also like to write standalones and The Ghostwriter is a psychological story about how life can change in an instant.
My third standalone – The Guests will be out in a couple of weeks. It’s a cautionary tale about how far a person is willing to go to preserve the status quo.
When I’m not writing I like to take in the scenery around the Vaal Dam. And I’m lucky to have a huge expanse of water on my doorstep as well as a world-class dropzone a few miles away, so when the wind is blowing, I like to sail our 23ft yacht and when it’s calm, I like to jump out of perfectly good aeroplanes.
Books by Stewart Giles:
DS Smith series:
– Phobia
– Smith
– Boomerang
– Ladybird
– Occam’s Razor
– Selene
– Harlequin
– Horsemen
– Unworthy
– Severed
– Venom
– Demons
– Deadeye
– Motive
– Australia
– Wishbone
– Ghosts
DI Liam O’Reilly Mysteries:
– Blood on the Island
– Lies on the Island
– Fear on the Island
– Malice on the Island
– Revenge on the Island
– Christmas on the Island
– Silence on the Island (coming soon)
DC Harriet Taylor thrillers:
– The Beekeeper
– The Perfect Murder
– The Backpacker
Detective Smith/Harriet Taylor series:
– The Enigma
– Dropzone
– The Raven Girl
Miranda Trilogy:
– Miranda
– Mistress
– Medussa
Standalone:
– The Divide
– The Ghostwriter
– The Guests (release 28.4.22)
Interview
If you could write any other genre then what you currently write what would it be and why?
– It would have to be horror. I love reading horror and I reckon horror and thrillers aren’t that different, really.
If you were ever to co-author with any other author who would you choose and why?
– I would love to work with Gunnar Staalesen. His writing style and sense of humour are second to none.
As a writer do you also read the genre you write in or do you normally read outside your genre?
– I read crime thrillers almost exclusively. Occasionally I do read some horror and American classics but crime is my passion.
Do you read reviews of your books or do prefer not to see any potential good or bad comments?
– I used to read reviews, but very soon I realised that a lot of the reviewers were criticising aspects of the books that had nothing to do with the story. A lot of personal opinions come out in reviews and I’m getting too old to be concerned whether my protagonist drinks too much or if his dog likes to eat chicken or not.
As an author do you prefer self publishing or traditional publishing?
– I definitely prefer self-publishing. I have a couple of books out with Joffe Books but I love the freedom of being a selfie. It was interesting working with a publishing house but I’m not used to having a boss and I prefer to make all the publishing decisions myself.
Tell me about your writing process
– It’s quite a weird process. I come up with a title first, then a cover and I write the book with the cover in mind. I find it amusing when I read reviews that moan about the murderer being quite obvious early on in the books. Very often I don’t have a clue who my killer will be until near the end.
What is one piece of advice you would give an aspiring author.
– Never stop writing and don’t do it for money.
What is your favourite character you have ever written can be protagonist or antagonist?
– My absolute favourite is the villain in the sixth Smith book, Harlequin. That character is pure evil and I thoroughly enjoyed writing him.
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