Today I am hosting an interview with Sean Campbell who writes the DCI Morton book series.
Author information
Sean trained as a barrister and was called to the Bar of England and Wales back in 2011. Luckily for him, he now spends his days working out how to kill people without being caught, and then flipping the switch to play detective. His non-writing interests vary from photography and cinema to rugby and hiking. You can usually find him somewhere in one of London’s coffee shops – look for the big bearded guy taking up way too much room and hogging the Wi-Fi.
He is the author of the seven DCI Morton novels (Dead on Demand, Cleaver Square, Ten Guilty Men, The Patient Killer, Missing Persons, The Evolution of a Serial Killer, and My Hands Are Tied), one seasonal novella (Christmas Can Be Murder) plus the standalone crime thriller The Grifter.
Interview
If you could co-write with any author who would it be and why?
I’m lucky enough to have done some co-authoring in the past. To be honest, I prefer solo projects. It’s easier having just one captain at the helm! Co-authoring is like negotiating your way through a maze when both of you honestly think the opposite direction is the way out.
Which Hero was your favourite to write about?
The unnamed protagonist in The Grifter. A lot of my DCI Morton novels are about incredibly innovative, clever criminals matching wits with the detective. The Grifter is the polar opposite – it’s the story of a totally ordinary bloke down on his luck and out to get his own back. The fact that he isn’t a genius is what drives the story forward as he tries to work out how he, a homeless amputee, can get revenge on one of London’s richest and most powerful men.
Which Villain was your favourite to write about?
The killer in The Patient Killer. He’s unquestionably evil and yet there’s a certain logic/ pervaded sense of justice that makes him so much more nuanced than a simple serial killer.
How do you handle a bad review?
I try not to read my reviews. They’re not for me, they’re for readers. If I do happen to see one, I try and think about what, if anything, I can learn from it. No book or author is ever going to be universally popular & it’s not always constructive feedback so it’s not always easy to find that silver lining.
How do you handle a very good review?
See above! I just don’t read them unless it’s a tear sheet from a blogger/ media review sent straight to my inbox.
Have you ever decided to make someone into a villain in your book because of something they did to annoy you?
My lawyers say no.
Can you tell us about you latest book?
It’s a mob story set a decade after the breakdown of the mob. The leaders have fled or are in jail, the underlings likewise, and justice has yet to be served.
Will Omerta break? Or will the mob get away with murder once again?
(“Murdered by the Mob” – out 2022)
Can you tell us about your writing process.
I tend to write in distinct phases. Research is often the biggest hurdle. The smaller ideas, little titbids, snippets of conversation, and the like add so much depth to a story.
Then I’ll do a first draft that’s basically for my eyes only. As I go, I’ll cycle back and forth, adding in details, layering up red herrings, making sure as much as possible that inconsistencies get ironed out. At this stage, anything goes. I’ve been known to make great swinging changes, alter timelines, substitute or delete characters, whatever I need to do to make the story work. It’s a balance of complexity and readability. I want you to be able to pick it up and keep turning the page ‘til the ending, sure you know what’s going to happen… and then it doesn’t. And then I want you to be able to re-read it and spot all of the signs that led up to the twist.
What is your best tip for aspiring authors?
Write. Write some more. Ask for feedback from people who like the kind of stuff you read. That bit is key. Don’t ask your best mate what they think of your crime novel if they hate crime novels. Find people who like your sort of books, the people who willingly pay for it, and ask what they think of your work. Then take on board that feedback. It might not all be useful. Some of it will be contradictory. But there’s always, always more to learn.
What advice would you give your pre-published self now that you are published?
I’m a terrible person to ask for advice on this. I wrote my first book for a bet. It took off thanks to a lot of luck (and timing). I’d love to say keep on plodding, you’ll get there one day, that sort of thing, but the truth is I got lucky.
So I suppose my advice is to create your own luck as far as possible. Your book can’t go viral if you never write it.
Crazy Canadian Writing 