September
Posted by Simon on 4th, September 2010 at 07:08:27
I tend to think of the summertime as equivalent to a holiday from work - it goes so remarkably quickly, compared with the rest of the days of the year.
However, there is one compensation, which is now upon us. Being the keen and astute observer of the world that I am, I noticed almost immediately that the month has turned to September.
It's my favourite of the year's dozen offerings, and for a range of reasons. Firstly, it's still relatively warm and the weather can often be clement. It might be my skewed memory, but I seem to recall recent Septembers being as kind, if not more so, than the alleged months of the formal summer which preceded them.
Secondly, Devon and Cornwall grow a little quieter as the influx of tourists withdraw for another year. I try not to be too selfish and possessive about the south west, but - akin to many others down here - we have this almost jealous thing about keeping much of the place for ourselves.
I also love September for the colours. I noticed on Thursday that some trees are already taking on the coppers and browns of the coming autumn. Beautiful as that may be, it's not what I like most about the month. My favourite is the colour of the sky at dawn and dusk. For me, sunrise and sunset in September are the finest of the year's spectacles.
It's never been a conscious thing, but looking back, I've noticed a fair few of the tvdetective books are set in September. I suspect the reasons I've outlined above may be why. Only now have I really come to think about it - and yet again, I realise you often learn so much about yourself when you write these book things.
Finally for this post, I can't resist but mention that it's now only two days until The Balance of Guilt comes out. The Hall excitement is mounting! Thanks to all those who've been in touch, saying they're looking forward to reading the new book - here's hoping you still feel good about it when you've finished it!
If you want more details on The Balance of Guilt, have a look on the Books page - www.thetvdetective.com/books.html I'll also be doing a few events to mark publication, for those see the News and Events page - www.thetvdetective.com/news.html
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Dartmoor musings
Posted by Simon on 1st, September 2010 at 06:31:52
I was looking for a new walk on Dartmoor yesterday, which started me thinking about the importance of the moor in the tvdetective books.
It was never a conscious decision to make Dartmoor such a feature, it just arrived in the series, which I suspect is because of my attachment to the wonderful wilderness. I got to know it well during my days covering the environment, and came to see it as the heart of the south west, both geographically and emotionally. Given that, I suppose it was inevitable the moor had to feature.
So, what does it add? Well, it's a beautiful counterpoint to the standard fare of the books, which is far more gritty, the reality of dealing with some awful crimes. I also think Dartmoor tends to be more compatible with Dan's personality - that kind of way of his of melancholy, or simple depression - than other notable areas of the countryside, like the region's coastline.
It's a great place to give Dan space to think about some of the crimes he's working on, and sometimes provides an inspiration too. And depending on how his relationship with Claire is going at that moment, it can be a powerfully romantic backdrop - see, I told you I had a heart!
Dartmoor's also a brilliant setting for a bit of action. When I saw the name Evil Coombe on a map, I just had to set a book there. So came Evil Valley.
I get quite a few emails asking about the walks I describe in the tvdetective series. They're all real and I've followed the lot, so I can thoroughly recommend them. My favourite is the walk to the Ted Hughes memorial, as described in The TV Detective, but that's one you have to prepare well for and is probably best tackled on a day of benevolent weather.
Finally for this post, there's my dear friend Rutherford. I very much would like to have a dog of my own, but the lifestyle currently just doesn't allow it. Rutherford delights in Dartmoor, so describing the days he and Dan have there is the nearest I can get to having a dog of my own at the moment, and I love it!
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Excitement
Posted by Simon on 28th, August 2010 at 06:54:32
It's now nine days until The Balance of Guilt is published, a good time I think to respond to the question - what's it like when a book comes out?
Incredibly exciting is the answer!
The only comparison I can make is like being a child at Xmas time. You know the big day's coming, you know something special is going to happen and you find yourself counting off the days to get there. And often impatiently so.
I thought the excitement might dim a little as The Balance of Guilt is the fifth in the tvdetective series, but it hasn't at all. If anything, it's heightened. It still feels like the heady culmination of a very large amount of work, the chance to actually hold the end product in your hand.
And believe me, I do - when a new book is published, I adopt one copy and carry it around with me, like a new and favourite friend.
As if that wasn't enough, the excitment doesn't stop on publication day, by no means. Actually seeing the book on the shelves of a shop, or in a library is an even bigger back shiverer.
The next stage is a little more daunting, and that's when I start to get feedback and reviews on the new book. That can be very nerve wracking, the thought of people actually reading it and forming an opinion as to its quality.
Finally, there's the stage which for me is the most powerful of all. It's when I do a talk about the new book, and read a few minutes of a sample to an audience. To see the reaction of people to the action, characterisation, scenery, or some of your author's attempts at trickery of words is an incredible sensation.
So, nine days to go, and counting... to finish on my initial Xmas theme, maybe I should make myself an advent calendar to accompany the publication of each new book?!
Lastly for this post, I will be doing a few events to mark the publication of The Balance of Guilt. If you're interested, keep an eye on the News and Events page - www.thetvdetective.com/news.html
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Covers
Posted by Simon on 25th, August 2010 at 06:48:13
A very flattering question has arrived, and it's this - do I come up with the ideas for the covers of the tvdetective books myself?
I wish I could say yes and take the credit - and indeed I'm tempted to do so - but the answer is a simple no. They're the work of some very fine graphic artists, who are so creative and talented as to be well outside of the Hall thinking range.
All they get is a summary of the book - some read the whole thing, but not many - and from that comes the idea. They produce a draft cover, it's batted over to the publishers who add their comments, then me, then back and forth a few more times until we reach some kind of agreement. This can take a considerable time...
Which is not surprising, as the cover is so very important in drawing the eye and getting a potential reader interested. It's often one of the most hotly debated parts of the publishing process.
I think I'm lucky in that the jackets of all the tvdetective books have been eye catching, which is a testament to the skill of the designers. But I'm particularly impressed with the cover for The Balance of Guilt. For me, it conveys in one glance the horror and pathos of the atrocity at the heart of the book.
If you want to have a look at the jacket, it's now up on the books page - www.thetvdetective.com/books.html
Just 12 days until it comes out... Not that I'm counting, or anything!
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Titles
Posted by Simon on 21st, August 2010 at 06:55:10
I was having a chat with another author this week, and we got talking about titles of books.
It's something I've never really thought about, which is odd, when you consider how important they are. It must be the title and jacket which first attracts a browser to a book, followed by the blurb, then a dip inside to sample some of the writing.
I was surprised to hear that quite a few authors only come up with the title of their book when it's finished, and even then often with the input of their editor and publishers. I hope it's not me being my usual awkward self, but I tend to do things the other way around.
With The TV Detective, the whole premise of the tvdetective series seemed to flow from that first title. The Death Pictures sets up the idea of the riddle - the entirety of the book came from that one, central puzzle and its title. The idea for Evil Valley grew from seeing on a map the Dartmoor Valley where much of the action is set - Evil Coombe. I thought you just couldn't have a place with such a great name and not write a book about it!
Again, with The Judgement Book, the novel follows on from the title. Which leads us onto The Balance of Guilt, and a departure from the Hall norm, if that's not a contradiction in terms.
It's the first of my books where I'm hoping you won't know - or at least not with any degree of certainty - what the title refers to until the very last page. And more I won't say, because I've probably suffered the usual Hall problem and said more than I should anyway.
What I can tell you is that, having just finished the editing, it's 340 pages long, and will be out on Sept 6th, as planned. If you'd care to take a look at the cover and a little precis of the plot, it's now up on the books page - www.thetvdetective.com/books.html
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