My
West Yorkshire theme continues this week with best selling author, Andrew
Barrett, whose books will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. However,
for now, try sit back and meet Andrew.
A little about your books.
Twenty
two years ago I began work here in West Yorkshire as a CSI, and not long after
I picked up my badge, I picked up a pen and began writing A Long Time Dead, the first in a trilogy of crime thrillers
featuring a CSI (SOCO as we were known back then) called Roger Conniston.
Another two books, Stealing Elgar and
No More Tears followed.
I’m
very proud to say that Roger’s books are still selling very well today, A Long Time Dead having floated past the
150,000 downloads mark a year or so ago. Recently, someone said that one of the
sub-plots to the trilogy wasn’t entirely wrapped up. So I’ve been thinking
about writing a fourth book – stay tuned for more news on that one.
By
2004 I decided to write crime fiction featuring someone who was on a different
level entirely to Roger’s. He was much more acerbic, much more violent even. In
walked CSI Eddie Collins and his first book, The Third Rule came to life. Several more Eddie Collins books
followed, Black by Rose, Sword of Damocles, and Ledston Luck, and two short stories, The Lift and The Note.
Eddie’s
books became so popular that publisher Bloodhound Books grabbed the entire
series. Once they’ve gone through another edit, they will be re-released in the
summer. And I hope that Eddie’s latest book, provisionally entitled The Death of Jessica Ripley will be out
in the autumn. I’ve also written a standalone thriller entitled The End of Lies, and enjoyed the process
so much that there’s another simmering in the background, soon to be written.
What inspired you to set your stories
in Yorkshire?
I’ve
lived in Yorkshire all of my life (except for a brief spell while working in
Kuwait), and love the place. I love its diversity, and I love its raw beauty,
its extremes, and the calming effect it has on me. It has everything one could
possibly want; from bustling cities like Leeds to remote hillsides in the Dales,
dense woodland, quaint villages, and stunning coastal regions. Yorkshire has it
all.
Because
my books are crime thrillers, I’ve set them all in and around Leeds, but do
like to include in them small villages around south Leeds. Ledston Luck was my latest Eddie Collins book, and I chose it as a
title and location because, less than three miles from Leeds, it’s a silent
countryside village with a wonderful and proud history.
A few words about yourself and about
living in Yorkshire.
My
fiancé and I went to Milan last year. We stayed for a long weekend and although
it was delightful (some wonderful architecture), we were relieved when we could
see the Yorkshire skyline again. I adore living in the UK’s largest county. I
adore our family days out at one of its many splendid stately homes such as
Temple Newsam or Lotherton Hall. This year we’re going to invade Harewood for a
change. If it’s awe inspiring history we’re looking for, we head down to
Kirkstall Abbey.
And
when the coast beckons we head straight for Whitby or Filey for the scenery and
the friendliness of the locals. And if we’re looking for somewhere remote, we
have a special affinity with the Dales, Swaledale being one of our favourites.
I
spend a lot of time working in the centre of Leeds, and I know it very well. It
has matured over the last ten years quite significantly, and it’s still growing
today – probably quicker than ever before. There is a natural rhythm to Leeds,
a buoyancy in the city that’s carried proudly by its communities. It’s a
delight to live and work among them.
Links.
A Long Time Dead
Stealing Elgar
No More tears
The Lift
The End of Lies
Social media links. Andrew Barrett
Thank you Andrew and thank you, dear friend, for stopping by. Please call back again to meet another amazing author. Until then, have a fabulous day and I hope the sun is shining on your face and in your heart.
Pauline
Brought to you by Storm Clouds Gathering
And
Chill Awards for Independent Authors
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