Question and Answer Part II

Steve answers your questions on show and tell, TV stuff, creating characters and how to name them...

Hi folks,

Happy New Year! I hope you are all safe and well.

Thank you for all of your questions. Here’s part II of the answers to the Q and A!

Leah Thomas

I love your books mainly because I enjoy all the different perspectives and especially love hearing from the villain. I'm curious do you write each part individually then compile the order? Do you map out each characters story before writing? Thanks x

Hi Leah,

I’m afraid I can’t really map anything out. It would be great if I could. The real answer is I make it all up as I go along. Hopefully at the beginning of a novel I’ll get a good idea about the character and I can think ahead a little, but that’s about it.

Thomas,

This is going to sound like a really really stupid question Steve but here goes, I’ve heard writers use the term “show, don’t tell” could you please explain this in a simple way. (If it helps please think of this fan as a total moron😂😂)

Hi Thomas,

There are no dumb questions. I think it’s best explained this way.

The big dog scared Bob. (telling)

Bob felt a cold sweat on his back. His fingers trembled, teeth rattled in his head at the sight of the huge hound in front of him. (showing).

These are both pretty bad pieces of writing - but it makes the point. Don’t just tell us a character is smart, scared, happy etc - show us.

Kilda

I am an uni student who love reading your last chapters in Fifty-fifty novel during breakfast time. Really really love how you describe the female character in her daily work to pick up her phone from her boss before the main story line starts. If your story gonna be a series of drama or movies, what will be the key message you want to tell?.. maybe about criminal case or ethical dilemmas or something else?

Hi Kilda,

I don’t know yet about movies or TV stuff, hopefully I’ll know more about that later in the year. In terms of any kind of message - I’m not great at having a message in my books. Other writers vary. I just try to tell an entertaining story and if part of that story makes someone think about sex discrimination in the workplace, the death penalty, corruption in the NYPD or FBI, well so much the better but that’s not the reason why I write the book. My first goal is to entertain and keep you turning those pages.

TJ,

In the early Eddie books there was a lot of emphasis on him being a loveable rogue, conman, streetwise, gang connections, crime connections, etc.

This appears to have been toned down a lot in later books (apart from the odd hint), was that a conscious decision and the only real way of him remaining as a lawyer?

Hi TJ,

Each book is different. As the novels have evolved there are different aspects of Eddie’s character to uncover - but rest assured, even in the latest outing The Accomplice, Eddie is still running cons and very much in touch with the head of the NY Mafia. Some novels focus more on the criminal side than others. I try not to write the same book twice - so you can see different sides to all characters in the series.

Mary Corrigan

How have you acquired your in-depth knowledge of the US? Have you ever lived / worked there?

Hi Mary,

I have never lived or worked in the US. In fact, I wrote the first three novels in the series without ever having set foot in the United States. My answer is I do a lot of research. I have been to the US and NY several times now, so I think that does help with authenticity.

Martin Kopa

You're not only a writer but also an experienced lawyer. What are you recommendations for legal writing? Is there anything related to writing legal thrillers which is applicable even to real-life legal writing? To be more specific, what would you recommend to judges when they write their judgments?

Hi Martin

I recommend Judges use ordinary, plain English and write as clearly as possible. Most manage that.

Stephen,

Hi Steve, do you have a certain number of books in mind for the Eddie Flynn series or do you intend to keep them going for as long as you can?

Hi Stephen,

I don’t have any kind of specific numbers in mind. As long as people still enjoy Eddie Flynn I will keep writing the series.

Jeff Dublin

How do you name both your major and minor characters?

Hi Jeff,

With great difficulty. I do try to give my characters interesting names. If I just called everyone Bob Smyth (no offense meant to any Bob Smyths - I’m very fond of the The Cure and I’m sure you are all lovely), or a name you might hear everyday - a common surname say, it’s easy for people to forget the names of characters or get them confused. A more unusual name normally helps bring a character alive in my mind, and the mind of the reader.

Aaron,

Hi Steve,

I love your work, it really got me into reading again. So thank you for the amazing court room drama.

Have you had any interest in adapting the novels for TV or film? And secondly, can we expect any more stand alone novels?

Hi Aaron,

There has been a lot of interest in the Eddie Flynn books. I should know more about any proposed adaptations this year.

Tricia,

Do you ever travel to the USA on book tours? If not, I will ask Santa for this!

Hi Tricia,

I have toured the US in the past - maybe one day I’ll get to do it again.

Jillian,

Any chance of return of Two Crime Writers and a Microphone podcast next year? Always fun to listen to and interesting as well.

Hi Jillian,

No plans at the moment, but I never rule anything out.

Gildo,

Who would be your dream cast for an Eddie Flynn tv show?

Hi Gildo,

I’m afraid I don’t know. There are a lot of great actors working right now. I never say, because that might influence negatively or positively in what actually happens.

Pat,

And who are the current writers you look forward to reading?

Hi Pat,

I always look forward to new books. So many great writers working at the moment. Shari Lapena is always consistently great, as is Linwood Barclay, S A Cosby, Will Dean, Mark Billingham, Denise Mina and another fifty I could name.

That’s all for now folks. Thanks again for the great questions. I’ll do another Q and A later in the year.

For now, I hope you have a great start to 2023, and in the next newsletter I will be giving you a clue as to the new book coming later this year.

Until then, my very best wishes to you all!

Steve