[ THE BIG ISSUE ] [ WRITERS’ CORNER ]
"For some strange reason, the nice people at Penguin Post [The Big Issue] think you’ll be interested in reading about how I tackle writing a book, which seems a bit weird to me, but who am I to judge? So, grab a cuppa and I’ll try to make the months-long slog of sitting on my bottom, in front of the computer, drinking lots of tea and making stuff up seem a bit more exciting than it really is.
I’d love to be able to point to a single point of inspiration when I’m asked where a book came from, but the truth is that I’m a magpie (albeit a large, hairy, somewhat-tubbier-after-lockdown [though still uncannily sexy], Scottish one). All my novels are nests constructed from crisp packets and stolen keys, bottlecaps and broken glass.
The Dead of Winter (the book I’ve been instructed to shamelessly plug here) is no exception.
Way back in 2009 I was doing research for my sixth book, , talking to policeprison. They’re not just turfed out the prison’s front door with a cheery wave and a polite reminder to behave themselves – they’re released on licence and subject to control orders, monitoring, and regular evaluations. Which is where the Offender Management Unit comes in. And talking to these officers, I was shocked by just how many people they each had to deal with. Their caseload is huge, and while some offenders only require the occasional visit to make sure they’re complying with their release conditions, others need to be seen every single day. Questionnaires must be completed, forms filled in, reports written, judgements taken about safety, and then the cycle starts again. On and on and on and on …
