Your writing has been described as a blend of crime, sci fi, and horror genres, making for a unique reading experience. Can you give us some background on that?
I’ve always been fascinated by science fiction and horror. I can remember Saturdays as a boy, going to the matinee. It cost fifty cents, and for that price you got two flicks, stuff like The Brain From Planet Arous, The Crawling Eye, She-Demons, The Fiend Without a Face, and so many more. Later, as an adult, I read science fiction and also developed an appetite for crime fiction, stuff by writers like James Ellroy, Elmore Leonard, Val McDermid, and Blake Pierce, to name a few. It was a natural progression for me to integrate all these genres and indulge myself in the resulting hybrid.
Is it a coincidence that your books have an erotic edge to them?
Absolutely not. Love and sex are part of human existence. Too often, characters in novels come very close to being real, but there seems to be something missing. That something is often the sexuality of the character—an aspect that, when explored, makes them full, three-dimensional, real. My books are not for the squeamish, and kids shouldn’t be reading my novels, anyway.
You started writing fiction a little later than most. How old are you?
“Old enough to know better, but too young to say no.” Seriously, age has nothing to do with the creative impulse. If anything, being a seasoned veteran of decades here on earth gives me a perspective, and I daresay, a wisdom that sets me apart from many younger writers. For years, I knew I had talents in communication, and channeled them into a career as an advertising copywriter. In the back of my mind, I knew that writing fiction was a debt to myself that perhaps would never get paid, but then the opportunity presented itself in later life, and I took advantage of it. Scratch one off the bucket list!
What’s in the works? What can your readers expect in the near future?
Deadlier Than Beauty was the first in my series featuring Detective Connor Cromag. The second book in the series is P.S. You’re Dead. The third book is Death in a Hurry, and it will be released in Spring of 2022. I also have a collection of short stories entitled Once in a Lifetime… and Other Stories. I also wrote a thriller novelette called Deep Freak, which is a reader magnet that can be downloaded for free if you join my mailing list. What’s on the horizon? Who knows? That’s the exciting thing about being a writer; you never know when the muse will decide to pay you a visit.
Any tips for aspiring writers?
Don’t give up. Your story is worthwhile, and if you feel you can write, do it. And then do it every day. But the most important thing is to get started. The following quote is by Goethe, from Faust: “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!”
PHOTO: Austin Distel on Unsplash
Copyright © 2021 Raoul Edmund
