At All Times, Think Like

I Started Writing Novels While An Undergraduate Student, In An Attempt To Make Sense Of The City Of Edinburgh, Using A Detective As My Protagonist. Each Book Hopefully Adds Another Piece To The Jigsaw That Is Modern Scotland, Asking Questions About The Nation's Politics, Economy, Psyche And History ... And Perhaps Pointing Towards Its Possible Future.

I Think Writers Have To Be Proactive: They've Got To Use New Technology And Social Media. Yes, It's Hard To Get Noticed By Traditional Publishers, But There's A Great Deal Of Opportunity Out There If You've Got The Right Story.

You Wouldn't Think You Could Kill An Ocean, Would You? But We'll Do It One Day. That's How Negligent We Are.

Rebus Was Eating Breakfast In The Canteen And Wishing There Was More Caffeine In The Coffee, Or More Coffee In The Coffee Come To That.

The Most Difficult Part Of Any Crime Novel Is The Plotting. It All Begins Simply Enough, But Soon You're Dealing With A Multitude Of Linked Characters, Strands, Themes And Red Herrings - And You Need To Try To Control These Unruly Elements And Weave Them Into A Pattern.