Featured Interview With Will Patching
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
A Brit, born and raised in south London – or ‘sarf Lunnon’ as we like to say – and weaned on crime thriller novels by an Agatha Christie fan: my mother. She used to send me to the library to select books for her when I was only eleven years old and I gradually began to read them myself, eventually getting to the point where she preferred my choices to the books she selected. Her addiction was hereditary and I am afflicted, not just with a love of reading about crime but a love of writing about it too.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I won an essay writing competition for my school against thousands of other pupils in the borough when I was fourteen, and after that always thought I would one day write a novel, or two… or more. After working in the corporate jungle for decades, where my writing creativity was limited to reports and budget requests, I finally opted out, down-shifted and now indulge my criminal passions in a way that won’t get me into trouble with the police!
My current abode is the tropical paradise island of Phuket, Thailand, although I have lived on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca previously, and spent some time studying at a rather well known business school near Boston in the good ‘ole USA during my corporate indoctrination phase!
So I have been around a bit, and had jobs since I was eleven years old when I worked illegally for a local hardware shop (minimum age was 13) – since when I have worked on a variety of jobs, including a ‘gardener’ on a sewage treatment plant, hod carrying on building sites, undergoing flying training in the RAF, selling insurance, and running various businesses since. My most recent venture was chartering a yacht I had built here but she sank. That’s a long story, for another time… Or novel!
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Crime thrillers and just plain thrillers are my favourite reads, though I also enjoy more literary fiction too. I am a big fan of Lee Child and James Patterson’s earlier work, and Stephen King’s semi-biographical text on how to write is one of the best I have read – On Writing. My own writing has been likened to all three by independent reviewers, along with Val McDermid and Stuart MacBride, all of whom make me feel very humble to be mentioned alongside such class acts.
Wilbur Smith was one of my favourite adventure authors in my teens, but like many series, I think the later books went off the boil, which is why I am writing trilogies – I want avoid that fate. Wilbur’s writing is the sort to get your teeth into – his lengthy novels are a style I enjoy and that is reflected in my own work.
Lots of things inspire my writing – there is no ‘who?’ Mostly, events that happen around me or in the news, plus people I observe from real life, blurred and blended to create the plots and characters in my fictional worlds. I also have a particular interest in psychopaths, and have been called an ‘expert’ by some of my readers who work in the criminal justice system, though would never style myself as such. One British detective told me Remorseless had helped him understand his ‘clients’ better, so I take that as a huge compliment.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Mutilated is another gritty, dark crime thriller in the trilogy that begins with Remorseless – a book that has been described by reviewers as ‘Brutal’, ‘Intense’, ‘Disturbing’ and ‘British crime writing at its best’. Although both books can be read as stand alone novels, there are characters that overlap, so reading Mutilated first means the reader will encounter (relatively minor) spoilers. To encourage everyone to read Remorseless beforehand, I have changed the price to FREE for the foreseeable future, so anyone interested should grab a copy asap!
Both novels have a mix of psychological chills combined with murder, mystery and mayhem, containing fascinating characters and an intricate plot with plenty of twists and turns. The books are longer than many at 125,000 words too. Why? As an avid reader, I like books that allow proper character development alongside complex plots, and a book at half the length is, for me, generally unsatisfying. This approach does not suit all thriller readers, especially as I increase the intensity and pace as the novels progress.
Mutilated in brief:
A serial killer challenges forensic psychiatrist, Doctor Colin Powers, to solve several cold case mutilation murders, while Detective Inspector Jack Carver investigates a newly dismembered victim…
Is it a coincidence?
Can a criminal psychopath somehow be involved – despite having been incarcerated for two decades?
And where is Doc’s lover, who disappeared months before..?
The launch date for Mutilated is 11th December 2016, although the book is available on pre-order from all good online retailers. During the pre-order period, there is no ‘Look Inside’ feature, so I have put a short excerpt on the retailers’ pages for those who want a peek. Enjoy!
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