David Nemeth interviews me at Do Some Damage

‘David: I enjoyed one of your latest books, “Last Year’s Man” which displays the wit in your writing. So, what makes Brits funnier than Americans? Kidding. A bit of a safer question, what is it that makes the English so damn funny?

Paul: I think the Brits revel in our own ridiculousness, we know that life and people are absurd. After all, there are two types of people in the world and they are both preposterous. The most preposterous are the ones that don’t know they are, of course.’

Rear the rest of the interview over at DO SOME DAMAGE.

Recommended Read: Marwick’s Reckoning by Gareth Spark

Marwick is a broken man. Broken but not shattered. Marwick is a violent London gangster, an enforcer who has moved to Spain for a quieter life and who is eventually embroiled in drug smuggling, murder and more.

Published by Near To The Knuckle, Marwick’s Reckoning by Gareth Spark is fantastic. Like a Brit Grit Graham Greene it’s full of doomed romanticism, longing and shocking violence.

Beautifully, vividly  and powerfully written Marwick’s Reckoning is very highly recommended indeed.

Death On A Hot Afternoon – Out Now !!!

A bit back , I wrote the novelette RED ESPERANTO/ ROSSO ESPERANTO for the hip Italian publishers ATLANTIS.

It’s the story of an English hack-Luke Case- up to no good in Warsaw, Poland.

Well, ATLANTIS  have now published a follow up – DEATH ON A HOT AFTERNOON– which takes Luke Case to Madrid, Spain.

The Italian translation will be available soon and you can  pick it  up from Amazon, B&N etc

You can also  buy it NOW direct from ATLANTIS, if it tickles your fancy.

There are plenty of other cracking books available from ATLANTIS too, from the likes of K A LAITY, A J SAVAGE, RICHARD GODWIN and MORE!

CIAO!

The Next Big Thing

So, recently I was tagged by a couple of people to do this ME! ME! that’s doing the rounds.

The first two folk to Tango me were ANNE BILLSON  and JAN KOZLOWSKI

The gig is to answer some questions and then tag five more people, who then answer the same questions.

And on … so …

1. What is the title of your book?

Death On A Hot Afternoon.

 

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

A bit back I wrote a novelette for Atlantis, the Italian publishers, called Red Esperanto/ Rosso Esperanto.

It’s set in Warsaw, Poland and is the story of an English hack – Luke Case – who gets involved with a gangster’s wife.

Atlantis asked me to write a follow-up, so I did just that. This time Luke is in Madrid, Spain . The title is a hat-tip to the film Seance On A Wet Afternoon.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

It was specifically written with a noir/crime vibe in mind, so let’s hope that’s what it is!

4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Oh, most of the actors I’d choose are probably brown bread now but … Luke Case could be played by Tim Roth. His drinking crony Nathan Jones could be played by  Gary Oldman– if he piled on the pounds – and Lena K, the torch singer … dunno!

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

An English hack  encounters a man with a violent past, and a mysterious torch singer, during a hot Spanish summer, with fatal results.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Well, though I have had a bit of agent interest, this book was commissioned directly by the publishers, so neither!

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Probably two to three days, in bits and bobs. I edit as I go along so I can keep the mood.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

No specific books, but the tortured spirits of Patricia Highsmith and David Goodis were floating over my head as I worked on it. And the John Dahl  film The Last Seduction.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I was asked! And I like the idea of a rootless anti- hero wandering around the globe getting into scrapes! I’ve known a few of them in my time …

10. What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

Good food, good music and good drinks abound! And no karaoke!

Now, I’m goin to pass the Dutchie – on the left hand side- to …

ELETTRA MORELLI who blogs here, STEPHEN WALKER of STEVE DOES COMICS,   COL BURY who has a crime fiction blog here,  LEE HUGHES who writes here , and JJ Toner, who hangs about over here.