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Black Witch Saga #1
Tyburn, 1625. A young woman hanged as a witch. A doctor plagued by nightmares.
Wracked by guilt, Robert Winter struggles with the notion that a witch may have been wrongly accused. But if that is so, what can he do about it?
When strange things begin to happen, Winter’s understanding of good and evil are put to the test. Compelled to choose one or the other, he soon learns that taking sides is the least of his problems…
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Interview
When and where do you prefer to write?
I always write in the same place – at a standing desk in my study, using a PC set-up. Standing up to write is a lot healthier than sitting down and improves posture. It was also Ernie Hemingway’s preferred method.
Do you have a certain ritual?
No rituals as such, but I tend to spend time going through emails, Twitter etc for several minutes before getting around to whatever I’m novel I’m busy with. It’s my way of working up to the task of actually being creative.
Is there a drink or some food that keeps you company while you write?
Coffee.
What is your favourite book?
Difficult to say, as there are so many, but I’d have to mention, ‘I am the Messenger’ by Markus Zusak, ‘Wonder Boys’ by Michael Chabon and ‘The Robber Bride’ by Margaret Atwood.
Would you consider writing in a different genre in the future?
At the moment I veer between murder/mystery and spoof/comedy, as well as horror. I really like the noir/detective novels of James M Cain, Raymond Chandler, James Ellroy etc. I know these are kind of murder/mysteries too, but their style of writing fascinates me (especially Ellroy’s), so I may do something along those lines at some point.
Do you sometimes base your characters on people you know?
I sometimes take a real person as a starting point for a character, but it’s usually one aspect of their personality that I focus on, such as the way they look or a manner of speaking. For instance, the character of Joe Spud (nuttier than a nut cake with extra nuts) in my Terry Bell Mysteries series was inspired by a taxi driver I knew who had a habit of hitting people who disagreed with him.
Do you take a notebook everywhere in order to write down ideas that pop up?
I used to do this many years ago but of all the things I wrote down, none of them ever proved to be the slightest bit useful, so I gave up. If I get an idea, I tend to remember it – if it’s not a good idea, it gets forgotten.
Which genre do you not like at all?
Romance, mainly because I don’t feel able to write in that way.
If you had the chance to co-write a book, whom would it be with?
Stephen King (obviously), but to be honest, I’m a bit of a control freak and can’t imagine Stevie putting up with my demands.
If you could travel to a foreign country to do research, which one would you choose and why?
I’d probably choose somewhere that has a completely different culture to what I’m used to—China, or Vietnam, perhaps.
Thank you, Colin Garrow and Rachel’s Random Resources
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About the author
Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland. He has worked in a plethora of professions including: taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate. All Colin’s books are available as eBooks and most are also out in paperback, too. His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, Word Bohemia, Every Day Fiction, The Grind, A3 Review, 1,000 Words, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. He currently lives in a humble cottage in North East Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song
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Author Links
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Book Links
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