Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
My name is Mark Ellis. I am the author of 5 books in a detective series set in WW2 London. My hero is Detective Chief Inspector Frank Merlin who works at Scotland Yard. He is the son of a Spanish father and English mother. I took up writing relatively late in life (I am 69 now) after carriers as a barrister, a banker, a corporate executive and then the founder of my own business. I had always wanted to write and when I sold my business decided to take the chance. I live in London with my family.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “Dead in the Water”?
The main challenges in writing Dead In The Water were, as usual, to do with the plot. Creating a gripping and compelling plot is always hard.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
Authors who have influenced my crime fiction include Georges Simenon, Agatha Christie, Patricia Highsmith, Alan Furst, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais and Philip Kerr. On a broader level I love Tolstoy, Dickens, Graham Greene, John Le Carré, F. Scott Fitzgerald and many others.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
My favourite spot in my country is the Gower Peninsula in South Wales where I grew up.
Q5. Is there lots to do before you dive in and start writing a book?
Before I start writing a book I spend at least 3 months researching the specific period of the book. For Dead In The Water that was August 1942. For the book I’m currently writing it’s May/June 1943.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘Dead in the Water’?
Before I start writing a book I spend at least 3 months researching the specific period of the book. For Dead In The Water that was August 1942. For the book I’m currently writing it’s May/June 1943.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
My books are available in print, ebook and audio. Readers can buy or order my books in printed form from all good bookshops. Otherwise books can be bought on Amazon, Kobo, Google and Apple. The audiobooks are on Audible.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Dead in the Water’?
My publishers Headline (an imprint of Hachette) came up with the Dead In The Water cover design. They have also redesigned the covers of the previous 4 books in new editions and given 3 of them new titles (see summary at bottom). I came up with the title which reflects an important part of the plot. The publishers and I kicked other ideas around for a while but we finally agreed that my first idea was the best.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
How do I keep things fresh for readers? Well, obviously in a new book they are confronted with a new story and new characters. At the same time they become reacquainted with established characters in the series and catch up with possible new developments in their lives. Also, as the books progress, so does the war with changes in atmosphere, the military situation and public sentiment.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
I write every day and have a target number of words. One good piece of advice is to end one day’s work in mid-sentence. This makes it easier to get going the following day.
Buy Dead in the Water by Mark Ellis on Amazon
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