Earlier this month, Graham Smith announced he has been signed for a three book deal with Bloodhound Books, so as the #LeaderOfHisCheer, I thought it appropriate to find out a bit more about this Boulder character — oh wait, I know all about him…but I am so excited, I wanted to make sure all of you did too!! Woohoo!
About The Author
Graham Smith is married with a young son. A time served joiner he has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since Christmas 2000 he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland.
An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer and interviewer for the well-respected website Crimesquad.com since 2009
He is the author of four books featuring DI Harry Evans and the Cumbrian Major Crimes Team.
First off, a massive congratulations on recently signing a 3-book deal with Bloodhound Books for the Jake Boulder series!! What can readers expect from this series?
Thanks very much. I like to think the Jake Boulder series will offer readers a hero similar to Lee Child’s Jack Reacher as Boulder is also a fighter with a good head on his shoulders.
How did this series come about?
Before publication by Caffeine Nights, my debut novel Snatched from Home was submitted to an American publisher I was recommended to. It got approval from the commissioning team and the proprietors only to be turned down because the marketers didn’t think they could sell a book set in Britain and written by a British author to an American market. Being the contrary sod that I am, I decided to write a book set in America for them. Sadly my contact had moved on and I didn’t get the same chance a second time.
As characters, how are DI Harry Evans and Jake Boulder different? And are there any similarities? (if yes, what are they?)
They have a few similarities, the foremost being that they are both almost always the cleverest man in the room. Neither will back down from a fight and both are loyal to their friends. The big differences are that Boulder is content with his own company whereas Evans thrives on the company of others.
Do you find it difficult switching from Harry Evans mode to Boulder mode when writing and what do you do to overcome this?
I find it very hard to jump between them but that’s very much down to writing in two different styles. The Evans series is written third person past tense whereas the Boulder novels are first person present tense. For Evans I’d write “Evans crossed himself” but for Boulder that same action would be “I cross myself” although both men are atheists.
Give us three interesting facts each about Harry Evans, Jake Boulder and Graham Smith.
Harry reads crime fiction novels at night and has Chisholm email procedural mistakes to the authors despite the fact he ignore police procedure while working. He has a good heart encased in a gruff exterior and he despises all forms of politicians.
Boulder also reads crime fiction but he enjoys action thrillers as well. He hasn’t lost a fight for many years but knows that one day soon he’ll win a silver medal and he’s a closet romantic with commitment issues.
I am less interesting than either of them but I once ate the boiled ham raw, I’ve played darts against former world champion Jocky Wilson, still have a scar on my hand from a motorbike race (the back of my hand scraped the other bike’s brake lever) I was in at the age of eight and I played in the first South West Scotland under 18 school team to beat both the Borders and Ayrshire in the same season. One of the facts about me may not be entirely true
You are in a whole heap of trouble, who do you call -Harry Evans or Jake Boulder -to get you out of the mess you are in, and why?
If I needed reason, logic and a strong personality, I’d call Harry.
If I needed someone to stand back to back with me and fight like crazy it’d be Jake although Evans is no slouch at the physical.
Will you be attending any events this years where your fans/readers can connect with you? (That is, if they can get past me! #LeaderOfYourCheer ?)
I’ll be attending the Harrogate and Bloody Scotland crime festivals as usual although I may well pop up at random events around the country depending on work and finances.
Can you tell us a little about Crime & Publishment?
As a budding writer, I wanted to learn more about the craft of writing from established authors but all the courses I looked at seemed wildly expensive. As I had a number of friends and contacts who are authors in the crime fiction genre, I decided to put together my own writing courses at the hotel I run as a day job. Since making that decision I have met many wonderful people who’re fantastically supportive of each other and I’m hugelyproud that six attendees of Crime and Publishment have gone on to sign publishing contracts.
What have been some of the highlight(s) of your writing career so far?
There have been so many, launching two books at my local Waterstones with my good friend Matt Hilton hosting the events, seeing my book in print for the first time, watching the stageplay of Snatched from Home, meeting readers who’ve gushed about my writing and getting the approval of my peers.
When can we get our hands on a copy of the first book in the Boulder series?
My publisher, Bloodhound Books, is working hard to get the book out as soon as possible and we’re aiming for a May release.
Thanks so much, Mr Smith! Really looking forward to Boulder being unleashed to all the readers as the books are bloody awesome! In the meantime, readers can enjoy DI Harry Evans by clicking on the link below!
DI Harry Evans Series by Graham Smith
Pingback: Watching The Bodies: Chapter 2 – CrimeBookJunkie