Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How long have you been writing novels for?
A. I have been writing for over 10 years now (my how the time flies!). In that time I have written and published ten novels and one novella.
Q. Who is your favorite author?
A. I don't actually have a favorite, but I am a big fan of Dean Koontz (great stories), John Grisham (great thrillers) and Stephen King (original on so many levels).
Q. What is your favorite book?
A. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett without a doubt. I have listed my ten favorites on the website.
Q. How did you get into writing?
A. I have wondered for most of my adult life if I was capable of writing a novel. I kept tossing plot ideas around in my head until well into my middle age. At that point, I had four book ideas fully developed and decided it was time to try my hand at writing. I have really enjoyed the creative process and it's now a big part of my life.
Q. What are your current writing projects?
A. I am currently starting a new murder mystery series (The Murder On… series) set in England. The first book will be called Murder On Stark Street.
Q. Do you struggle to come up with good story ideas?
A. No. The challenge for me is getting time to write. Currently, I have about eleven story ideas for novels.
Q. Where can I buy your books from?
A. My books are available mainly through Amazon at this point but this will change soon. My publisher, Vinci Books, is looking to have them translated into Spanish, German and French as well as releasing them in audio book format. This is an exciting development for me and I’ll keep my subscribers notified of the changes.
Q. What books do you like to read when you are not writing?
A. I love the crime fiction genre and try to read at least one or two new titles a month (although I also read quite a lot of theology books as well). See My Top 10 list of my all time favorite fiction books below.
Trevor's Top 10 Books
These ten books constitute my 'top ten'. I still think about these books from time to time and fondly recall the stories, which I think is as good a measure as any of a book's worth.
1. Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
Definitely the best book of fiction I have ever read. The story of the life of Prior Philip in twelfth century England is extraordinarily well told by Ken Follett. I felt like I had taken a leap back into the pages of history as I read this book. Beautifully combines real history with a story of power, greed, corruption and betrayal between the power brokers of the church, royalty and the aristocracy of the day. Set around the town of Kingsbridge, Follett's ability as an author brings the story to life, turning what could have been a dull history lesson into a book you can't put down.
I first read this book over ten years ago and it is still the first book I recommend to friends looking for 'a good read'.
2. World Without End (Ken Follett)
The sequel to Pillars of the Earth is every bit as good as the original and chronicles the descendants of Phillip and other characters from the original story during the black plague. In some respects, the sequel is better than the original as Follett explores what life was like during the era of the black plague and how it affected families, communities, and England as a country. The story also gives an insight into the royal family and the upper echelons of the church at that time and how power, greed, sex, corruption and scandal shape and influence life for everyone from the king down. As good as the original, but should be read after Pillars of the Earth.
3. Spencerville (Nelson De Mille)
Nelson De Mille has succeeded in turning a relatively simple plot about a retired military officer returning to his hometown into a page-turning thriller. As De Mille develops the characters and a plot centered around power and the jealousy and rage of a love triangle, I became engrossed in the story of as it built towards a breathtaking conclusion.
I read this book about ten years ago and I credit it as the book that inspired me to start writing. Most of my adult life I have harboured a secret desire to write, but until reading this book I had always tried to develop story lines based on spies, government takeovers and wars between superpowers (all of which were terrible I might add). After reading this book, I believed it was possible to take a relatively simple plot with everyday characters and turn it into a story people would want to read. Nelson De Mille provides a wonderful example of this in Spencerville.
4. Odd Thomas (Dean Koontz)
Odd Thomas is the story of a short-order fry cook who has unusual powers. This might seem like a thin premise for a novel, but in the hands of one of the best storytellers of the modern era, Dean Koontz manages to make Odd Thomas the most endearing hero in any book I have ever read.
This book is just the first in a series (all of which I have read and enjoyed) and focuses on Odd's hometown of Pico Mundo and the premonition he has of impending calamity for the town and its inhabitants. Written in the first person, according to Koontz, he wrote much of the first part of the novel in long hand, almost as if he could hear the character of Odd Thomas speaking to him. I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to read something slightly different and very original in format. It's not a long book and the perfect companion for a rainy weekend spent indoors on the couch.
5. Tripwire (Lee Child)
Lee Child has written a series of great novels about Jack Reacher, an ex-military policeman who now lives the life of a drifter. In this book, Reacher uses his experience as a military policeman to investigate the fate of soldiers missing in action in Vietnam and their connection to a ruthless present day Wall Street baron.
All the Jack Reacher books are tightly written and Child has the ability to build suspense and keep you guessing until the final page. While all the books in the series are good, Tripwire is my favourite as it cleverly weaves hidden crimes from the war in Vietnam to the modern day. It's not necessary to read them in sequence as they are all stand alone novels. If you have not read any of Lee Child's books, Tripwire is a great place to start.
6. The Litigators (John Grisham)
John Grisham needs no introduction. The Litigators is my favourite to date. The story revolves around the small legal practice of Finley & Figg who, to date, have survived on small time lawsuits. The law firm smells big money as it gets wind that one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the country is selling a product that causes heart attacks.
The characters in the story are a quirky but believable mix and Grisham keeps you interested chapter by chapter as the story and suspense build. The small law firm battles not only the pharmaceutical company but each other as everything starts to implode in this David and Goliath battle. As good a book as any others Grisham has produced and a good place to start if you have never read any of his rich catalogue.
7. Intensity (Dean Koontz)
I could not put this book down and read it in about two days which is a record for me. The story revolves around the character of Chyna Shepard who is kidnapped by a murderous sociopath and then held in a special basement in his house in preparation for a slow and tortuous death.
The story hits top gear in the early chapters and Koontz manages to keep the suspense at a heightened level for the remainder of the book. If ever I had to give an example of a 'page turner' this would be the book. Dean Koontz has written a large number of books over his long and distinguished career, spanning a range of fiction genres. If your preference is for thrillers (as is mine) Intensity is definitely worth reading.
8. The Lincoln Lawyer (Michael Connelly)
Michael Connelly has written a lot of great books, but The Lincoln Lawyer is a standout for me. Based on the character of Mickey Haller (a struggling lawyer who works out of the back of a Lincoln car), the story revolves around Haller defending a Beverly Hills playboy arrested for attacking a woman he picked up in a bar.
The book was rightfully turned into a motion picture with Matthew McConaughey starring in the lead role. The movie was good, but the book is better. If you have not read any Michael Connelly books, the Lincoln Lawyer is a great place to start.
9. Two Minute Rule (Robert Crais)
Robert Crais is one of my favourite authors and has a strong franchise of novels centred around the characters of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. Crais also has a string of standalone novels to his credit. My favourite of the 'stand alones' is Two Minute Rule which tells the story of ex-con Max Holman who is devastated by the news that his only son is killed in the line of duty as a police officer and discredited as corrupt in the process. When Holman is released from prison he investigates his son's death to understand for himself. Holman is caught in an edgy suspense thriller as he sets out to clear his son's name and catch his killer before he suffers the same fate. Another ideal book for that long plane trip or a rainy weekend on the couch.
10. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Agatha Christie)
The book is a first-person murder mystery account by a country doctor of the events surrounding the murder of his friend, Rodger Ackroyd. The story itself is quite clever and Christie kept me guessing to the last page. If you read the Wikipedia page for Agatha Christie, you will learn that she is one of the best-selling authors of all time and has published over sixty murder mystery novels and credited with almost four billion (yes billion) in book sales.
If I'm honest, I have read better novels, but this is the first work of adult fiction I ever read from cover to cover (I was around twelve years of age as I recall). I think for this reason alone I have a soft spot for the book and remember it fondly and often. Who knows, if it had not been a good book, I might have spent my life reading science fiction instead of crime fiction?