...Eli Carros. Thanks for taking time out from your busy schedule to be on my blog today, Eli. Book launches are intensive, to say the least! So, let's get to the questions and what is your current release?
EC The Watcher, my debut crime thriller,
releases on June 21st by Crooked Cat Books. It’s a dark, twisted, psychological thriller
that takes you right into the mind of a psychopath, and shows how he became the
way he became.
It’s
a novel about sexual obsession, emotional abuse, and vengeance, and if you like
a book that keeps you guessing right until the end, you might enjoy this
one. When I was writing this book I
attempted to answer a question that I had often wondered about, which is, are
psychopaths born or are they made?
AW What first
got you into writing and why?
EC
I’ve always told stories, even before I
actually started writing anything down.
My English teacher at High School was absolutely fantastic, he really
made books come alive whenever we used to discuss and dissect them.
The
way he read ‘Lord of The Flies’ was magnificent, and even to this day, it’s one
of my favourite books. I wish I could
have the insight and the perception of writer’s like William Golding.
AW Me too! I really love his work and my
collection of first editions of his books sits right where I can reach them
from my desk so I can have a quick fix of Golding prose wherever I need one.
EC If I had to pick a tipping point, where I
absolutely knew I had to write, it was probably when I was studying Journalism,
and got my first taste as a professional writer, as an intern at the Daily
Mirror. Though I wasn’t writing fiction,
the experience really convinced me that I wanted to make a job out of this
profession of words, so I became a professional copywriter, then, a couple of
years later, after dabbling a bit, decided to write a novel.
I
procrastinated for ages first though, and wish I hadn’t waited so long.
AW You write crime
thrillers. Is it all imagination or do
you also undertake research?
EC
I do undertake some research yes, for certain
little details pertaining to correct police procedure etc… However, my book is not a standard police
procedural by any means, more a psychological exploration of a deviant and
malignant mind, so I gave myself a hefty dose of artistic license with it too.
I
did do another kind of research too, because I actually lived in London while writing
‘The Watcher’, and the book is set there.
So I went to a lot of the places that inspired scenes in the book, to
get a real feel for the atmosphere. One
of the café scenes in the novel was actually written in Patisserie Valerie in
Old Compton Street, Soho.
AW
I know it well!
EC I find London very inspiring in general,
some people don’t like it I know, but I love all the bustle and life.
 |
| Cover Art for Eli's book |
EC
I wrote short stories and novellas before I
ever wrote a full-length novel actually, I have quite a few of them now,
sitting on my computer, unpublished. I
never tried to publish any of them, I don’t really know why, I suppose I didn’t
really know what to do with them. They
are in all kinds of genres, as short form is a great way to experiment, isn’t
it?
AW Absolutely!
EC I have
post-apocalyptic, horror, crime, all sorts.
Readers can try three of my darker shorts if they like as I’m giving
them away if you’d like to join my mailing list.
AW Famous
authors, such as Roald Dahl and Dylan Thomas, had a special space for writing. Do
you have a writing ‘shed’ of your own?
EC Honestly, no, I usually do it wherever I can
find the time in the nearest comfortable place.
I do like a glass of wine to get me into the zone while I write, though
I have to be careful how much, as contrary to the popular myth that writers are
all gin soaked, becoming too inebriated actually really impairs your work.
AW Finally, if
you had a whole afternoon to yourself and could choose to spend it with any one
individual, living or dead or a character from a book, who would it be, and
what would you want to discuss?
EC It would have to be Kurt Cobain, the late
front man of the rock group Nirvana, to ask him what inspired his music and to
find out what truly happened, was it murder, or suicide? |
| A mysterious Eli Carros! |
Eli loves reading crime, fantasy, and mystery suspense, and is an ardent admirer of authors Steven King, Mark Billingham, Harlan Coben, and Patricia Cornwell.
A strong supporter of causes that promote equality for all, in his spare time Eli loves sailing, camping, hiking, and sketching, and detests getting up in the morning without a strong percolated coffee.
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