Mick Herron

Biog
Mick Herron was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, lives in Oxford, and works in London. His short fiction regularly appears in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and he is a contributing editor to the monthly book trade publication Bookdealer.

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Interview

Do you stick to a strict routine when you write?

Absolutely. I work for a living - and commute from Oxford to London daily - so my day comes with a built-in structure. Writing is part of that.

How much research do you do in writing your novels?

I'm a firm adherent of the school of Making Stuff Up.

Characterisation or plot, which do you think is more important?

Character comes first, but usually with a fragment of story attached. (I've written at length on this topic for the fine online magazine Shots: it's in the archive at www.shotsmag.co.uk.)

Do you have a clear structure or plot development when you are writing or are you sometimes surprised by who the killer turns out to be?

When I start a novel, I usually have a scene-by-scene breakdown of the first chapter, but nothing much after that. By the time I get to the end, I'm about a page ahead of the reader.

What do you consider is the most important element in your writing?

The sad truth is, when sitting down to write, the most important goal is the daily word-count. At that moment, I'm 350 words away from being able to get up again. But once I start, word-count becomes an administrative detail: what matters then is that the sentences take shape, and flow cleanly, one from the other.


Do you have trouble letting go of your characters when you have finished a book?

I've never thought so. But several characters recur throughout my novels, which would seem to indicate the opposite.

What are you working on at the moment?

I've recently delivered my fifth novel, "Smoke & Whispers", a sequel to "Down Cemetery Road". And I'm looking forward to several stories appearing in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine - a couple featuring Joe Silvermann, the detective from my first novel "Down Cemetery Road", and a novella-length piece called "Dolphin Junction".

Do you think the Crime Fiction genre is in a healthy state?

Definitely. Every year new names appear, while established writers carry on producing excellent work. It's surprising, too - and encouraging - how often writers who've been quarrying away for years are suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Peter Temple's a good example: long feted in Australia, he's only recently been published in the UK, to immediate and well-deserved acclaim. And Laura Lippman's work continues to demonstrate just how good genre writing can be.

Other than writing, what other jobs or professions have you undertaken or considered?

The usual: deckhand, roadie, grave-digger, private eye.