Author Interview Liz Mistry Interviews Fergus McNeill

Liz Mistry Interviews Fergus McNeill

I was introduced to Fergus a few years ago at Winchester Writer’s Conference Awards Dinner, by a mutual friend, Martyn Heasman. 

During dinner, Fergus described his novel  and because it had such a good hook I was insanely jealous. However, I’ve now recovered from my little green strop and am pleased that Fergus published Eye Contact  as his debut novel.  I am even more pleased that I didn’t, in my fit of jealousy, stab him with my fork at Winchester that evening, as I’m not entirely sure he would have agreed to this interview if I had (phew- lucky escape for both of us I think)

So here is Eye Contact with Fergus McNeill

Liz :  Fergus, it’s really nice to meet you again, and I’m so pleased you’ve agreed to be interviewed. I assure you I’ve left all cutlery at home so don't worry about any fork poking.

Now, Stuart MacBride, the bugger, ate all the shortbread so I’m afraid all I can offer with your coffee is a wee Abernethy.  Come on now don’t be shy take two.

Fergus: Don't worry Liz, I'm never shy where good biscuits are concerned.

Liz:  Glad to hear it, nothing like an Abernethy for dunkin' is there? First question, Fergus, has to be how the hell did you manage a full time job, have a family life and write Eye Contact?

Fergus:   Haha, it would certainly help to have a few more hours in the day. I work Monday to Friday, so the majority of my writing is done at weekends – I'll often disappear to Bristol or Oxford for the day, depending on where the current chapter is set.

or if I'm travelling for work, I'll write on the train, or in cafes between meetings.

 

 

 

I rarely write at home, which helps me to keep my characters and my family life separate, and I'm very fortunate to have a wife and son who help me find the time, and encourage me when I'm feeling lazy. Which is often.

Liz: Of course , Eye Contact is set between Bristol and Oxford isn't it? Can you tell us the process you went through from writing Eye Contact to having it published?

 

 

 

Fergus: I guess there were several key moments. The first was at the Winchester Conference, where I had a one-to-one meeting with crime author Sally Spedding.   Before speaking to her, I was getting worried that the whole writing lark was just a waste of time – after all, it wasn't as if anyone was ever going to publish the book – but she persuaded me that I had something worth finishing.

 

Fast forward a couple of months, and I'd started thumbing through the Writers & Artists Yearbook, looking for agents.

Every rejection slip was like a physical blow, but all those literary bruises disappeared when I got an email asking  if I could "please send the full manuscript". Eve White turned out to be the perfect agent for me. She and her team helped me to smarten up my first draft, then put me in front of the right publishers.

Which leads me onto the last leg of the journey, meeting my editor at Hodder, Francesca Best. More than anyone else, she really seemed to "get" the characters and the story I wanted to tell. Her input greatly improved Eye Contact, and I'm very lucky to have someone who's so easy to work with.

 

Liz: Now Eye Contact is a slightly different kind of serial killer crime book.  Where did you get the idea for a killer who selects his victims through eye contact?

 

 

Fergus: It actually started with the idea of tracking strangers down after you'd glanced at them in the street. I was walking through town with a friend and we were discussing how difficult it would be to find someone again if you didn’t know who they were. I remember thinking this might be an intriguing method for a killer who thrives on challenge, and that led onto the concept of it all being a kind of dreadful game. A game like this would need elements of skill and chance: skill for the hunt, and chance in the selection of victims. Going after people who made eye contact seemed a very suitable, and very fair, way of deciding the next target.

Liz:  Which of your two main characters do you prefer writing: Your serial killer Naysmith or your Detective Harland?

Fergus: They each have their merits... and their downsides. I’ve found that Harland can be a difficult character to inhabit, as he is nursing a great deal of emotional pain and unresolved anger. Some of his chapters – in particular those dealing with bereavement – were quite harrowing to create, though bringing him through those darkest moments was kind of cathartic. Naysmith is much more fun to work with – his confidence and determination are infectious, and it's been quite exhilarating to write him. I often came home with a spring in my step after typing up his scenes, though aspects of the murders still make me shudder.

Liz:  Naysmith’s rules for victim selection seem written in stone, but when confronted with a child victim he developed an extremely risky (for him) get out clause.  Why did you include that aspect in Naysmiths’ character?

Fergus: I'm fascinated by the idea of the civilised monster – a killer who observes his own code of ethics and rules. Naysmith's character is driven by a desire for power, and the need to test himself – but when Fate presents him with a child as a potential target, it stirs up memories from his past and causes him to rebel. I think this helps to remind us that there are still fragments of humanity beneath the cold sociopath surface, and it compliments the subtle thaw in his relationships with other people, especially his girlfriend Kim. But being Naysmith, he still finds a way to turn an unthinkable situation into a personal challenge.

Liz: Naysmith over the course of Eye Contact develops a personal link with Harland, but does Harland feel the same link with Naysmith?

Fergus: Good question! Until the final chapters of Eye Contact, I think Harland views the motiveless killer as a sort of abstract evil that he struggles against. There's a deep personal need to end the murders – a desperation born of impotence – but I think there’s also a tiny bit of guilt, for wanting the distraction, and for using the case as a way of to regain control of his own life.

Liz : Just for fun (and because it pays to think big) which two actors would you like to portray Naysmith and Harland in a future production of Eye Contact?

Fergus: In my mind’s eye, Harland has always been a younger version of Jeremy Irons – he could portray that haunted sadness so well – but Jezza’s in his sixties now, so I’ve probably missed my chance with him.

 

Liz: I assumed  you didn't mean in his Brideshead revisited role so I opted for a sexy broody Irons (drool, drool)

 

 

Fergus: Naysmith’s appearance and mannerisms are based on a friend of mine, but I’m sure that someone like Toby Stephens could have fun with the role.  

Liz:  Hmm, the same friend who helped you with the initial idea for the book! I sure can see Toby stephens as Naysmith- actually it's a bit uncanny- good choice. He's definately got that psycho look about him (when he's in role I hasten to add)

 

 

Liz:  Can you give us any sneaky little insights into Book two?

Fergus: Book two is titled Knife Edge and it opens the morning after Eye Contact ends. There are several returning characters, and it is a sequel, but the focus of this story is rather different. It’s out later this year.

Liz:  Well, you’re looking a bit toasty there so I reckon I’ve grilled you enough on Eye Contact.  Now it’s time to get down to the real nitty gritty.

Who did you curl up with last night? – I’m talking books here not shenanigans, I hasten to add!!!!

Fergus: The last book I read was The Burning Air, by Erin Kelly. Unfortunately, it had me so hooked that I was forced to read on into the small hours, despite having an early start the next day. I’ve been catching up on my beauty sleep since then.

Liz: Roman my fellow blooger has just interviewed Erin, so that's something to look out for.  She is a very suspenseful writer.

 

Who is your favourite serial killer of all time and who is your favourite detective?

 Fergus: There was something very compelling about Hannibal Lecter... before he became famous, of course. I remember reading Red Dragon and Silence Of The Lambs, before the screen adaptations and sequels and pop culture references, and marvelling at that profound sense of quiet menace.

 

Liz: That's interesting Fergus, because you spoke earlier about your fascination with the 'civilised monster' and who could be more civilised than Hannibal Lecter in his dealings with Clarice Starling?

 

 

Fergus: But if you want to look beyond the crime genre, my favourite killer would have to be the deliciously dark Gerald Tarrant from The Coldfire Trilogy by Celia Friedman – elegant, articulate and unimaginably evil.

 

 

Fergus: As to detectives, I like the almost autistic qualities of Sherlock Holmes,

 

 but my favourite is probably Inspector Morse – he’s always something of an outsider, and that quality of loneliness intrigues me.

 

  

 

Liz: As witnessed in your portrayal of Naysmith in Eye Contact Fergus.  Lastly, have you got a tip for any of us aspiring crime writers?

 

Fergus: Look at people. Always. In cafes, on buses, on the street. Ask yourself who they are, what they’re thinking, what their hopes and dreams are...

 

                  then ask yourself ...

                                                            "What if…?"

Oh, and carry a note book (or use the notepad on your phone) and force yourself to write down every idea, good or bad. It may not seem important now, but the day will come when one of those ideas develops into a vital plot point, or even your next novel.

Liz: Well, Fergus it’s been lovely to see you again and I’m really looking forward to reading Knife Edge, particularly as you left us on a real cliffhanger at the end of Eye Contact. 

 

 

So Fergus McNeill's Eye Contact currently available  in paperback, Hardback and Kindle.

Knife Edge by Fergus McNeill to be released later this year.  Check out Romans 'Look out Fors'