Blog Tour: James Carol - an exclusive interview with the creator of the dead rock star lover, piano playing, ex FBI agent, genius that is the one and only... Jefferson Winter!

I have followed the progress of James Carol (and Jefferson Winter) with eager enjoyment for the past year and am really pleased that he’s agreed to this interview (poor man doesn’t know what he’s letting himself in for!)

James Carol’s character Jefferson Winter is extrovert, highly intelligent, instantly noticeable and gregarious.  When I first met his creator James Carol last year at Theakston's Crime Writing Festival, Harrogate I was immediately struck by the quiet calm that emanated from him.  I felt immediately relaxed and at ease  and then… I discovered what his day time job was and the reason for his calmness was clear.... read on to discover what James Carol does when he isn't writing!

Liz:  It’s really good to meet you again James,  I've just finished Prey and am having the 'Winter blues' so I’m pleased you’ve managed to find time in your busy schedule for this interview.

James: Good to meet you again, too. I can’t believe that the next Harrogate is just around the corner. Where does the time go?

Liz:  Ok James, first question, you're a horse trainer so… From day time Horse Whisperer to night time Serial Killer Writer... what’s that all about?

James:  For me it’s all about creating a balance. Working with horses gives me a chance to switch off and get away from everything. Horses don’t exist in the past or the future, they just exist in the now. When you’re working with them, you need to try and do the same thing. They don’t care about deadlines or reviews or Amazon rankings, all they care about is where the next carrot is coming from.

I spend most afternoons at the stables with my wife Karen. She has been involved with horses her whole life and is an incredibly talented rider. Our current project is Carrig, a five year old Connemara pony we bought in January 2014. When we got Carrig, he’d done nothing - basically he was a complete blank canvas. Last year we backed him and started his training; this year we plan to start his jumping, and Karen will compete him in dressage. Training horses is a lot like writing in that it’s slow and steady that wins the race. If you start cutting corners, things will get messy real fast.

Liz:  That's a really good philosophy to have for life in general, not just writing. So, what or who inspired you to write?

James: When I hit thirty I hit a bit of a life crisis. My music career didn’t seem to be going anywhere and I wasn’t sure what to do next. I’d always had this idea that I’d like to write a book one day, and this seemed like as good a time as any. The end result was a fairly typical warts-and-all first book. When I started it I didn’t anticipate how much I’d enjoy writing. From that point on I was hooked. I love the challenge

Stephen King

of sitting down and filling a blank screen with words; I love all the different parts of the editing process. There’s no better feeling than getting your hands on a copy of a book that has your name on the cover and your words inside.

As for who inspired me: Stephen King is without a doubt my biggest inspiration. The guy is a phenomenal storyteller. The first book I read was The Dead Zone when I was eleven and it changed my

life. Even now, all these decades later, he still inspires me. Here is someone who has written over sixty books, yet he publishes a couple of new novels every single year. What’s more, those books are as good as ever. This isn’t someone who’s about to rest on their laurels any time soon. That’s something to definitely aspire to.

Liz: He certainly is and he's even found the time to write a great book for aspiring writer's too.  Can you share your publication story with us?

James: The short answer is that in 2012 I hooked up with my agent Camilla Wray. From the word go, she got what I was trying to do with the Jefferson Winter books. From that point on things were fairly straightforward. We did a couple of redrafts, sent the end result to Faber and they agreed to publish it.

The short version of the long answer is that it took years of false starts and knockbacks before the planets finally came into alignment. Getting published is a long, long road.

Liz:  So, a lot of determination and will power as well as talent.  It seems to me that you’re a very busy man.  When do you find time to write and how self- disciplined are you?

James: Mornings are my time for writing. I get started after dropping my daughter off for school, somewhere around nine. With the first draft my aim is to get at least 1500 words written every day without fail. On a good day I might write 2000 words, but I rarely write less than 1500 words. That’s where the discipline comes in – the internet makes it far too easy to find distractions!

That said, I’m uncomfortable using the word discipline since the implication is that writing is hard work. Yes you get tough days where the words don’t flow, but even then it’s still fun.

I’ve got some music playing on the stereo and I’m getting to hang out with Jefferson Winter. I consider myself very fortunate to have a job that I love doing.

Liz: When I read Broken Dolls I got the feeling that Jefferson Winter and you had walked many miles together before you wrote that book.  How long did it take you to ‘create’ Jefferson’ and where did the inspiration come from?

James: For me, inspiration comes out of necessity. In this case I wanted to develop a series character who had the potential to last for at least twenty books. After a number of false starts I came up with the idea of making him an FBI profiler. From that point on things moved in a fairly organic way. I wanted the novels to be standalones, so he became a consultant who travels the world helping out with tricky cases; when I started thinking about his family I discovered that his father had been a serial killer. Naming him was tough. That involved numerous emails batting back and forward between me and Camilla.

As for how long it took. I started Broken Dolls during the Winter of 2011 and it was published in January 2014, so there was two years of tinkering before he finally got let loose on the world. Prior to that I probably spent eighteen months or so on false starts.

That said, Winter is definitely a work in progress. With every story I learn more about him. It’s one of the things that I love about the character. They say you can never fully know another person … I feel the same way about Winter.

Liz:  Yes, I felt a deepening of his character when I read  Prey, he seemed more settled and secure in his place in the world.  For a fairly new author you’ve been very busy with both your full length books and your novellas which explore ‘The rise of Jefferson Winter’.  I’ve loved seeing the contrast between the screwed up young Jefferson and the one we encounter in your books. Are there going to be more novellas?

James: Definitely. I’m currently writing PRETTY THINGS, the third one in the series. This time Winter and Yoko get sent to work a case in Vegas. A twenty-year-old Winter let loose in Vegas … what could possibly go wrong? There are also plans to do a paperback compilation of the first four novellas later this year, so I’m also getting ideas together for the fourth one in the series, too.

Liz:  So plenty for me to look forward to. Which dead musician would you most like to have a jamming session with and which do you reckon Jefferson would like to jam with and why?

James: For me it would be Hendrix, and for Winter it would be Mozart. At first glance they seem like polar opposites, but they’re more similar than you might imagine. To start with they were both rock stars with a flair for the flamboyant. Then there’s the fact that they were both geniuses who died far too young. Thirdly, as well as being amazing technicians, they possessed an innate feel for music that was otherworldly. I’d love to see a band that had both Hendrix and Mozart in it. That would be something else. I think they’d have a ton of respect for each other and come up with something incredible.

Liz: Should really have guessed Winter would choose Mozart.   Winter is a bit of a nomad so your books can be set anywhere (serial killers have no boundaries I guess) but how difficult was it to set your books in America with an American character?

James: One of the things that defines Winter is that he is an outsider. It doesn’t matter where he is or what he’s doing he’s always going to be a fish out of water. Whether he’s in Europe or Asia or the US it’s all the same to him. This gives me a lot of freedom when I’m writing the stories. Basically it doesn’t make much of a difference where the books are set.

The same thing goes with him being American. Like you pointed out, he is a nomad, and he’s been that way since he was eleven. He might have a US passport but I don’t see him as being your average American Joe. Here’s someone who doesn’t really belong anywhere. Home for him is whatever hotel suite he’s sleeping in that night.

Liz: Such a lonely existence, but as you say part of what makes him Jefferson Winter.  Imagine yourself in a ‘Come Dine With Me’ scenario.  Who would you invite to your soiree- you must chose a fictional serial killer, a fictional

sleuth and a fellow crime writer… and why?

James: Hannibal Lecter needs to be there … if ever there was serial killer who knew a thing or two about food, it’s Dr Lecter. Sherlock Holmes would be my first choice of sleuth - I don’t think there’s been a modern-day fictional detective who doesn’t

owe Holmes a debt of gratitude. As for a writer, since he seems to be branching into crime with his latest books, can I have Stephen King please?

Liz:  The uncomfortable image of Anthony Hopkins eating Ray Liotta's brain in the second Hannibal film (no doubt with some chianti) is firmly wedged in my mind

.. so I reluctantly say good choice.  

Now this is a loaded question really but, I know your wife studied at Stirling Uni, and Katherine Armstrong your editor at Faber also studied at Stirling Uni and I studied there too – so how fantastic is Stirling?  

James: I’ve only ever been there once, very briefly, a few years ago, so it’s hard for me to say. I’m hoping to get up there for Bloody Scotland this year, so ask me after that and I might be able to give you a better answer.

Liz; Ooh cop out! .. only joking, you'll love it - all the history of the castle and Wallace monument with Dumyat   rolling along behind- what's not to love?  I can see Jefferson Winter's books as a film or TV series.  Initially I thought Richard Gere would be perfect for the role but I reckon he's a bit too old.  Which actor do you think would make a perfect Jefferson Winter?

James; I know this isn’t the answer you were expecting, but what I would really like is to see an up-and-coming actor taking the role. I’d love this to be one of those situations where the actor defines the role as much as the role defines the actor. My ideal would be someone like a thirty-something Johnny Depp. He’s quirky enough to make a really good Winter, and he’s got the screen presence and charisma as

well.

Liz:  Actually a Johnny Depp- type actor would be an excellent choice for Winter… and Winter would be a great character for any actor to get their teeth into. Last one now, what’s in the pipeline for you for the rest of 2015?- More writing I hope?

James; Lots more writing! In addition to the novellas I mentioned earlier, I’m also working on 15 MINUTES, which is another full length novel. This time Winter is in Berlin where he’s hunting down a serial killer who tortures his victims by bringing them face to face with their worst fears. This is scheduled for release in February 2016.

Liz: That sounds an incredibly inventive way to kill - can't wait to see Jefferson's take on it. Well, James thanks so much for your time and I look forward to reading the next Winter stories.  Hope all goes well with training Carrig and I’ll see you in Harrogate

James: And thanks for taking the time to chat. It’s been a 

blast. 

To view James carol's Amazon page click here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/James-Carol/e/B00IFFUJ08/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1426680383&sr=8-2-ent

PREY by James Carol is out now (Faber & Faber, £7.99)