Author Interview: D.C. Brockwell author of No Way Out!

It's with great pleasure that I welcome Duncan Brockwell to The Crime Warp. D C Brockwell is a full time dental technician from Burgess Hill, West Sussex, an avid gardener and part-time mixologist, meaning he loves mixing cocktails of an evening for his wife, Beks. 

He writes crime thrillers, horrors and romantic dramas. 

His first book, The Southern Belles was self-published in July 2019, and has received positive feedback. 

Since then, he signed a 3 book deal with Bloodhound Books for his Nasreen Maqsood series, the first of which will be released on Wednesday 8^th July 2020, called No Way Out. Subsequent instalments, Bird of Prey and Bad Blood will be released on September 1^st and November 9^th respectively. On January 4^th, his birthday, and the day the story starts on, Mr Invisible will be released by Bloodhound, and will be his first standalone novel.

Tell us a bit about your current book release –

Available here

No Way Out is a gritty crime thriller about Detective Constable Nasreen Maqsood, newly promoted to detective, who is desperate to prove to her superiors that she deserves to be there. She and her partner get given a missing persons case to investigate, that of Daniel ‘Danny’ Rose, Nasreen’s ex-boyfriend from years ago. She fails to mention her connection to him. Meanwhile, Daniel Rose wakes up, after being drugged for five days, tied to a bed in a windowless room. He meets Beattie, who calls herself Queen Bee, and calls him her worker bee. At their first meeting, he’s told he must ‘service’ Beattie’s clients. She warns him that if he fails to comply, he’ll be put on C Wing. Nothing good happens on C Wing.

No Way Out is a gritty crime thriller, the first in a series. Bird of Prey, the manhunt for a character from No Way Out, is scheduled for release September 1^st, and Bad Blood, the third instalment is being published on November 9^th.

Could you describe how the germ of an idea develops into a full-blown novel

I started with the premise of waking up strapped to a bed, and what I would do. I knew what would happen at the beginning and end of the novel, but the middle was murkier. I had to think up my main protagonist, Nasreen, and I tried to give her as many obstacles to overcome as possible. So, I made her female, Pakistani and Muslim.

These are all barriers she’s had to overcome throughout her career. I don’t go into race or religion in too much detail, and I won’t, but where I do mention religion, for example, I research extensively, from clothing worn to Muslim traditions. I think I’ve created a strong, determined, kick-ass role model for readers in Nasreen, and I’m looking forward to putting her in danger, and watching how she punches her way out. She’s my favourite character of all.

Is there a subsidiary character you have created and are particularly fond of and why?

I’ve written strong female villains in this series. Beatrice Harrison, in No Way Out is evil, no doubt. Her bees are just a means of making money for her. They are nothing to her. She has ten bees, and when they can no longer perform their duties, she disposes of them in various brutal ways, either auctioning them off to her father’s friends, or giving them to her clients. But, I’ve tried to give her a human, emotional side, too.

Also, Cara Mooney, the villain in Bird of Prey, I love her character to bits. I’ve given her very much a sad upbringing, with paedophile father and junkie mum. Then, she gets involved in sex grooming when she’s a teenager. She’s had a harrowing childhood. But it’s her victims in Bird of Prey and how she dispatches them that I think readers will love. I want readers to feel sorry for her at the end. That’s my intention anyway.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if so how do you overcome it?

I can honestly say I haven’t suffered from it yet. I have slower periods while writing a book, but I don’t stop typing, even if it’s awful. Writing can be improved. The worst thing you can do is stop, so I try and aim for 1,000 – 1,500 words a day. If I manage this, I can have a first draft written in 2 – 3 months. The fastest I’ve completed a first draft was my latest work, Oakwood Falls, in 29 days, because I’ve been on furlough since late March, so I get all day every day to write.

Do you have a particular writing routine you follow?

There’s no specific routine. While working full time as a dental technician, I will come home and write in the evenings, and a lot more on the weekends. During lockdown, I’ve split my days into quarters. I will write in the morning, have lunch, write, go for a walk, write, have dinner, write and watch TV before bedtime. I also have lots of mini-breaks, too.

Can you tell us two things about yourself that your readership may be unaware of?

Two things. Hmm! I have a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies from the University of Portsmouth, which is where I started writing. I lived around the corner from Charles Dickens’ birthplace. I’m not making any comparisons. (laughs)

When I was twelve years old, I spent two weeks in hospital with second degree burns over 20% of my body. Basically, that means I burnt my legs playing with an aerosol can, while wearing a shell suit. (it was the early nineties, by the way). It wasn’t all bed, though. I managed to escape PE at school for 6 months. I rock!

What is it about Crime fiction as a genre that turns you on?

I’ve always had an interest in all things crime. I even joined the Police Cadets when I was a teenager, and wanted to become a police officer. I’ve always been a huge film buff, too, and crime films in particular interested me. I watch far more movies than I read books, which I know sounds bad, but I do read. It’s a matter of time; I can watch a whole movie in an hour and a half.

Who are your writing heroes and why?

That’s easy! My two writing heroes are Mario Puzo and Stephen Leather. The first book I ever became engrossed in was The Godfather, plus the film was phenomenal, too. So, I went and read his back-catalogue, even the more obscure stories. Not all of them were great, mind.

And I started writing at university after reading Hard Landing, the first Spider Shepherd book. I loved the setting, the grittiness, everything about it. I have read most of his books, too.  

Could you describe the book you are working on at the moment using only 5 words?

Mystery, murder, far-reaching conspiracy, violent

Do you linger in your research period or do you rush your research to get stuck into the writing?

No, I’m a jump in and start kind of writer, so I research as I go. I find this helps keep my flow, even if I have to leave the screen for an hour to find the answers. Plus, I never know exactly what’s going to happen in the middle, so things always crop up.