Death on Demand is in bookstores now.
When did you start writing novels and why?
I wrote my first novel Old School Tie in 1993. I’d always had a desire to write fiction but hadn’t got around to it due to a combination of laziness and life getting in the way. I was living in Sydney, having given up a lucrative but dissatisfying career in public relations and had a few sports biographies under my belt (Christmas in Rarotonga with John Wright, Running on Instinct with John Kirwan and Straight from the Hart with John Hart) and I just thought, well it’s now or never.
How long does it take you to write a novel?
That really depends on what else I’m doing. If I was doing nothing else but write fiction, I’d expect it to take about a year. In practice, given the various other things I have on the go, it would be closer to two years.
Where does Tito Ihaka come from?
The seed that sprouted into Tito Ihaka was planted by the professional soldiers from Papakura military camp who used to come to my school during Cadets Week (this was the late 1960s) and teach us how to strip a bren gun blindfolded and stuff like that. They were almost all Maori: big, tough, formidable, capable men, the sort you’d want to go into battle with. When I set about creating a cop character for Old School Tie, I came up with the idea of a guy who had the formidable core of those men but lacked their self-discipline and so led a rather chaotic private life. I also made him a loner as opposed to a team player.
How much of Ihaka is based on you or someone you know?
Aside from the above, none whatsoever.
Where and how do you find inspiration?
To paraphrase an old saying, writing a novel is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. There’s a myth surrounding the creative process that the writer or painter or whatever sits around waiting for inspiration to strike. Good ideas are usually the end result of a long, slow thought process that has produced lots of not so good ideas.
How do you research a novel?
There’s a lot of information out there, and the internet has made it much more accessible.
As a general rule, anyone who wants to write contemporary crime novels should read the paper.
Do you consult cops, criminals or other experts?
Early on I was fortunate enough that a few acquaintances got themselves into sticky situations. Generally speaking, I only consult specialists when I need very specific information.
Who are some of your favourite fictional detectives?
Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, the original tough but tender, wise-cracking private eye and still the best, and Charles Willeford’s Miami homicide detective, Hoke Moseley.
Do you have any literary role models?
I think you learn something from every writer whose work you enjoy, but I don’t have a role model as such. The early Ihaka novels were influenced by several novels by the American crime writer Ross Thomas (no relation) but I’ve shifted away from that style.
What next for Ihaka?
I’m currently in the early stages of a new Ihaka novel that will pick up where Death on Demand left off.
Interview by Greer Monkley, book lover and Facebook fan
Death on Demand
by Paul Thomas
Published by Hachette
ISBN 9781869712334
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