With six crime novels already published, and a seventh due out in May 2010, Alex Gray and her two main characters, Detective Chief Inspector Lorimer and psychologist Solomon Brightman, are rapidly gaining a huge fan base. Alex has been lucky enough to see her books on the Scottish bestseller lists, yet success did not happen overnight and her perseverance and self-belief is an example to all writers hoping to achieve publication.
Becoming a Novelist
Winning the prestigious Constable Award for an unpublished novel at the Scottish Association of Writers’ weekend conference in 1996 gave Alex Gray the confidence and encouragement to finish her first book and send it to a publisher, as she explains.
“The competition was for the first 15,000 words of a novel from an unpublished author and it felt fantastic winning it, for it proved I wasn’t deluding myself. I did feel slightly intimidated about the length of the journey it would take to complete it but there was an expectation there that drove me on. It took me two to three years to finish the book. As a police procedural crime novel I needed that time to carry out the research.”
Researching a Novel
The time was well spent for Alex Gray’s novels are so meticulously researched that the first one prompted some to assume the author was an ex policeman. Research is always an interesting subject for writers, with some opting to write the novel straight through before filling in the details later. Alex prefers to research as she goes along and she incorporates research days into her writing life.
Writing the Second Novel
While the first novel was trying to find a home, Alex did what writers are always advised to do, and began writing her next novel. She submitted it to the Pitlochry Award for an unpublished crime novel at the SAW conference in 1999. It seemed to be an affirmation that she was doing something right when that novel also won first prize and it gave her the impetus to persevere.
“This second win gave me the confidence to believe that the first was not just a fluke. Self-belief is massively important to enable a writer to keep going, especially when rejection slips pile up.”
Why Crime Novels?
It seems that Alex Gray took to crime writing with consummate ease. Although she was writing and publishing occasional short stories, articles and poetry, by the time she won the second award she was sure that crime fiction was her genre.
“My reasons for crime are two-fold. I have always loved to read crime fiction, PD James is a favourite, and I am passionately interested in human behaviour. What makes people carry out the dreadful things they do, such as murder? Writing about crime helps me to try and make sense of it, if that is possible.”
Although she had submitted the first book direct to the publisher herself, by the time her second novel was written, Alex had secured a well-respected agent.
Finding Characters
Any series of novels needs compelling characters in order to keep readers coming back to the next book. Right from the beginning, Alex could foresee a series of novels featuring DCI William Lorimer and psychologist Solomon Brightman. She explains how her main characters came about.
“The character of DCI Lorimer had to be worked on and has been going through an evolutionary process with each book; even his name wasn’t my original choice. Solomon Brightman, however, was a complete surprise arriving fully formed in appearance and character.”
Importance of Setting in a Novel
Alex Gray’s novels are mainly set in and around her home city of Glasgow. From that first success, they have introduced many readers to parts hitherto unknown to them; especially the cultural side which gave Glasgow its City of Culture status some years ago. This was a deliberate decision.
“I love my home city,” Alex says with some feeling. “And I was tired of the one-sided portrayal of Glasgow in other books. My first novel, Never Somewhere Else, featured the Rennie Mackintosh designed Glasgow School of Art and House for an Art Lover.”
Writing Full Time
Although she now writes full time, Alex still has to fit it around promotional appearances, teaching invitations and speaking engagements. She explains how she tackles it.
“Writing professionally means constant discipline and juggling the many events that now take up my time. I get to the computer as early as possible, even before dawn breaks if an idea is driving me on. I aim to write at least 1000 words a day and sometimes manage more. I don’t keep regular hours as such and some days are exclusively for research or note taking.”
It is encouraging for those seeking publication that Alex Gray is one writer who fulfilled the early promise of her prize-winning entry. She became a bestselling crime writer through continued hard work, perseverance and self-belief.
Alex Gray’s seventh novel, Five Ways to Kill a Man, will be published by Sphere in May 2010.
AIC101
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