Interview with Brian Parkin About His Fiction

In this interview, we talk with Brian Parkin about his fiction works. For information about his nonfiction works, go here.

What first got you into writing fiction?
I have been an academic and technical writer for over twenty years. After I retired several years ago, I started a photography business and wrote a book on studio lighting diagrams, which became, and is still a best seller on Amazon for its category.  Like most writers, I had a yearning to write a novel, which took me eight months to write.  It was an invigorating experience and I couldn’t wait to start the next one.

Tell us a bit about your novel, “Manifesto for a Serial Killer.”
My novel is about a rich socialite living in Australia who has a penchant for killing people for no other reason than she enjoys killing.  She killed her first victim at 12 years old.  In fact, she made her first million by killing her parents. To avoid capture by being police profilers, she invents an app for her PC that randomizes the whole process of killing.  Press a button and the app tells her where to go, which type of person to kill, what method, what her disguise will be, and even her method of travel. Her aim is to reach at least 100 deaths.

What inspired you to write a suspense/thriller book about a serial killer?
I read many murder thrillers and it struck me that murderers always seem to be caught because they don’t plan well enough.  They leave evidence such as DNA behind or their modus operandi allows the police to profile and capture them.  I wanted my murderer to be a planner, leave no evidence and have a randomized method of killing so that the police have no idea how to catch her, unless she was caught in the act.  I thought an app for a phone and PC would be the perfect and modern way to be a serial killer.

Are there any suspense/thriller writers that have influenced you?
In my youth, my favorite authors were Dennis Wheatley for his black magic series, and Hammond Innes for his mystery thrillers about ordinary men thrust into dangerous situations.  I have enjoyed reading Jeffrey Archer for the completeness of his plots in writing a thriller.  Of course, these days there are so many indie writers that I am spoiled for choice and many of these have some great ideas that spark my interest for my next novel plot.

Your novel “Deadly Inheritance” is a mystery novel about a man, named Dave Pritchard, who must clear his name or be pinned as a murderer following the deaths of multiple heirs. Tell us a bit about Dave’s character.
Dave is an ex-soldier like me, who meets a doctor in Afghanistan and they become good friends.  If you are a friend of Dave Pritchard’s, then he is a friend for life.  He is an intelligent man with keen investigative skills, although he is more of an adventurer rather than an investigator per se.  No one else being offered a million dollars to find heirs to a vast fortune, with the proviso that if he doesn’t find them he inherits the lot, would try very hard to find them.  Not Dave.  Not only does he find them, but he’s also on the trail to find their murderer and the remaining heir.

How do you think your fiction writing has evolved since you first started, if at all?
At first, I agonized over everything. I agonized over the plot, the characters, grammar and spelling, so much so that it wasn’t enjoyable to write my book. Then I saw a site where everyone is challenged to write a novel of at least 50,000 words in one month.  I accepted the challenge and “Manifesto for a Serial Killer” was created and published in under two months.  I enjoyed that process so much that now I write freely and don’t review for typos etc. until the novel is finished.

How do you feel about the increasing popularity of eBooks?
Nowadays, just about everyone has an eReader because they prefer to be able to read books wherever they are and without having to lug books along with them.  Prior to getting my Android phone with Kindle on it, I would choose books for value.  That is to say, I would buy large books as cheaply as I could. They were very heavy and I could really only read them at home.  Now I can read whenever I have a spare minute, such as waiting for my wife to finish her shopping, or travelling on public transport. Thank goodness for eBooks!

What are your goals as a writer for the next ten years?
I would like to write a series that is just as popular as the Harry Potter series.  I’m working on three separate series now and I would like to think that at least one of them develops into something worthwhile so that readers are clamoring for the next in the series.

Have you ever had writer's block? If yes, how'd you deal with it? If you have not had writer's block, why do you think you haven't?
Fortunately, I don’t suffer from writer’s block.  I think it’s because when I read a story in a newspaper about, for example, someone falling off a balcony, I wonder how they came to fall off the balcony and make up my own story and characters to go with it.  This works so well that now I have two novels in progress with seven more waiting for me to get started.  I hope to finish at least four of them during 2015.

Do you write with a computer, typewriter, or pen and paper? Why do you use this tool?
I use a computer because mainly my handwriting is so bad that if I went back to manuscript after a short period away from it, I wouldn’t be able to read my writing. Of course, word processing has come a long way since the days of my first Amstrad in the 1980s.  I also need the PC to be able to auto save and back up my work.  In fact, I automatically backup my backups.   That’s how paranoid I am.

What do you have in mind for your next fiction work?
I’m currently working on a novel that centers on Geordie Fortune, a health inspector who investigates deliberate food poisoning outbreaks that are affecting his friend Ivy’s catering business.  Each novel in this series will be a different venue, type of event and a different means of food poisoning. I have five books in mind for the series.  I was an environmental health officer for thirty years and as a Geordie, i.e. a person who was born in the Newcastle area of England, this is right up my alley.

Is there anything else you'd like potential readers to know about your fiction books?
My books are born out of my experiences, whether that is my 24 years in the Royal Air Force, my thirty years as a health inspector or my interests in digital photography or computers.  I have no desire to write long epics and so I try to keep each novel to no more than about 150 pages, less if the story is told in full.  I dislike long paragraphs of exact description of places and characters.  I would prefer the reader to enjoy the story instead of flicking through waffle, as I have a tendency to do when I read someone else’s work.

What advice would you give budding writers?
Write about what you know, based on your own experiences.  It will come from the heart and it will show in your writing.  Get the words down on paper for the first draft.  Don’t worry about reviewing it until it is finished.  Consider self-publishing your book as an indie writer. There is nothing more satisfying than seen your finished work in either print or in digital format.  It doesn’t matter that you don’t sell thousands of copies, as long as you are happy with it, and your family and friends enjoy it.

More Information About Brian Parkin's Fiction
Manifesto for a Serial Killer (The Jessica Harper Series Book 1)
Jessica Harper is a young woman who kills for the thrill of it. She’s seen all the cop shows and realizes that the police always search for motives, opportunity and patterns in their attempt to capture serial killers. She is aware of profilers and what they do to paint a picture of a serial killer. 

As she wants to be the best serial killer ever, she decides she needs to develop a plan, a manifesto that will be perfected after the first 10 or so killings. To achieve this and escape capture, she invents a computer application that will totally randomize all aspects of the murder factors. Press a button and the app will decide where she kills, what type of person she kills, how she kills and even determines the character and appearance that the murderer should adopt each time!

Naturally, the police in various locations around Australia treat each murder as an isolated incident or even as death by misadventure in some cases. Until Detective Inspector Rob Franklin and Detective Sergeant Leanne Wilson investigate a murder in Leanne's home town of Goondiwindi. It seems to be a isolated murder but on closer inspection, they become suspicious that this murder is too perfect! They research recent murders with the same degree of perfection elsewhere in the State, and then the whole of Australia, and find that the numbers of similar murders are in excess of 20 deaths!
Follow Jessica Harper as she murders her way across Australia, while Detective Inspector Franklin and his partner continue their search for the greatest serial killer in history!

Deadly Inheritance (The Dave Pritchard Series Book 1)
"Deadly Inheritance" is about Dave Pritchard, an ex soldier who inherits a large sum of money from Ivan Bezborodov who he befriended in Afghanistan, on the understanding that he finds Ivan's missing relatives . If he fails to find them, he inherits the lot. The missing heirs start dying like flies, leaving Dave as the the only inheritor and looking like he’s the culprit. He is determined to clear his name by investigating the murders himself.

The Cheng Sung Connection (The Dave Pritchard Series Book 2)
"The Cheng Sung Connection" is #2 in the Dave Pritchard Series. Ian Beaufort, a freelance journalist, is on the trail of a gang that is led by Dave Pritchard. The gang has robbed the Gallaghers of artwork and when Ian prevents the thieves from collecting the money for its sale, they kidnap Joseph Gallagher's niece. Ian confronts Pritchard and is threatened if he doesn't back off. Inspector Joe Binks from England is called in by Gallagher to help solve the case but is in turn kidnapped by Dave Pritchard's gang. Follow the twists and turns of this novel as Pritchard, Beaufort and Binks clash in solving the mystery of the Cheng Sung connection.

Interview with Brian Parkin About His Nonfiction

Today we are interviewing Brian Parkin about his nonfiction books.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I was born in the north east of England, just after the Second World War when times were hard and you could only obtain basic food and clothing items with ration books.  I never knew that we were poor until I joined the Royal Air Force in 1967.  My first week’s wages were one pound eight shillings, which is the equivalent of about two dollars today. During my twenty-four years in the RAF, I visited many places overseas and served in the Falkland Islands and Desert Storm, the first Gulf War.  I left as an environmental health Warrant Officer in 1991 to come to Australia where I was employed as an environmental health officer, better known as a health inspector. I was also employed as a senior policy officer at State Government level before retiring in 2010. On retirement, I fixed computers before starting a business as a pet portrait photographer.  I currently live in Brisbane with my lovely wife, Ivanka, Murphy our cat and Moxie our dog.  I also feed two stray cats, a bush turkey and a possum family that come to visit us every day.

You’ve written four books on teenage issues, “Talking with Teenagers,” “School Bullying Must Stop,” “Teens, Texting, and Twitter,” and “Teenager Depression.” What inspired you to write about teenage issues?
As a father and grandfather, I felt very concerned that young people seemed to be getting a raw deal from parents and their peers.  I wanted to educate parents particularly about the needs of teenagers, and at the same time find some common ground between the two groups.

How did you do research for your books on teen issues?
I based much of it on the mistakes that I made with my two children when they reached teen years.  I made many mistakes because I didn’t take the time to understand their needs.  I access community forums about teenage issues, where I listen, and contribute where I can.

What do you think is the biggest challenge parents face in raising teenagers today?
Parents don’t often have the time to spare to get to know their kids and by the time they return home from work, they are already tired and cranky.  The teenagers themselves are going through major physical and mental changes and want someone to talk to about their issues.  They don’t want to be criticized or spied on all of the time. They do want advice and to be trusted.  Parents need to make time for heir kids.

Switching gears here, you also have written two photo books, “Lighting Diagrams” and “The Lake at Forest Lake.” When did you first get interested in photography?
I have been interested in wildlife photography since my early years in the RAF forty years ago when I travelled to such place as Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Ascension Island, the Falkland Islands, Oman and Newfoundland.  When I retired, I converted my garage into a photographic studio and operated a pet photography business from there.  My “Lighting Diagrams” book continues be in the top 5 for its category on Amazon, after a year of being published in January 2014.

What has the process of improving your photography skills been like? Did you take courses or are you self-taught?
My photography skills were the same as everyone else when I was younger.  You clicked the button and waited for out of focus photos to come back to you.  When I discovered digital photography, my skills improved unbelievably.  I could take as many instant photos as I wanted to with virtually no cost other than the cost of buying my gear.  I studied up on the technical aspects of digital photography as well as the associated photo imaging techniques.  I took several online courses but I’m largely self-taught.

What photography equipment do you use?
I am a typical photography buff.  If there is something new on the market, I want it, I need it, and I have to buy it.  My study has a large 16 cube storage setup with cameras, lenses, tripods, reflectors, lighting, ad gizmos of every type.  I use Nikon gear because that’s what I first bought and all my lenses fit my three Nikon cameras.

What are your favorite subjects to photograph? Do you travel far for your photography or mostly take photos locally?
My favorite subjects are animals and wildlife, both flora and fauna. Birds are high on my list too.  I travelled a lot when I was in the RAF but once I retired, I became a bit of a homebody.  Where I live, there is an artificial lake with hundreds of birds and water dragon lizards.  It’s enough to keep my interest in capturing stunning images. I also feed birds and animals that come into my small suburban back yard.  This gives me opportunity to get some magnificent close up shots.

What do you have in mind for your next non-fiction writing project?
When I get the time from my novel writing, I would like to produce a simple how to book explaining exposure, aperture and shutter speed for digital camera users.  I feel that many people under use their
digital cameras because they think it’s all too difficult to master.  I would also like to write about the agonies of stuttering and how I overcame my disability by becoming a public speaker.

Anything else you’d like to add for people interested in your non-fiction books?
Examples of my photography and writing can be freely accessed by viewing my Blog, at http://hawaygeordie.wordpress.com/  or by joining the 30,000 people following me on Twitter @brianparkin.

More Information About Brian Parkin’s Nonfiction
Lighting Diagrams 
"Lighting Diagrams" is an eBook which is meant to be a guide to those photographers just getting started in studio photography. The simple lighting setup diagrams in this eBook allow you to visualize and recreate lighting equipment setups for everyday portrait sessions in the studio.
 
Teens, Texting & Twitter
"Teens, Texting and Twitter" is a guide for parents who may be confused or concerned about their teenager’s use of texting or social media.
The eBook looks at what texting and social media is all about and how to get into it so that you as a parent have a fighting chance in attempting to communicate with their teenage son or daughter, particularly online.

Teenage Depression
Teenage depression is an illness like any other and needs treatment by professionals. This guide looks at the statistics for teenage depression, its symptoms, causes and the effects experienced by sufferers. It provides information to assist sufferers and support for parents of teenagers suffering from depression.

Talking with Teenagers
This eBook discusses the reasons for this conflict among parents and their teenagers and what can be done to strengthen relationships and develop trust so that meaningful dialogue can occur.

School Bullying Must Stop
The concept of child bullying in schools has taken on another dimension. The previously well-known physical and verbal bullying are now giving way to cyber bullying, due to the proliferation of the Internet and the use of mobile devices for every day communication. The disturbing aspect about this type of bullying is that the methods and effects suggest that it can be more detrimental than perhaps physical or verbal bullying ever was. This eBook is meant to give you an insight into school bullying statistics, bullying ways , and in particular concentrating on the recently emerging cyberbullying.
The bullying facts about types of bullying will assist students and parents alike in how to respond to bullying ways.

The Lake at Forest Lake
This photo book is a collection of images captured around the lake at Forest Lake. Forest Lake is an artificial lake located 20 km south west of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. All images have been shot by the author over a period of 2 - 3 years. The images are predominantly of wild birds, a few water dragons and some close ups of butterflies and insects.