AUTHOR PROFILE
GRAHAM SMITH
Margaret James talks to the crime and mystery author about his two writing identities
Margaret James
The crime and mystery writer Graham Smith is one of those authors who is so busy that he needs to have an additional writing identity, which in Graham’s case is the novelist John Ryder. I was looking forward to finding out how Graham manages to combine writing with his equally demanding day job: running a hotel and wedding venue. ‘I also cherish spending time with my son, enjoying the company of friends, and cheering on the often-hapless Carlisle United,’ he says, leaving me wondering when he has time to sleep.
‘I started writing fiction about twelve years ago,’ he adds. ‘This was after tossing aside a number of books I wasn’t enjoying reading, and feeling I could do better myself. I was awful at first, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning about the craft of writing. I often read novels that blow me away with their lyrical prose, imaginative descriptions and inventive plots.
‘My debut novel was Snatched from Home. It’s about a middle-class couple who turn to crime to raise the ransom for their kidnapped children, and about the police team pursuing them. When I started writing this first novel, I made up the story as I went along. It required a huge leap of faith, but fortunately my subconscious had everything all worked out for me.