It’s been 20 years since Alex Gray’s first book was published. Now, the Scottish crime writer is preparing to launch her 19th novel.
But she confesses the anniversary is bittersweet.
“Five days after the first book was launched, my mum died. She had cancer and had been in hospital,” she said.
“She was here for all the excitement when the first book was picked up by a publisher. It was 21 years ago and I bought this gorgeous big sun hat with flowers on it. That was my gift to myself.
“By the time the book was published, she was in hospital. She showed an advance copy round the staff. One of the nurses turned out to be Chris Brookmyre’s auntie!”
Echo Of The Dead – featuring DSI Lorimer – is Gray’s 19th book, something she never even imagined when she first tried to get a publication deal.
“It took me 12 shots before I was picked up by a publisher,” she said. “I was so happy and had no doubt this was the right path. I gave up my teaching career as I had advanced ME.
“It’s true what they say – when one door closes, another opens.”
Sadly, though, the writing doesn’t get any easier as time goes on.
“I have all of the original hard-back covers displayed on the wall in my office,” says Gray. “When I get a feeling it’s not going to work, I look at them and think ‘maybe I can… I’ve done it 18 times before!’
“I think my main problem is I don’t plot. I get an idea of where I want to go but sometimes I am thinking, ‘Why did he do that?’ and ‘What is going on here?’
“Plotting is something I find really hard. I could be sitting on page 136, and think to myself, ‘I don’t know where this is going’.
“It’s like magic. I start writing and it takes me along.”
Gray confesses her newest offering has a bit of a different flavour, but thinks that will make Lorimer’s fans love it even more.
“It’s set in Glencoe. Lorimer is climbing Buachaille Etive Mor at the start. Again, we are seeing a bit more of Lorimer. With every book, I wanted to show a different side of Glasgow, or some more of Lorimer.
“He’s athletic, loves the outdoors, and climbing hills. But we have never seen him climbing one until this book.
“I have made some big changes. I had five weeks off because I dislocated my hip. I had weeks in a splint from my thigh to my ankle so I couldn’t sit at my desk and write.
“When I came back to the book again, I edited a lot.
“I have always taken the research very seriously. And if I don’t know something, I call in an expert.
“I spent time with police, used my background in forensic science and, with my aging body, there was no way I was going to climb the Buachaille, but my son is a mountain climber so I spoke a lot to him about that.”
However, one topic won’t be visited in Gray’s new crime book. She said: “I made a decision not to write about the pandemic. I just don’t think, in books, people want to be reminded of it. People read books to escape reality.”
Now Gray is looking forward to getting out and about and seeing fans again, and catching up with old crime writing friends too.
“One of the nicest things about this 20-year journey has been making friends with my heroes and heroines, like Anne Cleeves, Christopher Brookmyre, Ian Rankin and Val McDermid, who are all pals.
“Crime writers are the friendliest folk in the world.”
Alex Gray – Echo Of The Dead, Sphere, £14.99
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe