Recently I had the pleasure of meeting @RobAshmanAuthor the author of the Debut Crime/Thriller “Those That Remain” This is the first book in a Trilogy and I for one cannot wait for the other two to be published.
Rob agreed to pop over to my blog and introduce himself.
Why not start by introducing yourself?
My name is Rob Ashman I’m 55 years of age, married to Karen with two grown up daughters. I am originally from South Wales and after moving around with work we settled in North Lincolnshire where we’ve spent the last twenty-one years.
Like all good welsh valley boys I worked for the National Coal Board when I left school at sixteen and went to University at the tender age of twenty-three when the pit closures began to bite. Since then I’ve worked in a variety of manufacturing and consulting roles, that was until I had the bonkers idea to publish a book.
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What made you start writing?
I’ve always had this book stuck in my head. Those That Remain took me twenty-four years to write – and yes, I know after all that time you’d expect it to be better! I played around with it for years and only got serious about writing when my dad got cancer. It was an aggressive illness and I gave up work for three months to look after him and my mum. Writing Those That Remain was my coping mechanism. After I wrote the book my family read it and said ‘You have to do something with this, and besides its not finished.’ So not being one for half measures I got myself made redundant, went self-employed so I could devote more time to writing and four years later the Mechanic Trilogy is the result. I never set out to write a trilogy it just happened that way – probably down to a complete lack of planning.
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What is the book about?
It’s about a serial killer, codenamed Mechanic, and is based in Florida. Mechanic has been presumed dead for three years but surfaces again and the ritual sadistic killings continue. Lucas is a police lieutenant coasting towards retirement when Mechanic lands on his patch. Lucas is constantly wrong-footed by the killer and is forced to operate outside the law with devastating consequences. It’s a story where nothing is as it seems – it’s one to keep you guessing.
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Where do you get your inspiration?
It’s probably not the best thing to admit but the first sparks of inspiration always come from the voices in my head. I can just picture my friends exchanging knowing glances at this point. My characters talk to me incessantly. They vie for my attention – they row, they laugh, they fight, and of course try to murder each other.
When I woke the morning after I finished writing the final book the voices were gone. It was as though the story had been told and they were silent. It’s a very strange sensation not having them there anymore.
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It’s quite gritty in parts, you seem like a nice guy so where does that come from?
All of my characters are damaged in some way. The dark thread running through the book comes from them. They are all deeply flawed, each one capable of doing bad things and making the wrong choices. But sometimes they surprise me by having flashes of doing the right things as well.
We met a woman on holiday who was interested in the books and asked Karen what they were about. After Karen finished describing them the woman screwed her face up and Karen said ‘I know, it’s worrying to think that goes on in his head.’
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What are your plans now?
I have two more books to publish which will keep me busy. I have a fantastically talented editor, Helen Fazal, and we recently finished editing the second book called In Your Name. The next step is to send it to my beta-readers, to get their opinions and feedback. They are very blunt, which is great, and I trust them implicitly, but it is a scary process.
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Thank You so much Rob for taking the time to talk to me. I wish you all the success in your fabulous books.
I have read this book and my full review is HERE
Like Rob’s FACEBOOK Page
And Purchase from AMAZON HERE
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