A few years ago I set about writing a wildlife cameraman murder mystery, a story based on the adventures of a maverick wildlife cameraman. That single novel started life as a screenplay, and that was mainly because I fancied the idea of making a movie. Before long I came up with a few more ideas for stories about the same wildlife cameraman. His name was Tudor Morgan, and his personality mix of Jack Reacher and Jack Frost started to grow on me. But before anyone asks he is not my alter ego.
Before long I decided I would be better diverting my energy into books so I took the screenplay and turned it into The Spirit of the Kite, my first novel. Those last three words still sound quite odd to me, and somewhat pretentious.
wildlife cameraman murder mystery – part 2
Many people say that self-publishing is the ultimate vanity project, but do they say that because they think it’s a waste of money, I wonder. You can’t compare it to plastic surgery or buying flash car, can you? Producing your own paperbacks doesn’t have to cost much any more and If you want just a couple of copies of your wonderful work printed then you can do that relatively inexpensively.
A friend who produced his own children’s book put me on to IngramSpark. You have to spend some time working out how their system works, but once you have it is quite remarkable. I sold 50 copies of ‘Spirit of the Kite’ just through doing local talks, which is quite encouraging when you’re not sure whether what you have written will have an audience. I even picked up some really good reviews. The second story in ‘The Life and Times of Tudor Morgan’ series, ‘The Spirit of the Harrier’, took about a year to write. I have to admit, the character is starting to grow on me, and I’m wondering how far I can take this.
‘The Life and Times of Tudor Morgan’ series
‘The Spirit of the Eagle’ will be part three in my wildlife cameraman murder mystery series. At the moment I have a pile of digital post it notes covered in plot lines, potential scenes and dialogue. The question I ask myself is just how many adventures can this guy have? About five, I think, but if someone pays me enough I could stretch it out. Here are a few words that describe the stories:
- cozy murder mystery
- wildlife and environmental issues
- a likeable main character who takes the law into his own hands
- humour
- feelgood factor
- set in a beautiful part of Mid Wales
Why not have a read. Here’s a link to the first in the series.