STORY BEHIND THE SERIES WITH P.F. FORD
When did you first have the idea for your Slater and Norman Mysteries?
In 2013 I began writing a novella (just to see if I could), which eventually became a series of five. In the third story there was a murder, and I needed a police detective. I called him Detective Sergeant Dave Slater, and by the fifth novella he had become the main character. I had never written a full-length novel before, but I began to wonder if perhaps I could write a mystery featuring Slater. Of course, every detective needs a partner, and at that point I came up with DS Norman Norman.
Which book in the series did you most enjoy writing?
I’ve enjoyed them all, but book one was probably the most fun because, back then, I had no idea about plotting a story. All I had when I started was an idea for an opening scene, but with no inkling what was going to happen next, I literally made it up as I went along! These days, I always start writing with a beginning, a middle, and an ending. It’s a much more organised way of working, but I’m not sure it’s quite so much fun!
Where do you get your motivation to write?
I’m a seventy-year-old self-doubter who loves pottering around in my garden, so finding the motivation to sit down and write can be a problem. But I only need to look at where I am now, compared to where I was fifteen years ago, and I’m reminded it’s definitely worth making the effort. And once I get started with a story idea I believe in, it’s easy!
Did you always want to be an author?
It was my dream half a lifetime ago, but with no-one to share and encourage that dream I spent most of my life trying to figure out where I was supposed to fit in. It was only when I met my wife, Mary, that I found someone who shared and believed in my dream. And so, at sixty I wrote my first novella.
Which authors do you admire?
That’s a tough one to answer. I admire any author who can capture my imagination, but I don’t have favourites. Knowing how hard it can be to write sometimes, I think it would be fair to say I admire anyone who completes a story and then has the courage to put it out there for all to see.