Howard Linskey is a former newspaper and magazine journalist and was once the marketing manager for a celebrity chef. Originally from Ferryhill in County Durham, he now lives in Hertfordshire with his family. The Drop is Howard’s first novel and he is currently working on his second book, The Damage, to be published by No Exit in 2012.

Are you a bookgeek?

Actually I was always more of a film geek than a bookgeek. I do read quite a lot obviously and I’ve got books all over the house but film was an early love and I am probably as inspired by films as books. I was recently sent one of those lists on Facebook where you are asked how many out of 100 classic films you have seen and I’d seen 77, which I think illustrates how I misspent my youth. Ironically being a writer actually eats into my reading time. I’d like to have more time to read if I’m honest.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given (and do you follow it)?

An editor once advised me to get into a scene late and leave early and I try to do that. She meant that writers can cut out a lot of preamble and still make it clear what is going on. Readers are intelligent enough to fill in the gaps themselves and it makes for a pacier read.

Which authors do you find most inspiring as a writer?

When I was younger I was inspired by the books my dad had on his shelves, so it was guys like John Le Carre and Len Deighton. Stan Barstow was also inspiring to a northern lad, because he wrote about a world I instinctively understood, even though his books were set some time ago and he showed that you could write books set in the north of England not just exotic places like New York or London. These days I find RJ Ellory pretty inspiring, because he wrote 22 books before he was even published for the first time and carried on regardless, despite all of the rejection slips. Now he’s a best seller. That should inspire any one who is trying to make it as a writer.

Do you have an audience in mind when writing, or do you just write for yourself?

I think you have to write for yourself first. I wouldn’t want to coldly think about all of the ingredients I have to assemble in order to appeal to an audience. It’s not the best way to come up with something interesting or original, so I write what I want to write and hope it proves popular with readers. Having said that, I am very conscious that there is someone out there who is going to have to part with a few hard-earned quid and give up some of their valuable leisure time to read my book, so I was passionate about making The Drop as good a book as it could be. I would hate any one to regret buying it.

Where do you write, and why?

I usually write on a lap top in the front room of my house, which acts as part sitting room, part office. I am free from most distractions in there but I probably still stare out of the window too much, watching the world go by, while pretending to search for inspiration.

Tell us the book you most wish you had written.

There’s a few but possibly Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by Le Carre. On one level, it’s a beautifully written, highly nuanced story of betrayal but it also works as a classic thriller. When he’s on form, Le Carre writes wonderfully.

You’ve spoken before of your fondness for Newcastle; was it hard for you to depict it as such a grim place?

I do love Newcastle and I’m passionate about the place, so I hope I have not made it sound too bad in the book. I don’t think it is the city I am depicting as grim, just the part of it that’s inhabited by the criminals in The Drop. Theirs is a narrow world, involving drugs, vice and violence, so they personify the worst aspects of the place but every city in the world has a seedy side. I’m happy to say I have never had any trouble in Newcastle and would recommend a visit there to any one. It’s the best night out in Europe.

Blake and Sarah’s relationship is one of the strong points in the book.Were you cautious about going down the “boss’ daughter” route? There’s a serious risk of cliche if it’s not handled well.

I thought it was worth the risk, as their mutual attraction is fuelled by its forbidden nature. We are all enticed by forbidden fruit and Blake is no exception. He knows he can’t have Sarah and that just increases his desire for her. Blake really wants Sarah but he knows he’s a dead man if he ever sleeps with her. Being a typical bloke though, he is unable to just walk away.

Many writers draw on traits of people they know to inform their characters. Writing about such a violent milieu, are you able to do this too, or do you look to other sources?

Well I don’t know any gangsters if that’s what you mean but, in all seriousness, I think there are probably little traits and mannerisms from people I have known over the years that have found their way into characters in The Drop. I’d better not say too much more on this or everybody I’ve ever worked with will start scanning the text, wondering if I’ve put them in the book and turned them into a violent, criminal low-life in the process! The vast majority of the book is however complete fiction, which is drawn entirely from my own warped and twisted imagination. I don’t really want to contemplate what that says about me as a person!

You now live in Hertfordshire; does this make writing about the North East easier or harder for you?

Sometimes writing as an exile can be an advantage. It can help to have an outsider’s view on a place. It’s easier to pin point its uniqueness compared to other parts of the world. I’ve worked all over the country and I still think Newcastle is an amazing place. It’s a vibrant and warm city, with a lovely bantering sense of humour that you have to be pretty thick skinned to deal with if you are not used to it. The place seems to have bypassed political correctness and I like the honesty of the night life there. It’s all about having a good time.

You dealt with Danny’s life after the Army very sensitively; is this a subject you feel strongly about?

I’m pleased you think so and yes I do feel strongly about this topic. Personally I would be hopeless in the Armed Forces. I’m far too soft but when I was a journalist I interviewed a number of veterans of WW2 and have met former members of the Parachute Regiment from different eras. They are amazing blokes and most can cope with their life afterwards but I think it is difficult when you train someone to kill then suddenly release them back into a civilian world that obviously frowns on violence. I know one Parachute Regiment veteran who told me many of his former comrades are serving long prison sentences for violent crimes. I don’t think we have worked out how best to utilize these guys once they have finished fighting for their country. We ask them to do a brutal, violent and terrifying job for us then expect them to adjust to the mundanity of a civilian world afterwards without problems, which is a pretty unrealistic expectation.

Additional questions by Mike Stafford

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