Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Val Penny and Lynsey Adams (Reading Between the Lines Vlog) for supplying author photos, fabulous shots of Edinburgh, and book cover shots. Other images created in Book Brush using their images or Pixabay ones. AI images avoided.
It is with great pleasure I welcome back Val Penny, Scottish crime writer, to Chandler’s Ford Today. This interview is part of a blog tour organised by Lynsey Adams of Reading Between The Lines Vlog.
A lot has happened since I last chatted to Val, not least of which is her change of publisher to Joffe Books. They are reissuing Val’s back catalogue and Murder in Gilmerton is one of those books to be reissued.
I’ve mentioned before the writing life is not in a straight line for anyone. Changes happen, including changes of publisher (and in my case changing from writing long form fiction to the complete opposite). What matters is (a) not giving up and (b) accepting changes of direction happen and often these will turn out to be for the good in the longer run. I’ve never regretted my switch to short form writing.
Buy links for Murder in Gilmerton and Val’s social media links follow at the end of the interview. Meantime, what is Murder in Gilmerton about?
Blurb for Murder in Gilmerton
Behind Edinburgh’s genteel facade, a killer is settling an old score . . .
An elderly man is shot dead on his own doorstep in the leafy suburb of Gilmerton. One bullet. Point-blank range. A professional hit on a harmless old man who lived a simple life collecting rare books.
Detective Hunter Wilson knows the victim. George Reinbold was once head of Crime Scene Investigations. He’s one of their own. What Hunter can’t understand is why George’s modest flat is fortified with reinforced doors, bomb-blast curtains and a Cold War pistol under the bed.
That same morning, a young woman vanishes from a luxury car showroom. No struggle. No witnesses. Just a discarded coat and a missing blue Volvo. Two cases. One killer?
In a city where everyone guards their secrets, the past has come knocking.
Detective Hunter Wilson must catch a murderer who has waited a lifetime to strike.
Author Bio
Val Penny’s crime novels form the bestselling DI Hunter Wilson Series, which is set in Edinburgh. She is an American author living in SW Scotland with her husband and their cat.
And now over to Val for question time.
Welcome back to Chandler’s Ford Today, Val. Many congratulations on the release of Murder in Gilmerton.
As mentioned above, a lot has happened since I last interviewed you. Can you tell us how you came to be with Joffe Books and what are the plans for your Hunter Wilson back catalogue? Murder in Gilmerton is book two in the series having previously been published as Hunter’s Revenge. How many books will be released by Joffe Books? What events are you having to celebrate given every book coming out into the world is something to celebrate, or will you wait for all of the books due out to be out, so to speak?
It is lovely to be back to Chandler’s Ford Today and chat with you, Allison. Thank you for hosting me. It certainly has been a busy year! I was signed by Joffe Books around the time my previous publishers closed due to the poor health of one of the directors. It is a joy to be working with such a dynamic company and the team at Joffe Books are as professional as they are supportive.
Joffe Books is presently republishing my back catalogue of Detective Hunter Wilson Mysteries. The books are being re-edited before they are re-published with new covers and new titles. It is exciting to be involved in this work.
Joffe have also commissioned the next book in the Hunter Wilson series which has a working title of Hunter’s Festival. I am working with the editors on this book now and it is due to be published in early January 2027. Joffe has also expressed interest in a following novel with the working title of Hunter’s Demons. (All I have to do is write that one!) I very much hope that the series will continue with Joffe Books for years to come.
It is always lovely to have a new book out into the world and to share the story with new readers. You are very aware of this as your third book was published recently. Congratulations!
Allison: Thank you!
Val: As my books presently being launched are re-releases, I am not running any live events, but Joffe Books and I are running various online promotions, of which this tour is one.
So much work must go into creating back story for your characters. For DI Hunter Wilson and the regulars, their stories can develop over several books, this is one of the joys of writing a series, but how do you decide how much back story to give to, say, a victim in a book who will obviously only appear in one volume? Does the back story come from issues you care about or something you’ve read which has inspired you?
Back stories are interesting because, while the author requires to know each character well, to impose that level of detail on the reader would mean the story would be too long to be told. I tend to write stories where the themes matter to me. This is why my victims’ back stories reflect important themes in the book and reveal reasons (albeit flawed reasons) as to why they were attacked. The back stories can come from any source, a news story, an issue important to me or developing a theme of the book but most often they are probably a combination of these.
Do you find you read crime (fictional or real life) when writing your novels or do you have to switch that side of things off completely until at least getting your first draft down?
I do read crime fiction sometimes. I have just finished a new book by Pam Lecky and am now reading a novel by Ann Cleeves and have discovered a new author, Sharon Jackson, whose stories I enjoy. But I also read romances by authors including Beth O’Leary and Lizzie Chantree and I enjoy historical fiction by authors including Jacquie Rogers and Fiona Forsyth. So I suppose my brain is quite compartmentalised: when I’m writing I’m thinking about my characters and my story, when I’m reading, I read for pleasure whatever genre I choose.
If there was one book by another crime writer, past or present, you wish you’d written, what is it and why would you choose it? I admire Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. She threw a lot of people with that one.
I agree, Agatha Christie is certainly the Queen of Crime. I think I’d like to have written Death on the Nile. It would have allowed me to take a cruise down the Nile for research and it would have been tax deductible!
Allison: Now that’s a fabulous thought!
I understand Gilmerton is a suburb of Edinburgh. Is it an area you know well? What would you say were the advantages of using a real setting in your fiction? Have you found there to be any disadvantages?
Yes, Gilmerton is an area of Edinburgh and as I lived in Edinburgh for many years I know most parts of the city, including Gilmerton, well. I chose to set this book there because the style of housing suited the image I wanted to create. I decided early on that I would set my stories in real places because I can visualise them, and I hope my readers who have visited Edinburgh can do so too.
What is the appeal of crime stories to the general reader, do you think, Val? I know I like the puzzle element but do you think there is anything beyond that? Are there things about crime stories you think are crucial for them to be successful to a reader? Are there elements you don’t want to see in a crime novel?
Crime is an interesting genre in that there are so many categories within it – from cozy upwards. I like the cozier end of the market myself but do appreciate there are a wide range of sub-categories here so there will be something to suit everyone. Which end of the market do you prefer to read yourself, Val?
I think people enjoy the mystery and the puzzle of the crime novel. They also enjoy the vicarious thrill of witnessing an exciting, fictional crime. If any of us were to witness such a real event we’d be traumatised, but to do so in the comfort of your own home and knowing you are safe, is thrilling. My own books are best described as thrilling mysteries with a hint of romance and a dash of humour.
The writing journey is full of ups and downs. What tips would you share with other writers for finding the best way to handle these?
I think we all need to be realistic. Writing a book is a marathon, not a sprint and it is highly unlikely that a writer will make their fortune writing books, so they need to enjoy the process for it to be worthwhile doing. However, it is also true that in order to share stories with readers, they need to know the books exist. There are so many books published every day, authors need to be willing to promote their own books and that time commitment is as much as writing the book.
Can you tell us something about your forthcoming book events, Val? Also, please do share tips for making the best of these events in the run up to them and after them?
I love meeting readers. That is the best thing about being an author. So I do enjoy going to book events. This year I am an attending author at Indie Lit Con in Manchester, Romance in the North in Hull and Authors at the Armouries in Leeds. It is important for any author attending an event to support the organisers and make their readers aware that they will be in attendance. I like to run competitions or prize draws to raise interest and of course, it is important to engage with readers in the run up to any live event.
Please name three things readers can do to support their favourite authors. Buying the books is an obvious one but there is more than that.
Readers are vital to every author and those who write reviews are especially precious. However, talking about a book you have enjoyed, buying books not just for yourself but as gifts and suggesting a favourite book to a book group is also a real thrill for an author.
Last but not least, Val, what are you currently working on, writing wise?
I am presently writing the third book in my series of Jane Renwick and Rachael Anderson thrillers and working on the seventh in my Detective Hunter Wilson Mysteries as well as plotting the eighth book of the Hunter books and promoting book two in that series. Believe me, multi-tasking is required!
Thank you for taking time to chat with me today, Allison. I appreciate your interest in my books.
Conclusion
Many thanks, Val, for a fabulous interview and good luck with Murder in Gilmerton plus the other books in the Hunter Wilson series which are being republished. You can’t beat a good crime story to keep you gripped.
I find it is the personalities in books such as Val’s which keep me wanting to read more, to find out how they get through their latest case and so on.
I’m not alone here. Crime is one of the biggest genres in fiction and will remain so, I think.
Buy Links
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B07C4725TK
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Authorvalpenny/
Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/valerieepenny/
Bluesky https://www.bsky.app/profile/valpennyauthor/
Related Posts:-
Author Interview: Val Penny and Historical Short Stories – The Ring
Author Interview – Val Penny – Hunter’s Rules and Book Blog Tour Organiser interview – Lynsey Adams
Author Interview: Val Penny – Hunter’s Secret, Advice on Writing a Series, and Blog Tours
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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