When it comes to
writing it's frequently said that we should draw inspiration from our
surroundings, but often that isn't true of crime writers. On the whole those of
us who haven't worked as police officers, prison guards, parole officers or
crime reporters tend to have lived a much more sheltered life. The closest we
get to real crime is watching a documentary on the TV or reading true crime.
At least that was
the case with me until I moved to be closer to my elderly mum after my dad died
following a long battle with cancer.
It seemed like the
right thing to do at the time but its fast turned into a nightmare, but on the
plus side I now have plenty of material for countless crime novels thanks to events
that have happened since I moved.
The first week at
our new flat the police came to our door looking for a flasher. Apparently some
degenerate was going around with his penis hanging out and hiding it behind a
newspaper before assailing the eyes of women going about their daily business. My
OH was questioned as were other men in the areas, but he was cleared very
quickly because the police were looking for was someone well over six feet.
They never did
catch this flasher, but it gave me an idea for a short story that might turn
into a novella.
Round two came
when my partner who had never been the victim of a crime before unless you
count the mullet he had in his teenage years (I blame Kevin Keegan), was
targeted by two muggers with one spitting on him and the other punching his
head when he refused to let go of the bags he was carrying. Whilst this was
happening, in blood daylight, several cars were stuck at the traffic lights and
not one single person though to so much as toot their horn.
That made me
conduct some research into why many people who witness crime do nothing, and
why others intervene. That became the basis of what will be my fourth Detective
in a Coma book, Vigilante
City
Being in such a
crime hotbed means I've leant some new skills too that I’ve used in my recent
work. After my mobile phone was stolen out of my pocket whilst I was out
walking the dog with my partner, I discovered exactly how to track it down and
I managed to pinpoint it to less than a mile from where it was stolen using the
Find My Phone function on my mobile. Handily, I also found out how to remotely
access the phone's contents and transfer them to my other phone as well as how
to delete them once they're no longer useful.
Best of all, I
could lock the phone remotely and render its pre-payment SIM card totally
useless so the thief wouldn't be able to make so much as a call or a text,
effectively turning it into a lump of useless plastic.
This knowledge
I've acquired will come in handy in years to come as I write my crime novels.
As well as the
frustration of having my pocket picked in what I'm now calling The Incident,
the lost phone inspired me to come up with the idea of a novelized Phone Booth for the year 2018.
In case you've
never seen it, in Phone Booth (2002)
Colin Farrell's character is passing a phone box when it rings. Foolishly he
answers it and that's when the menacing voice of Kiefer Sutherland comes over
the line and tells the unlucky guy he's got a sniper's rifle aimed at him. Oh,
and he knows all about him.
Phone boxes are
disappearing faster than sugar in soft drinks, so in this case my lead
character would find a mobile phone and being such a good Samaritan, he decides
to hand it into the local police station. Before he can make it, the phone
rings and he answers it and it soon becomes obvious that someone is watching
him and they threaten to hurt his family if he doesn't shut up and follow
orders. They don't care that he's not the man they hired. They just want
whatever clandestine task they have in mind for him done. Then he'll be off the
hook.
But are you ever
off the hook with these kinds of people? As every crime novelist knows, the
answer's a resounding no.
A few months ago a
man was arrested on my street for dangerous driving, whilst drunk and found
with a cache of weapons straight out of a horror flick, including a machete and
no, he didn't work in a nearby restaurant or a butchers.
What should my
next book be about? How about a main character who gets their phone stolen
during a mugging, who then goes around the city in his car looking for his attackers.
This vigilante's weapon of choice - clearly a machete.
Inspiration as
they say is everywhere and I've now got more than my fair share.
Note - this piece first appeared in Red Herrings the magazine of the Crime Writers Association
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