I am thrilled that I have at last secured a fine article by the prolific best selling English author, David W. Robinson to the blog to discuss why he writes Mysteries. Thanks for taking time to join us today, David.
Entertainment. That’s it in a nutshell. Who am I seeking to entertain? Me, initially, and once I’ve achieved that, it’s my readers.
Reading is a form of escapism. It takes us away from reality, into a simplified world created by the writer. For me, writing performs the same function. I’m 71 years of age, retired (technically) and I find this world alternately absurd and disgusting. I’m notoriously outspoken, and I tend not to suffer fools at all. Television is no distraction. Evening TV in the UK is visual dross with precious little substance. I’m very hard of hearing and one cost of that situation is musical appreciation. From Bach to the Beatles, Abba to Ashkenazy, even with headphones, I can no longer immerse myself in music.
And so I read and I write, creating my own, simplified world for my readers. And the world I create is familiar to me. During my working life I came across many examples of The Lazy Luncheonette manned by just as many irritable Joe Murrays. Twice married, I’ve met many fun-loving Brenda Jumps, a plethora of George Robson’s who fancy themselves as ‘eye-candy’ and untold numbers of stern yet sensible Sheila Rileys. I grew up in a former coal-mining community, and I know their environment as well as I know my wife and children. The world of the Sanford 3rd Age Club Mysteries may not be to everyone’s tastes, and there are aspects which are exaggerated, but it’s a world I know intimately.
There are other angles to my work: humour, crime and mystery. A difficult combination and one which needs delicate handling. Murder is the most heinous crime anyone can commit, and there’s nothing funny about it. The humour, therefore, tends to be on a personal level, banter between the characters. I leave out the gory details of the slaughter, except in my darker works, those labelled ‘hard-boiled’. I’m a cryptic crossword fanatic, and it’s that angle which attracts me most; the puzzle. Finding the answers, putting together the tiny hints which allow Joe to crack the case.
Another reason I write is because I can’t NOT write. The creative streak runs deep in me, and when I’m not working, I get irritable. When my wife and I are sunning ourselves the shores of the Mediterranean or the Canary Islands, I have a laptop with me and I still write. Even if all I’m doing is putting together one of my idiotic video monologues, it appeases that demanding little demon whispering in my ear, saying, ‘create, create, create’.
My health is not good. It’s mostly self-inflicted. I smoke too much and notwithstanding my wife’s pleas, I don’t take care of myself as well as I should. I was recently confronted with a potentially life-threatening diagnosis. The problem turned out to be benign, but for two months, we didn’t know. That kind of problem sends my mood down, and that’s when I turn to the darker side, the grim world of Sam Feyer and Wes Drake. But it’s still writing, it’s still creating, it still satisfies that nagging little fiend.
Am I successful? In my narrow view, yes. I don’t have any great message for the world. You don’t read my work because I have something important to say. You read my work for the sake of entertainment, and if it doesn’t entertain you, if it doesn’t match your expectations, then I’m sorry but I won’t change it.
Over the past nine years working with Darkstroke Books, I have published 25 novels and one book of short, sharp tales. There are three more to come this year, and people say, ‘Wow, that’s great’. In truth, if I got my finger out, I could probably produce six a year, but, hey, isn’t an average of three a year good enough?
The Author
David Robinson retired from the rat race after the other rats objected to his participation, and he now lives with his long-suffering wife in sight of the Pennine Moors outside Manchester.
Best known as the creator of the fast-paced Sanford 3rd Age Club Mysteries, and the cynically humorous Midthorpe Murder Mysteries, he also produces darker, more psychological crime thrillers; the Feyer & Drake thrillers and occasional standalone titles.
He produces his own videos, and can frequently be heard grumbling against the world on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dwrobinson3 and has a YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/Dwrob96/videos. Learn more about him and follow his blog at www.dwrob.com
Confusion in Cleethorpes, Sanford 3rd Age Club Mystery #22, Released July 19 2021, available for pre-order at: mybook.to/cleethorpes
The Anagramist, Feyer & Drake Mystery #1, exclusive to Amazon: mybook.to/anagramist
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