AN INTRODUCTION FROM SHIV SAYWACK

Briefly introduce yourself.

Let’s begin with a brief history. I was born in Guyana (when it was British Guiana), a country on the Caribbean coast of South America, and the answer to the pub quiz question: the only English-speaking country on the southern mainland. In the early sixties, my parents emigrated to Britain. After secondary school and university, I had a career in the design and advertising industry for over twenty years (I studied information graphics at Harrow School of Art), then later I became a teacher for almost twenty years at a Sixth Form college. I had been writing on and off for many years before taking early retirement, mainly short stories, and eventually one of those became my first novel, and the Mary Finch Young Adult series.

My many likes include history and art, and I’m particularly fond of noir movies from the 1940s/1950s. In many ways, the Alexandra Raven series grew out of that fascination. Writing, of course, takes up much of my time, as well as reading.

How would you describe Death Under The Spotlight in one sentence?

In the book, Alexandra Raven embarks on what should be a simple commission, babysitting a movie star while she makes her film, only for it to escalate into something more when the bodies start piling up.

Without giving away any spoilers, what part of the book was most enjoyable to write?

Without giving away any spoilers, the character of Cassie Quayle was probably the most enjoyable part to write in Death Under The Spotlight. I made her sassy, though it wasn’t the plan to begin with. But after a while, I thought differently and revised the chapters that introduced her accordingly. Being a supporting cast member, unfortunately, she probably won’t appear in further novels, as I quite enjoyed her personality.

What was the most random piece of research you had to do for your novel?

There is, of course, an awful lot of ‘strange’ research to do when writing a historically based novel. As to be expected. The strangest, for Death Under The Spotlight, was researching the effect of LSD (without resorting to trying it first-hand!). I was surprised by what I found, that even the British Army had trialled it as a weapon to use against an enemy during the 1950s, and there are videos/films showing how it affected soldiers who were used as guinea pigs.

What book have you loved reading recently?

As a writer, I take the advice of the great authors who suggest one should read widely. Therefore, classical novels, crime fiction, fantasy, etc., have become my staple. A year ago, I read Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. I’ve always enjoyed fantasy, and Lord Of The Rings remains one of my favourite books! I am about to start Pullman’s Dust trilogy (which is based on Dark Materials). But recently, I read Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club and thoroughly enjoyed it. There are several more books in that series to get through.