INDIE AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: SIMON McCLEAVE

This week we're absolutely over the moon to feature bestselling indie author Simon McCleave! 

Simon McCleave is a million-selling crime novelist who lives in North Wales with his wife and two children.

Originally born in South London, when Simon left University he worked in television and film development. He was a Script Editor at the BBC, a producer at Channel 4 before working as a Story Analyst in Los Angeles. He worked on films such as 'The Full Monty' and television series such as the BBC Crime Drama 'Between The Lines'.

Simon then became a script writer for television and film. He wrote on series such as Silent Witness, Murder In Suburbia, Teachers, Attachments, The Bill, Eastenders and many more.

His first book, 'The Snowdonia Killings', was released in January 2020 and soon became an Amazon Bestseller, reaching No 1 in the UK Chart and selling over 400,000 copies. His thirteen subsequent novels in the DI Ruth Hunter Snowdonia Series have all ranked in the Amazon Top 10, with many hitting the top of the digital charts. He has sold 1.5 million books to date. His highly successful London based DC Ruth Hunter Murder Case books, set in the late 1990s, was snapped up for an audiobook series by market leader WF Howes.

‘The Dark Tide’, Simon’s first book in an Anglesey based crime series for publishing giant Harper Collins (Avon), was a major hit in 2022. Reaching Amazon’s UK top ten, it became the highest selling Waterstone’s Book of the Month ever. ‘In Too Deep’, the second book on the series was released in January 2023 to critical acclaim.

The Snowdonia based DI Ruth Hunter books are now set to be filmed as a major new television series, with shooting to begin in North Wales in 2023.

The first two instalments in Simon's bestselling DI Ruth Hunter series are completely FREE this weekend and books 3 and 4 are on sale.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FIRST 4 BOOKS IN THIS BESTSELLING SERIES FOR JUST £2.98!

Q & A with author Simon McCleave

How would you describe your main protagonist, Ruth Hunter?

DI Ruth Hunter is an intuitive, sensitive police officer who cares deeply about getting justice for the victims and their families in the cases that she works on. In contrast, Ruth’s private life has been at times chaotic and tragic over the course of the series. I like the contrast of Ruth’s professionalism at work and her more flawed traits outside of work.

Your debut novel, The Snowdonia Killings, was published in January 2020 and now you’re about to release the 15th instalment in the DI Ruth Hunter series; how do you write so fast?

I spent many years writing television and film scripts. Working on series such as The Bill and Silent Witness involves a lot of speedy writing and re-writing, sometimes having to turn new drafts of scripts around overnight for filming the next day. I think I’ve taken that ability to write quickly into my novel writing.

What do readers like most about your books?

The main comments I get from readers is that they like the central characters of Ruth and Nick in my Snowdonia series. They are both flawed but very likeable people and readers want to find out what is going on in their lives. I also know that readers are drawn to the series because of the landscape of Snowdonia, which has become a character in itself.

Which writers would you say influence and inspire you the most?

Although I like UK writers such as Ian Rankin, Peter James and Lynda La Plante, my main inspiration has come from US crime writers such as James Ellroy, George Pelecanos and Michael Connelly. I’m also hugely influenced by television writers on series such as The Wire and Line of Duty.

How important are the Welsh locations to you?

The Welsh locations are an integral part of my series. Snowdonia is one of the most beautiful places on earth with its mountains, lakes, valleys and beaches. It also has such powerful historic significance with folk tales, myths of monsters and dragons and Arthurian legends, as well as the Roman invasion. It’s such a rich landscape to write about and adds so much to the atmosphere of the books.

The series is about to start filming for TV (congrats!). Can you tell us anything about the casting?

It is very exciting BUT I really can’t tell you about the casting until the production company give me the go-ahead. Sorry. We do have a very well-known actress attached to play Ruth Hunter and she’s going to be brilliant. The scripts are being written so fingers crossed that it will be shooting in North Wales very soon.

What has been your biggest career highlight so far?

I guess it’s little things like seeing my books displayed in the window of Waterstones in Cardiff when The Dark Tide was their Book of The Month. Or when I walked into Tesco in Wrexham and saw In Too Deep on the shelves in there. Generally, I feel very lucky to make a living from doing something that I love, and that’s enough for me.

How can our readers reach you?

Readers can join my VIP email club, get a FREE crime thriller novella featuring DI Ruth Hunter by going to www.simonmccleave.com, as well as updates, new releases and competitions. I’m happy to receive any emails on contact@simonmccleave.com. I love to hear from readers, even if it’s just to say hi, and I reply personally to all my emails.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE BRAND-NEW INSTALMENT IN THE DI RUTH HUNTER SERIES FOR JUST £2.99 — OUT TODAY!