Today I'm delighted to welcome
SAM HURCOM
to share his BEST OF CRIME ...
... AUTHORS
Stephen King. I may be starting off on the wrong foot by naming an author who, strictly speaking, isn’t a crime writer, but growing up I read through much of King’s back catalogue. His short story collections and supernatural tales of small-town America have always been an inspiration for my own writing.
... FILMS/MOVIES
Film noir as a genre is a favorite for me, and Bogart playing Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep is pretty hard to beat. The more contemporary L.A. Confidential would be a close second.
... TV DRAMAS
The Wire is without a doubt my favourite TV crime drama, portraying the bleak realities of inner-city drug violence with a superb cast of humorous, diverse and flawed characters. With two British actors in Dominic West and Idris Elba, arguably giving their best on screen performances, the show doesn’t put a foot wrong throughout all five series.
... FICTIONAL KILLERS
This is a hard one, as I don’t tend to focus on killers in crime fiction. Patrick Bateman from American Psycho springs to mind; the psychotic, Manhattan businessman is wholly unhinged, consumed by materialism and the constant competitive world of Wall Street. He idolises Donald Trump as well, which says a lot.
... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES
I’m returning to The Wire with Detective Kima Greggs, played brilliantly by Sonja Sohn. A brilliant, complex character, who literally had me sat on the edge of my seat towards the end of series one (without giving away any spoilers, I’ll just say I was very worried for Kima).
... MURDER WEAPONS
The captive bolt stunner used by Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Menis rather unique, and has the added bonus of being a neat tool to break door locks.
... DEATH SCENES
Purely for the philosophical headache it caused as I spent an evening rereading and considering it, I’ll have to go with the assassination of General Kaplan in Philip K. Dick’s The Minority Report.Though the scene itself is far from the most shocking anyone will ever read, the questions it raises regarding predeterminism and personal autonomy are brilliant, reflecting the author’s utter genius.
... BLOGS/WEBSITES
There’s not one specific website I rely on too heavily, but as I write historical crime fiction, I try to look for blogs and sites run by former police officers, dedicated to the history of the police force. As a result, I’ve been lucky enough to get in touch with some very kind and knowledgeable people.
... WRITING TIPS
For aspiring writers, particularly writing a first novel, find a manageable, achievable daily word count and stick to it until you type THE END. Some days the words come easy and some days they are hard to find, but an imperfect first draft is far better than a perfect blank page.
... WRITING SNACKS
I have rather unhealthy snack habits whilst writing, and usually eat far too many sugary treats. I currently have a mild addiction to Cream Eggs.
About SAM HURCOM
Sam Hurcom was born in Dinas Powys, South Wales in 1991. He studied Philosophy at Cardiff University, attaining both an undergraduate and master’s degree. He has since had several short stories published, and has written and illustrated a number of children’s books. Sam currently lives in the village he was raised in, close to the woodlands that have always inspired his writing. A Shadow on the Lens is Sam’s debut novel, with a sequel due to be released in September 2020.
Find Sam Hurcom on Twitter - @SamHurcom
About A SHADOW ON THE LENS
Publisher's description
1904. Thomas Bexley, one of the first forensic photographers, is called to the sleepy and remote Welsh village of Dinas Powys, several miles down the coast from the thriving port of Cardiff. A young girl by the name of Betsan Tilny has been found murdered in the woodland – her body bound and horribly burnt. But the crime scene appears to have been staged, and worse still: the locals are reluctant to help.
As the strange case unfolds, Thomas senses a growing presence watching him, and try as he may, the villagers seem intent on keeping their secret. Then one night, in the grip of a fever, he develops the photographic plates from the crime scene in a makeshift darkroom in the cellar of his lodgings. There, he finds a face dimly visible in the photographs; a face hovering around the body of the dead girl – the face of Betsan Tilny.
As the strange case unfolds, Thomas senses a growing presence watching him, and try as he may, the villagers seem intent on keeping their secret. Then one night, in the grip of a fever, he develops the photographic plates from the crime scene in a makeshift darkroom in the cellar of his lodgings. There, he finds a face dimly visible in the photographs; a face hovering around the body of the dead girl – the face of Betsan Tilny.
A Shadow on the Lens was published by Orion on 5 September 2019.
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