Blood Ribbon by Roger Bray ** Blog Tour Author Interview**

 I am delighted to welcome Roger Bray to Books, Life and Everything today as part of the Blog Tour to celebrate the publication of his latest novel, Blood Ribbon, on 10th August 2018. First, here's a little about the book:

 

When Brooke Adams is found battered, bleeding, and barely conscious, the police are at a loss as to who her attacker is or why she was targeted. Then, PI Rod Morgan turns up convinced that Brooke’s attack is the latest in a string of unsolved disappearances dating back thirty-five years. The police, however, aren’t convinced, leaving Brooke and Rod to investigate the cases themselves. As secrets from the past start unravelling it becomes a maze, deeper, darker, and far more sinister than either of them could have imagined. Will they find Brooke’s attacker before he strikes again, or will that one secret stay buried forever?

Welcome, Roger. Would you like to start by telling us a little about yourself and how you started as a writer?

 

I enjoyed writing at school and have dabbled a little all my life with articles, essays and short stories. I was forced to stop being a police officer after being seriously injured at work and after a couple of years of coming to terms with that I went to University and gained bachelor and master degrees in International Relations. This was more about self development than any though of using them professionally. Going back to school did rekindle my love of writing, and of research which combined a couple of years later when I started to write my first book, The Picture. I am now writing full time and live in the scenic rim between Brisbane and the NSW border with my wife of 30 years and her overly cute cat. We have three grown children.

Blood Ribbon is your latest book. What was the inspiration behind it?

I originally had an idea to write a book totally from the criminal’s perspective barely touching on the other characters. As is usual, for me anyway, the other characters grew and became their own persons and sort of derailed that idea. Having said that I am very happy with the way the book turned out ans especially the main character Brooke and how she developed.

Can you tell us a little about it?

Brooke Adams has been raised in a number of foster homes in Northern California after her mother abandons her as a baby. The last home she is in is the final straw for her and she leaves before her eighteenth birthday. With little money and no friends she arrives in Salem, Oregon and meets a man who takes pity on her and takes her in. Her lives develops quite nicely over the next few years until one evening, while she is enjoying a weekend on the Oregon Coast she is attacked and buried alive. Extricating herself, thought badly injured she is found and taken to hospital where she is treated and finally recovers. While in hospital Brooke is vised by a retired cop, now PI who explains he believes her attack is linked to a number of other attacks on the coast stretching back thirty five years. Not content to leave it alone Brooke decides to help the Pi and falls into a spiral of deaths and secrets in trying to find her attacker.

How do you go about researching detail and ensuring your books are realistic?

I read, a lot. I do a lot of research on the internet to ensure geographical locations are correct and plausible. Google maps and street view are invaluable.

Which aspects of your writing do you find easiest and most difficult?

The most difficult is getting into the ‘zone’. I like to write in as bigger block as I can, a week or two at a time, full time. I find I can immerse myself into the story that way and once I am on a roll the characters develop themselves and lead me where I want to go. When I reach a point where the characters are developing nicely and the plot lines are moving along is my favourite time.

Do you base any of your characters on people you know?

Yes and no. Certainly some characteristic come from someone I know and the full character develops as a mixture of those but I don’t base a character on someone fully.

What can we expect next from you?

I am working on my fourth novel at the moment, tentatively based in the UK and concerning sex trafficking but it has been slow going until Red Ribbon is published. With luck and my wife’s overly cute cat not interfering by deciding my keyboard is his favourite snoozing spot I hope to have it ready for editing by the end of the year.

Thanks so much for giving us an insight into your writing. 

About the Author

 I have always loved writing; putting words onto a page and bringing characters to life. I can almost feel myself becoming immersed into their lives, living with their fears and triumphs. Thus, my writing process becomes an endless series of questions. What would she or he do, how would they react, is this in keeping with their character? Strange as it sounds, I don’t like leaving characters in cliffhanging situations without giving them an ending, whichever way it develops.

My life to date is what compels me to seek a just outcome, the good will overcome and the bad will be punished. More though, I tend to see my characters as everyday people in extraordinary circumstances, but in which we may all find our selves if the planets align wrongly or for whatever reason you might consider.

Of course, most novels are autobiographical in some way. You must draw on your own experiences of life and from events you have experienced to get the inspiration. My life has been an endless adventure. Serving in the Navy, fighting in wars, serving as a Police officer and the experiences each one of those have brought have all drawn me to this point, but it was a downside to my police service that was the catalyst for my writing.

Medically retired after being seriously injured while protecting a woman in a domestic violence situation I then experienced the other side of life. Depression and rejection. Giving truth to the oft said saying that when one door closes another opens I pulled myself up and enrolled in college gaining bachelor and master degrees, for my own development rather than any professional need. The process of learning, of getting words down onto the page again relit my passion for writing in a way that I hadn’t felt since high school.

So here we are, two books published and another on track.

Where it will take me I have no idea but I am going to enjoy getting there and if my writing can bring some small pleasure into people’s lives along the way, then I consider that I will have succeeded in life.

You can follow Roger here: Website   |  Twitter   |  Facebook

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Roger Bray and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for a place on the tour.

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