Scrolla in basso per la versione in italiano

My friend and sci-fi bestseller, Italian author Luca Rossi, has hosted me in his blog in Italian. I revealed him some exclusive insights about my new Chase Williams detective story (a novel) coming after Pull the Trigger. Do you want to know what I’m talking about?
Here’s the translation in English. Enjoy!

PS: the interview has been to celebrate my 30th birthday. Click here to see the updated schedule of my Jubilee!

What’s your dream?
Winning an Olympic medal! I know that ship looks sailed, but never say never.

Have you always dreamt to be a writer?
When I didn’t want to be a pro athlete, yes. To be fair, I used to want to be a pro athlete that wrote novels about other pro athletes. I’m about to publish a novel that digs deep into cycling’s and shooting’s environment, therefore I’d say I’ve done half of my goal!

Where does the inspiration for Chase Williams come from?
It’s complicated. Chase is not a merely fictional character, and I’m not going to say more. At the very beginning, Chase used to live in 1930s London, then I moved to London, so I decided to move Chase to the present, in a place I know very well: Italy. In this way, I added my personal experiences to Chase’s life.

Could you give us a little spoiler about your next novels?
Pull The Trigger is almost finished and is about to fall into my editor’s clutches. It’s about a double murder with a third surviving witness. Two young Italian sport talents – a cyclist and a shooter – have been shot in cold blood. Inspector Angelo Alunni will be helped by Chase and Gianmarco Betti, a ballistic consultant from Rome that Chase doesn’t like too much. This case will awaken in Chase some of his old life memories, when he was working as a detective in Scotland Yard.
Finally, I’d like to reveal only to you what the novel after Pull The Trigger will be about: it’ll be a case that involves Chase’s neighbour, Giulia, and the sudden, suspicious death of another college student. I’m not going to say more!

You are Italian but you publish in English. Why?
First of all because I live in the UK, therefore I speak and write in English all the time. Furthermore, English is the most widespread language in the world, so I can reach more readers. Actually, I’ve been thinking about releasing an Italian version of my books. At least for my parents, who are eager to read my stories!

How do you see your country from abroad?
I see an amazing country with serious troubles. I see meaningless parochialisms, corruption and too little freedom of expression. And a dreadful, alarming digital illiteracy.

Do you miss Italy? Would you like to go back to your country?
I miss my family, my dog and the bidet. I don’t see how contemporary Italy can offer me and my future family a sustainable future. No, I wouldn’t go back at the moment, unless it’s for some time off.

What do you prefer about British culture?
I love British humour, I think it’s one of the most distinctive and brilliant aspect of British culture.

You have left two publishing houses and went self-publishing. Why? What do you prefer?
We’re living a golden era for authors: you can write and sell without any middle-person. I like being free and independent: as a self-publisher, if nobody is purchasing my books I cannot shift the blame on others, I have the full responsibility; in the very same way, every sale I score is possible thanks to my marketing efforts. It’s challenging, because it constantly puts me to the test and lets me improve everyday by talking to other self-publishers like me.

Would you like a movie about Chase to be produced?
Even more, I’d like a TV series about Chase. Cutting Right To The Chase short stories are perfect for a procedural TV show.

We live in an era of remarkable innovations. What are you going to write about in thirty years?
I hope to write about the perfect murder, the murder you can’t solve in any way. The modern world doesn’t give a quarter to assassins, even less in fiction!

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Il mio amico Luca Rossi, autore bestseller di fantascienza non solo in Italia, mi ha ospitato sul suo blog. Gli ho rivelato alcune informazioni in anteprima assoluta riguardo il prossimo romanzo giallo di Chase Williams dopo Pull the Trigger. Vuoi saperne di più? Allora fiondati sul blog di Luca Rossi

PS: l’intervista fa parte delle celebrazioni per il mio trentesimo compleanno. Clicca qui per il programma aggiornato!