West Sussex author Matthew J Evans talks about writing his crime novels.
I am proud to say that I’m a crime author and have published two novels in the Detective Inspector Angelis series: ‘Chasing Shadows’ and ‘Hide Her Away’. I’m thrilled that both have been well received. They fall within the genre of police procedural crime thrillers but with a supernatural twist.
Inspiration
My inspiration for these books comes from three primary sources. Firstly, Chichester and the outstanding surrounding countryside, including the South Downs National Park. Secondly, my 17 years of experience as a serving police officer, both in Hampshire and Sussex. Thirdly, I have fictionalised the story’s supernatural elements from profound, personal spiritual experiences.
To Plot or Not to Plot
My stories so far do not go through the rigorous plotting process some writers use. I usually map out a crime plot, including who did what and where and which detective is investigating the different leads. I also follow the investigation as if I were managing it. It’s a personal choice that works best for me. I find the characters are allowed to develop as I write. I often write a piece of dialogue, and the character says or does something completely unexpected. It’s almost as if the characters are real people and have minds of their own.
I’ve tried various plotting tools but as good as they are, they don’t work for me. I mainly use Scrivener and Scapple to create my stories. I like the way I can use Scrivener to move plot points around, and Scapple is an excellent tool for me to visualise both the characters’ story arc and the progress of the investigation. This method does not work for everyone. Indeed, I sometimes have to discard some written pieces when things don’t work as I expected them to.
West Sussex – Location, Location, Location
Being a West Sussex crime writer, my locations are unsurprisingly in West Sussex! My fictional police officers work for Sussex Police and are based in Chichester. The Chichester Investigations Centre in my novels is a fictional building. It is rather like the Investigations Centre they have in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
Near Chichester are the South Downs and plenty of ancient wooded areas full of mystery. I also include the Chichester Ship Canal and Chichester’s Cathedral.
Kingley Vale, Brandy Hole Copse, and Centurion Way are my other favourite places. Again, these places appear in my novels. Local villages of Bosham and Fishbourne also take lead roles.
As I am still a serving police officer (now a Special Constable), I asked permission to write these stories, being careful not to use the names of real serving police officers or recent or current investigations. My experience has helped me with writing realistic police procedures without making them too boring. There is a huge amount of paperwork involved, even in the simplest of investigations. I can’t include that in my novels, otherwise, the characters will be sitting at their desks for several hours in front of computer terminals.
Every Sussex crime writer must be careful when describing places dear to the natives. I’m a native of Fishbourne near Chichester. I make up names of roads where bad things happen or where naughty people live, so I don’t cause any offence.
Visit West Sussex
There are plenty of beautiful places to visit in West Sussex, from the South Downs National Park to stunning towns and cities like Chichester, Arundel, and Petworth, coastal towns like Bognor Regis, Brackleham Bay and West Wittering.