When did you first start writing?
I was about 12 years old and still at school. I was hopeless at everything at school other than English, and I suppose that’s why I concentrated on writing. Unlike the other kids in my year, I enjoyed turning out essays.
What's the story behind your latest book?
Due out in September 2013, it’s the ninth in a series of light-hearted, traditional British whodunits, with sleuth Joe Murray and his two closest friends, Sheila Riley and Brenda Jump.
Most of them are set in various locations around England, but for this one I’ve travelled to Torremolinos in southern Spain. My wife and I had a holiday there at the beginning of the year, and I found it such a relaxing place.
In this book Joe has suffered a suspected heart attack and the girls are taking hi there for a little R&R. His breathing is poor and he has to stop smoking. It’s no coincidence that I suffered a suspected heart attack three years ago, and I suffer from COPD, which meant I had to give up smoking and take more exercise.
Read more of this interview.