English author Peter James has just won this year’s U.K. Specsavers ITV3
People’s Bestseller Dagger Award
for
Dead man’s Grip voted by the public. He was up against stiff short-listed opposition: David Baldacci, Mark Billingham, Lee Childs and Peter Robinson. My novelist/screenwriter wife Pat Silver-Lasky and I first met Peter at English Horror writer James Herbert’s house in Sussex. When introduced we knew him as being involved in films. We were particularly impressed that he’d been financially involved in
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino. So it came as a wonderful surprise to later appreciate that he was an author too, who was building a reputation with his Police Inspector, Roy Grace character.
He writes a ‘mean blog’ and so readers know that he often accompanies the Brighton, U.K. police on drug busts and the like to get first hand information. Peter ‘does the rounds’ with the police for his background.
Pat fully understands the depth of research that goes into the writing of a character. Many years before with her late husband Jesse Lasky, Jr. she wrote a seven part TV series called The New Breed which featured Leslie Nielsen – out of which sprang a lifetime’s friendship. Pat had the singular experience of being allowed to accompany the LAPD on certain cases, where female police were not yet permitted as she and Jesse built up a dossier of criminal events.
Leslie later found ‘instant’ fame with the farcically-funny
Naked Gun franchise.
Peter James’ workload is outstanding. He writes at least a book a year and accompanies it with book signings around the world. The UK has now read 7 of the Roy Grace series and Peter has a personal cartoon from me for each one since I’ve known him. He features it on his blog and I’m honored that it finds space in a room crowded with awards. We count him as an extremely good friend and look forward to Dead Man’s Grip.
Pat meanwhile continues her writing having moved with me, from the UK in 2009. Her Batsford UK Book Screenwriting for the 21st Century ISBN 0 7134 8833 6, derived from her 7 year London International Film School lecturing tenure has reached Universities in the U.S. including Pepperdine. Her Letters from a Hollywood Mogul is being considered by a Publisher and her latest nod to Hollywood is the novel Ride the Tiger where ‘Murder in Hollywood doesn’t only happen in the movies’ ISN 978 145110188 available from Amazon and Kindle.
So, for lovers of thrillers look out for both authors: Peter James and Pat Silver-Lasky.
No comments:
Post a Comment