Lucky 13 Interview With Alex Reeve

1 – Can you start by telling us a little about your latest book?

I’m writing a historical crime series about Leo Stanhope, a trans man in Victorian London. The first book is The House on Half Moon Street, in which the woman Leo loves is murdered. I’m thrilled by the response it’s had; a Richard and Judy Book Club pick, short-listed for the Royal Society of Literature Christopher Bland Prize, long-listed (so far) for a Polari prize and for the Crime Writers Association Historical Dagger. All incredibly unexpected and exciting. The second, just published, is The Anarchists’ Club, in which Leo investigates a murder in a club of radicals.

2 – Are you a plotter or a panster?

I’m some mixture of the two. I always know the main beats of the novel, but it often ends up very different from my original outline. I let the characters act naturally and see where they take me, and then I try to join it all together. This approach requires a LOT of editing!

3 – Savoury or sweet?

Sadly, I have a very sweet tooth. I adore ice cream, chocolate and home-made cakes, all at the same time if possible. Needless to say, this is not conducive to good health. I enjoy savoury food as well, but no-one ever called an aubergine comfort food, did they?

4 – Three books to a desert Island. Go!

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. It has the best sentences and marvellous characters, but no author should read it while writing. It will ruin you. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. I find it inspirational. The New Journalism edited by Tom Wolfe. This is a compendium of fine non-fiction, mostly from the 1970s, which is raw and funny.

5 – Star Wars or Star Trek?

Trek, of those two. I’m definitely an optimist, and I think Star Trek is a hugely idealistic show. But I also think both Trek and Wars have gone mostly downhill since the 1970s. Later shows such as Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and The 100 are much better, though I’d rather sit and read Iain M. Banks’s Culture novels than watch any of them.

6 – Music or silence when writing?

Music, though it must have certain characteristics. I must be very familiar with it and it must have a fluid quality, with no bumps or shoutiness. Lots of people find music too distracting, but I find the opposite; it blocks out unpredictable noise so I can concentrate.

7 – You’re a professional wrestler. What would your ring name be?

Strangely, I have professional wrestlers in my third novel, which will be out next year. I’ll pick one of them: Dublin Dick Dooley, though it bears no relation to my name and I’m not Irish.

8 – If you could live anywhere in the world, and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose?

To live in, as opposed to just visiting, either Copenhagen or Paris. I have lived in Paris before, a long time ago, and loved it.

9 - Your favourite karaoke song?

My musical taste doesn’t lend itself to karaoke and absolutely no-one would want to hear me sing. I also have a weird inability to sing the correct words even when they’re printed in front of me. But if I absolutely had to … maybe Everybody Wants to Rule the World.

10 – One piece of advice to an aspiring writer?

Well, as soon as you start writing, you’re not an ‘aspiring’ writer, you’re a writer. So write! All the time and without worrying. Assume no-one will ever read it. Write what you’d love to read and keep going. If you want to be published, accept that it’s a team sport and there will be feedback; welcome it and act on it. And read, read, read. One of the wonderful things about writing is how much you can learn from others, quite apart from the sheer joy of reading.

11 – You win £1 million, but you must give half to charity. Which charity do you chose, and what do you do with the rest of the money?

The Beaumont Society, which is a charity run by and for trans people. They offer knowledgeable and kind support for those who need it. They also helped with reading my work, as I’m not trans myself. The rest … probably the proverbial rainy day. Being an author is not a reliable income!

12 – Horror films, yes or no?

No, they’re much too scary. Also, I’m certain that if I were ever in one, I’d be the first to die.

13 - What are you currently working on?

I’ve just finished a draft of novel three in the series, so my brilliant publisher will be sending me edits in a few weeks. In the meantime, I’m taking the chance to recharge my batteries and think about book four.