Lucky 13 Interview with Luke Deckard

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

My new book is called BAD BLOOD. It is a 1920s thriller set in Edinburgh. It followed an American Private Eye on a quest to find a missing woman with a mysterious and deadly connection to his father. I actually wrote Bad Blood of my PhD under the title Wasteland, which I pitched at Bloody Scotland 2020 and was shortlisted for the Amazon New Voices Awards in 2021.

I thought it would be really fun to write about historical Edinburgh but use the classic hard-boiled detective. I am a big fan of the Henry James/Ernest Hemingway Americans in Europe approach, and I don’t really see that much in British crime fiction, so I wanted to make it happen. 

2 – What book (if any) has had a significant impact on your life?

Many! As a kid, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe blew my mind. That really opened up my mind to the power of imagination. I also had a crazy fascination with Leonard Nimoy’s autobiography: I AM SPOCK! HA. I rented that from the library all the time. In my pre-teens, I fell in love with the Sherlock Holmes stories, and in my teens, it was The Lord of the Rings. But so many others deserve a mention, including The Great Gatsby (maybe my favourite book), Farewell, My Lovely, by Raymond Chandler, and Looking for Rachel Wallace by Robert B Parker. 

3 – Savoury or sweet?

Savoury. 

4 – Three books to a desert Island. Go!

The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell 

The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler 

Early Autumn by Robert B Parker. 

5 – What is your favourite ever literary character?

Hard to narrow down! I’ll say Spenser, Robert B Parker’s character. 

6 – If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Super intelligence! 

7 – Music or Silence when writing?

Depends on my mood. I do both. But I never write and listen to songs with lyrics. It’s instrumental. 

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

Edinburgh. 

9 - Your favourite karaoke song?

Toto’s AFRICA 

10 – One piece of advice to an aspiring writer?

Read widely. 

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

Well, given that £1 million doesn’t go very far in 2024, I’d give half to someplace like Oxfam books and, with the rest, start up a publishing house. 

12 – Horror films, yes or no? If so, any favourites?

YES! I love the Frankenstein trilogy: Frankenstein 1931, The Bride of Frankenstein and The Son of Frankenstein! 

13 - What are you currently working on?

I am now working on the sequel to BAD BLOOD. I don’t have a title or even an approximate release date but it’s in the works.