This week in The Loft: Author Lee Collins!

Joining me today in The Loft is fellow eXtasy author Lee Collins! Lee has an enviable life. He lives in the tropical paradise of Tenerife, which is the largest of Spain's Canary Islands. When he's not writing, he's exploring the area's many attractions. Imagine writing with sparkling beaches and a large dormant volcano in the background! Born and raised in London, Lee began his career writing M/M romance, but is now moving into crime fiction. He is currently writing a series of detective novels--No Plain Jane PI--with retired police constable Jane Collman.

Authors Lee Collins and Jane Collman

S:  Good morning, Lee! Welcome back to The Loft!

Why did you become a writer?

L:  There’s a funny story behind that. Many years ago, I had an art gallery in Tenerife, where I moved in 2001. Suddenly, I was hit by a series of comical disasters, which are all documented in my book, "Sun, Sea and a Contemporary Art Gallery." I was telling one of the artists about all the things that happened to me, and after a long burst of laughter, he suggested that I write a book. Given that I have been an avid reader all of my life, I thought I would give it a go. It took me over a year to write the book, but that’s how my journey began—my crazy misfortunes.

S:  (Smiles.)  Well, they do say write what you know. It sounds like you did just that.

Do you write full or part time? Do you have another job/other responsibilities?

L:  Thanks to wisely investing in two private pensions over the course of 20 years, when I was younger, I am fortunate enough to be able to write full-time. My only other obligation is to cook for my friend, who lets me live in his house rent-free. The arrangement suits me, and ensures that I can survive on my modest pension funds. When I started writing books, I wish I had known how hard it was to become an established and recognized author. Something I’m sure you’ll understand being an author yourself. Some authors strike it lucky, whereas others have to work even harder to try and make a name for themselves. As a writer, my dream is to have one of my books turned into a film or TV series. It would be so cool to see how it is interpreted by the producers and director. It would also be interesting to see what actors/actresses they cast to play the character’s roles.

S:  (Nods.) I think that's something most authors wish for. My friends and I cast my books all of the time.

Your latest book was written with another author. What was your writing process?

L:  "An Unethical Practice" involved a lot of to-ing and fro-ing. I generally come up with the idea for a book and write a one-page synopsis. Then I send to Jane to review and comment on. Once we’re happy with the idea, I write the first draft of the book, then go through it two or three times to add more layers, such as detail, description, show more and tell less, etc. Once I’m happy with it, I send it to Jane for a harsh review. She really does get the claws out, and invariably, I have to do a fairly major rewrite. Once that’s done, I send it back to Jane, and it goes back and forth until we are both happy with it. Then it goes off to the editor, and I work with them to polish and fine tune the book. Jane does write some small parts and given her background as a police constable, she does a lot of research on my behalf and talks to her ex-colleagues in the police force to ensure that the book is as credible and realistic as possible. She plays an important part in the writing process.

S:  Why did you write this book? What was your inspiration?

L:  The last four books I have written have been crime novels. As you know, my other sixteen erotic MM romance books have been published by eXtasy Books, so I am constantly reading articles to find out what scandalous things are going on in the world. That's how I find interesting subject matters to write about. I hope my books are good reading and also create awareness of the awful things that are going on around us, which we aren’t necessarily aware of.

S:  Your latest book, "An Unethical Practice," focuses on live organ harvesting, which is a frightening industry. 

What can you tell me about your book?

L:  It is the first book in the No Plain Jane PI Series. Here's the blurb--

Dr Julian Fitz-Bartholomew, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, goes to a bar after attending a Health Minister’s Forum to relax and put his long and draining day behind him. After talking to an attractive young lady with an alluring middle-class British accent, whose features gave him the impression she was of Eastern European descent, he regains consciousness on a beach close to his hotel late at night. When he takes a bath, he discovers a black line drawn along his breastbone, and a ruptured puncture wound in the crease of his arm. Given his medical background, he suspects he was drugged and something untoward was meant to happen to him. To prevent anybody else being subjected to his traumatic experience, and the press catching wind of what had happened, he turns to a private investigator, Jane. Working with her small team, Martine, and recruit, cocky wide-boy Grant, they race against time to find out who’s responsible for what happened to Julian—before whoever it is gets what they’re hunting for. And reporters have the opportunity to twist Julian’s innocent conversation with the vixen into a sex scandal, thereby potentially destroying his marriage and career.

S: (Shivers.) That is certainly a chilling tale, especially since live organ harvesting is becoming a big problem in some countries. Where can readers buy your book?

L:  It's available internationally on Amazon. Here are the links--

USA:  https://amzn.to/2Wq3mAY
UK: https://amzn.to/3cfYeEL

Australia:  https://amzn.to/35RnrDr  

Canada:  https://amzn.to/2WgUpd1

S:  Lee, thanks so much for joining me today! If you would like to learn more about Lee and his books, please visit--

Website:  http://www.ljcollinsauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.collins.5439
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/LJauthor