Interview with Luke Delaney, author of the Toy Taker



    Title: The Toy Taker 
Author: Luke Delaney 
Publisher: Harper 
Genre: Thriller/Suspense 
Format: Kindle/Paperback 

Outside the house, it's cold and dark.

Inside, where it's warm, children are sleeping.

D.I. Sean Corrigan might have a tiny new office at Scotland Yard and a huge new beat—all of London—but the job is the same. His team has a knack for catching the sickest criminals on either side of the Thames, thanks in large part to Corrigan's uncanny ability to place himself inside the mind of a predator.

But he just can't get a read on this new case. Four-year-old George Bridgeman went to sleep in his bedroom in a leafy London suburb . . . and wasn't there in the morning. No tripped alarms. No broken windows. No sign of forced entry or struggle.

As his investigation zeroes in on a suspect, Corrigan's gut tells him it doesn't add up. Then another child is taken. Now someone's toying with Corrigan. And the game is about to turn deadly.

ORDER INFORMATION

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Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life, Luke Delaney.  Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?

A: I’m an ex-Detective who served seventeen years with the Metropolitan Police in London. I guess I’d investigated every crime imaginable until I retired early and decided to turn my hand to writing.

Q: Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it?

A: My next book set for release in the USA is The Toy Taker. It’s the third in the series following the exploits of Detective Inspector Sean Corrigan and the Special Investigations Unit he’s in charge of. In this book young children from wealthy families are disappearing from their beds in seemingly secure houses and with no sign of forced entry. Corrigan expects to start finding tiny bodies sooner rather than later, but when none turn up, he knows he’s dealing with something completely different and disturbing.

I wrote The Toy Taker after one of my own children unwittingly gave me the idea whilst being very naughty, but I can’t say more than that or I could give away a crucial part of the plot and ruin the book for the readers. Sorry!

Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced writing it?

A: Writing about children as the victims of crime is always difficult and can put people off before they even start, so I had to be very careful and subtle to make it bearable for the reader – especially those with children, but you still want it to be scary. Not always an easy balance with a subject like this, but I should point out it’s not about paedophiles or children being abused. I wouldn’t really want to ever write about that.

Q: Do you have a press kit and what do you include in it?  Does this press kit appear online and, if so, can you provide a link to where we can see it?

A: I don’t even know what a press kit is, so I guess that answers that.

Q: Have you either spoken to groups of people about your book or appeared on radio or TV?  What are your upcoming plans for doing so?

A: I guard my anonymity closely, because of my past, so I don’t do public appearances or TV. However I have been interviewed on radio before, both in the US and UK, as well as countless newspaper, magazine and blog interviews.

I’m not sure what the up and coming plans are – they’re in the hands of my publisher and publicist. I just get on with the writing.

Q: Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind sharing who he/she is?  If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one?

A: My agent is Simon Trewin – the head guy for literature at William Morris Endeavour’s London Office. He’s extremely well known and respected in the industry and has represented the likes of Condeleeza Rice and Manchester United – oh and me too.

You almost certainly need an agent to get a publisher, as publishers won’t read anything submitted cold from an unrepresented writer. But once you’re up and running and have social media covered – maybe in this day and age you can go it alone. These days I find I just get approached direct from newspapers, TV people, film people etc. In the future, authors probably won’t even need publishers and we’ll all be a lot better off!

Q: Did you, your agent or publisher prepare a media blitz before the book came out and would you like to tell us about it?

A: I wouldn’t exactly call it a blitz, but they try to get newspaper and radio interviews and here in London they put up quite a few cool looking posters on the Underground (Subway) and there’s always the blog stuff. Everything helps, but word of mouth is a powerful tool too.

Q: Do you plan subsequent books?

A: You’re a little behind the UK with my books. Here, The Jackdaw has already been out for a couple of months and going well. It’s the fourth DI Corrigan book and I think it would resonate very well with American readers as it’s about someone seemingly taking revenge on wealthy bankers who he holds responsible for the crash and subsequent economic hardship felt by many. I’ve also just finished my fifth book, not a Corrigan book – The King of Millander Walk. A bit different that one – a cautionary tale.
  
Q: Thank you for your interview, (insert name here).  Would you like to tell my readers where they can find you on the web and how everyone can buy your book?

A: You can buy my books from Amazon and most large retailers like Wallmart. I’m on twitter @lukedelaneyuk. I also have an official website with videos and info as well as an official facebook site with links, info etc. They’re all pretty easy to find on the Internet.

Thanks.

Luke Delaney


      



Luke Delaney joined the Metropolitan Police Service in the late 1980s and his first posting was to an inner city area of South East London notorious for high levels of crime and extreme violence. He later joined CID where he investigated murders ranging from those committed by fledgling serial killers to gangland assassinations…

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