FAQs

Quick answers to some common questions

How long does it take you to write a book?

Generally I spend a year on each book, which is just as well since they’re scheduled to appear once a year. But that’s not writing alone. There’s a lot of preparation, research, editing, rewriting and post production work, such as proof reading and final tweaks, before a book is finished.

How many Nic Costa books will there be?

I can’t answer that except to say that at the moment I would like the series to be open-ended. I am committed to producing nine in the series for Macmillan in the UK and Bantam Dell in the US. The first seven are already complete. The ninth will be published in 2010 or 2011. After that it will depend on whether readers want to read more and publishers want to publish more.

How much time do you spend in Rome?

When I first started the series I spent a large part of the year there, renting an apartment and enrolling at an excellent language school Italiaidea to study the language. Over the years the need to visit has diminished somewhat, and the call on my time for travel for promotion has increased. So I generally spend six weeks or more in Italy these days, though I wish it could be more.

Are the characters in your books based on real people?

Absolutely not - as far as I’m aware. I’d find it very disconcerting to base a fictional character on someone I know. I’d be constantly asking myself what he or she would be doing in real life.

Do you intend to write more standalone novels such as The Promised Land and Lucifer’s Shadow?

I don’t want to be confined simply to the Costa series but I don’t see myself writing standalones every year. In 2006 I wrote Saved and the year before The Promised Land, both in addition to Costa books. This year I am sticking to a single Costa book. Next year… who knows? I certainly don’t… there is a stack of ideas I would like to tackle if I have the time.

Did you go to writing classes?

No, but I’ve taught at a lot since becoming an author. My honest belief is that you can’t teach writing, but you can teach people to think about writing, which is very important indeed for people who want to become novelists. The basic material for any budding writer can be found in any good book store or library… in the form of books. But understanding the process and craft of writing is important and better explained than discovered for some people. It also helps if you understand how the publishing industry works, and have some kind of insight into the needs and working methods of editors, agents and publishers.

What are you reading at the moment?

I read a lot of different sorts of books, not just crime and thrillers. Mostly these days I am stuck inside non fiction, some of it a little obscure. At the moment I’m reading a number of titles covering Etruscan history and the background to the Italian terrorist movement the Red Brigades. One title I can heartily recommend is Etruscan Life and Afterlife: A Handbook of Etruscan Studies, edited by Larissa Bonfante. I am also looking forward to John Harwood’s new novel The Seance. I did an event with John in Melbourne a few years ago and we discovered many similar tastes, including MR James.

How do I find your earlier books such as Lucifer’s Shadow?

Lucifer’s Shadow is still in print and doing very well in the US, published by Bantam Dell in trade paperback. It is currently out of print in the UK but you can order import copies through online stores such as Amazon UK. The earlier books are for the most part out of print and best sourced through places such as eBay or the used pages of Amazon UK or US.

Would you be interested in talking to my writing group/book store/library?I like talking at public events, particularly if the subject is general (I’m very bad at selling individual books). In the first instance please contact the relevant publicist according to your region (Macmillan in the UK, Bantam Dell in the US). You can find their contact details on the Contact page here. Or just mail me directly through the same page. Time and expense constraints do come into events, so it’s helpful if they can be organised around other visits to the same region.

Can you recommend an agent or publisher?

Sorry but no. Publishing is a big and complicated business. The best way to understand how to get into it is by reading one of the standard guides to selling a manuscript through books such as Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook and Writers’ Market.

Will you blurb my book?

After a lot of thought I’ve now decided to pull out of the business of giving quotes for novels. This wasn’t an easy decision but I feel it’s the right one for me. I’ve been inundated with requests over the last couple of years and frankly don’t have the time to meet them all. That means I’d have to pick and choose between the unread novels on offer, which is iniquitous situation I’d rather avoid. But don’t let that put you off asking other writers. The principal constraint for me at the moment is simply time.