It Was The Laughter Of Birthdays, Of

The Most Difficult Part Of Any Crime Novel Is The Plotting. It All Begins Simply Enough, But Soon You're Dealing With A Multitude Of Linked Characters, Strands, Themes And Red Herrings - And You Need To Try To Control These Unruly Elements And Weave Them Into A Pattern.

You Need A Great Idea, But Then You've Got To Carry It Through. If You Get It Right, You're Going To Be A Critical Success. But Not Everyone Who Works Hard Gets It Right, Or Has The Success They Deserve: There's An Element Of Luck.

Right From The Very Beginning, I Knew I Wanted To Write Palpably Scottish Fiction.

I Took The First James Kelman Novel, 'the Bus Conductor Hines', Home To My Dad. I Thought, 'my Dad Will Like This; It's Written In Scots.' But My Dad Said: 'i Can't Read That.' He Was Reading James Bond And John Le Carre. That Was Part Of What Attracted Me To Crime - The Idea Of Getting A Wide Audience.

Rebus Was Eating Breakfast In The Canteen And Wishing There Was More Caffeine In The Coffee, Or More Coffee In The Coffee Come To That.