Ten Things With … David Videcette @DavidVidecette #guestpost

I am beyond excited (!!) to welcome author David Videcette to the blog today! If you’ve been living in a cave, under a rock or on a deserted island these past few months and have no clue who he is, allow me to introduce you.

As a former Scotland Yard detective, David Videcette has worked on a wealth of infamous cases.  With twenty years’ policing experience, including counter-terror operations and organised crime, David was a key investigator on the 7th July 2005 bombings in London. He is the holder of many police commendations including one for tracking down a 7/7 bomb factory.

He’s chased numerous dangerous criminals, placed bugs on scores of vehicles, searched hundreds of properties and interviewed thousands of witnesses.

David is a regular commentator for international news and media outlets such as the BBC, NBC, Sky, ITV, The Wall Street Journal, Telegraph newspapers, The New York Times, Newsweek, The Guardian and The Independent. He also blogs about crime and policing, writing and publishing.

His television credits include, ITV’s The Bill, BBC’s Burgled and Crimewatch.

David is the author of bestselling crime thrillers The Theseus Paradox and The Detriment –based on real events. The Official Secrets Act prevents him from writing an autobiography, so his motto is: “I can’t tell you the truth, but I can tell you a story…”™

The truth behind his first novel, The Theseus Paradox, was investigated by one of the UK’s leading investigative journalists, Andrew Gilligan, and featured in the Sunday Telegraph and on ITV News.

You can find out more about David via his website here or chat to him on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. To be in the hat for a chance to win signed copies of David’s books, join his newsletter by popping in your email address here.

Ten things I wish someone had told me before I wrote a book by David Videcette.

1 : Writing a book is a bit like having a baby.

You think carrying it and birthing it is the difficult part? The real work starts after it’s born!

2 : If people like it, you have to do it all over again.

It’s a tough decision to say ‘no more’ when you’ve got everyone hounding you for a sequel.

3 : It doesn’t get any easier the more books you write.

Even by book three or four you’re still wondering how you ever managed to produce one of the bloody things and come out unscathed the other side!

4 : It doesn’t matter who publishes your book.

Publishers like to think their brand is important.

Readers don’t tend to give a fig who publishes the book … just as long as it’s good.

5 : Hearing, ‘I loved your book’, never gets old.

You will wonder what you did before the advent of positive reviews and the feedback from happy readers all over the world.

6 : Which one is better: ebook, paperback or hardback?

The version that’s currently selling the most copies.

7 : As soon as you start selling books in reasonable numbers, people will want to know what you eat, drink, and even what colour socks you have on.

You will spend as much time answering questions about those things as you will do writing a future book. It all feels a bit surreal.

8 : Your nearest and dearest will not be the least bit interested in your writing career.

Amazingly, you’ll discover that not everyone likes books. (Now if only I were in the final for the Great British Bake Off or the X Factor, things might be a little different around here…)

9 : Which book in your series will you love the most?

The one that’s receiving the best reviews at the time.

10 : When you’re tempted to call it a day…

New fans of your work will appear in the most unexpected places. Someone you’ve never met, ten thousand miles away, will ask you when the next book is out. You’ll realise that there’s no turning back now.

In case you missed it the first time, you can read my reviews for The Theseus Paradox and The Detriment but really, you should just go and buy the books. You won’t regret it! Then you can come talk to me about the awesomeness and join me while we impatiently await book 3 in the Jake Flannagan series.

Buy The Theseus Paradox at Amazon US | Amazon UK | Bookdepository

Buy The Detriment at Amazon US | Amazon UK | Bookdepository

Mahoosive thank you to David Videcette for taking the time to stop by the blog! And for making my quotes look so pretty on his website. 😄