A friendship to be valued
Introducing Val Penny, who turned a dark time into a prolific writing career
I have this friend in Scotland who I’ve never met. At least not in the flesh. I guess it’s that pandemic thing where these days we have as many friends popping up on the home office Mac as we do over a flat white in the local café.
Val Penny is an American author who has made Scotland her home. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a sweet shop.
The woman’s a delight whenever she shows up on one of the author groups I belong to. I think it’s her dry sense of humour and seemingly droll delivery of outrageous observations.
I’m introducing her here for two reasons.
Firstly because she has been an absolute brick during my cack-handed switch to a new publisher which has left me naked and forlorn with none of my books available to new readers while Sapere Books set up a relaunch. She’s been through similar herself and has a reassuring tone when reminding me that all will be well.
Secondly, this very day (July 2) her latest book is published. She’s one to watch. But while you’re lining up her latest DI Hunter Wilson crime thriller, Hunter’s Blood, here’s a bit of background. Just a few questions I fired at her across the trusty Zoom thingy. Believe me, you want to get to know this lady and delve into her books…
What made you decide to start writing novels?
“I’ve been writing and telling stories all my life. When I was a child, I used to make up stories for my little sister after our Mum put the light out and told us to go to sleep. Later, I wrote documents, contracts and courses as part of my job, but my time was well accounted for, so I didn’t create any fiction.
“However, I took early retirement when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and there were times when I suffered severe side effects from my treatment. I could not go out, spend time with friends or indulge in many of my favourite hobbies, but watching daytime television got very old very fast, so I turned to reading. It was the only thing I had the energy to do and could do safely.”
What inspired you to write crime fiction and set your series in Edinburgh?
“I must admit that the genre of book that I enjoy most to read is crime fiction, so I decided to write what I like to read. Before I set the DI Hunter Wilson series in Edinburgh, I did debate making up a town like Peter Robinson did for his crime series. However, I know Edinburgh well and it is a city many people have visited or want to visit. It is also quite a small city, but cosmopolitan and it has everything in it that I needed, so Edinburgh is Hunter’s home.”
The book has some dark humour within it as well as some brutal murders, how did you manage to combine the two without it sounding forced and was it intentional to combine both and yet keep a gritty feel?
“Ah yes, well that was intentional. I enjoy humour and especially dark humour. I think you need that to lift a crime novel from being too bleak.”
How do you get into the mindset of your characters to write both the murderer and the police solving the case?
“I drafted biographies for each of my main characters and that allowed me to get to know them well before I started writing my novels. I particularly like Hunter Wilson because I know I can trust his judgement. I enjoy Jamie as a character too. His judgement is always suspect, but he tries his best to accomplish his goals!”
Did you have to research for the police procedures? If so, how easy, or difficult was this to do and then to translate it into a fictional story?
“Yes. I am lucky to have a friend who is a retired Detective Chief Inspector and another who is a serving CSI with Greater Manchester Police. They were most helpful in guiding me in the right direction. Of course, I may have strayed for dramatic effect…”
This is the fourth book in this series now, do you have more planned or what’s next in your writing career?
“I certainly plan to write more books in the Hunter series. I also have a second series now where Jane Renwick is the main character. The first book in that series will be published by SpellBound Books this year and I am writing the second book in that series now.”
THE LOWDOWN
Val Penny has an Llb degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and their cat.
Twitter: @valeriepenny
Lovely piece, Alistair. Val will be delighted.