I’ve known Brian for years, through the Internet. He is a prolific award-winning author who suggested I apply to his publisher, which I did, and got accepted. I am grateful for his suggestion.

Please, introduce yourself. Tell us about your personal life, family, education.

Thanks for inviting me to be interviewed, Mary. To introduce myself, I’m best known as Brian L Porter, the author of many novels and nonfiction books including the bestselling Mersey Mystery series, set in and around the city of Liverpool and the bestselling Family of Rescue Dogs series. I also write children’s books as Harry Porter and romantic poetry as Juan Pablo Jalisco. My most recent releases are my Cold War Thriller, Pestilence and my Study in Red Trilogy based on the Jack the Ripper murders in 1888, in Whitechapel, London.

 I’ve been fortunate to have penned almost 30 Amazon bestsellers, at home and internationally, and my books have been the winners of many literary awards.

I live with my wife, Juliet, in the North of England, who shares my passion for dogs and we currently share our home with nine beautiful rescued dogs.

What do you like doing in your spare time?

Most of my spare time is spent caring for our family of 9 rescued dogs, all of whom have been abused, abandoned or neglected before coming to live with us.

Do you have hobbies? How did you get started in them?

My only real hobby is the time I spend interacting with and training our dogs to be ‘good citizens’ so they are all people friendly. I also love reading though I don’t really see it as a hobby, more of a passion. Being a veteran of The Royal Air Force, I remain active in various veterans’ charities.

If you are a writer, are you an avid reader?

I’m definitely an avid reader, and devour at least one book a week, usually reading late into the night when everything is still and quiet and I can concentrate on whatever book I’m engrossed in.

What inspired you to write your first book?

My first published book was A Study in Red, The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper, which has recently been republished by my present publisher after the original publisher ceased trading.  The inspiration for the book came from my son, who encouraged me to turn my lifelong obsession with the Ripper murders of 1888 into a book. As there were so many factual books about the Whitechapel murders on the market, I decided to write a fictional novel based around the original murders. The book was so successful it led to me writing two more books on the subject, Legacy of the Ripper and Requiem for the Ripper, both of which have also been republished recently. 

How do you decide on the title of a book?

Once I get the idea for a new book, I will often begin writing before I have decided on a title. Usually, a title will suggest itself to me within a chapter or two. Very rarely the title comes first, simply as an extension of the idea or concept I have for the book.

Have you developed a specific writing style and why?

Over the years, I have developed a writing style which others have described as being ‘visual’ in that readers tend to be able to ‘see’ the scenes I am depicting through my writing.  I think this style developed through my reading of the books of a number of my favourite writers, who all seem to be very ‘visual’ in their writing so it was logical that I would develop along similar lines.

How much of your books is realistic and experiences based on someone you know, or events in your life?

Most of my novels tend to have some references to the past, somewhere in the storyline. I always do a lot of research to ensure that, if real past events are included in my books, they are accurately recorded so that any fiction I create around such events can be woven into the true fabric of the past. Of course, in the case of my Rescue Dog books they are wholly factual and tell the true stories of the lives of our dogs.

Who is your favorite writer, and what is it about their work that really strikes you?

My favourite writer, and the original inspiration for my own work, is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Most people know him as the author of the Sherlock Holmes books, but don’t always realize that he wrote much, much more. He was the author of The Lost World, made famous by numerous film adaptations of the book, and its sequel, The Poison Belt, also featuring Professor Challenger. The White Company and Sir Nigel are superb historical novels and he also wrote a great selection of short stories.

He was imaginative in all his works and especially in the Sherlock Holmes stories, he was well ahead of his time in the subject of the science of criminal investigation and rudimentary forensics. All of his books and short stories are superbly constructed, and he was an expert in building tension and inserting red herrings into his stories to keep the reader guessing. In short, he was a true master of the crime thriller and although I try to emulate his style and his methodology, I know I can never be as good as this true giant of British literary fiction.

Do you remember the first book you read?

As I’m now approaching my 68th birthday I find it very difficult to try and remember the first book I read. My mother used to spend many hours reading to me when I was a young child and she taught me to read long before I started school at the age of five. The first book(s) I truly remember reading and falling in love with were the Biggles novels by W. E. Johns. They instilled in me a great sense of adventure and kept me entertained until my late teens, by which time I’d moved on to rather more adult books. 

Is there an author, past or present, you would love to meet? Why?

Of course, I would love to have met Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but of more modern authors I’d love to meet Clive Cussler, who for me is the absolute master of the adventure novel. I think I’ve probably read all his books and never failed to be entertained by them.

When you see new authors struggling, what single piece of advice could you give them on a moment’s notice?

My only advice would be to have belief in yourself. If your work is good, it will eventually be recognized. Be prepared to accept rejections from agents and publishers. They are all part of the writing process, and I doubt there’s a successful author around today who didn’t begin their career with a few, or a lot, of rejections. Treat such rejections as occupational hazards and keep believing in your ability. 

How do you want others to see you or remember you? Is it important to you?

I’d like to be remembered as a writer who entertained my readers, who gave them an escape from the normal everyday world and who created books that people can go back to and read again and again. 

Do you have a blog or website viewers can visit for updates, events and special offers? Include links to any and all of your sites.

My old website is in the process of being replaced so for the time being readers can find my books by visiting my Author Page at Next Chapter Publishing, https://www.nextchapter.pub/authors/brian-porter-mystery-author-liverpool-united-kingdom

Or by simply keying the name Brian L Porter into the search box of your local Amazon website.

You can always find the latest offers on my books by visiting my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/harry.porter.12139862