About Mike Covell:
Hello, my name is Mike Covell and I am an author and researcher from Kingston upon Hull, England. I love historical mysteries, the darker the better, and as such I love writing and researching cases such as “Jack the Ripper,” true crime cases, the paranormal and anything to do with the unexplained. I love a good mystery!
I have been writing and researching for 10 years but only started publishing a year ago. In that time I have released 9 kindle books, optioned the rights to a number of my books to be made into movies, and signed a publishing deal with Creativia.
When I am not writing I am a tour guide in my home town and run my own company called Amazing Hull Tours. I also lecture, teach, and travel around Hull, East Yorkshire and the UK discussing my passion.
I am married with three children, a cat, and a budgie…..named “Jack.”
What inspires you to write?
I get inspired by authors such as Richard Jones, Guy Lyon Playfair, and Jason Karl, although I have a large library filled with everything from Stephen King, to Mario Puzo, Patricia Cornwell, Dan Brown and Andy McNab.
To a great degree my late father and my children inspire me to write. They all have inquisitive minds and love a good mystery like me.
Tell us about your writing process.
I pick subjects that are very close to my heart. With the true crime titles I choose cases that I am not just interested in but that I am emotionally driven by. Cases such as the Caughey Street Mystery and the Marfleet Murder Mystery are cases that I very much relate to.
I usually write about 12 hours a day, five days on, two days off, but even when I am away from writing I am formulating new ideas on what to write next.
I spend many hours researching my works, often traveling across the UK to research people, places and cases. I believe that the research phase is just as important as the writing and am known for my relentless approach to researching cases.
I used to write using a pen and paper but now technology has taken over I do a lot on computer.
I use both a laptop and a home computer to write, often working offline in my office alone and writing by candlelight. Due to the nature of my works, and the fact that many are set in the Victorian period, it really helps set the tone and helps my mindset.
I sometimes take a digital Dictaphone with me to record what I want to put in writing, and now use a tablet to take notes on the spot them email them to myself later in the day.
I spend many hours visiting the locations, the graves, the murder scenes and documenting them taking thousands of photographs.
I plan my works, right down to the introduction and how the story unfolds using a flow chart that has what each chapter should hold. It helps me plan my work, but also helps me plan my research too.
What advice would you give other writers?
Make a plan, it really helps when writing, especially if you have lots of tangents of research. It has helped me greatly and although most of my works are presented chronologically, there are some that have overlapping timelines.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I had been working on my books for the best part of a decade and wanted them out there for people to see. I initially went the self publishing route, but several of my titles got optioned by Hollywood and I met a publisher who had the same ideas as me. I am now lucky to have a wonderful publisher in Creativia, that really understands me and how I work. Having someone like that makes it so much easier to concentrate on the writing side.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I do love the look and feel of a book, but own several kindles, which I take everywhere. I swap and change between the two, some days I will sit and read a paperback, others a digital download. I love reading.
I think as technology advances we will see more and more books coming out on smaller and smaller devices.
What do you use?: Dictated and got transcribed, Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?: True Crime, The Unexplained, History, Jack the Ripper, Murder, The Paranormal, British History, Local History
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Mike Covell Home Page Link
Link To Mike Covell Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Facebook
Twitter
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
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