Hello, I’m Alastair Gunn. I’m really pleased you’ve chosen to visit my website. You can contact me in various ways via this site. I’d love to hear your thoughts, and I’ll reply to everyone (although it may take me a little while).
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So thanks very much for your support, and I’d better return the compliment by telling you some stuff about me. Firstly, Alastair Gunn is my real name, despite people in the industry telling me I couldn’t have chosen a better one for writing crime. I’m immensely proud to have released four books (so far) with Penguin. You can keep up with events by liking my Facebook author page, or following me on Twitter (@alastair_gunn).
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I’ve always loved telling stories. At school I spent hours creating my own magazines and comics, so perhaps it’s no surprise that I ended up as a writer, where my career began in motor journalism. If you were a regular reader of car magazines in the mid-noughties (Auto Express, Car, What Car, Revs, etc), you might remember my efforts.
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My time in journalism was never dull, but it ended abruptly when my resident magazine closed down. This left me with a choice: either continue chasing a shrinking industry around the country, or indulge the itch I’d been ignoring for something with more creative freedom, and write a book. I made that decision at a friend’s wedding in November 2005 (I still remember the slightly inebriated moment). The seven years after that were filled with research, writing, submitting various drafts to dozens of literary agencies, getting their feedback and refining my work, submitting it all over again, and eventually ending up with something that hooked the interest of my agent. Things moved pretty quickly from there. I signed with Penguin four months later, and my first book was on its way into print less than a year after that.
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I read as much as I can, as many different genres as possible, and I rarely fail to finish any book (even if I’m not enjoying it). I think a writer can learn as much about what not to do from a bad book as they can about what works from a good one. I still remember the lessons I learned from reading fantastic books like Tom Rob Smith’s Child 44, Douglas Hill’s Last Legionary series (my childhood favourites), and Steven Baxter’s Sci-Fi anthology. I love Formula One and, according to various authorities, at least, I qualify as a true petrol head, because I’m already on my third Alfa Romeo.
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My ultimate aim when I write is to create something accessible and exciting, regardless of the subject matter. If the story itself is good enough, it shouldn’t matter whether you’re into a particular genre, or how familiar you are with the time and place in which a book is set. It all comes back to humanity in the end, and that’s what I enjoy exploring. If that philosophy makes sense to you, I have some books you might enjoy. Click the ‘Books’ tab in the menu bar to see my top recommendations!