Roger Silverwood Page

Roger Silverwood, Author.

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How Roger started writing

He was playing kickabout football with two of his lively nephews, Simon and Dylan in Locke Park. The goalposts were represented by two coats thrown down on the tarmacadam. He was in 'goal' with a wall behind him, and they were scoring goals against him by the dozen. And then he made a brilliant save, gave the ball a mighty hoof and finished up in agony on the ground. He had done something to his back. He hadn't been married long to his lovely wife, Celia, who was contacted, and she came along in the car and took him to the doctor. The doctor sent him home to bed with a prescription for painkillers.

Six months later, still in pain, having been through every painkiller known to man, had to wear a skin tight back brace, undergone a spinal tap, suffered three weeks in traction (that is, weights secured to legs, eat, sleep and everything else while the legs are in tension), heat treatment, back bending exercises, manipulation under anaesthetic, vibrating massage, and bed rest. Nothing helped. By this time, his business had gone to pot. The money was running out fast. He was depressed and spending most time in bed unable to walk. He was also fast becoming dependent on antidepressants.

One day, his wife came up to him with a thick writing pad and a pen and said, 'Here you are. Start writing that book you've always said you could write.'

He said: 'I never said anything about writing a book.'

Anyway, he started. He decided to write a whodunit. He knew the story had to start without any preamble. Ideally it should start with a body, so he wrote, 'A body, zur?' the policeman said.

And that is and was the first line of his very first book, DEADLY DAFFODILS, which, with his wife's help he finished eight month's later. It was nervously submitted to publishers Robert Hale, who promptly accepted it.

It has since sold in every English speaking country, from Australia to Singapore, the United States to Hong Kong. It was also translated into French*, and was re-issued in paperback in 2002. Roger is a member of the Crime Writers Association.

A Story about two bastards and a bitch

        A phone call came to Roger the other day. It was unusual it was from Elizabeth Robson, the Rights Manager at Hales, the publishers.
        'Hello, Roger. It's terrific news. We've had an offer for the sole rights for the sale of your book, The Curious Mind of Inspector Angel, for the United States and Canada. They want to reprint it over there.'
        Roger beamed. It was nice to be wanted in the States. It's nice to be wanted anywhere. 'That's great,' he said.
          'Yes,' Elizabeth said. 'But there's one snag.'
          'Oh, and what's that?'
          'It'll need some changes,' she said.
         Roger frowned. He knew the American's attitude to changes. He'd heard what drastic transformations they want, causing an immense amount of work, sometimes making the book into absolute nonsense. On the other hand, to be published in the US was such a breakthrough .... and the size of the market was so huge!
          'Changes?' he said. 'What sort of changes, Elizabeth?'
            'It's some words they don't like over there.'
             'Like what?'
          'Well, actually it's three words: it's two bastards and a bitch.'
            Roger blinked. 'Two bastards and a bitch?'
            'Yes,' she said sheepishly.
            He frowned. He didn't understand. He was thinking of all the filthy and outrageous language he had heard on US films and TV programmes we see over here. It was difficult to understand that the Americans were objecting to three words as relatively mild as bastard and bitch, but that was the situation.
             'They want to change them to swine,' she added.
             'Is that all?' he said.
             'Yes.
            'Of course, I agree,' Roger said. 'Change them to swine and send me the cheque.'

To contact Roger CLICK HERE He will answer you personally, but please be patient, pressure of work may cause delay. Please note if you are using a Web Based email client such as Hotmail the above link will not work; instead send your email to angeldetective@uwclub.net using your own form.

THE TOLLINGTON GHOST

Roger has a play called THE TOLLINGTON GHOST broadcast throughout the USA and Canada in March 2006 by Imagination Theatre, Seattle.

WHAT AMERICA THINKS ABOUT ROGER

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 17 Dec 2007

The Umbrella Man - Roger Silverwood Hale (Trafalgar Sq.,dist.), $35.95 (221p) ISBN978-0-7C90-8225-5

With a dollop of dark humor reminiscent of Peter Lovesey's Peter Diamond series, Silverwood's eighth Michael Angel whodunit (after Sham) effortlessly blends an intricate puzzle with a contemporary police procedural. While under pressure to nab the arsonist who's torched the homes of two MPs, the London detective inspector also investigates the murder of Imelda Wilde, who was once one of many attractive assistants to a magician known as Mysto. Angel's inquiries soon turn up the suggestive lead that another Mysto female sidekick turned up dead a quarter-century earlier. The complications multiply when an irregular warrantless search of an arson suspect's home reveals a bizarre setup—a dozen umbrellas suspended from the ceiling, packed with raw rice. The pieces all come together nicely in the end. (Mar)

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 14 Jan 2008

The Man Who Couldn't Lose. - Roger Silverwood. Hale (IPG, dist.), $35.95 (224p) ISBN 978-0-7090-8320-7

In British author Silverwood's engaging ninth whodunit to feature Det. Insp. Michael Angel (after The Umbrella Man), Angel must track down the murderer of Joshua Gumme, a Yorkshire businessman known as "The Man Who Couldn't Lose" for having won more than 200 straight games of pontoon, a card game with a large element of chance, over a 10-year period. The suspects range from Gumme's son, who was left a pittance out of an estate worth millions, to a heroin dealer, but the universe of those who wished the ethically challenged Gumme dead is large enough to keep Angel and his team busy. As usual, Angel must battle his own superior, Superintendent Harker, to run the case his own way. In a nice touch, Angel's wife helps him figure out how Gumme cheated, but it's the policeman's down-to-earth common sense and doggedness that lead him to a satisfying solution of the crime. Once again Silverwood combines a classic mystery plot with well-developed characters. (Mar.)

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