It is my stop on the blog tour for 46% Better Than Dave by Alastair Puddick. I have a guest post to share with you today from the author and if you like the sound of that, you can click here to order your copy now. Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour for more exclusive content and reviews.
Here's what it's all about...
A novel of jealousy, muddy shoes and giant barbecues.
Dave Brookman’s new next-door neighbour is ruining his life. Because in a bizarre coincidence, he’s also called Dave Brookman, he’s the same age and he even grew up in the same town. There is one big difference, though. This new Dave is vastly more successful in every way.
As Dave starts questioning everything about himself, suddenly his perfect life seems a lot less than perfect. And what starts as friendly rivalry soon turns into obsessive jealousy and crazy behaviour that could see Dave lose it all. Can he get a grip before it’s too late?
And here's that post from Alastair...
My favourite character
Rude, curmudgeonly, crass and outrageous, Freddie Winters is my
favourite character to write.
I love an antihero in fiction. People of questionable character, who
live by a more complicated moral code. Those people brave enough to live life
their own way, without apology. Not always living by society’s rules, or
strictly within the law. But who still have a good heart and can be called upon
to save the day – even if somewhat begrudgingly. Characters like Lisbeth
Salander (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Dexter Morgan (Darkly
Dreaming Dexter), Allan Karlsson (The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed
Out of the Window and Disappeared) or The Bookseller with No Name (Mystery
Man).
When I first had the idea for Killing
Dylan, I knew what story I wanted to tell – the central plot, the key crime
and the motivation for doing it. I knew what was happening to whom, and why
people were doing what they were doing. The very first draft I wrote was actually
written from the point of the view of the titular character. But there was
something missing. The story needed an extra edge.
I thought about how other crime books worked, with a dedicated
detective, armed with years of experience and success, and a burning desire to
uncover the truth. Then I thought, why not spin that on its head? Maybe the
central protagonist, who had to solve the crime, could be someone with no
experience, very little success, no real clue of what they’re doing and who
doesn’t really want to be there in the first place. The idea made me smile, and
my antihero, Freddie Winters, was born.
The wrong man for the job
Freddie was partly inspired by the TV show Castle, in which a
very famous, successful mystery novelist joins up with the NYPD to
enthusiastically solve crimes in his spare time (itself a kind of update of Murder
She Wrote). However, rather than a successful novelist, Freddie is not very
good (although he can’t see that). He just about manages to carve out a living
writing books that nobody buys, and organising his own impromptu book signings.
He hates that he isn’t more successful, when all of his peers have gone on to
do so much better. He can’t pay his rent. He can barely afford to eat. And he
hates the world for it.
Freddie is curmudgeonly and rude. He’s bold and outspoken. He can’t
understand why people don’t see how brilliant he is. And his bad attitude often
gets him into a lot of trouble.
Living life his own way
I always have a lot of fun writing Freddie Winters. He is completely
incorrigible. He says things that he shouldn’t (that nobody should), and he
doesn’t apologise for it. He does things his own way – even when that way
offends or upsets people (or sometimes because of it), or even breaks a few
laws. Despite that, his heart is firmly in the right place, and he can (almost)
always be called upon to do the right thing – especially if there’s a bit of
money in it for him.
I love how brave Freddie is (even though, technically, he’s a bit of a
coward). He’s brash and confident. He doesn’t suffer fools and he’s not afraid
to tell people what he really thinks. Most of all, he stands up for what he
believes in. He stands up for his friends. And when push comes to shove, he’ll
put himself in harm’s way to protect those people he loves.
A little bit of me
My wife has often said she thinks Freddie Winters is me, if I were
brave enough to really say what’s on my mind. I guess there’s a little truth to
that. Although the character is not autobiographical, there definitely is a
little bit of me in him. Whenever you create a character, their experiences
will always be based upon your own – even if you completely subvert things to
create someone completely opposite to yourself. And, okay, I’ll admit some of
the things Freddie moans about are the same things that get on my nerves, too.
That’s probably why I enjoy writing Freddie so much. I make him say the
most outrageous things, have terrible opinions, act in a completely outlandish
way and do really mean-spirited, ghastly things – the sort of things that make
me gasp and laugh in equal measure. And hopefully they make other people laugh,
too.
Freddie Winters is definitely my favourite character to write. So much
so, in fact, that I’ve recently started work on his next adventure. I can’t
wait to see what outrageous things he gets up to next, and book two in the
Freddie Winters series should hopefully be with you soon. And in the meantime,
why not check out my other books at alastairpuddick.com.
Biography
@HankShandy
@LoveBooksGroup
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