James Silvester

Although authors love having time in isolation to write, lockdown means we can’t enjoy those events and festivals where we can meet up, exchange ideas and just socialise. So I’ve invited some of my author friends to join me for a virtual drink and chat.

It’s a special pleasure to welcome James Silvester to my virtual Cocktail Lounge as he was indirectly responsible for an introduction to Urbane Publications when I reviewed his first thriller The Prague Ultimatum (Prague thrillers)“>The Prague Ultimatum, and the Lucie Musilova Thrillers: Sealed With A Death – A Lucie Musilova thriller“>Sealed with a Death (2019).

Hi James how lovely to see you in my virtual cocktail lounge. I’m onto a winner here as I don’t have to pay for the drinks. What can I get you at the bar?

James: Hello there! It’s a pleasure to be here with you, Anne. Typically, I’d go for a large rum, but as this is a special occasion, I’ll have a mojito, please.

This could be one of those “Oh yes I remember it well” conversations. So where did we first meet in real life?

J: Well, we’d be exchanging pleasantries on the Twitterverse for a while before we met. I think the first time we properly talked would have been at the splendid CrimeFest in Bristol, back in 2016, although I’ve a feeling we met briefly at an Urbane bash a few months earlier.

I knew it! The Urbane party was later in the year at The Phoenix Arts Club. CrimeFest was the first time we met with other Urbane crime writers. First impressions?

J: That you were great company! CrimeFest was my first event, and I was extraordinarily nervous, and felt like a fraud even being there, in the company of writers I seriously respected (and still do). You put me at ease straight away, and helped me relax into company, which, I was initially quite intimidated by.

Really? I was nervous too – CrimeFest was my first as well and my début, Dancers in the Wind, hadn’t even been published then so if anyone felt a fraud it was me. So apart from nervousness, any other similarities?

J: Obviously, we’re both extremely talented and stunningly attractive people. I struggle to say what we have in common, but I think the ease with which we get on speaks for itself. I’m conceited enough to think we have some similarities in our writing, but that’s probably for others to decide.

And we both love the word “perdition,” of course. I had a fabulous time at your London launch for Sealed with a Death, will there be another book soon?

J: No dates at the moment, but I’m writing a new thriller, right now. It’s still in the early stages, but will be another Euro Thriller, in the same style as my other stuff, and will have a focus on EU Citizens in the UK. I think that’s a theme I’ll always return to, in my work. I can tease the title, though: Generation Death.

Well, that’s hooked me. So apart from a book launch, what are you most looking forward to when lockdown is finally lifted?

J: Time alone. I’m in a house full of people who I adore, but I’m someone who thrives on periods of solitude. I’ve always been comfortable in my own company, and not having anywhere to go, without someone else being there is a struggle, I must admit. It’s funny, I was chatting to a friend, the other day, who lives alone, and who can’t wait to be in company when this is all over. It just goes to show how this is affecting everybody.

Is there one thing lockdown has made you think about or want to do?

J: Frankly, mortality. I was quite ill for a time last year, and I’ll admit to being worried about what’s going on at the moment. It’s made me realise I need to take better care of myself, for the sake of the people who depend on me.

I’ll drink to that. Back to book events – what would be your dream panel?

J: Argh!!!! That’s a tough one. I’d absolutely love to share a stage with Bernard Cornwell, Stella Rimington and Hugh Fraser. Bernard is one of the reasons I started writing – he has a brilliant way of writing exciting, impeccably researched thrillers with a basis in history, which is what I originally aspired to. Stella Rimington is a solid spy thriller writer, and, let’s face it, her background in the field is second to none. And Hugh? Well, let’s just say that I’m delighted that someone I grew up admiring, is now a trusted and valued colleague, who I can ring up for honest advice at any time. His “Rina Walker” series is an absolute joy to read. And, of course, I hope you’d be up there with me, too.

You’re such a charmer, James. I’d love to be the moderator on that panel. But as a friend said to me recently when our drinks had run out during a FaceTime chat, the tide is out and our time is up. Thank you so much for being the first to join me in The Cocktail Lounge and I look forward to seeing you soon.