Tell me about your latest book and why we should read it?
My latest book is GOOD SAMARITANS.
Seth Beauman has insomnia. And a project.
At night, while his wife sleeps upstairs, he calls numbers from his phonebook, hoping to not be alone, to make a connection.
One night, Hadley Serf feels suicidal. She calls the Samaritans. But, in a moment of chance, Seth Beauman has picked her number from his book at that same time. Wires are crossed. Hadley believes she is talking to The Samaritans and Seth finally has the connection he has been craving.
They strike up a friendship. It develops. They meet. They shouldn’t meet. Somebody has been watching them. Everything changes.
Oh, and there’s bleach.
You should read it because it’s very difficult to talk about without giving away one of the many twists and turns. You could talk freely with somebody else who has read it. So, if more people read it, more people can talk about it. Read it so that you can talk about it.
It has also been said that it is ‘Like Fight Club, only darker.’ That should be a good enough reason. But, if not, there’s some great sex in there. And it’s scary. Because you know these people.
I could go on. But this is supposed to be a quickie, right..?
If someone was to write your life story what would the title be?
I have never managed to get a book title through that I came up with. I’d hope it would be called At Two With Nature but I’m guessing a publisher would change it to something like Behind The Apathy.
What’s the strangest fan question or request you’ve received?
I’m not sure I have that many fans but I do have some great non-fans. My favourite is the guy that wrote a review saying, ‘Will Carver is CLEARLY an American trying to be English’. That still makes me smile.
The strangest request was being asked to attend a bookclub meeting for my second book. And they hated it. I mean, really did not like what I had done. They gave me wine but I had to sit there for an hour while they roasted me. I hadn’t disappointed that many women since my final – promiscuous – year of sixth form.
If you could co-write with anyone in the world (alive or dead) who would it be?
Writing is such a solitary thing. I like that. But I would collaborate with Chuck Palahniuk in a heartbeat.
He’s the best.
He could write anything and you could pick it up, read a page, and know it is him. I’m not just choosing him because he’s my favourite. I think/wish/dream/hope that our styles would tesselate well. No subject is off limits with him. Or me. We could write something stylish that nobody would buy and I would get to soak up time with the master.
Tell me something nobody else knows about you (yet!).
I once won £75k on a scratch card and threw it away. It will forever haunt me.
Finally please recommend 3 books that you have recently read and tell me why you’ve chosen these.–
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. Enlightening, funny and eye-opening for herbivores and omnivores alike.
Blue Night by Simone Bucholz. Sparsely told story about the dark underbelly of Hamburg. If you’re looking for a strong female lead, this book is what you need.
Our Man In Havana by Graham Greene. Farcical espionage entertainment wrapped up in literary prose. And it stands the test of time.
And I’ve just started Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk. I’m five pages in and I already know that you should read it.
Who is Will Carver: Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series (Arrow). He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age 11, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company. He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, while working on his next thriller. He lives in Reading with his two children.
